Venla Sykäri is a researcher affiliated with Folklore Studies at the University of Helsinki where she specializes in studying short, rhymed, and argumentative forms of oral poetry and contemporary traditions. Her Ph.D. dissertation focused on Cretan rhyming couplets, and in a postdoctoral project she continued the study of European oral poetry and meters, particularly the improvised composition of poetry with end rhyme. Her current research interests include the study of improvised rap and the social processes of learning, practicing, and transmitting knowledge and skills in oral composition and performance.