Should Poetry Slams Be Put to Sleep?

Carlos Gomez contends that what passes as poetry slams is broken and is need of either repair or replacement (my words, not his). I think his article is worth consideration, if for no other reason than this: audience applause and winning slams are not necessarily signs of artistic/poetic credibility.

This is one of those dilemmas that constantly floats through my mind. If you’ve read my bio, you’ll notice that I have a mission statement and a set of values that govern what I do regarding spoken word poetry. I tie my content to my faith in Christ; this doesn’t mean every piece is speaking of Christ or of things necessarily “religious.” What this means is that there is a standard to which I’m trying to adhere. There are certain lines I will not and must not cross if my poetry is going to mean something and be differentiated from other poets.

Having a mission statement and a set of values does not necessarily make me “deep”. It’s not a necessity for any other poet to have such items in order to be heard (or to be respected). I do it for the sake of credibility and integrity. Those are things you cannot get from an audience (but I think an audience can often times let you know when you’ve lost them). Those are items which you must possess through a consistent demonstration and dedication to walking a certain path. For me, the mission and the values let me know when I’ve “lost my way” on the path as a poet. These things also help others to know “where I’m coming from” if they ever decide to put me behind a mic. These things keep me (at least I hope so) from the danger of doing anything to get the audience on my side.

By background, I have much experience in public speaking. When I was younger, I competed in writing and oratorical contests. I was groomed at an early age to stand before others and orate. I did it at school. I did it on stages big and small. I did it sometimes in front of a camera. Often, I did it front of a group of judges. I’ve done it in pulpits and on street corners. Public speaking is me, and I am a public speaker. In many of those venues in which I spoke, I was competing… and competing to win. My success depended upon how well I could convince judges of my merit above and beyond all other competitors. Many times I won and often times placed. Still, I didn’t win all the time. In those moments where I didn’t win, did that mean that my ideas and expression had no merit? Were my thoughts somehow “less than” those of the winners? Did not winning mean I should not be speaking? The answer, of course, to all of these questions is a resounding “No!”

I think credibility comes from the consistency and clarity of one’s convictions and expression. Truly, the best judge of any poet’s credibility is the poet him/herself. Only the poet knows if he/she is writing and performing either just to win a slam or to communicate something truly worthy of consideration within the soul. These goals aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. However, if forced to choose one or the other, keep your trophies and titles, and just give me a chance to be heard.