Take the Mic: The Art of Performance Poetry, Slam, and the Spoken Word

by Marc Kelly Smith, Joe Kraynak

Get on Stage and Perfect Your Performance Have you ever enjoyed a slam or two and thought, "I could do this," but felt apprehensive staring at that empty mic―or worse, you climbed up on stage and struggled? Let Marc Kelly Smith , the founder of Slam Poetry , teach you everything you need to be a confident performer, from writing a powerful poem, to stage techniques, to going on tour (if that's where your muse leads you). Take the Mic is filled with insider tips, backstage advice, and tons of examples of slam poems that wake up an audience. With this book, you'll also be able to link to the PoetrySpeaks.com community to listen to samples, meet poets, and unearth inspirations for your next performance. The Ultimate Guide to Writing and Performing with Power Take the Mic is an essential guide for lifting your poetry from the page to the stage. Marc Kelly Smith ( So What! ), grand founder of the Slam movement, serves as you personal coach, showing you how to craft stage-worthy verse and deliver a poetry performance that shakes the rafters and sparks thunderous applause. In Take the Mic , you discover how to... Take the Mic is packed with practical exercises you can do alone or in class to hone your skills and transform your body, mind, voice, verse, and spirit into an engaging stage presence. You'll also find a brief history of slam, the rules and regulations that govern official slam competitions, and a list of PSI (Poetry Slam, Inc.) Certified Slams, so no matter where you are, you always have a place to Take the Mic!

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Writing, How To

320 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2009

Reviews

[Flavia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book to help me with writing my BA and it helped so much that most of the quotations i had in the paper were from it.
A lot of information that I got, more or less, directly from the horse's mouth.

[Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a useful book if you’re interested in Spoken Word and Poetry. Definitely better used as a reference book than an all around read through. I will go back to different sections every time I’m preparing a new piece. Would recommend to any budding poet.

[Christian Contreras · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of unnecessary fluff but good nonetheless

[Angela]

ideas on performance poetry and live readings.

[MARY Brazeau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helped me when suddenly teaching a genre outside my comfort zone. I'm looking forward to revisiting this summer.

[Ilaria Alleva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice, a fun introduction to poetry slams world. It's like a manual to make good impression as a slammer. But not very useful if you need it just for studies

[Michael Estey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Take the Mic

The Art of Performance Poetry, Slam, and the Spoken Word

Marc Kelly Smith

A book review.

This is something I thought I'd be good at.
Not that I think I have a voice. Because I don't.
Like everyone else I'm not happy with the sound of my own voice and to tell you the truth never enjoyed poetry. So, I never pursued the art of public speaking and it lingered in the back of my mind until I came across this book at the library.

Take the Mic, The Art of Performance Poetry, Slam, and the Spoken Word.

I immediately thought of Shane Koyczan performing "We Are More" at the Vancouver Olympics, 2010,

check it out

Yes, Yes, This is me. I can do that.
I thought.

That's Surrey Library Guildford Branch and here was this book.
I picked it up and looked at the snazzy, beatnik, modern art design on the cover. Hmmm.

I've heard about beatniks, they wore black and sunglasses and snapped their fingers, instead of clapping. Real cool.

Should I, could I?

After reading through this—how-to—book.
I'm kind of glad, I didn't.
I don't think I'm cut out for it.
I don't know a shit's ass about poetry.

I sat for hours in front of a mirror.
Reading my scribble on a 4X6 card.
Practising. Not a poem but one of my rants.

I expected the money not to be very good,
But the abuse.
I don't think I could put up with even one heckler.

I should have kept up with my rants. Who know's where I'd be today.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Dog Brindle the Performance Poetry Slammer."
A standing ovation.

I don't think so...

I'd give it three stars. Might be exciting for a novice but honestly, not that interesting nor informative. Full of trivial shit, like how to travel; bus, plane or automobile. It bored the hell out of me. There has to be better books on the subject.

The book turned me off, completely. Poetry is just not me. Now ranting that's another thing.

I'm going back to the library.

Dog Brindle

[Oshin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It had never occurred to me to think of slam poetry as akin to music. In retrospect, it seems quite obvious. And if I can spend a dedicated one-and-a-half hours every day playing the piano, I can definitely do the same for slam poetry. That's probably my biggest takeaway from this book.

The conversational tone of the book makes it more attractive. I think it's typeset pretty nicely too (but I don't really know anything about typography so don't take my word for it). It's a little out of date though - Marc Kelly Smith makes constant references to Myspace. It's probably time for another edition, especially with respect to the marketing part of it.

All in all, this book has added value to my life (hence the four stars). I now look at slam poetry in a different light. I take it more seriously than I did before, which is great because that means I will practice more and, you know, get better. That's pretty much it.

[Enan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm glad I finally got around to reading this book. Even as a slam poet, I was able to learn a lot from the creator of slam poetry. It's easy to read and understand, explaining the ins and outs of the slam community in a way that even an outsider could comprehend.

[Desmond Beddoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful guide to building a Spoken Word presence and learning the craft.

[Syd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful