Poetry has always been a love of mine since I was a young girl. With the heavy rise of poetry brought from the popularity of Rupi Khar’s Milk and Honey, poetry has become extremely popular all over social media. Here are my top three current favorite slam poets.
- Olivia Gatwood
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Olivia Gatwood first gained my attention when I found her poem, “Ode to My Bitch Face” on my YouTube suggested page, and ever since, I’ve been hooked. When I read her poetry, I find girlhood to be completely illuminated. She writes about her experiences growing up in both New Mexico and Trinidad, navigating girlhood, puberty, relationships and period underwear. As a finalist at Brave New Voices, Women of the World and the National Poetry Slam, Olivia’s performances have been featured on HBO, Huffington Post, MTV, VH1 and BBC among others. Online, her videos, including “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” and “Ode to My Bitch Face” have gained over 3 million views collectively.
Poems I recommend:
1. “Manic Pixie Dream Girl”
2. “An Alternate Universe in Which I Am Unfazed by the Men Who Do Not Love Me”
3. “When I Say That We Are All Teen Girls”
- Rudy Francisco
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Rudy Francisco is amongst the most recognizable names in spoken word poetry. With over 4 million views on YouTube on his poems “My Honest Poem,” “A Lot Like You” and “To The Girl Who Works At Starbucks,” Francisco has created quite the following. In his poetry, he focuses on using personal narratives to discuss the politics of race, class, gender and religion while simultaneously pinpointing and reinforcing the interconnected nature of human existence. Rudy has also made conscious efforts to expose the youth to the genre of Spoken Word Poetry via coaching, workshops and performances at preparatory schools and community centers.
Poems I recommend:
1. “Love Poem Medley”
2. “Scars/To the New Boyfriend”
3. “A Lot Like You”
- Sarah Kay
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Sarah Kay is the type of writer that strings words together to articulate feelings you never knew could be explained. Her poetry is limitless in its subjects but always remains brutally honest while simultaneously hopeful about human relationships, whether that be about love, heartbreak or community. Sarah Kay is a graduate of Brown University and a founder of Project V.O.I.CE., which is a group dedicated to using spoken word as an educational and inspirational tool. She’s had five poetry books published and has given a TedTalk that currently has 5.7 million views.
Sarah Kay has shared her poetry in 30 countries on six continents: in the middle of cornfields in Iowa, an orthodontist office in Nepal, a Viking ship on a fjord in Norway, an LGBTQ community center in India, a church in New Zealand, a nightclub in Singapore, the Royal Danish Theater in Denmark, a public square in Estonia, Carnegie Hall in New York City, the back rooms of bars, juvenile detention centers, middle school gymnasiums and everywhere in between. Her poetry can be found on Netflix TV shows, Uniqlo T-shirts and bookstore shelves.
Poems I recommend:
1. “The Type”
2. “Scaffolding”
3. “Private Parts”