  spoken word is performance-based poetry that is focused on the aesthetics of word play and story-telling. it often includes collaboration and experimentation with other art forms such as music, theater, and dance. there is no mandatory manner in which someone should perform, however, there are aspects of the artistry that indicate it is, indeed, spoken word. spoken word usually tends to focus on the performance of the words themselves, the dynamics of tone, gestures, facial expressions, and more. poetic components such as rhyme, repetition, slang, improvisation, and many more elements of poetry can be woven to create an atmosphere the audience can experience. in entertainment, spoken-word performances generally consist of storytelling or poetry, exemplified by people like hedwig gorski, gil scott heron, lÃ©o ferrÃ© and the lengthy monologues by spalding gray. ==history== the art of spoken-word poetry has existed for many centuries. the ancient greeks included greek lyric which is similar to spoken-word poetry in their olympic games.âgreek lyricâ http://www.potiori.com/greek_lyric.html retrieved 16-08-2014glazner, gary mex. poetry slam: the competitive art of performance poetry. san francisco: manic d, 2000. similar exercises were encouraged in political and social discourse in what was then an ancient and thriving form of democracy. modern north american spoken-word poetry originated from the poetry of the harlem renaissanceaptowicz, cristin o'keefe (2007), words in your face: a guided tour through twenty years of the new york city poetry slam. new york: soft skull press. 400 pp. isbn 1-933368-82-9 and blues music as well as the 1960s beatniks.neal, mark anthony (2003). the songs in the key of black life. a rhythm and blues nation. new york: routledge. 214 pp. isbn 0-415-96571-3 the term "spoken word" was first adopted to explain the new art coming out of the postmodern art movement."defining spoken word", spokenoak, the roots and branches of amerikan spoken arts. web. 2 dec. 2012. modern-day spoken-word poetry became popular in the underground black community in the 1960s with the last poets. the last poets was a poetry and political music group that was born out of the african-american civil rights movement."last poet fragments". dr. martin luther king's "i have a dream," sojourner truth's "ain't i a woman?" and booker t. washington's "cast down your buckets" have changed and also shaped the course of history.{{cite web|last=folkways|first=smithsonian|title=say it loud|url=h
African-American_culture Genres_of_poetry History_of_poetry Poetry_movements Spoken_word