UW Communications is touting a "robust and exciting lineup" of spoken word and hip hop events planned for the spring and summer. That's cool.

The funny part? This claim: "All the activities strengthen UW-Madison's position as a leader in the institutionalization of hip hop in higher education."

Huh? The words "UW-Madison," "hip hop," and "leader" in the same sentence? A state known for its cheese production, beer consumption, deer huntin' and cheese-head donning Packer fans hardly conjures images of hip hop leadership. Institutionalization of hip hop in higher education? I'd check this claim and look for some courses if the new timetable weren't so mind-numbingly tedious to browse (more on that later perhaps).

Anyway, Chuck D, hip hop historian Jeff Chang, some HBO Def Poets and other emcees, storytellers, performance artists and educators will converge in Madison Tuesday-Friday, April 22-25, for a symposium on spoken word, hip hop and the academy called "Line Breaks: The Remix." Tickets for the show are $5 for students, available at the Union Theater Box Office.

The fifth annual Wisconsin Teen Poetry Slam Finals will take place at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 12, at the Orpheum Theater, 216 State St.

Word, ya hey don'cha know.