Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album

Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album
Awarded for	Quality spoken word poetry recordings
Presented by	National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
First award	2023
Currently held by	Tank and the Bangas – The Heart, The Mind, The Soul (2025)
Website	grammy.com

The Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album is a category in the annual Grammy Awards, that was first presented at the 2023 show on February 5, 2023.

Criteria

According to the Recording Academy, this new category "recognizes excellence in spoken word albums specific to the performance of poetry with or without music." ^[1]

History

Up to and including the 64th Grammy Awards, all spoken word recordings fell under one category, the Best Spoken Word Album. As of 2023, the Spoken Word category has been renamed Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording. This category recognizes excellence in spoken word albums, but no longer includes spoken word poetry. The category was authored by and created due to six years of advocacy within the Recording Academy by poet J. Ivy, who then went on to win the first two year's of the category's existence. ^[2]

Recipients

Two-time winner J. Ivy, performing in 2012

Year [I]	Recipient(s)	Work	Nominees	Ref.
2023	J. Ivy	The Poet Who Sat By the Door	Ethelbert Miller – Black Men Are Precious Amanda Gorman – Call Us What We Carry: Poems Malcolm-Jamal Warner – Hiding in Plain View Amir Sulaiman – You Will Be Someone's Ancestor. Act Accordingly.	[3] [4]
2024	J. Ivy	The Light Inside	Queen Sheba – A - You're Not Wrong B- They're Not Either: The Fukc-It Pill Revisited Prentice Powell & Shawn William – For Your Consideration'24 - The Album Kevin Powell – Grocery Shopping With My Mother Aja Monet – When The Poems Do What They Do	[5]
2025	Tank and the Bangas	The Heart, The Mind, The Soul	Queen Sheba – Civil Writes: The South Got Something to Say Omari Hardwick – Concrete & Whiskey Act II Part 1: A Bourbon 30 Series Malik Yusef – Good M.U.S.I.C. Universe Sonic Sinema Episode 1: In the Beginning Was the Word Mad Skillz – The Seven Number Ones	[6]
2026	TBA	TBA	Queen Sheba – A Hurricane in Heels: Healed people don't act like that — (partially recorded live @City Winery & other places) Marc Marcel – Black Shaman Omari Hardwick & Anthony Hamilton – Pages Saul Williams, Carlos Niño & Friends – Saul Williams Meets Carlos Niño & Friends at Treepeople Mad Skillz – Words for Days Vol. 1	[7]

^{^[I]} Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.

Artists with multiple wins

2 wins

• J. Ivy

Artists with multiple nominations

3 nominations

• Queen Sheba

2 nominations

• Omari Hardwick
• J. Ivy
• Mad Skillz

References

1. "New Categories For The 2023 GRAMMYs Announced: Songwriter Of The Year, Best Video Game Soundtrack, Best Song For Social Change & More Changes". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
2. New Categories For The 2023 GRAMMYs Announced: Songwriter Of The Year, Best Video Game Soundtrack, Best Song For Social Change & More Changes - grammy.com
3. "2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Nominees List". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
4. "Chicago poet J. Ivy wins Grammy in category he helped create". www.chicago.suntimes.com. Retrieved Feb 5, 2023.
5. Minsker, Evan (November 10, 2023). "Grammy Nominations 2024: See the Full List Here". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
6. Monroe, Jazz (2024-11-08). "Grammy Nominations 2025: See the Full List Here". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
7. Willman, Chris (November 7, 2025). "Grammy Nominations 2026: Kendrick Lamar Leads With Nine as Lady Gaga, Bad Bunny, Sabrina Carpenter and Leon Thomas Land Among Top Nominees". Variety. Retrieved November 7, 2025.