After sitting in on the other TE 348 class this past Tuesday I found myself going home to watch more Youtube videos of “slam poetry. “ I particularly like the videos of Taylor Mali and Beau Sai. I found their poetry pieces very powerful, yet very humorous. I typically don’t read or listen to poetry on my own because I thought most of it was usually sad and depressing, leaving me with unanswered questions. However, these pieces, as well as other slam poetry pieces, make me feel as though I have a connection with the poet and am experiencing their emotions through their writing. How does slam poetry make you feel?
At my high school we had “Poetry Slams” in which any student could perform their poetic pieces on stage for an audience of mostly other students. Although I enjoyed attending some of these events I never got the nerve to participate. Did you ever participate in a Poetry Slam? I feel that poetry slams in high schools are a great way for students to express their writing talents. In addition so showing off their talents, this type of poetry allows students to express their emotions, whether happy or depressed, in a healthy manner.
I decided to do some research about Poetry Slams in the Lansing area and came across an article discussing the “Lansing Civic Players: Poetry SLAM!” This is a monthly poetry slam event in which anyone is allowed to compete. Poets have a chance to show off to their community and win prizes. Events like these can really bring a community together for a fun night of entertainment. Although these particular poetry slams are considered to be “emerging” and are trying to create a venue to call home for these monthly events as well as bring in more poets. Does your community put on poetry slams for the community?
For more information about Lansing area Poetry Slams: http://www.capitalgainsmedia.com/features/slam0405.aspx
Just as I went to go write my blog post about youtube videos of poetry slams I saw this post! I also watched youtube videos of poetry slams after class, my favorite was "What Teachers Make" by Taylor Mali. I liked this video because I agree with Mali that being a teacher is an overlooked profession. I am someone that hates poetry and watching videos like this really intrigued me. So when I introduce poetry to a classroom I am going to make sure to show them all different kinds to grab their attention. Another thing I learned about teaching poetry that really stuck with me was to not be negative about poetry when introducing the poetry unit. A lot of kids hate poetry because they think they are supposed to because many people do, so hopefully this will stop this notion.
ReplyDeleteWatching the slam poetry clips on Youtube I also became interested. This was a type of poetry that I have not seen before; it actually caught my attention and kept it. Growing up I never understood poetry and therefore I did not enjoy it very much but now that I have heard poetry that I like I am opened to a whole new area to study. I feel as though poetry is an intriguing form of literature that many students do not appreciate because of the way it is taught in schools. When the teachers are not interested in a topic the students rarely are either. In schools their needs to be poetry taught that is relatable by the students in order to spark their interest. Being able to grab the attention of children at a young age might help poetry become a more prominent form of literature.
ReplyDelete