Telling a story with words is fun, but being able to tell a story with a poem is even more challenging, imaginative, and entertaining for an audience. Spoken word poetry is a form of poetry where the author will present their poem to an audience, or out load, using narration. When you hear spoken poetry being performed, you will notice that there are many differences when compared to other types of poetry. As more of an oral language is being used, expressions and emotions are portrayed differently.
If you want to convey your opinions and thoughts through a performance, let’s take a look at some famous spoken word poems, as well as how you can write a spoken word poem yourself.
Get a complete guide to interpreting the poetry of the Romantic Era here.
Step 1: Select a topic for your poem. As with anything that you write, make sure that you have a strong and expressive opinion about the topic that you choose. Remember that you are going to have to incorporate a good deal of passion and feeling into reading a spoken word poem.
Step 2: Once you have chosen your topic, take some time to think about the subject that you have selected. Get out a piece of scratch paper and write down the initial words that come to mind when you think about your topic. When you are finished, look through your words and choose the one that you feel best explains your topic of interest.
Step 3: Go ahead and start writing your poem. Spoken word poetry is very free flowing, and you can use any and all different types of punctuation to get your point across. For instance, you can incorporate commas, brackets, or dashes into your poem. Your audience will not see your poem –they will hear it. For this reason, there are no rules regarding the number of beats in spoken word poetry.
Step 4: When you are finished with your poem, it is important to edit. Proofread it yourself or ask any friends or family to edit your poem for you. Remember that the length of your poem is up to you, but spoken word poems tend to be longer than other types of poetry. Take into consideration what others have to say about your poem, but keep in mind that you always have the final say in your writing.
Step 5: There are plenty of other spoken word poets that you can easily watch online. Observe how they perform their poems and what they use to grab the attention of their audience. Pay attention to the gestures their hand movements and gestures while performing. You can decide to pick and choose from other poets what will work best when it comes to your performance.
For tips on how to speak in public without fear, enroll in this course for public speaking the fearless way.
Step 6: Since the point of spoken word poetry is to perform your poem, the final step of writing a spoken word poem is performing it. When you perform your poem, it is important to do so in your own individual manner and style. You can mind your own performance style by practicing different wants that you feel comfortable expressing yourself. Before you perform in front of anyone, or a live audience, remember to rehearse your poem several times until you begin to feel more comfortable doing so.
5 Tips for Writing Spoken Word Poetry
Tip 1: Use Concrete Language
Spoken word poetry should incorporate certain words and phrases that can create vivid images, sounds, actions, and other feelings and sensations in your readers. If you spoken poetry is strong and rich with imagery, your audience will be able to feel, smell, and taste along with your poem. A good spoken word poetry is just like reading a good book.
Tip 2: Use Repetition
In any type of poetry, repetition is a simple, yet powerful poetic device. The repetition of a phrase or imagine will help to extend that particular thought or image beyond its original meaning. This can help the writer get a point across or exaggerate a point that they want to make.
Tip 3: Incorporate Rhyme
The use of rhyming in your poem can add to your performance and make it more entertaining and fun to follow for your audience. Use elements of surprise and moderation when incorporating rhyme into your spoken word poetry.
Tip 4: Attitude
Every poet’s poem will be unique, and they will also have their own unique perspective of the subject or topic that they choose to write and speak about. It is essential that a spoken word poem is able to capture the feelings that the poet has and covey them to their audience and the rest of the world. Be sure that your poem incorporates a certain attitude or feeling to your audience.
Tip 5: Persona
As a poet or write, you can portray anyone and any feelings that you want to in your poetry. For example, you choose to write your poem in the voice of someone else, or take on the opinion of another person that might be different from your own. Be creative and have fun with the subject you choose.
Tips For Performing Spoken Word Poetry
Posture: Be sure to stand up straight with your shoulders back, chin up, and head high. Look confident and assertive.- Eye Contact: Make eye contact with your audience, and do not star at the floor, your paper, or in one particular spot the entire time.
- Project: Speak loudly and clearly enough to ensure that your entire audience can hear your voice.
- Enunciate: Do not mumble.
- Facial Expressions: Use facial expressions when you are performing spoken word poetry. This will help your audience get an idea of a point you want to get at or your emotions that are involved with your words.
Posture: Be sure to stand up straight with your shoulders back, chin up, and head high. Look confident and assertive.Popular Spoken Word Poems
- Buddy Wakefield — “Convenience Stores”
- Kate Tempest — “Line in the Sand”
- LKJ — “Inglan Is a Bitch”
- Dizraeli — “Maria”
- TJ Dema — “Neon Poem”
- Toby T — “Tomorrow”
- Andrea Gibson and Katie Wirsing
- Shane Koyczan – “To This Day”
Speak Your Mind
Spoken word poetry can be used to give a person a voice that they can use to express their ideas, emotions, and beliefs on a wide variety of things. Poetry is real, so take the above steps and let your authenticity shine. For tips on learning, memorizing, and performing poetry, enroll in this memorization course taught by a professional language learning author and film studies professor.
11 Steps To Write A Spoken-Word Poem
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I was first introduced to spoken-word by a senior during my junior year during creative writing club. I fell in love with it, so I looked up any spoken-word pieces on youtube. One of the first people I have ever listened to was Sarah Kay. She’s been one of my favorite poets til this day. I know a lot of people out there aren’t familiar with spoken-word, so I thought I’d write out 11 steps on how to write one.
1. Brainstorm About Something You’re Passionate About (& List Them)
Think of topics that you know about really well such as feminism, stuff about the modern world, technology, or make it personal—your pet peeves, things you love, your life story, a letter to your younger self, etc. If you think of a word, you can work around that word to create it. For example, I have written about mental illness (anxiety and depression mostly), but I have been successful with it. The same advice goes for articles, but it’s in a more poetic, free form style.
2. Pick Your Top Three Favorites
Your first three could be (and in no particular order) An Ode To Autumn, A Letter To My Frenemy, or An Ode To Pokémon. You can write all three and see which one you can talk about a lot. Usually, the one you know about a lot and can write about for a long time without having a brain fart is a sign that the piece is going to succeed.
3. Write, Write and Write
Before writing into the spoken-word form, I would write everything you love, know, agree and disagree with that certain topic. Write everything in a journal, of connecting thoughts. With thoughts, it’s like a tree, because one branch leads to smaller ones, which stems into leaves, and so on. For example, for an ode to autumn, I would write about how I love the colors of leaves, wearing beanies, bonfires, and the best part: no mosquitos. Plus, you have an excuse to wear hoodies and cuddle up in a blanket.
4. Pick The Topic
Let’s just say I chose to do the ode to autumn. It was my best choice, so I stick to that decision. If you end up writing a lot, and you realize that you don’t like your topic, then you can change it. All the writing is in your hands, as the writer.
5. Write Your First Draft
I’d take snipbits from the journal I wrote and rephrase it in the beginning. I can start with “I just LOVE autumn. The beanies, the ever so changing color of leaves, and chilly weather (oh my). I don’t think we’re in summer anymore.” Even if you think it’s terrible, it’s your first draft of it, and you can always revise it.
6. Read It Out Loud
I think of a spoken-word as a rant sometimes. When you read your piece out loud, you should hear the mistakes or the parts where it doesn’t flow and it sounds weird. You (sometimes) get ideas when you finally read it to yourself and when that happens, a light goes off in your head and you get ideas.
7. Edit, Peer Edit, and Edit
For the first spoken-word I wrote, I had at least 3 to 5 different drafts because I was either unhappy with it, or I found new ways to make it flow a lot better. Have your teachers, friends, and family look at it and ask them what they think. A second set of eyes could help a lot.
8. Research Different Styles Of Spoken Word
There’s a ton of authors that are spoken-word poets: Watsky, Kevin Coval, Sarah Kay, Phil Kaye, Guante, and so much more. Different artists and different styles could inspire your next line or even the title of your piece. There’s also two to three youtube channels that I recommend: Button Poetry, Brave New Voices, and Youth Speaks.
9. Develop Your Style
Choose how you want to present this poem that has a subject your passionate about to the audience. That’s the way you could solidify your confidence when you perform it (if you ever do, spoken-word is meant to be performed) This is what I mean by ‘style’.
10. Finalize Everything
Read your piece out loud again, make sure everything flows, and most importantly, you’re happy with it. Perform it for a teacher or a friend. Let them know you want them to tell you what you could improve on anything from the performance to the poem itself.
11. Have Fun and Perform
After you’ve finalized everything, and you know how you want to perform it, have fun with it. You’ve finished everything for the piece and you can still edit it here and there if you end up being unhappy with it again. Spoken-word is really fun and it’s a chance to put your voice out there about something your passionate about.
I haven’t written a spoken-word piece in a while, but it’s because I haven’t found any inspiration, and I do have school work. But when I do think of things to write about, it’s usually at night because of late night thoughts, shower thoughts, and car thoughts. But all in all, I love spoken-word poetry and I think everyone should learn how to write at least one.
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A tattered notebook lies open at the edge of the spotlight. Your lips are pressed to the silver mesh of the lone microphone. The light blinds you to the expectant eyes and ears out in front but you know they are there. You draw in a deep breath like a starter’s gun and, as the first words drip from your tongue, a little smile sparks at the corner of your mouth.
Spoken word poetry, also called performance poetry, pre-dates its written sibling. Before Dickinson, Blake and Wordsworth wrote their contributions to the canon, poetry was an oral tradition alongside folk song and storytelling. Through recent reinventions of its presentation, most notably the rising popularity of slam poetry events, spoken word poetry is reconnecting with its audience again.
While written poetry can be (wrongly) perceived as the preserve of the educated elite, spoken word poetry occupies a more egalitarian space. It is accessible, entertaining and at heart encourages everyone’s involvement. Deep-down, the open mic seems to call, we’re all performance poets looking for our stage!
So how do you get started writing a spoken word poem?
Well, first a little relief: your spelling doesn’t matter! Because the written form of a spoken word poem is not the product, no-one else may ever read it. Instead, they’re going to hear you read it, so as long as it makes sense to you, how you choose to actually write it down is totally up to you!
Starting can be tricky, so it might be helpful to read about how others approach writing. Natalie Goldberg has some fantastic tips on writing practice, but the truth is that to start writing poems, start writing! Read poems too, discover what you love about them and then keep on writing! Before you know it you’ll have a notebook full of lines itching to be spoken.
What should you write about?
Anything!
Write about anything that you feel passionate about or interested in. Many spoken word pieces are personal and political, others are humorous observational pieces, but really anything goes. And when you’ve written something, read it out loud as it helps you choose what sounds interesting, grabs you or simply feels great to say.
So you’ve written some lines, but now what. Because writing a spoken word poem is only part of the story. Now it’s time to think about how a spoken word poem is performed.
Spoken word poems are as concerned with the music of the words – how they sound – as with their meaning. With this in mind, I think it’s helpful to think about your poem as a musical score. Your words then become the carriers of playful rhythms and aural colour that bring a depth to the experience of hearing them.
Starting to think this way means the poem will grab the listener and make them want to keep listening to you. Imagine the opposite: a dry, monotone speech where you have to fight to stay attentive to what’s being said. This is not how to think about a spoken word poem, it should be playful, unpredictable and musical.
So with this in mind, feel free to surround your neatly written words with personal notations and margin notes, such as where to pause or where the poems climax is. These notes should help you lift the lines off the page and send them into your enraptured audience.
You’ll probably do one of these naturally, and thankfully it’s a vital one! Showing yourself when to breath is very important, and thankfully we have commas, and full stops to do just that! (You can also use your own notation or more complex punctuation if you like!)
How else do we find the music of the poem? Rhythm is crucial and breathing is a huge part of that. Where we breath is a rhythmic choice that helps you convey the meaning of your words. It creates emphasis and anticipation and allows you to highlight the lines that matter most.
Finding Inspiration
For inspiration on how rhythm can be played with in a poem, read any of the Beats poets. Drawing influence from B-Bop and jazz, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and the rest focussed on making their poems rhythmically interesting and to be fully appreciated you must read them out loud!
Equally, listen to contemporary poets like Kate Tempest and we can note the influence of MC-ing and hip-hop. Again, the innate understanding of the musicality of the words keeps us engaged and makes the performance textured and playful.
It’ll come as no surprise that spoken word pieces are presented in all sorts of ways. Some are sung, in part or in their entirety. Some are spoken over music or a beat-boxed rhythm. Some performances are as physical as they are textual – it really is up to you.
The boundaries between these forms are delightfully fluid and often dictated by how the poem itself needs to be performed. Hearing a performance poet work with the full range of their voice’s potential is a really enthralling experience!
Spoken word, at its best, is a visceral, exciting and touching experience for performer and audience alike. It often knocks down the fourth wall and let’s the audience flood into the poet’s experience.
All that’s left is to find an open mic near you and grace the stage and be sure to submit your poetry to The Talent Bank. Writing your name on the entry sheet will be the scariest and most wonderful thing you’ll do that day!
I am the founder of 9Mousai and am deeply interested in creativity and what inspires it. My main passions are writing, film and music but I have huge respect for all the arts. I’m also an animal lover and have a little cat called Winston and enjoy the occasional whiskey or two…
11 Steps To Write A Spoken Word Poem
Spoken word is written on a page but performed for an audience. It relies on a heavy use of rhythm, improvisation, rhymes, word play, and slang.
Spoken Word is writing that is meant to be read out loud. Some examples of spoken word you might be familiar with are stories, poems, monologues, slam poetry, rap and even stand-up comedy. When writing a spoken word piece use words and phrases that project onto the minds of the listeners like vivid images, sounds, actions and other sensations. If your poem is rich with imagery, your listeners will see, smell, feel and maybe even taste what you’re telling them.
I was first introduced to spoken-word by a friend during my stay in Owerri, the capital city of Imo State, Nigeria. I fell in love with it, so I looked up any spoken word pieces on Youtube. One of the first people I have ever listened to was Dylema, Rhetorics, Hosanna Poetry and couple Nigerian spoken word artistes like Graciano, Paul Word and Samurai. They’ve been favorite poets til this day. I know a lot of people out there aren’t familiar with spoken word though they aspire to be spoken word artistes in the nearest future, so I thought I’d write out 11 steps on how to write a spoken word piece.
1. Brainstorm About Something You’re Passionate About (& List Them)
Think of topics that you know about really well such as religion, feminism, stuff about the modern world, technology, or make it personal—your fears, anxiety, things you love, your life story, a letter to your country, etc. If you think of a word, you can work around that word to create it.
For example, I have written about regret, but I have been successful with it. The same advice goes for articles, but it’s in a more poetic, free form style.
2. Pick Your Top Three Favorites
Your first three could be (and in no particular order) ‘An Ode To Rain’, ‘A Letter From An Aborted Child’, or ‘Haunted By My Past’. You can write all three and see which one you can talk about a lot. Usually, the one you know about a lot and can write about for a long time without having a brain ‘damage’ is a sign that the piece is worth the effort.
3. Write, Write and Write
Before writing into the spoken word form, I would write everything you love, know, agree and disagree with that certain topic. Write everything in a journal, of connecting thoughts. With thoughts, it’s like dots, because one dot connects the others, which stretches into lines, and so on, until you have a chain of words.
For example, for ‘An Ode To Rain’, I would write about how I love the aroma of first rain on dust, thunderclaps, light flashes, flooded roads, and kids dancing in the rain. Plus, you have an excuse to moan ‘weather for two’ and cuddle up in a blanket.
4. Pick The Topic (but don’t stick to it: be flexible)
Let’s just say I chose to do the ‘Haunted By My Past’. It was my best choice, so I stick to that decision. If you end up writing a lot, and you realize that you don’t like the topic anymore, discard it and opt for something else. All the writing is in your hands, as the writer. Be flexible.
5. Write Your First Draft
I’d take scattered thoughts from my journal and rephrase them in the beginning of the poem. I can start with
“I am standing by my window/
watching the sun hurry into the dark/
to hide her every blazing face in a mask of clouds/…”
Even if you think the words come out terrible, it’s your first draft of it, and you can always revise it. Rewrite it however you can. Be creative.
6. Read It Out Loud
I’m of the opinion that spoken word is a rant, sometimes though. When you read your piece out loud, you should hear the mistakes or the parts where it doesn’t flow and it sounds really weird.
You (sometimes) get a flash of ideas when you read it out loud to yourself. And when that happens, a light goes off in your head and you leap into your diary rewriting the written.
7. Edit, Peer Edit, and Edit
For the first spoken word I wrote, titled ‘Haunted By My Past’, I had at least 3 to 5 different drafts because I was either not satisfied with the final draft, or I found new ways to make it flow a lot better. Don’t be an island writer. Have your mentors, friends, and family look at it and ask them what they think.
Two heads, they say, are better than one. A second set of eyes could help a lot. Read it out loud to your friends, family or mentor. They will help spot out wack lines for proper delivery
8. Research Different Styles Of Spoken Word
There’s a ton of authors that are spoken-word poets: Dylema, Chukwumerije, Watsky, Hezekiah, Kevin Coval, Priston Perry, Graciano, Phil Kaye, Paul Word, Guante, and so much more. Different artists and different styles could inspire your next line or even the title of your piece.
Youtube channels that I recommend: Hosanna Poetry, Rhetorics, and Youth Speaks.
9. Develop Your Style
Don’t get lost in the crowd or disappear in the shadows of your spoken word idol. Be yourself.
Choose how you want to present this poem that has a subject your passionate about to the audience. That’s the way you could solidify your confidence when you perform it (if you ever do, spoken word is meant to be performed) This is what I mean by ‘style’.
Create your style and stick to it. Don’t sound like Saraj Kay today and then you are Priston the next.
Be unique!
10. Finalize Everything
Read your piece out loud again, make sure everything flows, and most importantly, make sure you’re really satisfied with it.
Perform it for a family member or a friend. Let them know you want them to tell you what you could improve on anything from the performance to the poem itself.
11. Have Fun and Perform
After you’ve finalized everything, and you know how you want to perform it, have fun with it. You’ve finished everything for the piece and you can still edit it here and there if you discover more impurities. Spoken word is really fun and it’s a chance to put your voice out there about something your passionate about.
I haven’t performed a spoken word piece in a while, but it’s because I haven’t found time to do the above listed steps. But when I do think of things to write about, it’s usually at night, powered by late night thoughts, toilet muse, and music. But in all, I love spoken word poetry and I think everyone should learn how to write at least one.
Have you listened to my first spoken word poem? It’s Titled ‘March!’
To watch video on Youtube, click HERE
Enjoyed reading? Please help my blog grow by leaving a comment and sharing with friends. Thank you.
How do you write a spoken word poem?
How to Write Spoken Word Poetry
- Pick a topic you’re passionate about.
- Write the gateway line.
- Focus on sensory details.
- Use repetition and wordplay.
- Make it sound good.
- Set your poem aside for a while, then revise it.
- Watch others perform.
- End with an image.
How do you write a poem about yourself?
To write an I am poem, you need to be ready to talk about yourself and who you are. You might use imagery words to define yourself or to illuminate descriptive personal traits. While you might use an I am poem to talk about yourself, you can also create them about a hypothetical or imaginary character.
How do you write a poem about someone?
Here are some writing tips to help you start writing your own poem about a person:
- Settle on a form. The first step to writing poetry is to figure out which poetic form you’ll be using.
- Brainstorm a list of memories.
- Describe the person in great detail.
- Think about your relationship with the person.
- Review and revise.
How do you start a love poem?
To write a love poem, start by brainstorming ideas and thoughts. Then, write the poem using sensory detail and unique descriptions. Polish the love poem and present it in a thoughtful way so the recipient knows it came straight from the heart.
What is a love poem called?
Sonnets
What are the rules for writing poetry?
11 Rules for Writing Good Poetry
- Read a lot of poetry. If you want to write poetry, start by reading poetry.
- Listen to live poetry recitations.
- Start small.
- Don’t obsess over your first line.
- Embrace tools.
- Enhance the poetic form with literary devices.
- Try telling a story with your poem.
- Express big ideas.
What is a phone number poem?
In this form, you write a phone number vertically with each number starting the line of the poem. Then, each line of your poem has as many words as that number. For example, 4 would have 4 words, 7 would have 7 words, and so on, all presented vertically like an acrostic poem.
What is a short form poem?
Short-Form Poetry Styles You Might Know Modern English should be brief – with one to three lines totaling 17 syllables or fewer. A Nonet is a nine line poem, with the first line containing nine syllables, the next eight, so on until the last line has one syllable.