Staceyann Chin - A Poetry Slammer

A film by Ullrik Wivel and Mette-Ann Schepelern for Barok Film

Staceyann Chin, twenty-nine years old, is one of the major American slam poets. This film is a portrait of her and the world of poetry slam. Slam is like a boxing match in which poets compete against other with each poet having a time limit of three minutes. Judges are chosen from the audience to rate the poems.

Staceyann is a talented, fascinating, creative artist. Her poems are very personal reflecting her turbulent childhood, her mixed race background, and her realization that she is a lesbian. Abandoned by her Jamaican mother and her Chinese father, she was raised and educated in Jamaica by her maternal grandmother. With only $200 in her pocket she moved to America where she discovered the world of poetry slam. Among her successes is a one woman Off-Broadway show, a television interview on "60 Minutes," published poems in the New York Times and the Washington Post and highest honors in several Slam competions. The film reveals Stacyann both as a talented writer and a compelling performer. It will be a useful film for classes in contemporary American writing, women's studies, lesbian issues and multicultural studies.

"Recommended. An effective introduction to the world of poetry slamming as well as a fascinating portrait of one of its foremost slammers." Michelle Visser, North Library, University of Colorado, EMRO

National Women's Studies Association, 2004

27 min. Video or DVD. Sale $195. Rental $55