I recently read a punch in the gut debut young adult novel by Colleen Hoover. She did an amazing job of integrating slam poetry into the book. The poetry added depth and emotional impact to the story. Colleen agreed to guest blog about how she used poetry in her book.
Slammed is a contemporary young adult novel that centers on the life of eighteen-year-old Layken Cohen. Layken reluctantly moves to Michigan with her family and immediately forms an intense connection with her new neighbor, Will Cooper. Will introduces Layken to his passion for slam poetry, a medium used by the characters throughout the novel that expresses their thoughts and emotions on a level that normal dialogue wouldn’t properly portray.
Slam poetry, also known as spoken word, is a type of art where contestants read or recite original work on stage during a competition. According to
Wikipedia, in a poetry slam members of the audience are chosen by an M.C. or host to act as judges for the event. In the standard slam, there are five judges. After each poet performs, each judge awards a score to that poem. The original works performed by the contestants are powerful and emotional, written to deliver an emotional punch, and; depending on the subject, these poems can also be humorous and entertaining.
I decided to introduce slam poetry to readers through my novel because it is a beautiful form of art that I have enjoyed watching for years and feel it needs more recognition. While I have never personally performed, I both envy and admire the passion and bravery these poets possess. Slam poetry is a type of poetry that is meant to be seen rather than read, so I did find it challenging to incorporate this type of poetry in my novel. I had a huge desire to do it justice, so I struggled with how exactly to portray the emotions onto paper as it would be if it were seen performed live.
The way poets use their bodies, the words they emphasize, and the speed at which they speak to lend to how the poems are perceived. As I wrote the poetry for the novel, I had to imagine it as if it were being performed on the stage.
Here is an example of a slam poem that I wrote specifically for this guest post:
"Dear Teachers"
Students' minds are like clay
Our words used to mold them…
Our actions used to show them…
Our attitudes used to grow them…
But one day the clay will be hardened and set
Their minds closed off from whatever you present
You can wet it, you can press it, you can smash it with a hammer
But these balls of hardened clay will be impossible
to
enter.
The opportunity is now
to enable them to see
To set their minds free
Let them know that
they can be
Anything…
They set out to be
So do it today…
Go mold
Your clay
The significance of the performance is amplified when reading the novel, once you are immersed with the characters and the circumstances surrounding them. I admit, the poetry I wrote for the novel pales in comparison to actually seeing it performed live. There are poetry slams held all across the country in every state, and are worth seeking out.
The popularity of slam poetry is on the rise, specifically among our nation’s youth, with many organizations using it as a means to empower the next generation of leaders.
Youth Speaks is the leading nonprofit presenter of Spoken Word performance, education, and youth development programs in the country. According to their website, they are “presenters of local and national youth poetry slams, festivals, reading series, and more, Youth Speaks also offers a comprehensive slate of literary arts education programs during the school day, in the after-school hours, on weekends and evenings, while providing numerous opportunities for youth to be published and heard. All told,
Youth Speaks works with 45,000 teens per year in the Bay Area alone, and has helped create partner programs in 47 cities across the United States.”
I am humbled that
Slammed has received such positive feedback and reviews, and am grateful that I have been able to introduce the art of slam poetry to some of the readers that were not previously familiar with it. I am currently working on a second novel,
Afflicted. It is based on the same characters introduced in Slammed and will also incorporate more slam poetry. For more information regarding
Slammed and
Afflicted, please visit my website at
www.colleenhoover.com.
Slammed by Colleen Hoover is FREE on Kindle for 3 days only: January 27-29, 2012. Here is a really cool video I found on YouTube of a slam poet. This is a great video to use in secondary English classes.
After reading Slammed by Colleen Hoover, I played around with my own slam poetry. I wrote two poems. The first one is a character I imagined:
It's not fair!
It's not fair
that I was born
without a silver spoon
in my mouth.
It's not fair
that I have to fight
for ever scrap of food,
or the clothes
on my back.
It's not fair
that I look in the mirror,
and see what I see
looking back.
It's not fair
that I never get a break,
or peace of mind,
or time to myself,
or money to burn,
or anything I want.
Why do some people
have
everything?
And I
have nothing.
No One.
It's not fair!
The second poem I wrote is based on my own personal worries:
I don't like it
when you walk down the street
by yourself.
I don't like
how I feel
waiting
for your text,
to know that you're home,
and the door is locked.
I don't like it
when you forget to call,
and I can't stop
to check.
I don't like waiting,
and waiting,
and waiting,
and waiting
to find out
if you're safe
or not.
I don't like it.
I encourage you to read Colleen's book, and give slam poetry a try. I hope you will consider introducing it to your students. Slam poetry has high impact, active engagement potential. Go slam!
