Def Poetry - Season 5

Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry: Season 4 Studio: Hbo Home Video Release Date: 02/27/2007 Rating: Nr	Def Poetry - Season 6 Studio: Hbo Home Video Release Date: 04/08/2008 Run time: 180 minutes	Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry Season 1-4 Experience the passion and fire of tomorrow's hottest poets on HBO today! From the makers of Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam, HBO presents four seasons of the acclaimed late-night series that showcases practitioners of one of the country's fastest-rising performing-art forms def ...	Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry: Season 3 Studio: Hbo Home Video Release Date: 07/19/2005 Rating: Nr	Def Poetry - Season 1 Produced by Russell Simmons and hosted by Mos Def, this groundbreaking HBO series presents poetry for the hip-hop generation. The setting is New York's Supper Club, the performers are young men and women of every hue, and the tools are words: angry, funny--even profane--words. Ta...
Def Poetry - Season 2 Hosted by popular musician & actor mos def this acclaimed hbo series features talented contemporary urban poets well-known musicians & comedians & highlights their original material presented in an uncensored & definitely unparalleled def poetry setting. Studio: Hbo Home Video ...	Slam Nation: The Sport of Spoken Word Before Russell Simmons' highly acclaimed HBO series Def Poetry Jam, SLAMNATION captured the cutthroat world of spoken-word poetry with an "energy that pulses, snaps and crackles" (Chicago Tribune), Beginning in New York City at the Nuyorican Poets Café's Grand Slam tournament,...	Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on Broadway ... and More This upbeat, one-of-a-kind collection brings the Def poets -- as featured in the Tony Award-winning Broadway show and popular HBO television program -- to life on the page. Among them: Suheir Hammad, Beau Sia, Steve Colman, Stacyann Chin, Mayda del Valle, Georgia Me, Poetri, and ...	Slam A darling of the 1998 festival circuit, Marc Levin's Slam won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance as well as the Camera d'Or (best first film) at Cannes. Despite its shortcomings, the film merits these awards--Slam offers a strong cast and compelling subject matter, a perfect setti...	Boondocks: Complete Second Season Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 06/10/2008 Run time: 325 minutes

Great to watch alone, great to share with others
I originally bought this DVD because I had a hard time getting my students interested in poetry. Words on pages were boring to them, or emotionless, or archaic. When I first showed them a few pieces from the first couple of episodes, they were immediately sucked in. They were hearing people speak eloquently and beautifully about the realities my students often faced in their own lives. Many of the poems are funny, which I think surprised my class as much as anything else. Now we regularly return to the series to watch new poems and then compose our own. It's a life-saver for a class that needs a little creative passion. [A word of warning: often the most powerful poems on the show are also the most explicit, in themes or language or both. Choose carefully before showing them to students or any younger people.] As for personal enjoyment, I think this collection beats out all the poetry books I have. Even though I can appreciate Frost and Shakespeare and other canonical poets, the passion that the Def Poets bring to the stage adds a new dimension to spoken word that I find really enjoyable. I highly recommend this DVD (and the other seasons) for anyone who appreciates spoken word and poetry, even if hip-hop isn't your thing.

Not the best season but still . . .
Spread out over two dvds, this fifth season of Def Poetry is not necessarily the best of the bunch. There are some wonderful moments (Alicia Keys and Nikki Giovanni) and some unsurprisingly good moments (Suheir Hammad and Beau Sia both returning along with some others) but over all the "big name" guests left me wondering what was the point? Personally, I would have rather seen some younger unknown artists than clutter the stage with someone's fame.

Poetry Un-Real!
This one gives you a taste of the comedy, drama, and even some action. There were times where you feel as if you could cry or like were traveling to distant realms of the different lobes of the mind. I love to have my mind tickled with the fickle of sweet def poets.

Everytime
The poets just keep getting better with every season. Plus the stars do some really good poetry,,,

GREAT Program
I love this series. It's all about the words, the flashy TV effects are pretty much stripped down. The chosen poets are fantastic. Regulars like Black Ice have a wonderful way with ideas and are brilliant word-smiths. This show excites the mind in ways no other show can.