spoken word is a poetic performance art that is word-based. it is an oral art that focuses on the aesthetics of word play such as intonation and voice inflection. it is a "catchall" term that includes any kind of poetry recited aloud, including poetry readings, poetry slams, jazz poetry, and hip hop, and can include comedy routines and prose monologues. although spoken word can include any kind of poetry read aloud, it is different from written poetry in that how it sounds is often one of the main components. unlike written poetry, it has less to do with physical on the page aesthetics and more to do with phonaesthetics, or the aesthetics of sound.