A case study of Tracie Morris's Project Princess
In this study, I explore the intertextuality in spoken word poetry using Tracie Morris’s spoken word poem Project Princess (1998) as a case study. My hypothesis is that the intertextuality in spoken word poetry is derived from its genealogical contributions. Using narrative inquiry, I investigate Project Princess as page poetry and oral performance text anchored in the genealogy of spoken word poetry. The following research questions guided this study: How does intertextuality function in Tracie Morris’s spoken word poem Project Princess? What role does the genealogy of spoken word poetry play in understanding the intertextuality in Tracie Morris’s spoken word poem Project Princess? In what ways does the intertextuality in spoken word poetry play at the intersections of race, gender, and class in Tracie Morris’s spoken word poem Project Princess? What are the pedagogical implications for studying the intertextuality in spoken word poetry derived from its genealogical contributions in twenty-first century classrooms using Tracie Morris’s spoken word poem Project Princess as an example? The conceptual framework consisted of intertextuality theory, public pedagogy, and performance studies, to explore the ways in which sites of resistance emerge from the poet’s narrative of lived experiences and social realities. Data was collected from page poetry, spoken word poetry, video, an audio interview of Tracie Morris, essays written by or about Tracie Morris, and Tracie Morris’s website. I used narrative analysis to interpret the data using four interpretative models: structural analysis, thematic analysis, dialogic/performance analysis, and visual analysis. The findings revealed that intertextuality in Tracie Morris’s spoken word poem Project Princess emerged as non-chronological storytelling, language and accepted meanings, signification (signifying), and created counter-narratives that opened discursive spaces as sites of resistance. The implications for education based on this study suggest that intertextuality in spoken word poetry in twenty-first century classrooms may be used to uncover hidden transcripts contained in Project Princess or other spoken word poems; identify themes across Morris’s narrative or other spoken word poems and their connection to the genealogy of spoken word poetry; create safe-spaces for dialogical exchanges and social interactions; and facilitate meaningful dialogues and social interactions among participants.
project princess, Tracie Morris, spoken word poetry
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