Sometimes the words shoot into mikes in forceful rapid fire; other times they flow smoothly from tongues in an almost hypnotic melody.

And there are always the focused stares. The expressive faces. The lively hand motions.

It's the art of the spoken word — and a group of Hawai'i teens are hard at work perfecting their most personal poems, constantly tweaking verses and practicing delivery to prep for a national showcase in July on the Mainland.

"It's powerful," said Hawai'i Kai resident Will Giles, 19, a member of Youth Speaks Hawai'i, an organization that promotes confidence, self-awareness and community consciousness in youths through spoken word. "You have to put a lot of thought into something real to you on paper and communicate it (aloud) to people. ... I love it."

Giles and four other teens from Youth Speaks Hawai'i will represent the state at the 11th annual Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival, July 15 through 19 in Washington, D.C. The festival features workshops and performances by renowned poets, writers and musicians, and a youth poetry slam competition.

Giles will be joined by Alaka'i Kotrys, 15, of Kunia; Jocelyn Ng, 18, of Kaimuki; Jamaica Osorio, 18, of Palolo Valley; and Ittai Wong, 16, of Kailua.

About 450 teens, ages 13 to 19, make up more than 40 teams participating from across the country and parts of Europe and Africa. The event will reach an audience of more than 10,000 throughout the week, organizers said.

"The poets create verse-based work that is spoken through the body and is in communication with the important social issues and movements of the immediate moment," said James Kass, founder and executive director of San Francisco-based Youth Speaks Inc., which presents the annual festival. Youth Speaks Hawai'i is the local branch of Youth Speaks Inc.

The poems offer the youth perspective on issues from peer pressure to politics.

"These young poets represent the connection from Shakespeare's quill to Kool Herc's turntables, from Martha Graham's cupped hand to Nelson Mandela's clenched fist: A new voice for a new generation," Kass said.

ART OF SPOKEN WORD

Spoken word, also known as performance poetry, is designed to be heard rather than read, said Lyz Soto, executive director of Youth Speaks Hawai'i.

"Not to say it wouldn't be enjoyable to read it, but I think you get a lot more impact from it when you see it," Soto said. "I've seen performance pieces that you clearly wouldn't understand if you just read (the poems) because a lot of the meaning is actually from body language and facial expression."

Slam poetry, which is what the five teens are gearing up for at the Brave New Voices festival, is the competitive segment of spoken word, Soto explained.

During a poetry slam competition, poets are given about 3 minutes and 30 seconds to perform their original pieces. They are typically scored 50 percent each on performance and writing.

"It makes it more exciting for people who normally may not be interested in poetry," Soto said.

But so much more than a dynamic show, performance poetry is a means of self expression, a way for many teens to delve into personal issues, good and bad. Topics from the Hawai'i team, for example, include inner beauty, homosexuality, suicide, homelessness, schizophrenia, drug abuse, war and being of mixed races.

For the Youth Speaks Hawai'i members, spoken word has served as an outlet in many ways.

"We all have our friends we can talk to about our problems," Ng said. "But if a friend is not available, I just write about it and how I feel."

It's an opportunity to vent, Wong added.

"You can say whatever is on your mind, uncensored," he said. "Just get the words out and express yourself."

'CHANGE THE WORLD'

The five team members were among 19 local teens vying for spots to represent Hawai'i at Brave New Voices.

To qualify for the spots, the teens competed in a "grand slam final" in April at the Kaimuki High School auditorium.

Some of the students wanted it pretty bad: Ng nixed her senior prom at Kalani High School to attend the finals and Giles, a student at Utah Valley University, flew home the weekend before two major finals to compete. (Giles did "pretty good" for his finals, he noted.)

Four of the teens are returning members; Giles is the newbie of the Hawai'i team.

"We're going with pretty much the same team, so there is a lot of expectation and a lot of pressure," Soto said.

A lot of pressure, yes, especially since last year's team ranked 5th out of nearly 40 competing teams.

This is Kotrys' third year at Brave New Voices, but the event still gives him a rush, he said.

"I'm excited," Kotrys said. "It's a new year, so we have new poems."

Osorio, a second-year festival competitor, is just as thrilled.

"We're just going to make a lot of noise," she said.

At the Brave New Voices youth poetry slam, there is no top prize other than bragging rights, Kass said.

"Largely driven by the youth, the competition element largely melts away," Kass said. "The kids compete with themselves to be better writers and performers, but our hope is that the actual winners of the slam are no more winners than every poet who steps to the microphone — which is the real victory in the first place."

Quite honestly, the Hawai'i teens feel it isn't about winning a prize, Soto said.

"It really is about the love of doing it," she said.

And about making a difference, Osorio added.

"These are the people who have the ideas to change the world for the better and they know how to express them," Osorio said. "It's going to be amazing."