Pete Bearder
Stage Invasion: Poetry & the Spoken Word Renaissance
A serious contribution to the growing field of scholarship and critical writing on performance poetry, Stage Invasion: Poetry & the Spoken Word Renaissance draws on academic scholarship, interviews with key figures in UK spoken word, and Bearder’s own decades of experience, to takes us on a tour of our long ‘oral tradition’ from Homer to hip hop and the global poetic movements that have shaped history, exploring the artistry and unexpected science at work in the communal dynamics of live literature, and examining the role performance poetry can play in politics and protest.
Praise for Stage Invasion
‘This is the book we have all been waiting for’ —Ian McMillan, BBC Radio 3
‘refreshingly light hearted, intellectually passionate and experientially sure footed’ —Liminalities, Journal of Performance Studies
‘Stage Invasion is required reading for anyone studying or fascinated by the art’ —Oxford Brookes Poetry Centre
‘A must-read for both artistic and social scientific domains.’ —Dr Helen Johnson, University of Brighton
Stage Invasion: Book Tour
Peter is touring the book to festivals, conferences and universities to change the conversation in poetry and academia alike. The tour will consist of the following talks:
Publishing on the Stage: The Craft of Live Literature (talk)
The Journey of the Poem: Poetry, Performance & the Body (talk)
A Cultural History of Poetry in Performance (talk)
Cultural Renewal & Grass Roots Spoken Word Communities (talk)
The First Generation of Full-Time Spoken Word Educators (talk)
Homer to Hip Hop: a People's History of the Oral Tradition (show)
Live Lit Crit: live on-stage discussion of the verbal artistry of poets, vicars, town criers, radio presenters. (show)
For more information, contact press@outspokenldn.com or pete@petethetemp.co.uk
About Pete
Pete Bearder is an award-winning spoken word poet, author and comic. His work has been featured on BBC Radio 4, The World Service, and Newsnight. He is the former National Poetry Slam Champion and has performed around the world with organisations such as The British Council. His first collection of poetry was published by Burning Eye Books in 2016.
Pete worked to pioneer spoken word education with the MA Writer/Teacher Programme at Goldsmiths College. He has published papers for English in Education Journal, the National Association of Writers in Education and the National Association of Teachers of English. This year saw the publication of his groundbreaking book on the history, science and art of live literature, Stage Invasion: Poetry & the Spoken Word Renaissance.
