Poets Are Cultural Workers Too: Honoring the Invisible Labor of Spoken Word Artists

In a world where attention spans are monetized and quick content rules the day, the work of the poet often goes unseen. It’s not just the writing or performing that makes poetry matter—it’s the emotional labor, the witnessing, and the cultural caretaking behind it.

Poetry—real poetry—takes time. It demands presence. It offers a mirror to society and sometimes a bandage. And while National Poetry Month is often marked by readings and rhyming couplets, we at Metropolis Management want to shift the spotlight toward something deeper: the invisible labor of spoken word artists.

Spoken word is not a side act. It is the main event for those brave enough to sit with discomfort, dance with vulnerability, and translate the unspoken into language that resonates.

This April, we honor the poets who are more than performers. They are feelers. They are truth-tellers. They are cultural workers holding space for healing, justice, identity, joy, and grief—all in a single breath.

🎤 Meet the Metropolis Poets

🖤 FreeQuencyStoryteller. Speaker. Feeler.
Their work transcends genre and identity to create space for deep connection. A performance by FreeQuency isn’t just spoken—it’s felt.

🖤 Lyrical FaithPerformer. Poet. Speaker.
Bridging activism and artistry, Lyrical’s voice is rooted in resistance, community, and clarity. Her words do more than move—they mobilize.

🖤 Angelo “Eye-Am-Bic” GeterPowerful Poetry
With delivery that commands silence and content that echoes, Angelo fuses storytelling and social justice into performances that stick.

🖤 Akeem OlajSlam Poetry
Akeem brings the pulse of slam poetry into every room. His voice is rhythmic, intentional, and unafraid to speak the truth, no matter how uncomfortable.

🖤 OVEOUSMusic and Poetry
A genre-bender with soul, OVEOUS blends hip-hop, poetry, and ancestral energy into performances that awaken and affirm.

🖤 Abby BlandInclusive Spoken Word
Abby’s work is rooted in creating space—especially for those who have been historically silenced. Her poetry brings softness to the strong and strength to the soft.

🖤 Panama SowetoSpoken Word. Art. Activism.
Panama is a movement-maker. His work exists at the intersection of poetry, politics, and personal truth—and his stage presence is unforgettable.

🌍 Why This Work Still Matters

In 2025, where AI can spit out rhymes and algorithms dictate virality, spoken word remains deeply human. These artists don’t just speak to be heard—they speak so others feel seen.

What they do isn’t just performance. It’s translation. They take the unspeakable—grief, rage, identity, love, injustice, hope—and turn it into language we didn’t know we needed.

This is the labor of poets. The invisible, relentless, healing work that holds culture together.

📣 How to Support a Poet in 2025

  • Book them for your school, conference, or community event.
  • Share their videos and posts—help their words travel.
  • Tag them. Credit them. Recommend them.
  • Buy their books and merch, not just tickets.
  • Most of all, listen. Like, really listen.

This National Poetry Month, don’t just celebrate poetry. Celebrate the people who carry it.

To learn more about our poets, visit https://www.metropolismanagement.com/act-type-pages/spoken-word-artist


#SpokenWordIsWork #MetropolisPoets #TruthTellers2025 #PoetryForHealing #NationalPoetryMonth

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