Bonair-Agard, Roger, Stephen Coleman, Guy LeCharles Gonzales, Alex Olsen and Lynne Procane. Burning Down the House: Selected Poems from the Nuyorican Poet's Café's National Poetry Slam Competition. Soft Skull Press, 2003. A selection of the authors' materials used in a national poetry slam.
Eleveld, Mark, editor. The Spoken Word Revolution. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, Inc, 2004. This excellent publication touches on every aspect of the development of the "Spoken word Revolution" from the beat generation to hip hop and the poetry slam. It also comes with a CD that will come in handy in the classroom when introducing the poetry slam at the end of the unit.
Ellmann, Richard and Robert O'Clair, editors. The Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry. Norton: New York, 1988. A nice selection of a wide variety of modern American poetry.
Gitlin, Todd. The Sixties: Years of Hope, Days of Rage. Bantam Books: New York, 1987. This critically acclaimed book gives teachers a thorough background on this turbulent decade.
Glazner, Gary. Poetry Slam: The Competitive Art of Performance Poetry. San Francisco: Maniac D. Press, 2000. A great book for exploring the history of the poetry slam and arranging your own.
Grimes, Nikki. Bronx Masquerade. Puffin Books: New York, 2003. This fictional account of a classroom poetry slam is a wonderful introduction to what I want teachers to do in the third section of this unit.
Hewitt, Geof. Hewitts Guide to Slam Poetry and Poetry Slams with DVD. Discover Writing: New York, 2005. This book is a handy reference to the poetry slam including plans and help for creating your own poetry slam. Book comes with DVD.
Kerouac, Jack. On the Road. New York: Penguin, 1955. This is a classical representation of the beat generation written by one of the leading figures from the period.
Kerouac, Jack. Some of the Dharma. New York: Viking Penguin, 1997. This large collection of Kerouac writing is helpful in getting a different view of the writer and stepping away from On the Road.
Medina, Tony and Louis Reyes Rivera, editors. Bum Rush the Page: A Def Poetry Jam, 2001. New York: Penguin Books, 2001. An interesting collection of material used in the slam.
Merrill, Thomas F. Allen Ginsberg. Twayne Publishers: New York, 1969. This comprehensive study of Ginsberg and his work provides excellent background on the poet.
Paschen, Elise and Rebekah Presson Mosby, editors. Poetry Speaks. Source Books: Naperville, IL, 2001. A concise collection of African-American poetry which can be used in this unit.
Smith, Marc Kelly, and Joe Kraynak. Complete Idiot's Guide to Slam Poetry,. Alpha Books: New York, 2004. The famous "Idiot's Guides" takes on Poetry Slams with the help of two leaders in the field.
White, Timothy. Rock Stars. Stewart, Tabori and Chang, Inc: New York, 1984. A collection of nearly fifty short biographies on musicians who can be used in this unit.