Poetry Slam poets

Spoken word is a rhythmic poetry. It is performed enthusiastically rather than just read plainly. Like other art forms, it is a form of self-expression, and can be used as therapy for the artist and the listener.

 Shane Koyczans poem called To this day makes the audience laugh by using hilarious and haunting stories about his past. Poet Shane Koyczan puts his finger on the pulse of what it's like to be young and ... different. "To This Day," his spoken-word poem about bullying captivated millions as a viral video. Shane talks about when he was younger and all the problems he faced including bullying, his parents leaving and also him being depressed. When he says “They asked me what I wanted to be and told me what not to be” made me think about what I want to do in life and what everyone else tells me not to. He gives his poem life with backstory and violin accompaniment by Hannah Epperson. The mood is serious at times and also humorous.

 Javon Johnsons poem called cuz he's black discusses how he’s not happy with the way we raise black boys. The poem is based on is nephew who is asking him questions in a car ride but then sees a cop car and yells “Oh man, Uncle, 5-0, we gotta hide.” His nephew learned to hide from the cops before he could read. Javon makes is point by stating that black kids are not treated the same as a white kid would be in the same situation involving the law. He implies that Cops look for black boys to arrest instead of other races.

Marshall Jones poem Touchscreen talks about how we interact with each other now and how easy it is to become a friend with someone without knowing them. We he says the line “It used to be difficult to connect when friends formed cliques but it’s even more difficult when clicks form friends.” He implies that consequently, it’s even harder for him to connect—he’s even more “out of touch” with the real world.  When he says “but with 3,000 friends online only five I can count in real life why wouldn't I spend more time in a world where there are more people that 'like' me”. He is saying that we can interact with too many people in little time. Marshall is worth watching not just for the idea behind his poem, but for the wonderful wordplay throughout. He moves like a robot to emphasize a digital life.