Marc Smith
Encyclopedia
Marc Kelly Smith is an American
poet
, and the creator and founder of the poetry slam movement, for which he received the nickname Slam Papi.
Smith was born in 1949 and grew up on the southeast side of Chicago
. He attended/graduated Charles P. Caldwell Elementary School and James H. Bowen High School. Smith spent most of his young life as a construction worker, but has written poetry since he was 19. He considers himself a Socialist.
" to establishment poets he considered snooty and effete, because at their events, "no one was listening".
According to Smith, who once attended a conventional reading with his manuscripts concealed inside a newspaper,
With a like-minded troupe, Smith hosted the first poetry slam at the Get Me High Lounge in the Bucktown neighborhood in 1986. The event soon migrated to the Green Mill, a tavern and jazz lounge in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood
, where it has remained ever since. Other poets in the first slam were Mike Barrett, Rob Van Tuyle, Jean Howard, Anna Brown, Karen Nystrom, Dave Cooper, and John Sheehan, all fellow members of the Chicago Ensemble of Poetry. According to Smith, the first slam was more variety show
than competition. Though all slams vary in format, Smith is considered responsible for key features, including the selection of judges from the audience and cash prizes.
As stated in the PBS television series, The United States of Poetry, a “strand of new poetry began at Chicago's Green Mill Tavern in 1987 when Marc Smith found a home for the Poetry Slam.” Smith had found a crowd-inclusive, entertaining method for nurturing the poetry scene. Since then, the poetry slam has spread throughout the world, exported to over 500 cities large and small.
In the book, Words in Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam, author Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz
describes the influential Smith:
Since July 1986, Marc has run the Uptown
Poetry Slam, a three hour show featuring an open mic (1 hour), feature--poet or professional touring act (1 hour), and the poetry slam. It is the longest-running, weekly poetry show in the country, and one of the longest-running shows in Chicago history.
In 1990, the first National Poetry Slam
was held in San Francisco (with three city teams attending including Chicago and New York City
), and has continued to rotate among cities. The National Poetry Slam currently sees over 80 teams of poets vying for the title. In 2008 and 2009, the National Poetry Slam will be held in Madison, WI.
Over the years, Smith has turned down offers to commercialize
the slam, including movie offers and bids for corporate sponsorship. Smith says that what he considers to be Slam's increased commercial exploitation, and Def Poetry Jam in particular, as having "diminished the value and aesthetic of performance poetry." This, combined with a continuing lack of Slam's recognition by "big literature festivals and institutions" in America, has led Smith to become more invested in performance poetry in Europe, where he says the "audiences are growing over there. And the aesthetic is growing and evolving.”
Smith has published several books about the poetry slam movement, as well as publishing two books of his own work. He tours extensively, performing his own, blue-collar, Carl Sandberg influenced poetry and hosting poetry slams. He also tours with a show titled, Sandburg to Smith-Smith to Sandburg, which combines the work of both poets with live jazz.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, and the creator and founder of the poetry slam movement, for which he received the nickname Slam Papi.
Smith was born in 1949 and grew up on the southeast side of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. He attended/graduated Charles P. Caldwell Elementary School and James H. Bowen High School. Smith spent most of his young life as a construction worker, but has written poetry since he was 19. He considers himself a Socialist.
Uptown Poetry Slam
Smith had started an open mic night at the Get Me High lounge in November 1984 called the Monday Night Poetry Reading. Even as poets scoffed at artists "performing" their work, rather than genteely "reading" it, the event grew in popularity. Smith saw his approach as an "up yoursFinger (gesture)
In Western culture, the finger , also known as the middle finger, is an obscene hand gesture, often meaning the phrases "fuck off" , "fuck you" or "up yours"...
" to establishment poets he considered snooty and effete, because at their events, "no one was listening".
According to Smith, who once attended a conventional reading with his manuscripts concealed inside a newspaper,
With a like-minded troupe, Smith hosted the first poetry slam at the Get Me High Lounge in the Bucktown neighborhood in 1986. The event soon migrated to the Green Mill, a tavern and jazz lounge in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood
Uptown, Chicago
Uptown is one of Chicago’s 77 community areas. Uptown has well defined boundaries. They are: Foster on the north; Lake Michigan on the east; Montrose , and Irving Park on the south; Ravenswood , and Clark on the west. Uptown borders three community areas and Lake Michigan...
, where it has remained ever since. Other poets in the first slam were Mike Barrett, Rob Van Tuyle, Jean Howard, Anna Brown, Karen Nystrom, Dave Cooper, and John Sheehan, all fellow members of the Chicago Ensemble of Poetry. According to Smith, the first slam was more variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
than competition. Though all slams vary in format, Smith is considered responsible for key features, including the selection of judges from the audience and cash prizes.
As stated in the PBS television series, The United States of Poetry, a “strand of new poetry began at Chicago's Green Mill Tavern in 1987 when Marc Smith found a home for the Poetry Slam.” Smith had found a crowd-inclusive, entertaining method for nurturing the poetry scene. Since then, the poetry slam has spread throughout the world, exported to over 500 cities large and small.
In the book, Words in Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam, author Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz
Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz
Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz is an American poet and writer. Recently, she was awarded a 2011 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship for Poetry.-Life:...
describes the influential Smith:
Since July 1986, Marc has run the Uptown
Uptown, Chicago
Uptown is one of Chicago’s 77 community areas. Uptown has well defined boundaries. They are: Foster on the north; Lake Michigan on the east; Montrose , and Irving Park on the south; Ravenswood , and Clark on the west. Uptown borders three community areas and Lake Michigan...
Poetry Slam, a three hour show featuring an open mic (1 hour), feature--poet or professional touring act (1 hour), and the poetry slam. It is the longest-running, weekly poetry show in the country, and one of the longest-running shows in Chicago history.
In 1990, the first National Poetry Slam
National Poetry Slam
The National Poetry Slam is a performance poetry competition where teams from across the United States, Canada, and France participate in a large-scale poetry slam. The event occurs in early August every year and takes place in a different US city....
was held in San Francisco (with three city teams attending including Chicago and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
), and has continued to rotate among cities. The National Poetry Slam currently sees over 80 teams of poets vying for the title. In 2008 and 2009, the National Poetry Slam will be held in Madison, WI.
Over the years, Smith has turned down offers to commercialize
Selling out
"Selling out" is the compromising of integrity, morality, or principles in exchange for money or "success" . It is commonly associated with attempts to tailor material to a mainstream audience...
the slam, including movie offers and bids for corporate sponsorship. Smith says that what he considers to be Slam's increased commercial exploitation, and Def Poetry Jam in particular, as having "diminished the value and aesthetic of performance poetry." This, combined with a continuing lack of Slam's recognition by "big literature festivals and institutions" in America, has led Smith to become more invested in performance poetry in Europe, where he says the "audiences are growing over there. And the aesthetic is growing and evolving.”
Smith has published several books about the poetry slam movement, as well as publishing two books of his own work. He tours extensively, performing his own, blue-collar, Carl Sandberg influenced poetry and hosting poetry slams. He also tours with a show titled, Sandburg to Smith-Smith to Sandburg, which combines the work of both poets with live jazz.
Filmography
- SlamNationSlamNationSlamNation is a documentary film by director Paul Devlin. The film follows the National Poetry Slam in Portland, Oregon.It follows the 1996 Nuyorican Poetry Slam team as they competed at the 1996 National Poetry Slam held in Portland, OR...
- 1998, directed by Paul Devlin - Sunday Night Poets - 2002, directed by David Rorie, Pugi Films distributed by National Film Network