Raphael d'Abdon
Raphael d’Abdon holds a PhD in linguistics and literary studies and is a research fellow at Unisa. His research focuses on literatures in English, spoken word poetry, poetry in education, poetic inquiry and poetry therapy, and he has authored/co-authored over 50 publications on these topics. He is a founding member of the research groups ZAPP (The South African Poetry Project) and Consortium on Advancing Poetic Inquiry in the Global South, and is the South African representative of Africa Haiku Network. He is the author of four poetry collections, his poems are widely published and translated and he has done readings in South Africa, Nigeria, Somaliland, India, the USA, Canada, Italy, France and Sweden. His latest publication is Poetic inquiry as research: A decolonial guide, Bristol: Policy Press, 2025 (edited with Heidi van Rooyen).
The "slammification" of the spoken word movement: Good or bad news for South African literature?
2025-03-27"The loss of spaces designed to cultivate and encourage free expression is arguably the main reason for the decline of the spoken word community as a transformational literary force. But how did slam end up monopolising the spoken word scene?"