Take the Mic: The Art of Performance Poetry, Slam, and the Spoken Word (A Poetry Speaks Experience)

Really awesome pointers! I bought it as a gift and read a few pages than a few more and almost wanted to to keep it for myself.

When first experiencing a poetry slam, audience members can be shocked to see how expressive and electric poetry can be. The poets who perform in these high energy poetic competitions not only write fresh and modern verse, but are also committed to bring these poems to life with solid, engaging performances.Author Marc Kelly Smith created the Poetry Slam in the mid-1980s with the goal of bringing poetry back to the people. In the decades since, Smith has toured extensively -- throughout the U.S.A and around the world -- while still running the famed Chicago Green Mill Poetry Slam and encouraging new voices. Smith has taken all that he's learned about how to be a performance poet, and put it in this book.With "Take the Mic," Smith engages and challenges the reader through every step of development, from "virgin" to professional. He starts with the basics -- history, community, intent -- and moves on how to tackle writing your first poems, how to properly vocalize your poetry, how to use your body to make your performance effective. Each section is filled with tips, exercises and things to avoid, and each section ends with a "If you remember anything, remember..." side bar which drives home Smith's vision for poetry.But where most books about performance end, Smith continues -- giving advice on how to handle gigs, how to shape your show, how to get press and how to book a tour. He balances solid tips and common sense advice, provides websites and books for further information, and embues everything with a deep sense of purpose and decency. Smith's belief in the power of poetry, and his passion to make sure every person who wants to be a poet becomes the best poet they can be, is the bedrock on this book.I highly recommend this book for something wanting to stretch their poetic wings. Even "page poets" looking to up their game will find a lot of helpful advice in here.

Great view of what poetry and community can be. Old reference, not so useful to writing slam. But examples are sweet.The best thing that I got from this book was the insistence that I promote myself as a poet and not as just a dude that writes poetry. The poet makes great words. I feel required when I call myself a poet to make great words. When I'm just a dude that writes poetry I almost grant myself an excuse for mediocrity before I start. This book is great for removing that excuse from your hands

This little gem helped me overcome extreme stage fright, and I made it through several successful live performances as part of a local slam poetry group using the author's advice. I like the conversational tone, it made for an easy read.

As a coach for Speech & Debate, this book is a MUST HAVE addition to my library arsenal for the kiddos.

If you’re interested in slam poetry, this book is for you. It’s accessible and easy to read. It also contains helpful tips and exercises.

Great book for someone just starting out in the world of poetry. Wonderful CD accompaniment with a wide range of talented poets.

Inspirational. Read this book prior to my first competition and applied lots of tips I gathered from this book.

Happy with the price too

I bought this for my friend who is a huge fan of spoken word and she raves about it. Said it’s brilliant and one of the best books on the subject she’s ever read.

Not in bad condition but there are literally 50 pages missing in the middle of the book, so hopefully those chapters aren't important.

Good book in a good state, took quite a while to post, that's why it's only getting 4 stars.

As described