Slam Nation: The Sport of Spoken Word (1998)

Before Russell Simmons' highly acclaimed HBO series Def Poetry Jam, SLAMNATION captured the cutthroat world of spoken-word poetry with an "energy that pulses, snaps and crackles" (Chicago Tribune), Beginning in New York City at the Nuyorican Poets Café's Grand Slam tournament, the film follows slam champion Saul Williams and three other top poets--Beau Sia, Mums the Schemer, and Jessica Care Moore--as they journey to the annual National Poetry Slam, the Super Bowl of spoken-word poetry. Tensions run high as they join dozens of spoken-word artists from across the nation to compete for the championship-and the cash prize. Judges, chosen randomly from the audience, score poets on a scale from 0 to 10. The drama unfolds as rivalries are revealed and controversies arise, underscoring larger questions of art versus ego and self-expression versus self-advancement. Produced and directed by Emmy award-winner Paul Devlin (Power Trip), this two-disc set includes the television spin-off Slammin' plus hours of uncensored bonus performances. SLAMNATION will expose you to the raw energy and sheer talent of some of the greatest performance poets in the world. DVD Features: Original Slammin’ TV Spin-off; "Special Play" mode with complete, uncut versions of all poems; Filmmaker Commentary with Slam co-founder Marc Smith; Uncensored Bonus Poems; Deleted Scenes; Filmmaker Biography; Poet Biographies; Resources; Theatrical Trailer; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection

Poetry is my Prozac

Performances by Saul Williams, Beau Sia and Taylor Mali are my favorite. I watch these dvds at least twice a week. It great how these performance poets put some much feeling into their words. One day I hope to have this same type of energy when it comes to making written words come alive and walk off of the paper. October 15, 2008

Slam Nation...Amazing.

Great DVD and brings people into the world of Slam Poetry as easy and flawless as possible. True talents recorded and immortalized on a DVD. What more could you want? July 28, 2008

Not for School

I'd hoped to show this video in the classroom to my high school students but the sexual references are way too graphic. Bummer. February 9, 2005

are you ready to SLAM?????

Ok, I just got into slam recently... I live in Rhode Island so I am very into the Providence poetry scene. This documentary is wonderful for anyone who wants to know what Slam is all about and how a national poetry slam works.... Taylor Mali is awesome in his performance, as well as Jack McCarthy, Patricia Smith, Saul Williams... anyone intersted in any aspect of performance poetry should go get this movie!! October 8, 2002

Super slammin

This is one video that any slam poetry fan or performer should own. It is a great look into the pretty and not so pretty politics of the Poetry Slam national competition. I have seen poetry move people at local slams and national competitions, and this video will move you.... You will find yourself choosing favorites and rooting for different teams to win. All in all it is an excellent documentary that I would definitely recommend. I would also recommend showing it at your college or university in order to generate more interest in Slam Poetry! August 20, 2002

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