The Art Of Spoken Word

 It's not what you say, it's how you say it. The art of slam poetry is the expression of a personal story, very powerful and sincere. Some people might say that slam poetry is "a scramble of words that may or may not make sense to the reader, but always means something to someone." Poetry is passion, and when you're passionate about something you're speaking about it can become a performance. "There’s something about hearing a poem being performed that feels like listening to music: the delivery, pitch, and rhythm are tailored to create just the right reaction and hit you in a very specific way."

Shayne Koyczan was the first Canadian to win the individual championship title at the national poetry slam in the year 2000. He grew up in our lovely city of Penticton, but became very well known for his poem on bullying titled "To This Day".  This poem explores the abstruse and lasting impact that bullying can have on an individual. Koyczan takes the audience through his tale of his school ground battlefield where he would get "bombarded by spit balls" and often "rehearse[d] running away". Goosebumps will arise on ones skin after hearing the vigorous words and they way they are delivered. 

Taylor Mali emerged out of the school shadows from his job as a teacher and amazed many with his impressive slam poetry abilities. Mali has been on seven National Poetry Slam teams, six of which made it to the final round, and four of them won. A vocal advocate of teachers and the nobility of teaching, he spent nine years at Browning school teaching everything from English and history to math and S.A.T preparation. He is well recognized for his slam poem "What Teachers Make", where he depicts his life as a teacher and the difference he makes on his students.Mali "break[s] it down for [us]" so we know what he says is true, "teachers make a goddamn difference" in this world and are not appreciated for what they do. He has the "if you ask for it, then I have to let you have it" attitude, and does not hold back in the slightest way while he expresses his feelings about his teaching career. He presents his passion of teaching through the expression of poetry.

Sarah Kay writes poetry to figure things out, she is the founder and co-director of Project V.O.I.C.E., founded in 2004, a group dedicated to using spoken word as an educational and inspirational tool. Her selective word choice is enough to keep anyone captivated, Kay's poem "If I Should Have A Daughter" provides insightful opinions of the pains that her daughter will go through, but how the strength of an experienced mother will always be there for support. She will have her daughter call her "point B" so that she can always find her way to her. Sarah Kay received a standing ovation for her performance of this poem on TEDTalks, and continues to encourage others to express themselves with poetry through the project V.O.I.C.E..

The Spotlight

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Imagine having horrific stage fright. As if the very idea of having peoples eyes on you is enough to kill you alone. That is me.
 Sitting backstage, waiting for my turn to go recite my debut speech in front of my family, friends, judges and dozens of other people. I had the speech memorized and it was written from facts that I already knew anyway, but the closer it got to my turn the more it all seemed to vanish. I was racking my brain trying to remember the proper stance, to smile, and where to stand. My fingers and knees began shaking. My throat felt clogged, and my vision became blurry. The applause that once filled in the silence had become very distant. I felt the blood drain from my face as I became white as a ghost. It was my turn next. I managed to let the words "I'm not ready" to escape from my mouth, but it was too late because I was being shoved out the door and into the view of waiting eyes. Panic filled my heart. Thankfully my legs found a way to control themselves. I made my way to the microphone without tripping and shattering what little confidence I had. My hands soon became clammy, my knees were shaking, and when I began talking my voice surprised me. It was loud, clear, and didn't miss a section of my pre-prepared speech. A smile filled my face as I said my concluding words and the audience began applauding. My final steps off the stage felt easy and effortless, and I was greeted by fellow candidates squishing me with hugs. The worries and stresses of earlier in the day felt like nothing to how I felt now that it was over. I was one step closer to conquering my fear.

Of Mice and Men

“Human nature doesn’t change. The Dark Ages were a thousand years of chaos, war, famine and disease: you think that won’t happen again because we have computers and jet planes and cellular phones? Think again.” This quote was written in 1998 by La Femme Nikita and is directly related to the book Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck. The novel Of Mice and Men is about two characters named George and Lennie and their dream of owning their own ranch and being able to live off the land. The novel was written in 1937 and it is a prime example of how human nature does not change, the book is relevant to today because people still get judged by how they look, and many people with power use it in the wrong way.

 

Many people are judged solely based on their appearance alone. In the novel upon George first meeting Curley’s wife he had already made the assessment that she was “[Quite] a tramp.” George kept saying that Curley’s wife was going to be trouble, yet all she wanted was just someone to talk to. Also Crooks being the only ‘colored’ man on the ranch was not welcome in the bunk house with the other men. He had his own room out in the barn, even though just like the other men he had the same dream of possessing his own ranch and just being able to live off the land. Racism is still relevant today and experienced by many, such as Nina Davuluri who after being crowned Miss America had been targeted on social media for many racist comments for being of Indian descent.

 

When people have a lot of power it often gets used in the wrong way. In the novel George was quite a bit smarter than Lennie and he “Used to play jokes on ‘im ‘cause he was too dumb to take care of ‘imself.” One time the joke included Lennie jumping into a river because George told him to, but Lennie couldn’t swim and it almost killed him. Another way this was displayed in the novel was when Curley’s wife was talking to Crooks and she said “Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.” To which Crooks had no response for he was powerless, and Curley’s wife could get away with whatever she wanted because she could hold that over Crooks. This is portrayed in society today with Justin Bieber as he thinks that because he is famous he can get away with anything he desires to do. Examples include when he went into the back of a restaurant and peed in their mop bucket and his friends said that the restaurant should be “Honored that Justin Bieber peed in their bucket.” Even though it was such a disrespectful and unnecessary thing to do and he should not have gotten away with it.

 

Even though times have changed, human nature hasn’t. This is demonstrated through many examples in the book Of Mice and Men. The novel was written in 1937 but is directly related to many events that happen to this date.

 

Ordinary Experiences Bring Joy

Everyday she walks. She has pale frail hands that gently grip a walker that supports over half her weight. She moved slow and had a slight hunch; her glasses had become a key asset to her weathered face. The years had taken there toll on the 94 year old woman. Her hair was short and white, and her mouth was toothless. She had wrinkles deeply imprinted in her face, but none stood out more than the ones around her eyes. She was happy. Though she wasn’t smiling now, you could see it in her eyes, and her aged face told the story of her life.

You could hear the whoosh of her loose fitting pants as she walk by, as well as a slight squeak to her non-slip shoes. And very faintly you could hear the wheels of her walker slowly spinning as she makes her way past on her way into a store. Even though its spring, she still wears her winter coat, which makes a crinkling noise as she moves.

You might think that after being alive for 94 years she might be a little cranky, but if you thought that then you are wrong. She was a peaceful old lady, who smiled often despite her lack of teeth. She stopped frequently to chit chat with familiar faces. She was content. It’s not surprising that her life does not consist of much more than this, for she was old. She had had her fun, but she was still happy. She didn’t need to do anything else, just going to the mall brought her joy.