Crystal Leigh Endsley – författare

Explores spoken word poetry as a tool for social justice, critical feminist pedagogy, and new ways of teaching.The writing and performance of spoken word poetry can create moments of productive critical engagement. In The Fifth Element, Crystal Leigh Endsley charts her experience of working with a dynamic and diverse group of college students, who are also emerging artists, to explore the connection between spoken word and social responsibility. She considers how themes of activism, identity, and love intersect with the lived experiences of these students and how they use spoken word to negotiate resistance and to navigate through life. Endsley also examines the local and transnational communities where performances took place to shed light on concepts of social responsibility and knowledge production.

Explores spoken word poetry as a tool for social justice, critical feminist pedagogy, and new ways of teaching.The writing and performance of spoken word poetry can create moments of productive critical engagement. In The Fifth Element, Crystal Leigh Endsley charts her experience of working with a dynamic and diverse group of college students, who are also emerging artists, to explore the connection between spoken word and social responsibility. She considers how themes of activism, identity, and love intersect with the lived experiences of these students and how they use spoken word to negotiate resistance and to navigate through life. Endsley also examines the local and transnational communities where performances took place to shed light on concepts of social responsibility and knowledge production.

How girls of color from eight global communities strategize on questions of identity, social issues, and political policy through spoken word poetry.Around the world, girls know how to perform. Grounded in her experience of “putting a mic in the margins” by facilitating workshops for girls in Ethiopia, South Africa, Tanzania, and the United States, scholar/advocate/artist Crystal Leigh Endsley highlights how girls use spoken word poetry to narrate their experiences, dreams, and strategies for surviving and thriving. By centering the process of creating and performing spoken word poetry, this book examines how girls forecast what is possible for their collective lives. In this book, Endsley combines poetry, discourse analysis, photovoice, and more to forge the feminist theory of “quantum justice,” which forefronts girls’ relationships with their global counterparts. Using quantum justice theory, Endsley examines how these collaborative efforts produce powerful networks and ultimately map trajectories of social change at the micro level. By inviting transnational dialogue through spoken word poetry, Quantum Justice emphasizes how the imaginative energy in hip-hop culture can mobilize girls to connect and motivate each other through spoken word performance and thereby disrupt the status quo.

How girls of color from eight global communities strategize on questions of identity, social issues, and political policy through spoken word poetry.Around the world, girls know how to perform. Grounded in her experience of “putting a mic in the margins” by facilitating workshops for girls in Ethiopia, South Africa, Tanzania, and the United States, scholar/advocate/artist Crystal Leigh Endsley highlights how girls use spoken word poetry to narrate their experiences, dreams, and strategies for surviving and thriving. By centering the process of creating and performing spoken word poetry, this book examines how girls forecast what is possible for their collective lives. In this book, Endsley combines poetry, discourse analysis, photovoice, and more to forge the feminist theory of “quantum justice,” which forefronts girls’ relationships with their global counterparts. Using quantum justice theory, Endsley examines how these collaborative efforts produce powerful networks and ultimately map trajectories of social change at the micro level. By inviting transnational dialogue through spoken word poetry, Quantum Justice emphasizes how the imaginative energy in hip-hop culture can mobilize girls to connect and motivate each other through spoken word performance and thereby disrupt the status quo.

WINNER OF 2018 AERA DIVISION B OUTSTANDING BOOK AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING EDITED COLLECTION IN CURRICULUM STUDIESWhile campuses across the United States have been offering spoken word programs for over 20 years, little attention has been paid to their purpose and impact beyond their contribution to the campus social aesthetic. There is an increasing understanding that performance poetry and spoken word is much more than entertainment. Within disciplines such as English, Ethnic, Women’s, and Cultural Studies, scholarship has identified spoken word’s role in developing political agency among young adults; its utility for promoting authentic youth voice; and its importance as a tool of cultural engagement.This book – compiled by scholar artists, including internationally recognized spoken word performers – offers guidance to student affairs professionals on using spoken word as a tool for college student engagement, activism, and civic awareness. It makes the case that campus event spaces need to transcend their association with the theatre or art departments to provide a venue where students are allowed to be different and find opportunities for personal and intellectual development and civic engagement. Open mic nights offer college students a way to speak out, advocate, lead, educate, and explore with their peers. This book presents a mix of critical essays and college student writing that explore themes of spoken word, student engagement, and campus inclusion and address these key topics:• Spoken word as an educational, civic engagement, and personal development tool (particularly among traditionally marginalized communities)• The links between spoken word and social activism (art as social action; art as a form of civic leadership)• The importance of privileging student voice in student affairs programming (even when they yell; even when they’re angry)• The challenges that come with engaging students in exploring intersecting concepts like race, gender, and class• Considerations for creative and intentional spoken word programming (What does a creative program look like?) • Scaling up for sustainability (through student affairs/academic affairs partnerships, study abroad collaborations, etc.).