Speaking Truths Speaking Truths Young Adults, Identity, and Spoken Word Activism VALERIE CHEPP Rutgers University Press New Brunswick, Camden, and Newark, New Jersey, and London Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Chepp, Valerie, author. Title: Speaking truths : young adults, identity, and spoken word activism / Valerie Chepp. Description: New Brunswick : Rutgers University Press, [2022] | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2021016604 | ISBN 9781978801103 (paperback) | ISBN 9781978801110 (hardback) | ISBN 9781978801127 (epub) | ISBN 9781978801141 (pdf) Subjects: LCSH: Social justice. | Youth—Political activity. | Social change. Classification: LCC HM671 .C479 2022 | DDC 303.3/72—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021016604 A British Cataloging- in- Publication rec ord for this book is available from the British Library. Copyright © 2022 by Valerie Chepp All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher. Please contact Rutgers University Press, 106 Somerset Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901. The only exception to this prohibition is “fair use” as defined by U.S. copyright law. References to internet websites (URLs) w ere accurate at the time of writing. Neither the author nor Rutgers University Press is responsible for URLs that may have expired or changed since the manuscript was prepared. The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences— Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992. www .r utgersuniversitypress . org Manufactured in the United States of Amer i ca For Zavi Contents List of Tables ix Preface xi 1 Spoken Word Activism: Young Adults and Social Justice in the Age of Neoliberalism 1 2 Spinning Stories from Words Got Spit: Researching a Verbal Arts Community 23 3 Speaking Truths: Experiential Knowledge, Embodied Testimony, and Activist Storytelling 43 4 Creative Politics: Art, Justice, and Empathic Possibilities 67 5 Healing Justice: The Politics of Healthy Selves and Communities 85 6 #Activism and Beyond: Sustainability and Social Change in a Digital World 104 7 Intersectionality as Activist Strategy: T oward a New Identity Politics 121 Appendix A: D oing Ethnographic Research in the Era of Social Media 131 Appendix B: Core Sample by Venue Participation 145 Acknowle dgments 147 Notes 151 Bibliography 187 Index 201 vii Tables 2.1 Overview of poet sample 35 2.2 Description of poetry venues 39 B.1 Core sample by venue participation 146 ix