2008 Woodie Awards
Poetic movement starts to raise its voice
by Rachel Alper
Issue date: 10/19/07 Section: Mosaic
The lights glare on him and it begins to get hot as the crowd stares, patiently waiting for the poet to start spitting his first words. As he stands there, nervous, trying to remember the poem he's going to perform, he feels alive. He begins to speak - the words flow and his emotions are out in the open for everyone in the crowd to hear. He's participating in something that has been around for centuries - the spoken-word movement.
Taalam Acey, a poet of the spoken-word movement and author of "Eyes Free," says spoken word can be anything from a rant where the performer wants to get something off his or her mind to a poem that can be political, social or erotic.
"Spoken word by definition requires a poem to be performed," Acey says. "Spoken word is about being deep and is based on how words are delivered."
The spoken-word movement has made its way to the university in the form of a group called S.P.I.T., which stands for Stimulating Prose Ideas and Theories.
Senior Bryant "Heartbeat" Gilliam, a member of S.P.I.T., says the group was established in 1998 as a place for students to get their voices heard.
"There was a need for an outlet that let students express themselves vocally," Gilliam says.
He says S.P.I.T. holds two open-mic nights per semester, as well as other events related to the spoken word.
"We have open mics every semester," Gilliam says. "We also have S.P.I.T. Cyphers. These are discussions on present-day topics and current events. We are also very frequently asked to 'spit' at many UD functions."
He says he doesn't see a connection between the work he personally performs at S.P.I.T. events and the spoken-word movement, but the group collectively belongs to the movement.
"When it comes to me, I would say not because I am more of a Hip-hop artist and more on rhyming well as an emcee," Gilliam says. "But as a whole, I would say yes because the group is very expressive."
Acey says the history of the spoken-word movement leads right into modern-day rap and Hip-hop. He says spoken word began at the dawn of time and traveled to the United States with slaves, where it later made its way into the Harlem Renaissance of the '20s, beat poetry of the '60s and the Black Arts Movement of the '70s.
Taalam Acey, a poet of the spoken-word movement and author of "Eyes Free," says spoken word can be anything from a rant where the performer wants to get something off his or her mind to a poem that can be political, social or erotic.
"Spoken word by definition requires a poem to be performed," Acey says. "Spoken word is about being deep and is based on how words are delivered."
The spoken-word movement has made its way to the university in the form of a group called S.P.I.T., which stands for Stimulating Prose Ideas and Theories.
Senior Bryant "Heartbeat" Gilliam, a member of S.P.I.T., says the group was established in 1998 as a place for students to get their voices heard.
"There was a need for an outlet that let students express themselves vocally," Gilliam says.
He says S.P.I.T. holds two open-mic nights per semester, as well as other events related to the spoken word.
"We have open mics every semester," Gilliam says. "We also have S.P.I.T. Cyphers. These are discussions on present-day topics and current events. We are also very frequently asked to 'spit' at many UD functions."
He says he doesn't see a connection between the work he personally performs at S.P.I.T. events and the spoken-word movement, but the group collectively belongs to the movement.
"When it comes to me, I would say not because I am more of a Hip-hop artist and more on rhyming well as an emcee," Gilliam says. "But as a whole, I would say yes because the group is very expressive."
Acey says the history of the spoken-word movement leads right into modern-day rap and Hip-hop. He says spoken word began at the dawn of time and traveled to the United States with slaves, where it later made its way into the Harlem Renaissance of the '20s, beat poetry of the '60s and the Black Arts Movement of the '70s.
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