Black History Month Poetry Slam

Black History Month Poetry Slam

Date and Time

Feb 17, 2024 7:00 pm

Location

Anacostia

2004 Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE, Washington, District of Columbia, 20020

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Description:

A poetry slam is a competitive event in which poets perform their work and are judged by members of the audience. Typically, the host or another organizer selects the judges, who are instructed to give numerical scores (on a zero to 10 or one to 10 scale) based on the poets' content and performance.

This is an opportunity for poetry lovers to enjoy the competitive art of late-night performance poetry!

Enjoy two rounds of high intensity poetry, with the audience choosing a winner.

$5.00 + Tax and fees online. $8.00 (tax and fees included) at the door !

1st Place Winner Takes ALL - $100

The Rules:

  • Slammers must arrive 30 minutes prior to the show. We will randomly select the order of the slam through a draw.
  • Each poem must be of the poet’s own construction.
  • Each poet gets 3 minutes 30 second (plus a ten-second grace period) to read one poem; if the poet goes over, points will be deducted from the total score.
  • A poet’s time begins as soon as they say anything on stage or engage the audience in any way.
  • The poet may NOT use props, costumes, or musical instruments. This includes the removal of clothing.
  • The poem can only be performed by one person.
  • Poets ARE allowed to read from paper and electronic devices such as laptops or cell phones. There will be no point penalty assessed unless it’s used as a PROP (as outlined above).
  • 6 Competitors will be eliminated after the 1st round

**** Strongly Encouraged Themes for Poems: Black Joy, Black Liberation, Black History, Black Future.****

$100.00 cash prize.

$5.00 + Tax and fees online. $8.00 (tax and fees included) at the door !

HOSTED BY: MALACHI BYRD

You won’t get five minutes into a conversation with Malachi Byrd, without hearing about Washington, D.C. An author, teacher, songwriter, and arts advocate from the district, Malachi believes superpowers exist in creative writing. An African-American Studies graduate from Princeton University, MalPractice gets his name from his commitment to mastering his crafts, and staying ready so he never has to get ready. If you follow performing arts in D.C., you’ve probably seen Practice rapping, laughing, and hugging everyone in the room. He often asks, art is made of healing properties, so why not use them?       

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