By Amanda Giglio

The spoken word is something that we take for granted. We talk every day, spewing random thoughts about our day, how much work we have to do and questioning what I should write my article on. But, sometimes words are arranged in a certain order and spoken aloud, with just the right tone of voice, and they become a new form of art. Spoken word poetry has been around for centuries, but it has only become popular recently. Poetry slams and spoken word nights have been popping up all over the city, becoming the ideal spot for hipsters to listen to others’ problems — a place to relate. The internet has blown up with College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational (CUPSI) competitions and Button Poetry, showing college students, just like us, speaking about problems that are too taboo to talk about in conversation. The words that we take for granted become masterpieces.

I have only seen poetry slams in movies, and just assumed it would be some crowded cafe where people would be yelling out nonsense to us as everyone sat there snapping passionately. When I went to my first poetry slam last year, I did not expect it to be a life-changing experience. It was different than what I imagined — well, not too different, since it was actually really crowded and everyone sat there snapping passionately.  The Slam, an Urbana open mic series, took place in the back of the Sidewalk Cafe in the East Village. The New York City-based poetry organization, Urbana, hosts weekly readings, lectures and slams that showcase the talents of young artists and have competitive slams, resulting in a winning slam master for the season.   Each person that went up on stage held a certain type of confidence, only seen in people who wear their hearts on their sleeves. The words that I hear every day, combined in different ways gave me the chills, as each poem represented the hurt, happiness, confusion and anger that people go through every day. The audience was just as connected as the poet and everyone was emotionally involved. In the back of this little bar, I could see the community built around the spoken word.

There are plenty of opportunities for people to participate in this spoken word community. Button Poetry and Urbana NYC work to showcase the power of voices in a community, encouraging the brightest performance poets of today to develop cultural appreciation for this art form. CUPSI shows the best young poets from colleges all over the country, as a way to increase the growth and innovation of poetry. This generation’s community of spoken word poetry often focuses on political and social issues, from racism to economic injustices, gender and sexual identity to current events. Verbal poetry is a way for the downtrodden to rise above and make a difference. This mindset is seen in the Fordham community as well. Fordham’s spoken word group, Verbal Essences, does just this with its dedication to the performance and creation of original spoken word poems.

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Amanda Giglio is the Assistant Culture Editor for The Fordham Ram.