An incomplete history of Slam Poetry

A topical directory of this website:

Aesthetic liaisonsWho did what with whom, from the Chicago Poetry Ensemble through theNeoFuturists.

ConvergenceThe gathering of the people and conditions which gave rise to slam poetry.

DiasporaThe diffusion of the slam poetry phenomenon into the broader cultural environment.

Early rivals:
Boston and Chicago
A scorecard of which cities' teams and individual poets won in what years.

The Chicago Poetry EnsembleSpecifically, who it was.

Ron GilletteOne of Marc Smith's earliest performance poetry influences.

Using the InternetHow Slam poets put the emerging internet to work as a literary, evangelical, and political tool.

The NeoFuturistsA theater whose aesthetic and players mixed frequently with Slam.

Sister CitiesSlams which sent poets abroad.

Slam versus
the lit critics
The initial antagonism and now somewhat resolved situation between the Academyand Slam.

Where are
they now?
A few closing words about the people who launched slam poetry in Chicago and beyond.


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