storytellerpoets

Storytellerpoets refers to poets whose primary aim is to tell a story through verse. The term highlights a fusion of narrative storytelling and poetic craft, where the poem functions as a vehicle for plot, character, and scene as well as for musical language, imagery, and rhythm. It is a descriptive label rather than a formal movement, used across periods to denote poets who organize verbal material into sustained narratives, often for performance.

Historically, storyteller-poets draw on diverse oral and written traditions. In ancient and medieval cultures, bards, troubadours, and griots used verse to relay histories and legends. In English and European traditions, ballads and epic poems emphasize plot and character. In contemporary practice, storyteller-poets frequently work in the realm of spoken word and performance poetry, where audience, timing, and delivery become part of the narrative.

Core characteristics include a clear narrative arc, character-centered scenes, setting and dialogue, and a voice that guides the listener through the story. Poems may unfold episodically or as a continuous sequence, and performers often employ routines, persona shifts, and vivid scene-setting to sustain momentum.

In modern usage, storyteller-poets have gained visibility through slam circuits, literary festivals, and online media. Notable practitioners include figures from spoken word such as Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye, and narrative poets like Clint Smith and Elizabeth Acevedo, among others. The term remains flexible and overlapping with related categories such as narrative poetry, epic poetry, and performance poetry, reflecting a broad spectrum of styles that privilege storytelling within verse.