History of Spoken Word Poetry
-from Portland State University Capstone Program
In 1984 construction worker and poet, Marc Smith, started a poetry
reading at a Chicago
jazz club. He was looking for a way to
breathe life into the “open mike” form of poetry. This endeavor, with its
emphasis on performance, laid the groundwork for the brand of poetry that would
eventually be exhibited in slam poetry. In 1986, Smith approached Dave Jemilo,
the owner of the Green Mill: a Chicago jazz club and former haunt of Al Capone,
with a plan to host a weekly poetry competition on Sunday nights. Jemilo
welcomed him, and the Uptown Poetry Slam was born on July 25 of that year.
Smith drew on baseball and bridge terminology for the name, and instituted the
basic features of the competition, including judges chosen from the audience
and cash prizes for the winner. The Green Mill evolved into a Mecca for
performance poets, and the Uptown Poetry Slam continues to run every Sunday
night, hosted by Marc Smith.
