Big Cheese Poetry Slam July 2026
Schedule
Tue Jul 28 2026 at 06:30 pm to 09:00 pm
UTC-05:00Location
Zhou B Art Center | Chicago, IL
About this Event
Welcome to a new way to experience poetry: The Big Cheese Poetry Slam!! π§π§π§
On the Last Tuesday of the Month, we will have up to 16 poets share their ORIGINAL work with us in front of a live audience with five randomly selected judges. They will score each poet on a scale of 0.0 to 10.0. We drop the high and the low scores, add up the middle, and that total determines the 5 poets who will make it into the Second Round.
After a brief intermission, our Top 5 return to the mic. Their second-round scores are added to their first-round totals, and by the end of the night, we will crown our Top 3 Poets of the Month!!
The Big Cheese Poetry Slam does things a little differently than a standard open mic or literary journal. This isn't a showcase, this is a competition with compensation! In a literary landscape where payment can be ten cents a word for a poem, Big Cheese Poetry centers the labor poets pour into their craft. Our Top 3 poets receive:
- Publication in the annual Big Cheese Poetry Anthology
- Contributor honorariums (aka prizes money) to honor the work behind the words
- And, of course, bragging rights for the month
Prizes
π₯ Third Place: $25
π₯ Second Place: $50
π₯ First Place: $100
Watch the metaphors fly and buy your ticket now!
(No tickets sold at Door.)
Where is it happening?
Zhou B Art Center, 1029 West 35th Street, Chicago, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 10.00 to USD 20.00











