An Expanded Performances on the Web: An Analysis of Women's Slam Poetry and Digital Activism Produced During the Pandemic

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the feminine collective Slam das Minas RJ had to pause their in-person activities, including the poetry battles on the streets. Immediately, the group developed online projects that allowed the functioning of the movement during quarantine. In this article, I analyze two emblematic video performances done by Andréa Bak and Luísa Romão, published on the @slamdasminasrj Instagram account. In these productions, the poets discuss relevant matters, for example Brazilian politics and necropolitic in the pandemic. They also show a new configuration of “doing poetry slam”, with performances recreated for the cellphone screen dimensions. And finally, I evidence how Slam das Minas RJ turned social media their new street by changing the Instagram profile into an extremely effective platform for amplifying female voices.