Top Free Spoken Word Internet Radio Stations

Ever since Russell Simmon’s Def Poetry Jam has hit the cable scene, poets every where are hot commodities. This has opened up a great wealth of possibilities for the “little” poet that has been simmering his or her words in some coffee house wishing and waiting for the opportunity to allow their spoken word skills to be highlighted. Well, if you are a poet and you want to let your words shine, wait no more. Better yet, step up to the online “microphone” and spit some words for others to enjoy and hear.

Powertalk Fm’s “SpokenWord Hour”
This excellent spoken word hour is hosted by Atlanta’s, MrTalley of www.mrtalley.com, a National Spoken Word Artist who has performed on the Showtime at Apollo and won spoken word awards nationally. This hour is strictly for the aspiring and established artists. The platform is simple, artists are interviewed in a thirty-minute slot where their work can be highlighted, and callers are encouraged to join an online chat discussion as well. Recent guest to the show was, Omar Tyree, National Bestseller of many titles including, “Flyy Girl”. The show airs every Wednesday at 8pm, Eastern Standard Time on www.powertalkfm.com so log on Wednesdays to check the poetic flow out.

Live 365
I once served as a virtual radio deejay on Live 365 as a radio broadcaster and I have to say it’s one of the internet’s best kept secrets. Simply log on and register for free, and then search for any and all radio stations. Once you sign on, you can bookmark your favorite stations and listen for free, albeit you may have to endure some virtual commercials. Suggested stations to listen to are: Afose Radio, an African-Inspired Talk Radio Station, Mind Body Spirit Radio out of Jacksonville, Florida , poet SPEAK radio which broadcasts out of Atlanta, Georgia and many more. When you log on, just type in “spoken word” and you will find over 200 free stations to listen to. There’s no software to download and you will hear tons of undiscovered talent. Log on to www.live365.com to listen or become your own “radio” deejay.

Artist First World Radio
Broadcasted from Ohio, this independent word radio station, hosts many shows with artists and authors in mind. Tony Kay hosts the Author First radio show which highlights a lot of new and established authors, specifically poets and spoken word artists. The show runs for one hour and the artist’s interview is archived for a few days after the show on the site. Listen for free by logging on to www.artistfirst.com.

The Spoken Word Radio
Kentucky’s the place to be for poetry apparently and this radio show is a place where American authors can gather to talk about fiction and more. Log on to www.spokenwordradio.org. There’s a listing of weekly author appearances, their books and more.

Higher Ground with Jonathan Overby
This show broadcasts from the campus of the University of Wisconsin and sponsored by Wisconsin Public Radio. This cool variety show has a live studio audience and performances by an electic group of writers, singers, poets, actors, and other musicians. Log on to http://www.wpr.org/higherground/ to listen to the show!

Check out these wonderful stations to listen to some brand new artists that you may have never heard. Relax to well written spoken word and get out of the rut of the normal commercial music you have been listening to. Turn off your radio and log on today to jam to some of the nation’s most talented undiscovered artists and poets. They’re waiting to hear from you.

(c) 2006 by Pam Osbey