Poetry in motion on a road trip through the Deep South

Poetry is evolving. Thanks to the emergence of competitive poetry slams it’s breaking free from its fusty academic image and aligning itself more closely with the hugely successful world of rap.

Slam (or performance poetry) is a fast-growing industry, particularly in the USA, where thousands of poets perform and compete. Major slam poets now share Def Jam Records with rap artists and winning the national slam championship can get a poet on the front of Time Magazine or a regular slot on HBO.  Into this heady mix – on the road trip of a lifetime – comes Bristol comedy poet Peter Hunter accompanied by fellow poet David Johnson. Both are at the forefront of the UK slam scene.

Peter and David will drive 3,600 miles performing and perfecting their comedy poetry in an eclectic range of venues across Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida before competing to win the Austin International Poetry Festival – one of America’s biggest slams.

All over America new poets are flocking to open mic nights and entering slam competitions. In the Deep South slamming and spoken word events provide an outlet for poorer black Americans to articulate their emotional pain and political oppression. As one poet puts it; “...round here it’s the voice of poverty.”

Where American performance poets use their stage time as a form of therapy, Peter just wants to make people laugh. He’s a gentle soul who people warm to immediately despite his English reticence. His poetry is instinctive, funny and frequently breathtakingly brilliant. Yet he’s often amazed anyone likes his work.

For Peter performing on stage is a way to control social interaction – he feels awkward in social situations but poetry is helping him turn his life around. When Peter started winning slams, what began as a means to face his fears became a life-changing project.

David is Peter’s opposite – he’s a successful ex-businessman with a family and a nice house who remains confident in his own poetic ability – and with good reason, he’s sharp, observant and witty.

These two wonderfully funny if somewhat awkward and very English poets are warmly welcomed by everyone from Austin hippies to Alabama rednecks as they drive through the raw beauty of the Deep South. The locals seem to respond to Peter’s and David’s innocence and humour and a sense that they are two funny fish out of water a long way from home.

Looking for the Lone Star is the story of Peter’s many layered journey to his destiny in Austin, of the eccentric and sometimes downright bizarre characters he meets on the way, of poetry unlike anything seen in the UK.

For Peter poetry has always been something he does to raise a laugh and a smile, but as he encounters the angry young voices and the deep-thinking philosophers agonising over American society, he learns that the spoken word can do a whole lot more.

But will the Americans understand where he’s coming from? Will Peter find what he’s looking for? Will he win the slam? And can poetry really change your life?