300+ PERFORMANCE POETS TO COMPETE IN WEST PALM BEACH
AT THE 20TH ANNUAL NATIONAL POETRY SLAM AUG. 4-8
(WEST PALM BEACH) — Hundreds of performance poets representing teams from across North America will compete in five days of lyrical competition in venues throughout West Palm Beach at the 20th Annual National Poetry Slam (NPS) August 4-8.
Sixty-eight teams will battle head-to-head during three nights of preliminary competition Aug. 4-6 in Clematis Street District clubs, then the top 16 teams will meet for semi-finals bouts Aug. 7. The top four teams of wordslingers will then brawl on the finals stage Aug. 8 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center for the top prize of $2000.
In addition to the nightly bouts, showcases and specialty readings are scheduled throughout the early afternoon and late nights ‑ including the Comedy Reading, Haiku Deathmatch, Hip-Hop Slam, and Erotic Showcase. These readings are open to the public, and all poets are encouraged to read their works.
This year's event marks the first time the National Poetry Slam has been held in Florida, and organizers are hard at work preparing for the onslaught of poets.
"This is blood, sweat, and tears poetry delivered live inches from your face," said 2009 NPS co-director Henry Sampson. "Our poets take the very best elements of stand-up comedy, dramatic monologue, and performance-based poetry and deliver it with the energy of hip-hop, punk rock, and jazz.
"The audience will be blown away," Sampson said.
The first poetry slam was held in 1986 in Chicago. Created by former construction worker Marc Smith as a means of reinvigorating the art of performing poetry, slams allow five randomly-selected judges from the audience to score each poem on an Olympic scale of 0-10. Audience members are encouraged to share their opinions of the scores and the poems by cheering or booing loudly.
