Come join us to see who makes it to the next round of our Cuba Trip Poetry Slam! For two hours, audiences will watch as 12 poets compete for an all inclusive 5 day trip to the 31st International Book Fair in Havana, Cuba.
Enjoy two rounds of high-intensity poetry, with the audience choosing a winner.
This is an opportunity for poetry lovers to enjoy the competitive art of late-night performance poetry!
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$5.00 + Tax and fees online. $8.00 (tax and fees included) at the door!
For more
Slam Qualifications
Please consider the following requirements below before registering for the slam. If you cannot meet any of the following requirements, you are unfortunately not eligible to qualify for the slam.
In the case of possibly advancing to the final round, participants should be available for the following dates and times:
- First Round: December 17th | 7:00 pm-9:00 pm EST | Anacostia Busboys and Poets
- Final Stage: Early January - Date, And TimeTBD | Embassy of Cuba
Trip to Cuba:
- The winner of the final stage will be given an all-inclusive trip (one person) to Havana Cuba February 8-13, 2023, for the 31st International Book Fair. The experience will be provided courtesy of Busboys and Poets. . For more information about the trip, please visit BusboysandPoets.com/Cuba2023
- The winner will also be given the opportunity to perform in Havanna.
- Must be 18 and older to compete
- Valid Passport needed by January 2nd, 2023. Must be valid through March 2023
Interested in competing? Register here!
Cuba Trip Poetry Slam Rules
Poetry Competition Structure:
First Round: December 17th | 7:00pm-9:00pm EST | Busboys and Poets Anacostia
- A maximum of 10 pre-registered poets will compete
- 2 Rounds: 3-minute (or less) poems
- Cumulative score from first and second round determines winner
- Top 4-6 poets will advance to the 2nd round
Finals: Early January, date and time TBD | Embassy of Cuba
- Top 4-6 Poets from round 2 will compete
- 3 Rounds: 3-minute (or less) poems
-The cumulative score from ALL 3 rounds determines winner
-1st place winner, wins All Inclusive Paid trip to Cuba!
-2nd place: $150
-3rd place: $100
Poems and Performance:
- Poems can be on any subject and in any style.
- Each poet must perform the work that they have created.
- No props. Generally, poets are allowed to use their given environment and the accouterments it offers, such as microphones, mic stands, the stage itself, chairs on stage, a table or bar top, and the aisle as long as these accouterments are available to other competitors as well. Individuals whose use of props in a poem appears to be more calculated and the result of a specific intent to enhance, illustrate, underscore, or otherwise augment the words of the poem will have 2 points deducted from their score. This deduction, which can only be applied after a formal protest has been lodged against the offending poet, will not be made by the MC.
- No musical instruments or pre-recorded music, a poem that violates this rule will be assessed a score of zero.
Repeat Rule:
- A single poem performed during preliminary round may be repeated on finals. The final time limit of 3 minutes per round with a 20-second grace period will still apply.
The Time Limit
- No performance should last longer than the time limit specified for the rotation. Time begins when the performance begins, which may be before the first utterance is made. A poet is certainly allowed several full seconds to adjust the microphone and get settled, but as soon as they make a connection with the audience (“Hey look, she’s been standing there for 10 seconds and hasn’t even moved”), the timekeeper can start the clock. The poet does not have an unlimited amount of “mime time.” Poets with ambiguous beginnings and endings to their performances should seek out the timekeeper at each venue to settle on a starting & ending time. After 3:00 minutes, there is a 10-second grace period (for example: (in the 3-minute rotation) up to and including 3:10:00). Starting at one-hundredth of a second over the grace period, a penalty is automatically deducted from each poet’s overall score according to the following schedule: Where x is the time limit for the rotation:
- 3:10 and under no penalty
- 3:10:01 - 3:20 -05
- 3:20:01 - 3:30 -1.0
- and so on [-0.5 for every 10 seconds over]
Judging
- All efforts shall be made to select five judges who will be fair. Competing poets and any persons who are associated with a specific poet or group of poets are not eligible to judge.
- Once chosen, the judges will:
1) be given a set of printed instructions on how to judge a poetry slam,
2) have a private, verbal crash course by the MC or Bout Manager on the art of poetry slam judging (where they can ask questions)
3) hear the standardized Official MC Spiel, which, among other things, will apprise the audience of their own responsibilities as well as remind the judges of theirs.
Scoring
- The judges will give each poem a score from 0 to 10, with 10 being the highest or “perfect” score. They will be encouraged to use 1 decimal place in order to preclude the likelihood of a tie. Each poem will get five scores. The high and the low scores will be dropped and the remaining three scores will be added together.
