Bum Rush the Page: A Def Poetry Jam [NOOK Book]

My life

My life is spoken i always had a dream beside me i hate life is never compelte

Great collection!

New poetry, unlike anything you've read unless you're familiar with the movement. Contemporary genius.

When Spoken Word Comes Alive

In reading Bum Rush the Page, the reader feels as if being thrown into the audience of an open mic or poetry cipher that Medina and Reyes have masterfully organized. With a powerful foreword by Sonia Sanchez and poetry adorning even the invocation, the subtitle brings no false heat in declaring this work a `def poetry jam¿. The first portion of this anthology, entitled, Blood I Say, Sing Our Story, Sing this Song contains pieces that, much like the title, tell a story and have a narrative-like feel for them. Pieces that stand out specifically in this section are An Asian Am Anthem and And the Saga Continues, which capture the title and tell of history and pain. Emotionally charged pieces, such as On the Other Side and Lonely Women tell painful stories of domestic violence and love gone wrong. The accompanying section, Open Your Mouth and Smile, kicks of with poems such as 450 Years of Selective Memory (Smile) that begs the reader to smile amidst all of the reasons in the world to do just the opposite. Following this the sections, Every Word Must Conjure Up and Drums Drown Out the Sorrow both contain masterful works from poets young, old, near, and far. The climax of this anthology is reached in the section entitled, When the Definition of Madness is Love. When the poets of Bum Rush the Page speak of love, it is unlike anything I have ever heard before. The metaphoric content for happiness, love, tears, pain, and heartache is brought to a higher exponential level than ever thought possible. The reader can feel the sorrow and heartbreak in pieces such as The Hardest Part About Love or Bullet Hole Man. Emotion is felt at its highest point in this section, thus making it, in my opinion, the strongest. These poets truly know how to tug on reader¿s heartstrings. The sections that come after, We Whose Fathers Are Hidden, Seed of Resistance, Beauty is Moving Us Forward, It Was the Music that Made Us, and Children of the Word provide even more heartfelt work from poets who have captivating stories to tell and complicated emotions to free. Comical pieces, such as Owed to Eminem, show diversity in that these writings can not only make you cry, but they can make you laugh. Specifically, I would recommend this publication to people ages 16+ with an open mind Overall, I would recommend Bum Rush the Page to anyone who enjoys poetry and spoken word.

A Motivating Read

This collection of poetry is extremely inspiring. I fell in love with the repetition and feeling conveyed in '13' by Jennifer Murphy,and the subtle but strong meaning of 'Like a Dog' by Cheryl Boyce Taylor, among others.There were only a few that I couldn't really get into or I felt were over my head. But either way, after reading this book I felt pushed to write. The opening quote by Langston Hughes,'The prerequisite for writing is having something to say' is the case for all of these poems.What is important to one person, might not be to another, but that is what makes the sharing and expression of these opinions through poetry so great.The genre and styles of writing were so diverse, that if there was something you couldn't relate to on one page, on the next one you could.I enjoyed being able to see the words on the page the way the writer initially visualized it and then question the significance of their artistic choices.I have never seen Def Poetry Jam, but I can only imagine the impact that it has when performed live. Still, I feel that the act of reading poetry by yourself or with others is so much more personal and am glad I have this in my collection.

WOW!!!

Let me start by saying I was never into Spoken Word poetry. I did like hip-hop but I never went out of my way for this type of poetry. One day I was flipping channels on my TV and a ran into Def Poetry Jam I was hooked right away. When I heard there was a book I didn¿t care how much it would cost I had to buy it. I love to read a lot and I have many books but this book is by far the tightest book I have ever read. I love it so much. I really love how there is so many poets from all around with so many styles there is something for everyone in this book from urban hip hop heads to people like me that just wants to get some goose bumps when I read poetry this good. This for sure is a must buy for anyone even if you think you might not really like def poetry its worth it.

Mouth Open & Closed

Some poetry is hard to read on the page because it needs to be recited out loud. But poems like 'A Poet is not a jukebox' by Dudley Randall are so tight they could be read out loud or on a page and still be flawless. Some poems were great! Others could've stayed in the poets head ('It's called Kings' by by Susana Cabanas). Overall, I thought the book was cool but the show is better by a long shot.

A Must Read!

This is the most iconoclastic Poetry Anthology, since Upton Sinclair's "The Cry For Justice, An Anthology of the Great Social Protest Literature of All Time." It's a must read!

IF YOU DON'T OWN IT....GET IT!!!

This book is packed with so many talented poets displaying works that touch on various levels of life and pure human emotion! There is nothing else like this anywhere and I am proud to have it in my collection.

There are no other books on poetry LIKE THIS ONE!

I bought the book a few days ago, and I am surprised at the number of unknown poets featured for just over 20 dollars. My favorite poems are works written by Fred Hampton Jr. called 'The Things I've Seen.' I also enjoy a peom called 'Bullet Hole Man' by an author I don't re-call. It was a love poem that captured the beauty and beast love affair between a sista who loves a 'drug-dealer or despised gang member.' There are ample poems in this book that people will enjoy and find entertaining as well as thought prokoking. I went on a date recently and we read different poems to one another in the book and the conversations it created made the date go excellent. She said my suggestion that we go out on a date with this book was the most unique and enjoying date she ever had! Thanks Russell for branding your def poetry jam to this complete work of TRUE poetry.

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