Join us Wednesday, March 15, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Location: El Gallo, San Pancho, Nayarit. MX
Av del tercer Mundo 38
Free entry. If you are able, please consider donating $ at the event to the cash prizes for poets.
P.S. Words Matter.
Spoken word poetry plays a vital role in our culture as a powerful means of self-expression. The Poetry Slam is an inspiring place for artists and audience members to gather and connect as we survive and thrive in challenging times.
"Each of us has a magic inside of us that we can use to make the world a better place." - Marley Dias, Author and Educator
Join our mailing list and stay up-to-date with future events
P.S. Words Matter.
Spoken word poetry plays a vital role in our culture as a powerful means of self-expression. The Poetry Slam is an inspiring place for artists and audience members to gather and connect as we survive and thrive in challenging times.
"Each of us has a magic inside of us that we can use to make the world a better place." - Marley Dias, Author and Educator
Join our mailing list and stay up-to-date with future events
What is a Poetry Slam?
Lively slam events energize poetry. At the event, you'll enjoy original poetry and live music. Between performances, DJ Megi keeps the beats rolling. Audience members serve as judges, and we'll award cash prizes at the end of the night to the poets with the highest scores from their peers.
Slam poetry is an artistic movement that helps to define the collective psyche of our times.
Swell the Ranks
We need poets, judges and audience members to create this poetry community. We want you to participate! Anyone, regardless of age, race, sex, education, class, disability, gender, or sexuality - can participate.
Poets Needed
Poets - we are excited to have you perform for the Poetry Slam! You can sign up at the event. Just make sure to get there early and talk to Sid, the emcee, to get on the list. We award cash prizes at the end of the night for the winning poems.:
1st place - $100
2nd Place - $50
3rd Place - $25
Safe Space for Expression
Let’s create a friendly and safe environment by practicing tolerance and respect. We embrace the voices of all people from all races, colors, genders, sexual orientations, lifestyles, classes, national origins, religions, ethnicities, ages, and abilities. We exist to give voice to every poem, every passion, and every pressing issue that needs a place to be spoken. We encourage spirited free speech, but we do not tolerate hate speech.
What is a Poetry Slam?
Lively slam events energize poetry. At the event, you'll enjoy original poetry and live music. Between performances, DJ Megi keeps the beats rolling. Audience members serve as judges, and we'll award cash prizes at the end of the night to the poets with the highest scores.
Slam poetry is an artistic movement that helps to define the collective psyche of our times. It's a voice of the community, by the community.
Swell the Ranks
We need poets, judges and audience members to create this poetry community. We want you to participate! Anyone, regardless of age, race, sex, education, class, disability, gender, or sexuality - can participate.
Poets Needed
Poets - we are excited to have you perform for the Poetry Slam! You can sign up at the event. Just make sure to get there early and talk to Slammaster Sid, the emcee, to get on the list. We award cash prizes at the end of the night for the winning poems.:
1st place - $1000 pesos
2nd Place - $500 pesos
3rd Place - $25 pesos
Safe Space for Expression
Let’s create a friendly and safe environment by practicing tolerance and respect. We embrace the voices of all people from all races, colors, genders, sexual orientations, lifestyles, classes, national origins, religions, ethnicities, ages, and abilities. We exist to give voice to every poem, every passion, and every pressing issue that needs a place to be spoken. We encourage spirited free speech, but we do not tolerate hate speech.
FEATURE POET
Lilly Kujawski
Lilly is an Ann Arbor-based poet and journalist. She is the co-author of the poetry anthology “I Name This Body Mine.” When she’s not writing, Lilly is serving tables at her restaurant job, reading, traveling, or spending time with her cats.
Linda Walker
MUSICAL GUEST
Where She Creep
Ypsilanti Neo Soul singer
Where She Creep will sing a few songs from his debut album, Feels, released earlier this year, which he describes as “healing music” that deals with new-age concepts to explore the politics of love, vulnerability, and accountability.
Teri Allen
VISUAL ARTIST
Asha Jordan
Jordan Nik Art is an Ann Arbor Black local Artist specializing in acrylic and oil paintings from abstract to portraits. An artist of many words - expressed through art. Find activism and the ability to relate in her work. Her purpose is to heal and arouse others with her gift.
Teri Allen
THE AESTHETIC, SIR.
History
Poetry Slams began in Chicago in 1984, when Marc Smith, a construction worker with a literary bent, began experimenting with open mic poetry readings and turning them into slams by introducing competition. His vision of taking poetry out of the academy spawned the National Poetry Slam, an annual five-day event held in a different American city each year, where teams of poets compete from cities all over the United States and Canada. There are also hundreds of other slams all over the world sponsored by schools, non-profits, and individuals. They are held in coffee shops, bars, auditoriums, and in parks, and often provide an important venue for people to speak from the heart.
Coming soon... Voices of the Community
The Creative Surge
Words about creativity from a poet and photographer. ...more
Poetry Slam
December 06, 2022•2 min read
Voices of the Community Blog
The Creative Surge
Words about creativity from a poet and photographer. ...more
Poetry Slam
December 06, 2022•2 min read
Check out how the Poetry Slam stayed alive during the pandemic.....
Featured Poets from Past Slams
ALICE FRANK
A poet, filmmaker, and spiritual actorvist
(developer and performer of performance art that creates change). Her book of Poetry, "My Real Name is You", is a journey into her mystical awakening.
MAX STOSSEL
His one-man show “Words That Move” has been described as mind-expanding, profound, and hilarious all at once. His work has been translated to fourteen languages, won multiple film festivals, and has been viewed over 20 million times online.
Featured Poets from Past Slams
ALICE FRANK
A poet, filmmaker, and spiritual actorvist
(developer and performer of performance art that creates change). Her book of Poetry, "My Real Name is You", is a journey into her mystical awakening. Check out her work at:
MAX STOSSEL
His one-man show “Words That Move” has been described as mind-expanding, profound, and hilarious all at once. His work has been translated to fourteen languages, won multiple film festivals, and has been viewed over 20 million times online.
FAQs
What are the rules?
One Original poem, up to three minutes, per round. This is not an open mic. Original poetry only.
One point deduction from cumulative score for going over three minutes. There is a ten second grace period. The timer starts when the poet begins speaking onstage.
No props or musical instruments.
Contestants are judged on the quality of the performance, quality of the writing, and the content of the work.
Five judges scoring lowest to highest 0 – 10, using Olympic style scoring 8.5, 9.1, 7.7 etc..
Highest and lowest score eliminated from each round.
After all poets have performed, top scoring three to five poets will perform again, reading a new poem or the same one they read previously.
How is poetry judged?
We all know how silly it is to put a number on a poem, but all of the poets come in knowing the rules of the game, so we want to keep the rules clear. At poetry slams, the fun, competitive aspect of poetry performance kicks in. Here's how the judging works:
• The judges are selected by the emcee from audience members. Anyone who is willing to be impartial can be a judge.
Each judge give a poem only one score.
• There are three primary criteria by which to “judge” the poems. They are:
The Quality of the Writing
The Quality of the Performance
Content of the Work
It is up to each judge, individually, to determine their own standards. We instruct them to trust their gut. Quality writing may involve clever use of language, a unique topic, or a stunning metaphor. The content of the poem may be striking with its passion or rhyme. The performance may involve choreography, timbre, delivery, or movement.
• Judges agree to do their best to be fair. We all have our personal prejudices, but judges try to suspend theirs for the duration of the slam. On the other hand, it’s okay to have a prejudice that favors the true and the beautiful over the mundane and superficial.
• Judges aim to be consistent. If they give the first poem a seven and the other judges give it a nine, that doesn’t mean they should give the second poem a nine—unless it’s a lot better than the first poem. In fact, if it’s not as good as the first poem, we count on the judge to give it a lower score.
• Often, scores rise as the night progresses. That's "Score Creep.” To avoid it, the MC or DJ will read an original poem first, and the judges will score this poem, even though it's not recorded. We call this “the sacrificial poet”. Score the sacrificial poet in a way that allows you to score the following poets either higher or lower, in a consistent manner. The sacrificial poem gives you a benchmark.
I'm a poet who wants to share my work... what should I know?
Your voice is needed!. Please arrive at least 15 minutes before the event begins and talk to Sid, the emcee, and he will put you on the list to perform that night. Poets attend the event for free. Invite your friends to cheer you on!
IMPORTANT: Please read the rules and the judging guidelines so you know what to expect and understand the format. If you have questions, you can ask Sid before the event.
We are here to provide a safe and supportive space for your expression - so don't overthink it. If that little voice inside of you says DO IT - answer "YES"! You'll be glad you did!