Poetry has a long history as an oral and performance tradition, dating back to the Greeks if not before. Spoken poetry has the power to engage and inspire a community, and topics can cover social, cultural, economic and political issues.
Beginning in the 1980s, this traditional aspect of poetry took on new life with the birth of poetry slams, or public competitions. It is believed the first structured poetry slam took place in 1986 in Chicago, and was organized by construction worker, Marc Smith.
The first national poetry slam in the United States occurred in 1990, in San Francisco. The movement took particular hold among young poets, and those in marginalized or minority communities, as a means to express opinions, convey political statements, or speak up on social issues. There is a broad range of styles and cultural traditions, but many reflect the rythmic style of the hip-hop scene in music.
Today, official poetry slams are sanctioned around the world, by a regulating non-proft body – Poetry Slam Inc. (founded in 1997). There is also a World Cup of Poetry Slams.
In poetry slams, the injection of theatrics into the performance of original work by the poet (though props, costumes and music are prohibited). This stage performance reflects the unique personality, and enthusiasm, of the presenting poet or poets. These presentations are usually judged and voted on by the audience, or by a panel of five judges selected from the audience.
As the popularity of this style of poetry presentation increases, so too does the profile of the poets. Today, there are several spoken word and slam poets who have received national poetry awards, and there are academic courses on the subject at higher level educational institutions.
LGBTQ participation in the art is widespread. The content often reflects the social and personal experiences of the poet, or the marginalization and challenges faced by the community in a broad social context.
Slams are another way the community can express its opinions and voice, offering many youths a channel to participate in activism on the various issues faced by LGBTQ individuals.
Below is a number of high profile, LGBTQ poets, who are notable for their participation in poetry slams.
The vast majority hail from the United States. See the complete list HERE.