Slam Poetry And The Internet

Many people consider slam poetry to be an edgier, more modern feeling twist on the more traditional poems and poetry styles out there. It takes the classic styles and adds an urban layer, making it a favourite even of people who have no interest in traditional styles of poetry.

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?

Well, the main change is that it is now much easier for people to share their poetry. You don’t have to have a book deal now or get yourself onto television performing your work for people to read or even hear your poems. Thanks to sites like blogspot.com or wordpress.com you can actually set up a blog free and instantly and start sharing your poems straight away. If you’re more technically minded you could buy a domain and set up your own website. You can record audio or even video files of you performing your own poetry and share these on Youtube or similar video sites. Essentially, you have a potentially huge audience worldwide with whom you can share your work. This has helped many unpublished poets to gain exposure.

Another way in which the internet has changed poetry in general is by the rise of internet based self-publishing houses. An example is Lulu.com, a site on which you can put together your work in an easy to organise format and change it into a paperback or hardback book, make no minimum order and even sell them online.

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.