Kōkiri Learn

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From page to stage: spoken word and slam

Poetry began as something spoken aloud. Learn how performance poets use voice, pause and gesture, and meet some poets from Aotearoa.

Long before people wrote poems down, they spoke and sang them. In Aotearoa, Māori passed on history, whakapapa and knowledge through spoken and sung forms for hundreds of years. Across the Pacific and the world, poetry has always lived in the voice. Today, spoken word poetry is written to be performed, and a slam is a friendly competition where poets perform for an audience.

Poets from Aotearoa to listen to

  • Hone Tuwhare (1922–2008): a Ngāpuhi poet whose poem 'Rain' is one of the best-known in New Zealand. He wrote about nature, working people and love in plain, musical language. - Denis Glover (1912–1980): his poem 'The Magpies' tells a farming family's hard story, with the magpies calling over and over in the background. - Selina Tusitala Marsh: a poet of Samoan, Tuvaluan, English, Scottish and French heritage and New Zealand Poet Laureate from 2017 to 2019. In 2016 she performed a poem for the Queen at Westminster Abbey, and her book 'Mophead' tells how she learned to love her big hair and her big voice.

    • What performers do with their voice

  • Pace: speeding up to build excitement and slowing down for the important lines. - Pause: a silence before or after a key word makes the audience lean in. - Volume: getting louder is not the only choice; dropping to almost a whisper can be the most powerful moment. - Tone: the feeling in your voice, such as angry, playful or tender.

    • What performers do with their body

    Eye contact tells the audience you are talking to them. A single gesture, like opening your hands or pointing to the sky, can underline a big idea. Too much movement distracts, so choose one or two moves and use them on purpose. Stand still and grounded for the rest.

    Getting ready

    Mark your poem with pause and stress symbols, rehearse it out loud at least five times, and try it in front of one person before a whole room. Nerves are normal. Most performers feel them. Take a slow breath, find a friendly face, and start.

    At a poetry café or slam in schools, the audience often clicks their fingers to show a line landed. It is a way of saying 'I heard you' without stopping the poet.

    Sources and further reading

    Written for Kōkiri Learn students in our own words. Check facts against the sources.

    Used in: Word Weavers: Poetry and Performance