Department of Language and Literature
News: Slam poet Marc Kelly Smith performs on campus

3/10/2008 | Marc Kelly Smith, founder of the international poetry slam movement and Benedictine University’s Spring 2008 Artist-in-Residence, performed his acclaimed musical adaptation of Carl Sandburg’s poetry and stories, “Sandburg to Smith,” on Thursday, March 6, at the Krasa Center.

Combining live music by the Rootabaga Band with spoken-word performance, “Sandburg to Smith” displayed Smith's innate sense of rhythm and unflinching realism, both of which have made him one of the country’s most compelling performers. Full of grit, his performances break poetic boundaries, giving audiences an acute vision of what poetry is and what it can be.

Slam poetry is the competitive form of poetry performance. It was established by Smith in the mid-1980s to heighten public interest in poetry readings and has since evolved into an international art form emphasizing audience involvement and poetic excellence.

Smith has performed at The Kennedy Center, The Smithsonian Institute, The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, The Art Institute of Chicago and The Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art. He has been featured on CNN, “60 Minutes,” “Oprah,” “National Public Radio’s “Whadda Ya Know,” “ARTbeat Chicago and “Wild Chicago.”

excerpted and adapted from Benedictine press release