LH: In your opinion, are spoken word performances literary art or performance art? Both?
EM: Yes, it's art. It is produced by people and does all the things that art does. [It's a] form of folk art, because of grassroots activity in our community. But there are different types of art. If not (for different types of art), you would see a lot of activity, not a chartering of the waters, everyone doing [the same] stuff. It introduces many young people to a form of expression.
Terms may be reinterpreted. [The] definition of poetry is very elastic. But for me, it is the emphasis and use of metaphor. If I see an absence of this, something is missing. I've got to see that connection. If it's (metaphor) a cliché, then I lower the quality of your work. The key thing is spoken word stuff like microwave popcorn. [You eat it and it's gone] The enduring quality of poetry is every time I go back to it I see a deeper, richer quality. If not, then it's not functioning as poetry. Just how you appreciate a poem or read a poem, it has to be there. [It] has to be memorable, or I'll have a problem defining it as poetry. 

 
"Looking for Omar"