Spoken Word Poetry

1920s

The roots of spoken word poetry stretch back to the jazz age, when performers began reciting poetry alongside jazz performances. "Jazz poets," like Langston Hughes performed poems like "The Weary Blues" (1925) with live musical accompaniment, adding an element of performance to the traditional written word of poetry.

1950s-1970s

Social and political movements, like Beat Poetry (1950s), the Black Arts Movement (1960s), and the Civil Rights Movement used spoken word poetry to comment on social, political, and cultural issues. Gil Scott-Heron's "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" (1971) is a notable example of the power of the spoken word format to bridge the divide between poetry and broader sociopolitical movements.

1980s

Marc Smith ("Slam Papi") is widely credited as the organizer of the first official "Poetry Slam" in Chicago in 1987; the first national slam poetry competition took place three years later in San Francisco. With these events, "slam poetry" as a distinct format of performance poetry was born, and in the years to come would grow and gain credibility within the world of poetry.

HBO's broadcast of "Def Poetry" (2002-2007) helped to dramatically expand the audience for slam poetry by making it available for millions of viewers from the comfort of their homes. New, up-and-coming, and unknown poets were given a platform to help make slam poetry a prominent part of American culture.