Biography
Buddy Wakefield was born in Shreveport, Louisiana and raised in Baytown, Texas. In 2001, he left his position as an executive assistant for a biomedical firm in Gig Harbor, Washington, sold or gave away everything he owned, and moved into a Honda Civic to tour North American poetry venues.
In 2004 and again in 2005, Buddy Wakefield won the Individual World Poetry Slam Championship title, becoming the first poet to win the title two consecutive years. Wakefield has been a member of several poetry slam teams, including Team Seattle in 2006 and 2007. When asked about his thoughts on the "Poetry Slam" and "Slam Poetry," Wakefield responded:
| “ | “Poetry Slam” is an effective gimmick to get folks excited about poetry. It’s the competitive art of spoken word. It’s a competition, judged and so on. It’s accessible to everyone, and a great starting point for many... It’s an event available to every voice, no exclusions. “Slam poetry” is a term that seems to have evolved into a generalization, given to a style of delivery culminating in rapid, rhythmic, cathartic voice and presence... Poetry Slam is an event. Slam poetry does not exist (not outside of its practical role of being any given poem entered into a Poetry Slam). I’ve been watching at close range since 1998. The styles of the poems entered into Poetry Slams are clearly infinite in scope. | ” |
Wakefield continues to make his living through his poetry and performance. In addition to touring the country solo, Wakefield has also been a core member of several traveling poetry groups, including 2007's Solomon Sparrow's Electric Whale Revival, 2008's Junkyard Ghost Revival, 2009's Elephant Engine High Dive Revival and 2010's Night Kite Revival, where he shared the stage with poets such as Derrick Brown, Anis Mojgani, Andrea Gibson and Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz, among others. As of April 2012, Wakefield has performed his poetry in every state in the U.S. except "Montana, Mississippi and North Dakota."
When asked in an interview why he made art, Wakefield responded:
| “ | I first made art to get some things out of my body. Then I made it for the approval I overlooked growing up. Then I made it to accept myself. Then I made it because folks were reporting a healing that was happenin’. | ” |
When not on tour, Wakefield lives near Seattle, Washington and serves on the board of Youth Speaks Seattle, a non-profit literary arts organization.
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