before I begin

“The cool thing about spoken word is that it isn't the woman in me that you hear. It is the college drop out, the graduate, the rape survivor, the lover, the activist, the revolutionary, the pain, the joy, the artist, the lyricist, the African American, the Spanish, the poet. You could never categorize me in any scene cause I speak truth and its always changing.”

This is a quote from artist Leanetta Avery, originally from College Station, Texas. I think she hit the spot on why spoken word is so exhilarating, organic, and essential to me.

I hope to gain and share an understanding of contemporary spoken word poetry.
To do this, I have selected a small community to represent the larger macrocosm of spoken word . The scene I chose to examine is Bryan, College Station, Texas.
I begin by a look at the history and roots of spoken word. Although some hard text is available, the movement's history reaches far beyond and before Marc Smith. Due to the organic nature of spoken word, it's history is gleaned from generations past and present, in all cultures -not just America's Beat poets or the Black Art's Movement. Spoken word history is not bound to a certain time or place. It is present throughout many centuries and all around the world. From rhythms in the African Griot tradition to Renga in Japanese verse, spoken word poetry has been shaped by countless cultures.
Most of the recent spoken word culture is too nascent to have academic publications recording the movement, so most of my information is gathered by real world experience -going to spoken word venues and dialogue with artists. I have studied various artists from this community and have assessed some of the major issues facing spoken word here, and universally.

It must also be understood that although my examination is divided into categories to make reading easier -spoken word cannot be fragmented so easily. The state of contemporary spoken word has everything to do with it's past and the issues it's facing now. These issues shape the culture of spoken word. Spoken word culture is not an object, it cannot be isolated or dissected successfully. It is always changing, always evolving -dealing with issues and becoming something new each day. So it may be examined in small pieces, but cannot provide a comprehensive understanding. So history may be found in the contemporary section and artist profiles might be in issues.

I'd also like to clarify the lens that is used to discuss spoken word on this site. All the information provided has been filtered through me, and is reflective of my knowledge, ideas, and beliefs. As a female, white, American, college student, my subject position influences the information provided here. I'm also taking a spoken word class that is taught from a mostly African-American perspective.