Marginality and Urban Life in São Paulo's Literatura Periférica Movement

Abstract

The study that follows is about Literatura Periférica (LPM), a movement that began in the late 1990s centered around the production of poetry by marginalized residents from São Paulo’s periphery who, in some cases, had never considered themselves poets before becoming involved with the movement. This poetry sometimes appears in books or online, but most often is witnessed through poetic performances at community events known as saraus. These saraus occur in local bars and are formatted as open mic-style events where anyone present can step up to the mic and recite their poetry. In addition to the saraus, another component of LPM are the public poetry slams referred to as the Slams de Poesia. Though the format of the slams differs from the saraus, both events promote poetry produced and performed by marginalized residents of the periphery that aims to critique the status quo. Perhaps what is most significant about this movement, as evidenced in both types of events, is that by centering the lives of marginalized Brazilians in and through cultural production, LPM challenges preconceived notions what it means to be of and from the periphery and offers to its participants potential new ways of relating to their community, the city, and the nation.