Technical Definition:Spoken word is a form of literary art or artistic performance in which lyrics, poetry, or stories are spoken rather than sung. Spoken-word is often done with a musical background, but emphasis is kept on the speaker.
One of the most common sorts of spoken word performances is performance poetry, where a poet either reads previously-published poems, or reads poems specifically written to be performed aloud. Another kind that has gained popularity in recent years is political and social commentary, done in such a way that it is, while still prose, somewhat more artistic than a typical speech. Spoken word artists are often poets and musicians. Spoken word gained notoriety in the late 1980s and early 1990s through the emergence of "poetry slams," where spoken word artists would square off in cabaret-style duels.
My Personal Definition: Once upon a time, a heart with too much emotion picked up a pen with less than adequate ink, wrote on paper with not enough space; so he/she stood with just enough courage, and spoke with more than sufficient volume...to one pair of ears or more.
King David was a poet. But Jesus was a spoken word artist.
King Solomon?....a poet I'd say. But Job?...No. THAT dude was a spoken word artist.
Martin Luther King, Jr.? ....Spoken Word Artist.
Malcolm X? Spoken Word Artist.
My mother, or my bold 8 year old nephew?....Yes. They as well.
Even God Himself used words to aid Him in Creation. He spoke everything into existance, save man/woman.
I proclaim that anyone who speaks truth unashamedly is by experience, if not by vocation, a Spoken Word Artist.
Words are so powerful, and the tongue is accredited to being either deadly or helpful. So, you allow these two forces to commence in a collaboration, and damage can be done.
Yes, you can ignore my blogs and my words. You can slide a book underneath a coffee table and allow it to collect dust. But few are successful at blocking out the resonance of the Spoken Word...
...but you can go ahead and try. I dare you.
