---
title: Poetry Performance
description: Poetry performance is the art of reading or reciting poems aloud to an audience. Learners will understand how to use vocal inflection, pacing, and physical presence to convey emotional depth and interpret poetic texts dynamically.
category: literature-writing
subcategory: poetry
difficulty: beginner, intermediate, advanced
url: /subject/poetry-performance
---

# Poetry Performance

Poetry performance is the art of reading or reciting poems aloud to an audience. Learners will understand how to use vocal inflection, pacing, and physical presence to convey emotional depth and interpret poetic texts dynamically.

## Available Resources

3 Books • 1 Websites

## Youtubes

### 1. Button Poetry

Discover powerful spoken word poetry and performances on Button Poetry's YouTube channel. Explore diverse voices and perspectives through verse!

**Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://youtube.com/@buttonpoetry

**Tags:** spoken-word, performance-poetry, slam-poetry, contemporary-poetry

## Podcasts

### 1. Poetry Off the Shelf

**Author:** Poetry Foundation

Producer Helena de Groot talks to poets about language, dreams, love and loss, identity, connection, anger, discomfort, the creative process, the state of the world and the world of the soul. Hard conversations are welcomed—laughter is, too.

**Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** en-us | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://www.poetryfoundation.org/

**Tags:** poetry, poet-interviews, creative-process, contemporary-poetry

## Books

### 1. The Spoken Word Revolution

**Author:** Mark Eleveld

An anthology of slam, hip-hop and performance poetry with an accompanying audio CD, gathering poems alongside essays on the history of the slam movement. Readers can compare work on the page with its recorded performance and trace spoken word's development.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid

**Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/1402202466?tag=edmonddante07-20

**Tags:** books, humanities-social-sciences, poetry

### 2. Take the Mic: The Art of Performance Poetry

**Author:** Marc Kelly Smith, Joe Kraynak

A practical guide to performance poetry by the founder of the poetry slam, covering how to write for the ear, use voice, body and breath on stage, and handle nerves and audiences. Includes an audio CD of example performances.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid

**Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/1402218990?tag=edmonddante07-20

**Tags:** books, humanities-social-sciences, poetry

### 3. Stage a Poetry Slam

**Author:** Marc Kelly Smith, Joe Kraynak

A how-to guide from slam founder Marc Kelly Smith on organizing performance poetry events: choosing a venue, recruiting poets and judges, setting rules and scoring, hosting, and building a recurring series. Useful for anyone starting a local slam or open mic.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid

**Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/1402218982?tag=edmonddante07-20

**Tags:** books, humanities-social-sciences, poetry

## Websites

### 1. poets.org

Poets.org is the official site of the Academy of American Poets. It features a large collection of poems and poet bios, plus audio readings, essays, and classroom resources for readers and educators.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free

**Link:** https://poets.org

**Tags:** websites, arts-design, creative-arts

---

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