Vox Populi: T.L. Cowan Explores the Art of Spoken Word Performance

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What do you think of when you hear the term “Spoken Word Performance”?  Does a caricature of beret-wearing beatniks snapping their fingers in a coffee house come to mind?  The reality of spoken word performance art could not be further from this image.  “Spoken word is a performance practise that blends poetry or storytelling with music, multimedia, sound art, performance art or any number of popular or avant-garde practises which an artist might fuse into her or his own writing and performance.”

While spoken word performers have been around for over two decades in North America, their work has not been studied seriously by academics as an art form worthy of their consideration.  Theresa Cowan is working to change this neglect through her research for her PhD in English (under the supervision of Dr. Michael O’Driscoll) that examines spoken word performance in Canada.  “I initially became interested in this work because I am a spoken word artist and I found that many ‘academic poets’ made fun of spoken word as ‘bad poetry,’ rather than engage with it on its own terms.”

Theresa’s research explores the conditions and relations of the production and reception of spoken word, and explores the intersections between spoken word and poetry, performance art, punk music, folk music, jazz, and hip hop.  “My project examines how the aesthetics and traditions of each of these genres influence contemporary spoken word.  Ultimately, I hope that this project will provide a critical entryway into the world of spoken word for scholars as well as other cultural critics and artists.”

She hopes her work will encourage artists, academics and general audiences to think about the ways we evaluate cultural practises, and will show how all art, but poetry in particular, serves many different functions in society. “I'm hoping to create a bridge between the academic world and the spoken word world – there has often been this divide between ‘popular poets’ and ‘academic poets’. I'd like to see more discussion between the groups because I think there would be a lot to gain by it.”           

Originally from Bala, Ontario, Theresa completed her BA in English and Women’s Studies at Simon Fraser University before coming to the University of Alberta for her MA in English.  She chose to stay at the U of A for her PhD because she found the English department supportive of the kind of research she wanted to pursue.  “As well, the funding and research opportunities at the U of A are excellent.”

An important impact of Theresa’s research will be to give exposure to contemporary artists who, for many reasons, have been overlooked.  “In particular, I'd like to bring to light some of the class-based biases that exist in the world of literary culture, and talk about how non-university educated poets and performers engage with this world in important ways not necessarily always recognized as valuable or interesting by traditional literary scholars.”

In bringing spoken word poetry into her classroom, Theresa has found that her students have a very positive reaction to a genre of art they may not be familiar with.  “I think that teaching a range of spoken word along with other forms of contemporary poetry & storytelling encourages students to think of literature as a living art form, and encourages them to think critically about language and stories, and how individuals and collectives can interact with their world and make an impact.”

While some people may feel that research in the Humanities does not have the same value as other disciplines, Theresa argues to the contrary.  “Humanities research is important because it examines human society in ways that make it necessary for us to establish better communities, safer spaces for learning, and hopefully, makes it less possible for us to get away with oppressive practises. Also, there is a lot of pleasure in studying, understanding and appreciating art and culture, and if we as researchers can share this pleasure and help to disseminate the cultural work of others, that's also very important.  It seems to me that a Humanities researcher is, or should be, a public intellectual.”

By David Martin, Research Profile Project

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