Youve heard it before: overly dramatic, ridiculously sentimental, and heartbreakingly sad.

These
lines designed to tug at our emotions seemed to suddenly break out from the Filipino internet. Its
as if this hugot culture had served as an outlet for the Filipino psyche to unburden itself. They say
that there exist an inner hugot in every Filipino, regardless of whether or not we are conscious of
it.

Some argues that hugot culture is a coping mechanism. It pulls out deep seated bitterness or
frustrations in order to laugh at it and thus reduce its power. Perhaps thats why hugot lines tend
to be over the top. Its easier to laugh at extreme display of emotions. And why it was so easily
placed into other contexts outside of love and turned it into a joke. But whether or not we feel that
these lines are intended for us, others do find them comforting and helpful, and that could be the
positivity these hugot have to offer. It wasnt about wallowing in despair; it was about conquering
it.

Just like any other trends like banats and pick up lines, it may end when people get tired of it and
another one takes place. Its quite unpredictable how long this hugot culture will last, but one
things for sure, we will always feel the need to express feelings and emotions, and hugot is just
one way of making that happen. But there is also a new trend of self-expression among the Filipino
youth, and that is spoken word poetry. Spoken word poetry has made its way into the hearts of
many Filipinos since it is loaded with major hugots. Contrary to that popular belief, spoken word
poetry is not just about hugot, its a popular tool for expression on many relevant topics such as
religion, politics, and emotions. Spoken word is a type of poetry that bonds the poet with the
audience to an end, whatever that may be

WHAT IS SPOKEN WORD POETRY

Marriage between theater and poetry.

Spoken word is a performance art that is word based. It is an oral art that focus on the
aesthetics of word play, intonation and voice inflection. While often associated with hip
hop culture, it also has strong ties to storytelling, modern poetry, post-modern
performance, monologue theatre, as well as jazz, blues and folk music.

Spoken word poetry is performance poetry. So its poetry that doesnt just exist on the page,
theres something about it that insist to performed or say it out loud. It is poetry that is not only
performed but also evokes an active response within listeners. Though oral performances of
poetry have been around for so many years, spoken word is gaining ground the past couple of
years among the youths today. They often say that spoken poetry is an art form for the youth,
although personally I dont think anyone is too young or too old for poetry.

Due to its immediacy and direct rapport with its audience, this type of poetry contains references
to current events and issues relevant to a contemporary audience.

HISTORY

Spoken word has existed for many years. We know that we all started with oral literature, one that
is conveyed primarily by speech as opposed to writing. 'There were poets long before there were
printing presses, poetry is primarily oral utterance, to be said aloud, to be heard. Performance
poetry, which is kindred to performance art, is explicitly written to be performed aloud.
Technically, poetry started as spoken word poetry. Spoken word poetry is not a new form, its an
ancient form. Now we give it a shiny, hip hop, alternative vibe into it, but it goes way back to
Homer, to Shakespeare.
In ancient Greece, the spoken word was the most trusted repository for the best of their
thought, and inducements would be offered to men who set themselves the task of
developing minds capable of retaining and voices capable of communicating the treasures
of their culture. The Ancient Greeks included Greek lyric, which is similar to spoken-word poetry,
in their Olympic Games.
Some American spoken-word poetry originated from the poetry of the Harlem
Renaissance, blues music, as well as the 1960s Beat Generation. Spoken word in African
American culture drew on a rich literary and musical heritage. Langston Hughes and writers
of the Harlem Renaissance were inspired by the feelings of the blues and spirituals, hip-
hop and slam poetry artists were inspired by poets such as Hughes in their word stylings.
In the 1980s, competitive spoken word poetry competitions emerged, labelled 'poetry
slams'. American poet Marc Smith is credited with starting the poetry slam in November
1984. In 1990, the first National Poetry Slam took place in Fort Mason, San Francisco.
*It first took hold in the US in the 1980s, when open mic sessions started taking place at cafes in
cities like New York, San Francisco and Austin.
*Who started it? Some point to Marc Kelly Smith, a Chicago poet who is also known as Slampapi,
He believed that academic poetry was too structured and stuffy and wanted to introduce a looser
poetry medium. He founded the first ever National Poetry Slam in 1990 and that annual
competition still goes on
The poetry slam movement reached a wider audience following Russell Simmons' Def
Poetry, which was aired on HBO between 2002 and 2007.
*Another driving force that made slam poetry popular was the HBO television show Russel
Simons Presents Def Poetry, which ran from 2002 to 2007 and spawned a Broadway show and
a book
In the Philippines, the art of spoken word has been popularized by the hit romantic comedy
series On the Wings of Love (2015), with one of the supporting characters, Rico (played by Juan
Miguel Severo) being a spoken word poet. Pioneers include Kooky Tuason of Romancing Venus,
which is a sisterhood of performance poets that include Karen Kunawicz of Dredd Poets Society
and Charms Tianzon of the band Matilda. Finding poetry hasnt been a problem in major cities
and other parts of the Philippines. Lets say for example in Manila, spoken word events are E V
E R Y W H E R E. Seriously, a spoken word event can be as popular as a gig for rock bands.
Listening to someone talk about his or her past, about the wounds opened and re-opened is now
a trend. The most famous in the North, is Word Anonymous.
BRINGING SPOKEN WORD POETRY INTO THE CLASSROOM

Many teachers may find English is not their students favorite subject, and most students
seem to shy away from poetry in particular. Often students may find poetry analysis difficult; this
fact may result from a lack of understanding or lack of interest. Students commonly perceive the
study of poetry as decoding a seemingly foreign language in an attempt to analyze the meter,
rhyme scheme, and other various formal aspects. With a mindset only focused on formality, it is
difficult to relate to poetry. As teachers, we have to strive not only to teach students about poems
but also to teach them to love poetry and language. A students love for poetry has to begin
somewhere, right? Prompting students to be involved with poetry on a heart level will create a
fresh outlook and a deeper relationship.
Classroom instruction regarding poetry is not only difficult for students, but also for
teachers. In the midst of students negative perceptions of poetry, most teachers are required to
include poetry in their curriculums. They are challenged with presenting the poetry in an engaging
manner; yet, the students dispositions can be a discouragement. Why should a teacher put forth
effort to plan a creative, thought-provoking lesson plan if the students are apathetic and unwilling
to reciprocate enthusiasm? So, teachers often glide through poetry, only highlighting formal
elements such as alliteration, personification, and rhyme, as if checking off a list. For fear of
students disinterest, meditating on the deeper meanings is briefly mentioned or neglected
altogether. Students will never be interested in poetry if structure and formality is the only focus.

The world of education is starving for answers on how to rejuvenate the study of
poetry. Poetry is not impossible, scary, or dull. Poetry is exciting, inspirational, and thought-
provoking, and students must view it as such. If their negative perceptions remain, they will
continue to miss out on the treasure that poetry offers. It is likely that the solution lies within the
heart of poetry. Poetry is a tool for expression and the poets pen is not pushed across the page
by coincidence or to provide schools with curriculum. A poet puts his pen across the paper to
communicate a feeling, experience, or idea. Because students are encountering poetry in an
academic setting in which they are required to study and analyze, it can become
formulaic. Students need to see poetry as an expression in which they can relate. Raven says
that, Even when a poem is about an experience unfamiliar to the reader or listener it can speak,
and something of the experience is felt by the reader (Raven).

An effective way for students to get back to the heart of poetry in an academic setting is by
spoken word poetry. While poetry has long been a staple of K-12 English classes, spoken word
poetry is less commonly taught. However, many believed that this kind of poetry may be especially
well suited to connecting with young people at an emotional level, making traditional poetry more
accessible to students and sharpening their critical thinking skills. The emphasis on having
students to create their own works in teaching spoken word poetry adds a deeper
educational dimension to the lessons. While there hasnt been much research on the learning
benefits of teaching spoken word poetry, as language teachers, we all know that working out
expressions in art form is bound to boost cognitive development and students way of thinking
and their approach to problems. It improves students as readers and writers, their critical thinking
and analysis, their self-confidence, their literacy skills.
Poets have been called the voice of a generation, and what better way to excite them than to
share poetry of their generation with them. Most students today connect with a poem if the subject
is familiar, and most students find that the greatest significance of a given poem lies in its
relevance to their own lives. This is easy to accomplish with spoken word poetry since much of
performance poetry is concerned directly or indirectly with self and community defense. Students
will find more connections with these personal works, which may inspire a love for poetry in
general. Spoken word poetry can encourage an interest in any and all poetry because it makes
poetry relatable like no other medium can.

1. Critical Thinking Skills

Poetry improves critical thinking by forcing a reader to think.
In a recent article in Education Week, James Caterall, a retired professor in the
graduate school of education and information studies in UCLA says that teaching
children about spoken word is more than just memorizing or understanding. Its
asking the kids to think critically. He believes that incorporating spoken word gives
greater educational depth to the lessons by allowing students to create something of their
own. In the same article, Peter Khan, a spoken word educator in at the University of
London, noted the transformative effect of spoken word, especially on students who were
otherwise disinterested in class due to problems outside the classroom. The applicable
themes found in spoken word poetry allow ideas to flow in a way that is mutually inspiring
for the performer and the audience. At base, we humans want to connect with each other,
and spoken word poetry provides a strong connection between the audience and the
performer.
2. Language Awareness
Poetry can increase students literacy and linguistic awareness. Studying poetry
can help students to expand their oral and written vocabularies. Reading and
writing poetry also help students to become more aware of the ways in which
language can be used and the rhythms, images and meanings that can be created.
Through spoken word poetry, students can explore language skills, sentences structure
and vocabulary. These are just a few components, but the experience of spoken word
poetry challenges students to step outside the box and engage in a truly different aspect
of English language arts.
3. Creativity and Expression
Students can become enthusiastic about poetry in the classroom, connecting reading
experiences to their own. Allowing them to write poetry encourages them to express
themselves creatively. Poets like Sarah Kay, Cynthia Biggs-El, Tupac believe that
spoken word poetry provides students with the exact medium they need to express
individual and cultural concerns because spoken word is primarily shaped through
personal experience. Biggs-El says that spoken word gives students the moment in
which they can publicly claim their permanent place in the history, for no one can preach,
teach and relay their life stories as they can.

4. Develops Empathy and Insight

The most remarkable power of literature is its ability to unite reader and writer
across time and cultural boundaries. As condensed literature, poetry offers these
 benefits in an impactful way. Poetry triggers memories and emotions in its readers.
This connection between universal emotions and personal experience encourages
the development of empathy. Poetry at its heart is supposed to make the reader feel
something, to spark a reaction. Spoken word performance can do just that. Bringing
spoken word poetry into the classroom alongside traditional poetry and stories can only
strengthen analysis, discussion, and interpretation within the class.

5. Writing
Spoken word poetry is all about original writing and innovation. Teaching writing
through poetry helps students to develop a sense of ownership in their own writing.
Poetry writing can allow for writing to go through the process of writing
development that helps the writer to access both their thoughts and feelings though
their words. Poetry demands the readers or listener to respond to the world the writer
has created. Students become independent in their own writing. Both in the choice of their
own meaning and the decisions they make in writing. If children become writers, then they
become better readers. If they can express themselves and make their own choices as
poets then their ability to analyze and discuss the work of others is magnified.

Despite the support spoken word pedagogy has garnered in recent years, there still remain
skeptics. In the article from The Western Journal of Black Studies we read that some people
believe spoken word is too emotionally volatile, so they discredit it, saying that ethnic-specific
forms of expression are often considered devoid of intellectual and critical content because of its
passionate emotional temperament. However, the same article goes on to challenge this theory
by drawing attention to the thoughtfulness that goes into the construction of spoken word poetry
and rap music, disproving the idea that these mediums are simply a product of overheated
emotions.

TIPS FOR TEACHING SPOKEN WORD POETRY

1. Be open-minded

If spoken word isnt your thing, dont sweat it. Better to keep it real and be yourself. In other
words, keep it authentic. Find connections to your students that are meaningful to you but dont
be afraid to get out of your comfort zone. If you love classic poetry, boom spoken word is calling
your name. Open your mind to new voices, cultures, perspectives, and ways of seeing the world.
Your students need you to!

2. Create open mic time.

Students may love reading their poetry during open mic time this is a low-stakes, non-
judgmental period of 10-15 minutes at the beginning of every club or class meeting when
students can share anything theyve written poems, verses, raps, bars, songs, or short stories.
No feedback, just snaps! Its important to develop a culture of listening and affirmation before
getting to this next tip
3. Workshop the writing.

Start an event! But remember there is no successful poetry slam without good stories. Make sure
you spend LOTS of time workshopping the poems and songs. Have student-poets and MCs
bring in enough copies for everyone and get to work! Emphasize constructive, mature, respectful,
critical, specific feedback! This should probably be the number one suggestion! Its like making
the process of being literate as visible as possible. Following the performance of the poem,
students what they saw or heard leading to identifications of instances, alliteration, rhyme, etc.
These reflections on technique underscore the intellectual rigor and academic relevance of
spoken word.

4. Invite guest poets.

We all know schools have tons of money allocated for guests so that spoken word artists can
come visit (yea right!) Seriously, it is very useful to have spoken word artists from the
community come into classrooms, or we can bring recordings of artists liver performances. This
will ground the community of learners in the common experience of the art form and provide an
entre to their collective unpacking of the work. Following a liver performance of spoken word
poets, you may ask What did you notice?; What did you hear? They can also address, using
a critical response protocol, issues and themes of the poets work.

5. Forget the slam (or dont).

If youre trying to come up with a good structure for your event, forget the slam format! The poetry
slam, with its judges and scores, can discourage teenagers who might otherwise rock the mic.
Try using a showcase format without the judgment. On the other hand, competition can
sometimes inspire kids to really write their hearts out. But if your shows get a good turnout and
the kids are into it, forget the points or at least deemphasize them so everyone knows the
points are not the point / the point is the poetry.

6. YouTube is our friend.

There is an enormous archive of performances on YouTube. Use this resource to expose students
to many voices and styles and also to study performance skills. After an open mic session,
you can have a YouTube featured poet of the week. Let students pick. They usually know whos
hot. Most local spoken word artists have watched and learned from their foreign counterparts.
Abby Orbeta of Word Anonymousthe group that brought Kay and Kaye to the Philippinescalls
herself a fan. With better access to technology, bringing new mediums like spoken word poetry
into the classroom has never been easier. We no longer need to travel across the country to see
these performances or competitions. Now we can watch performances and interviews with poets
speaking about their own inspirations and interpretations. Today, the range of subjects and variety
of forms of poems for the young has never been greater. Poetry is a strong and lively presences
that deserves to be highlighted in schools and libraries.
7. Ask your students whats up!

If you want to know which poets are relevant, ask your students! Get out of the familiar teacher
knows all comfort zone and let the kids tell YOU whats relevant. Once they know youll listen,
they wont shut up. In using spoken word in the classroom, teachers need to adopt a stance of
humility by being willing to learn from our students.

8. Get connected.

There are lots of educators doing this work all over the world. Look for groups that discuss the
intersections of spoken word, culture, and education while sharing ideas, lesson plans, and a
whole lot of resources. Subscribe to Button Poetry on YouTube. They feature incredible poets
that you should know about. Lastly, find out if theres a youth organization in your area that
promotes literacy among urban youth. Often times these organizations have incredible resources
and programs that can support your efforts with spoken word education.

IN MAKING SPOKEN WORD POETRY

Spoken word is poetry that is meant to be performed for an audience, rather than just read
on a page. Spoken word has a freedom to it. Spoken word poems can use alliteration, rhyme,
repetition, slang and word playbut there arent specific rules or a certain format to follow.
Spoken word poems dont have to follow a certain meter or have a set number of lines.
However, this doesnt mean that that spoken word poems are wishy-washy. They are meant to
be highly personal and full of emotion, opinion, and attitude which makes spoken word so perfect
for students to explore. It allows students the opportunity to share their thoughts, and provides a
platform for them to do so. It also builds on important performance skills taught in the drama
classroom, including memorization and rehearsal, vocal projection, enunciation, tone, gestures,
facial expressions, and confidence.
So, lets get students exploring spoken word poetry! Heres an exercise that will help them develop
a piece to be performed.
1. Start with a topic that evokes strong, personal feelings.
This is not the medium to play it safe. Think in grandiose terms: my greatest success, my
worst fear, my most hated experience, my biggest goal in life, the issue that I feel most
strongly about. I am a huge fan of brainstorming take 2 minutes and have students brainstorm
a list of words or sentences about one of the topics listed above, or another topic of your choosing.
Remind students that what they write is meant to be performed. If they arent comfortable sharing
their thoughts on a certain topic, they should go in another direction with their topic.
No attitude, no poem! Feelings and opinions give poetry its richness. Each poet has a
unique perspective and view of the world that no one else has. It is important that a spoken
word poem embodies the courage necessary to share ones self with the rest of the world.
The key here is to build confidence. We must acknowledge ourselves as writers and understand
what we have to say is important.
2. Develop clear visual imagery around the topic.
If your topic had a visual image, what would it be? What colour is your topic? How does it look,
feel, smell, taste? If your topic was a person, what would they be like? Have students create a
mood board by cutting out imagery from magazines or printing photos off the internet to make a
visual inspiration of their topic. Pick your poetic devices. Poems that get attention are ones
that incorporate simple, but powerful poetic elements. Repetition is a device that can help
a writer generate exciting poems with just repeating a key phrase or image. Rhyming can
enrich your diction and performance.
3. How do these images translate verbally?
Students will take their mood boards and brainstorm lists and use them to inspire their piece of
spoken word poetry. On a new piece of paper, have students write the following words:

I see
I hear
I smell
I touch
I taste
I feel
I think
I wonder
I want
I am
Students will then complete the sentences in relation to their topic. Once those ten sentences are
complete, cross out the I and first verb, and voila students have a whole series of imagery that
can be sorted, re-arranged, and worked around to make their spoken word poem.
Use your five senses to create a first draft. Write down what you see, hear, taste, touch, and smell
when you think about your topic. Details are key when it comes to painting a vivid picture through
slam poetry, so always ask yourself: "could I be more specific?" For instance, instead of writing "I
drank a glass of water," write "I sipped on an ice-cold glass of water with a pinch of lemon that
was so tart, it made me cringe." Craft your words into short stanzas that lend themselves to a
natural rhythm and feel free to use rhyme if you feel like it.

4. Practice and perform.

Once students have their poems written, its time to practice and perform. All spoken word pieces
must be memorized. In class, allow students to partner up and perform for each other as a practice
round, before having students perform for the entire class.

Remind students about the qualities of good performance: projection, enunciation, variety
in tone, gesture, eye contact with the audience, and emotional expression. This is not a
poetry recital, its a spoken word performance!
It is important to maintain Eye Contact Dont stare at the floor, or hide behind a piece of
paper/phone. From time to time, look into the eyes of people in the audience to capture their
attention. Projection is also crucial, so remember to speak loudly and clearly so that your voice
can be heard from a distance. Enunciation helps the listeners to hear exactly what you say. Dont
mumble. Speak clearly and distinctly so that the audience can understand what you are
saying. Facial Expressions help animate your poem. Youre not a statue: smile if youre reading
something happy. Look angry if your poem is about anger. This might sound silly, but using the
appropriate facial expressions help express various emotions in your
performance. Gestures such as hand motions and body movements emphasize different
elements of your performance. Choose the right gestures for your poem.

Add a Little Drama. Remember, you're not just reading your poem out loudyou're performing!
The goal is to get the audience to audibly react (i.e. laugh, cry, gasp, snap, clap, yell "yeah!") to
increase your score. So look for ways to increase the drama. Are there moments where you can
whisper or shout? Are there places where you can speed up or slow down? Can you throw in
facial expressions or bodily movements to illustrate your main messages?