Discovering the spoken world:
an interview with Noelle reed
By: Sarah Thangamani and Niha Reddy
Spoken word is one the most unique forms of poetry and one of the hardest. It is not only writing words down on a piece of paper, but performing the piece too. Slam poetry (which is also known as spoken word) focuses on the aesthetics of sound and rhythm when said out loud rather than how it is on paper. The major difference between spoken word and regular poetry is the performance: it is the greatest aspect of spoken word and it is why spoken word is so unique. Spoken word is used often to express oneself. Although spoken word may be difficult to do, it truly pays off in the end because of the connection shared between the performer and the audience.
Noelle Reed is a rising star in the spoken world. She is a sophomore at Northview and has been writing and performing poetry since 7th grade. In an interview with Noelle she shed some light on the spoken word and what it's like to be as a young spoken word artist. |
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In a spoken word poem, Noelle expresses what it's like living as a black girl in the current world. She mentions present day events and describes how she feels about them. |
More Spoken word artists to check out:
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Rhiannon McGavin is a 20 yr old spoken word artist and actress in LA. She first got interested in poetry when Get Lit visited her school in 9th grade. She gained fame as a teen for being a published artist and now has a YouTube channel where she posts her performances and more. She also works for a nonprofit called Get Lit which is the largest poetry association in southern California.
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Mila Cuda is a young spoken word artist on the West coast. She was named the Los Angeles County Youth Poet Laureate in 2017 and won a book deal to publish her poems. She was also in the finals for the Get Lit Words Ignite Classic Slam, the largest youth poetry tournament in Southern California.
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Jessica Romoff is a 19 yr old poet and author yeah in California. She started gaining for her poetry while she was a junior in high school. She writes mainly about women's rights and has been published in print and online publications such as The Huntington Post. Jessica is a Los Angeles Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador and Get Lit Player. She also won first place at the Portland Poetry Slam.
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More Spoken Word POems to check out:
"Somewhere in America " by Belissa Escobedo, Rhiannon McGavin, and Zariya Allen is a slam poem about the realities of living in modern day America and it hits you hard. They tackle some important issues such as gun violence, banned books, and even just the hardships of being a girl. This poem was performed at the Brave New Voices Finals and received 3rd place. |
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"Hands" by Sarah Kay is a slam poem about the power of human hands. The piece talks about everything hands can do, what they can accomplish, the memories of hands, and what messages they can send. This slam poem is different than others in a way that there is a soothing tone behind this poem. It is not written for the hate or anger of something but it is written about the love she has for her hands. |