Poetry Slams You Should Know About

Slam poetry is, in itself, a conundrum. Slams are competitions in which poets are judged by random audience members on their poem's content, delivery, and overall performance. The notion that poems can be "judged," as if there were some standard they could be measured against, almost seems to cheapen the sanctity of poetry, taking moments of intense introspection and emotion and turning them into nothing more than cheap entertainment. Even Marc Smith, the creator of this problematic competition, has called judging poems "completely absurd." Nevertheless, slam poetry has seen a nationwide rise in popularity, graduating from dark, late-night bars to week-long festivals held around the country. In an attempt to document this phenomenon, below is a slideshow of some of the quintessential slam poetry venues and events in the US:

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Busboys & Poets' "11th Hour Slam"

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Established in 2005, Busboys & Poets is part restaurant, part theater and part bookstore. They've recently opened two new locations, one at 5th & K in the District and another in Shirlington, VA, but their original space in Washington, DC's U Street Corridor is where most of their events are held. Busboys & Poets holds an open mic every Tuesday night at 9:00pm for various kinds of spoken word and musical performances, but their biggest poetry related event is their "11th Hour Poetry Slam" which takes place every second Friday of the month. Poets compete against one another in this slam for a chance to get on the Busboys & Poets Slam Team and represent Washington DC at the National Poetry Slam in August. The 11th Hour Grand Slam Finals is May 13, where they will be selecting their 2011 team. Early arrival is a must in order to get tickets, so grab some dinner at their restaurant before enjoying the show!

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Established in 2005, Busboys & Poets is part restaurant, part theater and part bookstore. They've recently opened two new locations, one at 5th & K in the District and another in Shirlington, VA, but their original space in Washington, DC's U Street Corridor is where most of their events are held. Busboys & Poets holds an open mic every Tuesday night at 9:00pm for various kinds of spoken word and musical performances, but their biggest poetry related event is their "11th Hour Poetry Slam" which takes place every second Friday of the month. Poets compete against one another in this slam for a chance to get on the Busboys & Poets Slam Team and represent Washington DC at the National Poetry Slam in August. The 11th Hour Grand Slam Finals is May 13, where they will be selecting their 2011 team. Early arrival is a must in order to get tickets, so grab some dinner at their restaurant before enjoying the show!

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Comments

[Zazii SimmonsPorter]

02:09 AM on 05/21/2011

...and yes I sing as I write ...did you hear me?

[Zazii SimmonsPorter]

02:02 AM on 05/21/2011

...that is slamming poetry ...it's a slap to poets ...poetry is the song of the soul of he who sings it from the seat of their personality ...myme ...rhyme ...reason ...rhythm ...write ...who is he that judgeth? ...is he the fuller's soap?

[nothingbutnet5]

05:35 PM on 05/14/2011

I found this book on the internet and I had to share it with everyone. This is the best poetry book I have ever heard. Check it out, you will not regret it. This kid is new to the seen, publishing from high school. This kid is special, he could easily be in one of these poetry slams. http://www.authorhouse.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-000460993

[EquinsuOcha]

02:52 AM on 05/07/2011

Alright, since the author didn't know about any of these shows, I'll promote them on my own.

Here's the link for Southern Fried:

http://southernfriedpoetryslam.com/

Here's the link for Black on Black Rhyme

http://blackonblackrhyme.com/home.asp

Here's the link for Slam Charlotte

http://www.slamcharlotte.com/

Here's an article on "Mello Mondays" in Miami

http://www.miaminewtimes.com/events/mello-mondays-1011021/

Here's a list of all the poetry / spoken word / open mics' in Orlando

http://otownpoets.blogspot.com/2009/01/central-florida-open-mics.html

Here's the Facebook Page of "Heard 'Em Say Teen Poetry" in Tampa

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Heard-Em-Say-Teen-Poetry/122979597772179

Here's the Facebook Page of "Sacred Sounds" in Tampa

http://www.facebook.com/#!/SacredSoundsSlam

Here's the Facebook Page of "IV Poets" in St. Petersburg

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/IV-Poets/137450392950055

And that's just the major shows in the area. There are more in Atlanta, Jacksonville, Raleigh, and Charlotte. Spoken word is HUGE down here.

[Patrick Pressl]

07:37 PM on 05/13/2011

Hey EquinsuOcha, the author here...Sorry I didn't cover anything in the South! I do know that Spoken Word is HUGE there (I was blown away by the Charlotte NPS in...2007 was it?), but unfortunately I've never had the privilege of checking out anything. I only wrote about the places I've actually attended and experienced first hand, and again I apologize...but thank you VERY much for promoting all of these events. Will definitely have to check them out.

[AmyRenee]

11:37 PM on 05/06/2011

Why am I feeling as though poetry is being taken from it's natural form and is being commercialize already? Something doesn't feel right about it.

[AG creative]

05:36 PM on 05/06/2011

Judging poems IS absolutely absurd.

Slamm Poetry = Free Form Hip Hop Battling.

[DannyGuam]

04:54 PM on 05/06/2011

I seem to remember this being a "new" thing about twenty years ago? Hmm.

[Mr Muckle]

05:16 PM on 05/06/2011

Really.

[EquinsuOcha]

09:04 AM on 05/06/2011

Not a single mention of Southern Fried Poetry? No mention of teams versus individuals? C'mon! You've got the entire south that you're neglecting to mention, from Charlotte to Tampa Bay, to Miami.

[nolabear]

03:26 PM on 05/06/2011

As a Southerner and poet transplanted to the Pacific Northwest, I'd like to hear more!

Good to see the article, though. Spokenword is an art form in and of itself and when it's good, it's very, very good.