I’m working on a theory

that I need to research more, but I’m starting to feel like the largest problem with the poetry in slams these days is less about the writing (which I know I’ve bitched about for years) and more about the performance.

Basically, I’ve been reading and re-reading a bunch of chapbooks from the last few years and finding the writing is better than I remembered, but when I compare the nuances and dynamics of the poems to the way they’re usually delivered, I find a huge gap in the translation of the printed word to the stage.

This also seems to be a mostly male-centered thing, although I’ve found a few examples by women.

I’m also finding my perception that the well-regarded female poets in the slam world are generally (to me) light years ahead of the well-regarded male poets in terms of both writing and performance is still justified, with very few exceptions. And I’m trying to objectify my own subjective view that for some reason, the male poets get greater acclaim for lesser work. But that’s still uncertain.

Thoughts welcome.

IMPORTANT ETA: Let me be clear on this: I think the problem is not in a lack of performance skills; in fact, I think the real problem is that there is way too much emphasis on PERFORMING the poems in a particular way and far less than is needed on taking the time to translate the poem on the page into a performance that matches its dynamics.