Knock Knock

Daniel Beaty’s poem “Knock Knock” belongs to the genre of slam poetry, which typically combines writing, performance, competition, and audience participation. Such poems are written to be presented at public events, where multiple authors perform their own work before a panel of audience members who evaluate it and declare the winner. The word “slam” refers to both the high-energy style of performance and the audience’s lively reaction to the poem. They can “slam”—as in “loudly criticize”—the poems they dislike. Some prefer the phrase “poetry slam” to “slam poetry” because they see it less as a distinct poetic genre and more as a type of presentation. Poetry slams began to develop in the 1980s in reaction to traditional poetry readings, which some younger poets perceived as dry and passionless. The goal was to bring new vitality and energy to poetry and attract a wider and younger audience. As the slam poetry movement spread throughout the United States and beyond, numerous regional, national, and international competitions emerged. While its competitive nature has been exposed to criticism, slam poetry has developed into one of the most popular and widely accessible forms of poetry in contemporary culture.