Contents -- Introduction: Slam and the Search for Poetry's Great Audience -- 1. On Page and Stage: Slam Poetry as a Genre -- 2. Poetry and the People: The Cultural Tensions of American Popular Verse in Performance -- 3. I Sing the Body Authentic: Slam Poetry and the Cultural Politics of Performing Identity -- 4. "Commercial Niggas Like Me": Spoken Word Poetry, Hip-Hop, and the Racial Politics of Going Mainstream -- Epilogue: "Designs for Living"-Notes on the Future of Slam Poetry -- Appendix -- Document 1: The Official Rules of National Poetry Slam Competition -- Document 2: The Official National Poetry Slam "Emcee Spiel" -- Document 3: The Official National Poetry Slam Instructions for Judges -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.