A Brief History of Women in Spoken Poetry

 

A Brief History of Women in Spoken Poetry


Spoken poetry—performed, embodied, and urgent—has long been a domain of personal and political power. While men have historically dominated public literary spaces, women have consistently used spoken word as a form of resistance, resilience, and cultural affirmation.

It is necessary to explore the overlooked yet profound role of women in the history of spoken poetry—from ancient orality to the contemporary slam movement—emphasizing how women’s voices have shaped, preserved, and revolutionized this art form.

Origins: The Oral Traditions of Women

Pre-literate cultures around the globe saw women as central figures in preserving oral history. From African griots, Native American storytellers, and Celtic bards, women performed rituals, chants, and poems that carried cultural knowledge and spiritual insight. Women’s voices were often the first to soothe, educate, and inspire through spoken form—poetry as lullaby, lament, and law.

The Silenced Centuries

With the rise of written literature and patriarchal control of education and publishing, women’s spoken traditions were often devalued or erased. Yet, resistance persisted:

Sufi poet Rabia al-Adawiyya (8th century) preached divine love through ecstatic oral verse.

Troubadour women in 12th-century France used courtly love poetry to subtly critique gender roles.

Enslaved African women in the Americas used song and verse as subversive tools of memory, communication, and survival.

20th Century: The Rise of the Microphone

Harlem Renaissance & Jazz Poetry feature Figures like Zora Neale Hurston and Gwendolyn Bennett who contributed to the Black oral-poetic tradition.

Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit", a poem set to music, blurred the line between sung lyric and spoken protest.

Beat Generation (1950's–1960's)
Women like Diane di Prima challenged the male-dominated Beat poetry scene, bringing feminist and spiritual dimensions to spoken word.

Civil Rights & Feminist Movements
Nikki Giovanni, Maya Angelou, and June Jordan electrified audiences with verse that demanded justice.

Poetry readings became rallies, living rooms became salons of truth-telling, and the personal was political.

1980's–2000's: The Spoken Word Revolution

Birth of Slam Poetry (1980s) initiated in Chicago, democratized poetry by blending performance, activism, and competition. Women like Patricia Smith, Taylor Mali, and Sarah Kay helped define the

genre’s intensity and intimacy.

Queer, Brown, and Loud LGBTQ+ and BIPOC women performers brought intersectionality to the forefront. Staceyann Chin, Suheir Hammad, Andrea Gibson, and Alix Olson shattered binaries and borders.

Today: The Global Stage

YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok have made spoken poetry more accessible and widespread.
Young women, especially from marginalized communities, are reclaiming power through verse.
Amanda Gorman, inaugural poet, fused history, hope, and poise on the world’s stage.
Spoken word festivals worldwide now platform Indigenous, disabled, refugee, and nonbinary women’s voices.


Spoken poetry is not just art—it is survival, reclamation, and a powerful form of public truth-telling. Women have always used it to speak across silences, challenge injustice, and inspire generations. As we move into an increasingly digital and diverse future, women’s spoken voices continue to lead the way in shaping a more just, poetic world.


Educators, Historians, and Archivists must work to preserve live poetry as a legitimate historical record. They should incorporate women’s spoken poetry into curricula to reflect diverse voices.
Arts funders should also support platforms centering women performers, especially from marginalized groups.