Documentary about the spoken word phenomenon, a form of poetry that rubs elbows with rap and pop music and that comes out best on stage. The United States have an underground spoken word scene, a subculture dominated by black artists. Spitting Ink portrays some of these poets from New York. Although they all have their individual styles, they are connected by their affinity with social problems and the metropolitan culture and their preference for small stages. The word artists talk about their work. Celena Glenn, who can hardly write, keeps her poems inside her head until they all come out once a year. Mike Ladd tells about the origins of the spoken word genre, dating back to gospel. Beau Sia almost presents himself as a stand-up comedian, performing his poems about women or his Asian descent. All this is interlaced with images of New York's rough street life, subway stations and bars, illuminating where these people come from.
