Def Poetry Jam and Performance Poetry
Rhetorical context
What are your purposes and goals for this project (define at least 3)?
- To bring attention to this show from the early — mid 2000s
- Showing how going beyond the limits of what is seen as a traditional poetic form can still produce great poetry thus challenging these limits
- How the African-American community had to create their own stage to give poets a platform they could perform on as the majority of the poetic world did not give them enough of a chance because of their topics and the way it is performed
Who is your audience?
- Students at Siena
- People who usually tune into Siena’s radio station
- Fans of 2000s hip-hop
- Cool people
What is your context?
- This is my final project that will be broadcasted on a radio show so I am selecting one of the poets from the show that have a musical background.
- My selected poem was written by a now controversial artist though it must be stated that this piece was created and performed 20 years ago and I am focusing on the piece because of its social commentary that is still relevant today.
- The African-American community had to create their own stage to perform their poetry as the majority of the poetic world did not give them one because of their negative view on the forms, topics and the way it is performed.
- Using this poem I will show the struggles talked about in the piece and how it can be relatable to many people.
How do these factors play a role and what and how you will compose?
- When I was a kid I used to watch reruns of Def Jam Poetry so I have a more personal connection with the show and the artists that I saw on the show.
- This will make me write the show in the Non-fictional storytelling podcast format
Genre
What genre are you composing in?
- Literary/rhetorical/genre analysis
- Podcast
- Music (I am going to be mentioning Musical Artist(s))
What are the rhetorical strategies that composers need to use for their sound writing to be identified as a piece in that genre?
- The way the host speaks, their tone, inflection and volume
- The script, content and structure of their soundwriting
Where the songwriting can be heard
- Streaming Apps, Websites, and in this case the Radio
What are some of the “optional” rhetorical moves people make in the genre?
- The length of the podcast and the language that they use.
Structure and organization
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What structure might you imagine for this audio project?
- I am going to use a nonfiction storytelling podcast format.
How might you organize your content?
- For my opening I plan to talk about how I used to watch the show as a kid with my uncle , give a brief exposition to the show and then go into the selected piece itself , add pieces of the recited poem and give explication to the clips and then talk about the show itself and how important it was with giving poets a stage when the majority of the writing world didn’t acknowledge these kinds of works.
Audio assets
What kind of audio do you need to collect?
- The clip from Def Poetry Jams Season 2 Episode 6 where Kanye West performs “Self Concious”
Where and how will you collect these audio assets?
- I can find these clips on Youtube and then download the videos as mp3 files using a website.
How and where will you organize these assets?
- I can clip the audio into the parts I need using Audacity and then using my script I can plan where and when they will be used in my podcast.
Research assets
What are your 2 secondary research essays?
- From Slam to Def Poetry Jam: Spoken Word Poetry and its Counterpublics — Somers-Willett and Susan B. A.
- Performing poetry slam and listening closely to slam poetry — Jakob Schweppenhäuser
What are at least 3 other text sources you plan to use to support your claims?
- Exaltation of forms
- - Hip Hop Rhyme Formations (pg.223)
- - Performance Poetry (pg. 341)
- https://powerpoetry.org/actions/best-slam-poetry-5-top-works-master-slam-poets
Deadlines
- Rough Draft — 4/11
- Script Revision — 4/16
- Working Recording — 4/25
- Final Submission — 5/5
- I plan to work on this project on Monday’s, Wednesday’s, Friday’s and on every Sunday I will be reviewing my progress and taking into account how my progress is and what edits will need to be made to my plans.
The Journalist’s questions (See Soundwriting 148)
Who will contribute to the project and support you in composing it?
- I’ll be the main person that contributes to the project and hope to check in with Professor Belflower every so often in order to make sure what I am doing is still on track for what is needed for the final project.
What do you need to know and gather?
- I’ll need to gather the clips and understand how I can mix my personal experiences with the piece(s) I have selected.
Where will it be heard, and by whom?
- It’s going to be played on Siena’s School Radio in which there will be a segment dedicated to what we have composed
