Spoken word poetry has enormous potential in K-12 education. Teachers can use this medium to honor students’ languages and cultures, encourage authentic writing and build community. Spoken word poetry also aligns to many of the writing, speaking and listening goals that are outlined in the Common Core State Standards, a set of learning goals for K-12 students.
Kathleen M. Alley, Mukoma Wa Ngugi and Wendy R. Williams
Kathleen M. Alley is an Associate Professor of literacy in the Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education, College of Education, at Mississippi State University. Mukoma Wa Ngugi is an Associate Professor of Literatures in English at Cornell University and the author of The Rise of the African Novel: Politics of Language, Identity and Ownership, the novels Mrs. Shaw, Black Star Nairobi, Nairobi Heat, and two books of poetry, Logotherapy and Hurling Words at Consciousness. Wendy R. Williams is the author of Listen to the Poet: Writing, Performance, and Community in Youth Spoken Word Poetry (2018, University of Massachusetts Press). She is the founding director of ASU's Young Authors' Studio, a free online program for youth writers.
