Archive for the ‘poetry’ tag
Slam Poetry And The Internet
Slam poetry is often seen as a modern and edgy take on traditional poetry. It takes traditional poetry and gives it an urban feel, thus making it a favourite even with people who might not have considered themselves interested in the work of the classic poets.
Just as many things both on the poetry scene and in life in general have changed as the internet has developed, so too has slam poetry. But just how has the Internet influenced this ever growing and expressive modern form of poetry?
First of all, the internet has made it much easier for people to share their poetry. You no longer need a book deal or a TV performance slot to let people read or hear your work. You can start a blog at no cost on blogspot.com or wordpress.com, for example, and begin sharing your poetry immediately. Alternatively, you could buy a domain and set up your own poetry website. You can record yourself either in video or just audio, performing your poems and you can share these on blogs or on massive video sharing sites like Youtube, instantly. You have a potentially massive global audience right at your fingertips. This has seen many more unpublished poets come to attention in recent years.
Another way that the internet has made life easier for poets in general, is the increase in internet-based self publishing facilities. Lulu.com is an example of such, and is a website on which you create an electronic version of a book, that they then turn into hardback or paperback for you, with no minimum order requirements and with the ability to even sell the books through the Lulu website!
But looking at slam poetry style specifically, a form that is brought to life in performance rather than on paper, one of the most exciting internet developments is that of virtual world performance opportunities. Second Life, for example, has a number of slam poets performing at a wide range of virtual venues in the world regularly. The Lyrical Cafe is one such venue founded by poet, Kamille Kamala.
Find out more about slam poetry in Second Life or visit the SL Lyrical Cafe website.
