Hook, Line, & Sinker

Hook, Line, & Sinker: Using Spoken Word Techniques to Capture & Hold an Audience

When a poet steps to the microphone, truth on the tip of their tongue and vulnerability in their voice, you listen. But what writing techniques does a performance poet use to hook an audience? From the syntax of the first line, to the structure of the whole poem, spoken word artists have found multiple ways to keep the audience's attention.

You may be a master at creating images, a poet that can capture passion and pain, even a talented storyteller, but if you cannot hook your audience they won't stick around long enough for you to prove it.

This 3-part workshop, designed for novice and experienced poets, will focus on the hook by examining the spoken word artists that have found a way—in just a minute—to capture the attention of millions of viewers online. The artists include names such as Neil Hilborn, Sabrina Benaim, Javon Johnson, Blythe Bard, and many others.

In the first session we will study the techniques employed by others and use them to create our own hooks. In the second session we will engage in a constructive, critiquing workshop. Finally, in the third session we will present our final, polished pieces.

Instructor

Caleb “The Negro Artist” Rainey is an author, performer, and producer. His debut book, Look, Black Boy, was awarded first prize in the North Street Book Prize, and his second book, Heart Notes was published in 2019. He released two spoken word albums and in 2023, as a part of the Brucemore Artisan in Studio program, Caleb produced his first short film, Willing to Grow. He is the winner of several slams across the United States, and competed in the 2023 UNESCO Slam-0-Vision global poetry slam where he ranked 7th worldwide. He has shared the stage with spoken word titans such as Siaara Freeman, Denice Frohman, Javon Johnson, Ebony Stewart, Anthony McPherson, Danez Smith and Patricia Smith, and videos of his performances can be found on his YouTube channel, Write About Now, and Button Poetry.