A case study of Tracie Morris's Project Princess
type: CreativeWork
description: 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…
abstract: 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…
author: Jenkins, Tammie
keywords: project princess, Tracie Morris, spoken word poetry
date published: 2014-01-01T08:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T02:57:00Z
provider: Lousiana State University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Educational Theory, Policy, and Practice

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.79