Poetry As Usual

4 Episodes
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By: The Dope Poets

Poetry As Usual, is a spoken word poetry podcast created by poets, for poets. Hosted by a collective of spoken word artists known as the Dope Poets, the show explores the culture, craft, and business of spoken word poetry. From unpacking the history and evolution of the art form to highlighting legendary voices, rising stars, and future trailblazers, this podcast creates space for real conversations about poetry on and off the stage. Through guest interviews, poem breakdowns, and honest discussions about open mics, showcases, and the overall culture of this art form, Poetry as Usual pulls back the curtain on...

This Ink Ain't Free
#4
04/20/2026

On this episode of the Poetry As Usual podcast, we’re joined by members of the collective known as The Dope Poets: Imani Waweru, Storyteller Gordon, King Kamayera, Lady Kay, and King Quinc. Together, they discussed intellectual property as it relates to poets performing on platforms that record their work. In particular, they explored the tension between poets owning their poems and platforms owning the recorded videos. They also examined the concept of originality as it pertains to how poets and platforms sometimes arrive at similar ideas for poems and events. Lastly, they shared their perspectives on how the po...


Poetic Justice
#3
03/30/2026

On this episode of the Poetry As Usual podcast, we’re joined by members of the collective known as The Dope Poets: Imani Waweru, Storyteller Gordon, Brittany Barker, Lady Kay, and Jerome Heka. Together, they discuss what it means to be a poet and the responsibilities associated with that label. They explore the history of slam poetry and the ongoing debate about whether poets should be judged by fellow poets rather than randomly selected audience members. They also share their perspectives as curators, discussing what they look for when selecting poets to feature on their platforms. Additionally, they brainstorm wa...


Rhyme, Reason, and Rennaissance
#2
03/16/2026

On this episode of the Poetry As Usual Podcast, we’re joined by members of the collective known as The Dope Poets: Imani Waweru, Storyteller Gordon, Brittany Barker, Lady Kay, and King Kamayera. Together, they discuss the current state and culture of spoken word poetry. They share their thoughts on poetry workshops and offer perspectives on how poets can continue improving their craft. The conversation also explores some of the challenges involved in curating poetry spaces, whether open mics or showcases.Tune into the second episode of the Poetry As Usual Podcast.


Let's Talk About It
#1
02/24/2026

On this episode of the Poetry As Usual Podcast, we’re joined by members of the collective known as The Dope Poets: Imani Waweru, Storyteller Gordon, King Quinc, and Jerome Heka. They talk about why they created their platform and their goal of bringing the off-the-record, behind-the-scenes conversations that poets often have into the open. For many reasons, some poets don’t feel comfortable speaking on certain topics, and The Dope Poets want to create space for those voices to be heard. In this episode, they discuss the current state of poetry, what inspired them to become poets, the diff...