“16 Bars to Kendrick Lamar.” “I Know You Didn’t Mean to Kill Him.” “Doing it Wrong.” “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus.”  What do all of these beautifully eclectic titles have in common?  Each is the title of a story told through a genre called spoken word.

Spoken word pieces are a unique and liberating form of poetry.  They’re really just a combination of several art forms such as music, theatre, vocals and poetry all mashed into one pulsating piece.  If you’ve never heard a spoken word piece delivered by an artist who truly knows how to perform it, I’ll give you a hint as to how it sounds: Amazing!

Some mistake spoken words for free-verse poetry due to the unstructured format, but they’re not called “Spoken Word” pieces for nothing.  Much of the emphasis of a spoken word piece is placed on the actual rhetoric and flow of the story, just like any other piece of writing.  The key difference lies in what I call the second-most-important factor in creating a spoken word masterpiece: the performance.

Spoken word poets use a wide array of expressions and actions that range from laughing to crying; dramatic pauses to yelling; physical gestures to complete stillness.  The passion seen in a poet’s facial expressions, body movements, and inflections are what makes spoken words so captivating.

I must confess that I speak of what I know, as I too am a spoken-word poet. I present a more serene style in my pieces to give off a calm yet deep feeling.  I usually sing and have music playing in the background while performing.  Interestingly, my style is considered old school, but that’s really just a reflection of who I am.

Now, on to the poets.  If you are interested in blunt, hard-core truth, I recommend Jasmine Mans.  She speaks up for those whose voice has been silenced or cast aside.  Her words are so honest that some may become offended but, ultimately, her pieces are so engaging that you cannot help but experience the same emotions.

Now if you want to listen to a performance from “a pretty boy with light skin,” then you should check out Miles Hodges. Tupac Shakur, Frank Ocean, Biggie Smalls, e.e. cummings, and Shakespeare have all inspired and become a basis for his work. Like many of these great artists, he pours a part of his heart into every single piece he writes. He isn’t one to believe in masking emotions, hence the creation of one of his most famous spoken word pieces, “Maskless.”

You have so many spoken-word poets to tune in to, learn from and be entertained by that I almost envy those of you who have yet to discover just how beautiful and powerful their works can be.