Scott Woods

A lot of slam poetry doesn't translate well to the page--it somewhat awkwardly reads like slam, and just doesn't have the power it would have in person. That isn't true of all of the poems here, but it is true of most of them. That said, there are some poems here by some of my favorite slam artists, including Buddy Wakefield and Corbet Dean, which are incredible stand-outs that I adore. The gemstone of the book is really the audio CD, though, which includes work by some of my other favorite poets--Rives, Gina Loring, and Sekou (as well as other audio poems by Dean and Wakefield)--and the poem included from Sekou, When I Grow Up, is just phenomenal. As a video recording, it's one I've played for my classes in the past.

I think this collection probably has something for every poetry lover, especially because of the audio CD, though some pieces are more page-enjoyable than others. It's absolutely a good choice for someone who's curious about either poetry or slam poetry, but not yet a fan of either.… (meer)