Spoken Word in the Bay Area

Members of the Lowell, Massachusetts team perform at the Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam on Saturday at the Oakland Museum. (Photo by Ryan Phillips)

Members of the Lowell, Massachusetts team perform at the Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam on Saturday at the Oakland Museum. (Photo by Ryan Phillips)

Spoken word, a form of poetry that expresses social commentary,  life experiences, and emotion has become particularly strong in the Bay Area where performances happen almost every night. Youth development programs such as Youth Speaks have flourished over the years attracting thousands of teenagers around the nation to take the stage and perform. Spencer Whitney got an inside look at how spoken word poetry groups are giving youth a voice in the Bay Area.

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