Marg McAlister

Lots of writers enjoy writing poetry.

Some have fun with rhyming picture books; some write Pam-Ayres-type humorous ditties, and some find that poetry taps something deep inside that can't be expressed in straight narrative. In short, poetry can range from free verse to haiku and include everything in between.

Now, more and more poets are finding that it's a whole lot of fun (in a scary kind of way) to sign up for a poetry slam.

What is a Poetry Slam?

The simplest definition is 'performance poetry'. Just as much importance is placed on the performance as on the writing. No monotones allowed here, thank you very much (you won't get far if you just read your lines!) Poets need to not only focus on tweaking words to draw the reaction they want out of the reader; they also have to think about the 'what' - the content of the poem - and the 'how' - body language, inflection, and movements - to send the message.

Anyone who freaks out at the idea of public speaking is definitely NOT a suitable candidate! But for those who enjoy performance, it's a whole lot of fun. If you get to the end of the challenge, you could even give your bank balance a nice boost. (For example, in the 2009 NSW Poetry Slam, heat winners receive cash or a prize to the value of $100; the NSW state winner gets $500 and the runner-up $100 - and also get to compete in the national final.)

The overall winner will receive $5,000 and a place at the Ubud Readers & Writers Festival in 2010, including flights and accommodation. The overall runner-up will receive $500.There are plenty of writers who are used to speaking in public, and even more who have a background in amateur theatre.

That's the performance aspect... but...

How Does the Competition Work?

Basically, poets perform their work and are then judged by members of the audience - not EVERYONE in the audience, but those who are chosen by the organisers; usually five people. The selected judges are asked to give a score - usually between 1 and 10 - according to their opinion of the twin aspects of content and performance. in the first round, everyone who has entered gets to read their work. The judges get to decide who comes back for another shot in subsequent rounds.  Each poet gets three minutes to read a poem, and there are penalties for going over time.

Rules can vary slightly from one competition to another, but most stick to the rules developed by Poetry Slam Inc. However, a poetry slam is not for the faint-hearted. Think 'stand up comedy', where audiences are free to indicate approval or disapproval by booing, snapping fingers, foot stomping... and usually if an audience shows its disapproval strongly enough, the poet leaves the stage before finishing the reading.

What kind of poetry is read out? Just about anything! Love poems, social commentary, humorous routines... whatever you feel like writing and performing: any style, any subject. 

You can read more about Poetry Slam rules, procedure and competition dates at these sites:

UK: http://www.poetryslam.org.uk/bios.html
Canada: http://www.capitalslam.com/about/
Australia: http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/poetryslam/index.html
USA: http://www.poetryslam.com/


© Marg McAlister 2009