Coloring Words: Imagining Spoken Word Poetry’s Critical Potential in White Private School Contexts

• In Event: Languages, Literacies, and Social Processes

Abstract

This presentation, the results of a year-long ethnographic case study, considers the implications of moving the literacy practice of spoken word poetry—with roots in traditionally oppressed communities—into predominately White, private schools. It explores the need for educators to engage more critically with literacy practices having a unique potential to help learners unpack their social, economic, and racial privilege.

Author

• Kati Macaluso, Michigan State University