October Poetry Slam, hosted by Últimas Palabras

Join us for a slam poetry competition on October 5, doors at 7pm, show at 8pm. Últimas Palabras is teaming up with Lost Generation to host a fun night of words, wisdom and wild poetry.

Últimas Palabras is a new poetry slam in DC, founded by Addy Lugo--your host.

Come out to the wonderful venue Lost Generation Brewing to watch some amazing spoken word poetry by artists in the DMV area. Doors will open at 7, signup by 7:30pm, Show starts at 8.

Tickets will be $18 at the door (no cash) and $15 in advance through Eventbrite. All ages will be admittable but a parent/guardian is recommended for ages 16 and below. There may be adult themes to poems and while the host issues a content warning at the beginning, poets will not be expected to provide individual trigger/content warnings.

SLAM RULES

The October Poetry Slam will consist of three rounds of original poetry. All competitors will be required to sign up by 7:30pm with the draw at 7:45pm. We will be taking up to 12 competitors in the first round, 7 in the second round, 3 in the final round. $200 dollars will be awarded for first place.

We will take 6 advanced sign ups with free entry (reach out to [email protected] for more details), otherwise the participants will be determined by a draw. SIGN UPS CLOSE AT 7:30.

All competitors will have 3 minutes for their piece in every round with a 10 second grace period, after which time penalties will take place. Once you reach 4:20 in time, you will be asked to leave the stage.

All scores will be rated from 0-10 with the highest and lowest scores dropped. EACH ROUND WILL BE CLEAN SLATE. In the event of a tie, a one minute round will be added as a tie breaker for the top 2.

All pieces must be original to the poet, there are no props, costumes, group pieces, or animal acts. Leadership also reserves the right to censor/disqualify poets who engage in any bigotted, racist, transphobic, homophobic, or any prejudicial language/rhetoric.

If you have questions about these rules, please email us at [email protected]

FEATURING WILL COOK

Will Cook is a multidisciplinary artist born and raised in the DMV. He entered the spoken word scene in 2022 and has spotlighted and featured for platforms in and around DC and Houston including Spit Dat, Pure Poetry Live and WAN Poetry. Will also hosts 3rd Wednesdays at Busboys and Poets at 450K.

An avid painter, Will is in the process of publishing The Cook Book: Where Recipes Meet Rhyme, the first ever culinary poetry collection. The Cook Book is Will’s debut poetry collection and includes original poems, recipes, and paintings showcasing decades of explorations in the kitchen. Will was also a member of the Rich Ink slam team when they placed 2nd in the nation at the 2025 SoFried Poetry Slam and was named SoFried Rookie of the Year.

Will runs the creative writing club at his school and believes in drawing inspiration from all aspects of life, switching from teaching the quadratic formula to extended metaphor. Will’s poetry often explores masculinity, vulnerability, and the injustices the working class faces within an oppressive system. Whether it’s in the kitchen, ink on a page, or performing on a stage, one thing is for certain: Will Cook will cook.