Taylor Mali on "What teacher's make"

[Bao]

A great, great Slam Poet. I had the privilege to listen to him live yesterday, at Uppsala International Poetry Festival, held at the theatre where I work. So I wanted to share this.

If you have the opportunity to listen to him, I sincerely suggest you should do that. You won't regret the time or money spent.

"What teacher's make"


"On Girls Lending Pens"


And this last one is absolutely hilarious, I just say that, if you haven't patience to watch all. . . .

"The impotence of Proofreading":

[Michael]

That Taylor Mali is great stuff, makes me want to be a teacher. Oh wait, today I made every student in three continuing education classes full of exhausted professionals tell me their opinions about cultural differences between China and the such as American. My greatest day teaching, evah. Some of these people go whole semesters without uttering a syllable, and I had them all talking!

[Darth Rock&Roll]

like any profession, there are some greats within and many not so great.

I wish all teachers had the attitude of the above guy, but alas, that would be a utopia!

[TaoJoannes]

My only problem with Slam Poetry (and mind you I competed religously for over a year, and regularly placed 3rd-4th of 15-20, got 2nd once in the erotica themed Slam) is the word "Poetry", it's mostly more like dueling monologues.

It gets to be as ridiculous as the IMA vs EMA debate between "traditional" poets and "slam" poets.

That said, my writing and performance are light years better these days so I'm considering getting back into it when I have the time and funds. And this guy is pretty decent, about par for the course as far as the good stuff goes.

[Bao]

Nice to hear you done this kind of thing TJ

Some of the slam poets are more literary than others and some of them do more like a stand-up comedy thing. But I guess you know a lot about this. Taylor Mali has become national champion 4 times over the last 8 years. So he definitively is both very good at what he is doing and he knows how to move people and what people wants to hear.

I have no big trouble with the word poetry. You express yourself with words and try to express as much as possible with as few words as possible. If it is entertaining, tells a story or whatevaah, is it less poetry? Well, maybe it is less poetry in a traditional sense. But frankly, I like this much more than over-intellectual word constructions which barely say anything to anyone. Having a strong thought and keeping it simple, is sometimes harder than complicated words constructions. So yes, I think it can be a form of poetry. If it is entertaining, it doesn't make it less. Anyway, many things through out history have been labelled or called "poetry" and I don't see any point in trying to narrow this "word". Its like the term "qigong". Almost anything can be called qigong, even writing a poem. Well, poetry or not, I still like very much what Mali does.

[DeusTrismegistus]

Personally I consider poetry and music in the same boat.

Good poetry and good music both invoke an emotional response in the reader/listener. If it doesn't do this, it isn't very good.

[Steve James]

Well, something can be very bad, terrible, and still elicity an emotional response. That doesn't necessarily mean that it's good. Horror films get plenty of response. But, neither poetry nor music is easy to define.

[DeusTrismegistus]

Well, something can be very bad, terrible, and still elicity an emotional response. That doesn't necessarily mean that it's good. Horror films get plenty of response. But, neither poetry nor music is easy to define.

To clarify, the emotional response elicited should be one that is in coherence with what the poem or song is trying to elicit. Feelings of disgust or revulsion at a song or piece of poetry that is about love would be an example. Sure you get emotional cause it sucks, not emotional because it engenders a feeling to you.

Like I said this is my own personal opinion based on what I like in poetry and music. I am sure very few people will agree, but I am used to that.

[Steve James]

I'm not disagreeing with your taste. I teach poetry, and I can't really define it. However, fwiw, love and death have gone together very well from John Donne to Will Shakespeare and beyond. It's not just the subject; it's the execution (so to speak).

[DeusTrismegistus]

I'm not disagreeing with your taste. I teach poetry, and I can't really define it. However, fwiw, love and death have gone together very well from John Donne to Will Shakespeare and beyond. It's not just the subject; it's the execution (so to speak).

I agree. Poetry is very hard to define. It can be very difficult to write a good poem especially one that fits a particular format. Its really amazing if you think about the epic poems like the Aenead or the sonnets of shakespeare. It seems that todays poets like free form poetry much better in part because it is easier to make. I know I couldn't write a decent sonnet.

I think different types of poems can be used to create different responses as well. A sonnet on the same subject as a haiku would have different effects on the reader/listener.

I need to go read some poetry now. Its been awhile.