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40 Amazing Spoken-Word Performances You Need To Listen To

The words you did not know you needed.

Indira Midha

Jan 12, 2018

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

726

40 Amazing Spoken-Word Performances You Need To Listen To

YouTube

I've loved spoken-word poetry since the sleepover during my freshman year of high school when my friend showed me "Pretty" by Katie Makkai while we painted our nails light purple. Five years later, I watch Button Poetry religiously, and I even write and perform some of my own pieces. I specifically love watching pieces on topics of empowerment, resilience, and social activism. Here are a few of my absolute favorites.

1. "Pretty" by Katie Makkai

2. "Heels" by Imani Cezanne

3. "Black Boyfriend" by Dave Harris

4. "Not A Leader" by Muna Abdulahi

5. "Here" by Aman Batra

6. "9 Things I Would Like To Tell Every Teenage Girl" by Melissa Newman-Evans

7. "When The Fat Girl Gets Skinny" by Blythe Baird

8. "Abuela Disciplines Dominican Drake" by Noel Quiñones

9. "Ten Responses To The Phrase 'Man Up'" by Guante

10. "OCD" by Neil Hilborn

11. "Shrinking Women" by Lily Myers

14. "Dear Straight People" by Denice Frohman

15. "You Can't Have My Culture" by Kito Fortune & Aman Batra

16. "Relapse" by Blythe Baird

17. "Why We Dance" by Dave Harris

18. "21" by Patrick Roche

19. "10 Honest Thoughts On Being Loved By A Skinny Boy" by Rachel Wiley

20. "Like Totally Whatever" by Melissa Lozada-Oliva

21. "Friend Zone" by Dylan Garity

22. "Weighing My Worth" by Beck Cooper & Jim Dulin

23. "Art Major v. Derrick" by Cy Ferguson

24. "Fat Girl" by Megan Falley

25. "Explaining My Depression To My Mother" by Sabrina Benaim

26. "To The Boys Who May One Day Date My Daughter" by Jesse Parent

27. "Skirt Steak Girls" by Blythe Baird

28. "Mom" by Alyesha Wise & Aman Batra

29. "Word Choice" by Imani Cezanne

30. "Mother Loves Me" by Arvind Nandakumar

31. "I Don't Have An Anxiety Problem" by Aman Batra

32. "For Colored Girls (The Missy Elliot Poem)" by Ashlee Haze

33. "My Name" by Yesika Salgado & Aman Batra

34. "For Teenage Girls" by Clementine Von Radics

35. "Pocket-Sized Feminism" by Blythe Baird

36. "Shiv" by Rachel McKibbens

37. "Yet Another Rape Poem" by Blythe Baird

38. "Too Big" by Beck Cooper

39. "The Help" by Ashlee Haze

40. "Girl Code 101" by Blythe Baird

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Recommended for you

40 Amazing Spoken-Word Performances You Need To Listen To

The words you did not know you needed.

1. "Pretty" by Katie Makkai

2. "Heels" by Imani Cezanne

3. "Black Boyfriend" by Dave Harris

4. "Not A Leader" by Muna Abdulahi

5. "Here" by Aman Batra

6. "9 Things I Would Like To Tell Every Teenage Girl" by Melissa Newman-Evans

7. "When The Fat Girl Gets Skinny" by Blythe Baird

8. "Abuela Disciplines Dominican Drake" by Noel Quiñones

9. "Ten Responses To The Phrase 'Man Up'" by Guante

10. "OCD" by Neil Hilborn

11. "Shrinking Women" by Lily Myers

14. "Dear Straight People" by Denice Frohman

15. "You Can't Have My Culture" by Kito Fortune & Aman Batra

16. "Relapse" by Blythe Baird

17. "Why We Dance" by Dave Harris

18. "21" by Patrick Roche

19. "10 Honest Thoughts On Being Loved By A Skinny Boy" by Rachel Wiley

20. "Like Totally Whatever" by Melissa Lozada-Oliva

21. "Friend Zone" by Dylan Garity

22. "Weighing My Worth" by Beck Cooper & Jim Dulin

23. "Art Major v. Derrick" by Cy Ferguson

24. "Fat Girl" by Megan Falley

25. "Explaining My Depression To My Mother" by Sabrina Benaim

26. "To The Boys Who May One Day Date My Daughter" by Jesse Parent

27. "Skirt Steak Girls" by Blythe Baird

28. "Mom" by Alyesha Wise & Aman Batra

29. "Word Choice" by Imani Cezanne

30. "Mother Loves Me" by Arvind Nandakumar

31. "I Don't Have An Anxiety Problem" by Aman Batra

32. "For Colored Girls (The Missy Elliot Poem)" by Ashlee Haze

33. "My Name" by Yesika Salgado & Aman Batra

34. "For Teenage Girls" by Clementine Von Radics

35. "Pocket-Sized Feminism" by Blythe Baird

36. "Shiv" by Rachel McKibbens

37. "Yet Another Rape Poem" by Blythe Baird

38. "Too Big" by Beck Cooper

39. "The Help" by Ashlee Haze

40. "Girl Code 101" by Blythe Baird

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AKA, Christmas overload.

I'm technically an adult, so I'm legally required to live a little, right?

1. Watch an R-rated Scary Movie in a Movie Theater

2. Buy a Lottery Ticket

3. Vote in an Election

4. Participate in a Run (or a Walk, Realistically) for Charity

5. Go on a Road Trip

6. Start a Savings Account

7. Get a Credit Card

8. Sign up for Spotify Premium

9. Go to a Club

10. Start a Meditation Routine

11. Go to a Yoga Class

12. Treat Myself to a Dinner for One

13. Volunteer for a Charity

14. Participate in a Research Study

15. Bake Something (That Ends Up Being Edible)

16. Go Skydiving

17. Be Called for Jury Duty

18. Figure Out What I Want to Do With my Life

The holiday classics that shaped my life

1."But what would happen if we all tried to be like Santa and learned to give as only he can give: of ourselves, our talents, our love and our hearts? Maybe we could all learn Santa's beautiful lesson and maybe there would finally be peace on Earth and good will toward men."

"Sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see."

"If you won't use your heart, who cares if it gets broken? If you just keep it to yourself, maybe it'll be like my rollerblades. When you do decide to try it, it won't be any good. You should take a chance. Got nothing to lose."

"Remember, no man is a failure who has friends."

"Life is made up of meetings and partings. That is the way of it."

"If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find a that love actually is all around."

"Sometimes things look good on paper, but lose their luster when you see how it affects real folks. I guess a healthy bottom line doesn't mean much if to get it, you have to hurt the ones you depend on."

"'Maybe Christmas,' he thought, 'doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.'"

"Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to."

"There's room for everyone on the nice list."

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

1. Why are towels considered dirty when you get out of the shower clean?

2. Who closes the bus door once the bus driver gets off?

3. Why is there a "d" in "fridge" but not in "refrigerator"?

4. If you drop soap on the floor is the floor clean or the soap dirty?

5. Is the "S" or the "C" silent in the word "scent"?

6. Does expecting the unexpected make the unexpected the expected?

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