In simple words poetry slam refers to a form of competitive art by way of poetry performance. It lays emphasis on performance as well as writing skills of the poet, thereby encouraging poets pay attention to what is being recited and how it is being recited. In general it is a competition like event that gives aspiring poets a platform to showcase their work and talent to an audience. Poetry slam events are generally held weekly, bi-monthly or perhaps just once in a month, it is all based on the community of the given area. If the community has the strong support of the audience and a lot of enthusiastic participants coming in to perform in the area it is likely that slam event will take place more often in the area.
The judges are selected by the co-organizers or hosts from amongst the audience attending the event. These randomly selected judges are then instructed to rate the poet’s work on a scale of one to ten based on the performance and content of the poetry recited.
Those who wish to participate can get their names enrolled even on the day of the event at the venue. Prior enrollment would always be recommended since it is an open event based on a first come first served basis. Generally every person who enrolls himself is given an opportunity to perform in round one. The opportunity to perform in the subsequent rounds is purely based on the score of the judges and it is the judge’s vote that determines which poet they would like to hear more work from. •
Slam events are generally organized by enthusiastic poets with the motivation to cultivate the art of poetry in their respective communities. All the work is usually done voluntarily and the entry fee if any is used to keep the show going or to pay for any special guest performance held at the slam event.