A slam poem that i find incredibly powerful is pretty by katie makkai. In this video clip from 2002, veteran slam poet katie makkai performs pretty, which confronts the harsh reality of how our culture perceives women and. Katie makkai, performance, poetry, pretty, reading, slam. I passed it on to my daughters who are already pretty smart, pretty cool, pretty amazing. The mall is not my friend as a dad to two children, not hospitable to raising healthy human beings. But then again, the kardashian legacy is looking pretty. Pretty by katie makkai when i was just a little girl, i asked my mother, what will i be. Theres such a valid and relatable point in the idea of vanity being selfdestructive think about the female gender and how much time we spend doing things that we. I enjoy classics, historical fiction, literary fiction, general womens fiction, uplit, japanese literature, and realist short story collections. At the 2002 national poetry slam competition katie makkai, a veteran poetry slammer, defines the word. Throughout her poem she uses literary devices, imagery and diction to explain what the word pretty means to society and people and how a two syllable word can have such an impact on people.
And the pretty question infects from conception, passing blood and breath into cells. Makkai explores the notion of pretty and the pressures our society puts on superficiality and appearance. Oct 29, 2010 katie makkais first poetry reading was in a neighbors basement at the age of seven, where she performed profoundly moving works about puppies and kittens for her girl scout troupe. Rebecca makkai is the chicagobased author of the novels the great believers, the hundredyear house, and the borrower, as well as the short story collection music for wartime. Katie makkai s pretty is an example of a definition poem. Katie makkai prettynatl poetry slam kate makkai answers a question. When not pouring all of her free time into books and writing, she loves to. Oct 24, 20 3 thoughts on katie makkai pretty bridgette october 24, 20 at 10. If you need a poem to help you with your daughter, this is the poem.
This is a book design project interpreting the spoken word poem, pretty, by katie makkai. You can follow any responses to this entry through the rss 2. I will wipe that question from your mouth like cheap lipstick and answer, no. If there is a girl or woman out there who hasnt watched this. Here is a powerful video by katie makkai filmed at the 2002 national poetry slam. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. In one poetry slam competition, katie makkai recited pretty. All the while this neverending chorus droning on and on, like the iv needle dripping liquid beauty into my blood. Below is a video of a poem called, pretty by katie makkai that talks about the way that women and girls define themselves. I have not seen my own face in ten years, but this is not about me. You will be pretty intelligent, pretty creative, pretty amazing.
Oct 21, 2014 a slam poem that i find incredibly powerful is pretty by katie makkai. Nov 05, 2010 pretty by katie makkai when i was just a little girl, i asked my mother, what will i be. My introductions have always been im too awkward for this. I mean, im a pretty excellent wife, or so he pretty much says, and pretty confident at the piano, and pretty competent in the kitchen, and im pretty much getting to grips with all the other pretty wifey things, and, of course, im pretty loving and careful towards the pretty wonderful life in my pretty large bump, but whats pretty. If there is a girl or woman out there who hasnt watched this, there is no better time than the present. Poetic form poetry research guides at southern new. Katie talks about her experiences with vanity as a child and unravels. She tells the audience a personal story of her struggles with her own looks as a teenager.
In rebecca makkais debut novel, a librarian and a young boy obsessed with reading take to the road. Katie makkai s first poetry reading was in a neighbors basement at the age of seven, where she performed profoundly moving works about puppies and kittens for her girl scout troupe. Rebecca makkai born april 20, 1978 is an american novelist and shortstory writer. My exercise routine comprises oscillating between being serious and. Slam poetry, whether written or just listened to, can be an extraordinary tool. Makkai is now a veteran slam poet who has garnered attention for her performance of pretty at the 2002 national poetry slam. The women hardly eats to maintain a slender body, but the men eat freely, and become fat. If you need a poem to make you feel empowered and feminine, this is the poem. The first time i felt pretty was the summer after eighth grade as salty gray waters nipped at my heels and some girl with a. Katie makkai, performing pretty for national poetry slam 2002.
Apr 03, 2014 katie makkais pretty is an example of a definition poem. She is the author of american hookup, a book about college sexual culture, and a textbook about gender. Katie talks about her experiences with vanity as a child and unravels a truth about how being pretty is just a facade. Theres been a few posts both here and on the main page lately about the societal value of pretty, whether you should tell your daughter shes pretty, girls being ranked by their peers based on beauty, etc, which is why im making this a post of its own. It was a booklist top ten debut, an indie next pick, an o magazine selection, and one of chicago magazines choices for best fiction of 2011. The pretty question that infects from conception the poem. Pretty by katie makkai\u2028\u2028 pretty by katie. Slam poetry can feel too theatrical for me at times, but this one is much more tempered because of the message. The mainstream culture floods the cultural space with streams of images of models and celebs perfectly coiffed and polished by a team of professionals this narrow and obsessive focus on an unrealistic beauty standard has increasingly reduced our girls and women to their.
This work, as well as other pieces in her two books of collected poems, chronicle makkai s own struggle for selfworth and identity in a culture that often seems enslaved to what she calls the aesthetic beast. The word pretty is unworthy of everything you will be, and no child of mine will be contained in five letters. The written word and pagepoetry is also something i cherish, so i am currently in the works of writing and publishing a book of poetry over the course of this next year, with the hopes of it transforming from mind into paper by the summer of 2015. Lets teach our daughters to be pretty intelligent and pretty amazing. Veteran poetry slammer katie makkai came to public attention for her performance of pretty at the 2002 national poetry slam. In rebecca makkai s debut novel, a librarian and a young boy obsessed with reading take to the road. Lisa wade, phd is a professor at occidental college. The poison of pretty by ana chaves this article is the first in anas column which appears every other thursday. Freedom to speak national poetry slam 2002 scott woods, debora marsh, patricia smith, scott woods on. Makkai talks about how when she was younger, she would ask her mother when she would be pretty. She brings a lot of emotion and wisdom to the question will i be pretty. Read katie makkai s bio and find out more about katie makkai s songs, albums, and chart history. This guide is intended to help you identify and locate scholarly and nonscholarly resources books, articles, etc.
She is the author of american hookup, a book about college sexual. Katie makkais first poetry reading was in a neighbours basement at the age of seven, where she performed profoundly moving works about puppies and kittens for her girl scout troop. Here youll find current best sellers in books, new releases in books, deals in books, kindle ebooks, audible audiobooks, and so much more. Katie makkai on pretty sociological images the society pages.
And so, im sharing 9 best spoken word poems by women, hoping that it leads you to yourself. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the fullness of our expressions. Theme this poem is a cautionary tale about losing yourself trying to become pretty, and forgetting to find. Sign up for facebook today to discover local businesses near you. Used bookstore, christian books, home school books, childrens books, romance books, historical books, western. After a childhood subject to its tyranny, she imagines telling her own daughter to reject its pull, beginning with the word pretty is unworthy of everything you will be. But you, will never be merely pretty katie makkai, pretty. She uses lines of free verse to make an argument against standard notions of what it means to tell a girl to be pretty. Sure, it provides clean and supervised play areas as well as interesting food courts with carousels but the rest of the place is a damn hazard. Dec 18, 20 im not just talking about reading through a poem in front of people, im talking about using language to convey your feelings on a topic. So here it is one more time, the blog post and katie makkai s slam poetry wonder.
If you do not know what booktube is, it is youtube for books, and is a thing of many splendours. Ttqs poem of the week week 4 kate makkai pretty kate makkai performed at the national poetry slam for 5 years, during that time she toured the country talking to anyone who would listen to her. Katie price has 47 books on goodreads with 23560 ratings. Myers expresses the idea of women not accepting themselves by describing her family. Katie makkai s pretty is a powerful poem about how society perceives women as pretty. If you need a poem to make you feel crazy awesome all the time, this is the poem. Her first novel, the borrower, was released in june 2011. The seventeenyearold author recounts how at the age of thirteen she believed she had found acceptance and love from an online companion named mark. The incessant downplay from the entire family and her mothers orchestration of the shoot doesnt leave kendall much room for growth outside of posing in a bikini and reiterates that the only component of self that she can have will be reduced to her looks. Bio best lines theme of selfconscience women continued. Traducido al espanol las vaginetas del apocalipisis. Pretty hyperbole i have not seen my face in ten years.
Its a pretty intense form of expression sometimes, but that can make it very effective at getting a message across. Apologies to those whove seen it already, but i consider it required viewing. The poem pretty by katie makkai puts a whole new definition on the word pretty. Pretty this is a book design project interpreting the spoken word poem, pretty, by katie makkai. Which is almost pretty depending on where you shop. I used to read shel silverstein poems, and poetry books, all the time. Definitions and samplings of the various kinds of poetry. Recitation is the most exciting thing about poetry. Katie makkai s pretty is a powerful spoken word poem that addresses our cultures standards of beauty, the pretty label young girls strive for, and the healthier attitude she wants her daughter to embrace despite these societal standards. So, i have a bit of an infatuation with spoken wordslam poetry. A new version of is available, to keep everything running smoothly, please reload the site. I used to play this video sans fbomb when i taught poetry units to high school students. She also describes the struggles she had with her physical appearance as a child.
Im not just talking about reading through a poem in front of people, im talking about using language to convey your feelings on a topic. Katie makkai pretty i have not seen my own face in ten years, but this is not about me. Inspired, perhaps, by wollstonecrafts words, katie makkai fights back. An interview with poet philip levine national poetry month, national book award. Katie is a poet and public speaker who is best known for her groundbreaking slam poem titled pretty at the national poetry slam in 2002. In this video clip from 2002, veteran slam poet katie makkai performs pretty, which confronts the harsh reality of how our culture perceives women and appearances. Katie makkai, pretty thursday, october 28th, 2010 i first saw the link to this video over at facebook the other day, and since then ive seen it popping up on various blogs. But you, will never be merely prettykatie makkai, pretty.
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