Women's History Month Poetry Slam

Join Últimas Palabras, a DC Poetry Slam for a slam poetry competition and open mic to celebrate Women's History Month on March 9, doors at 7pm, sign up by 7:30, and slam starts at 8pm.

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

While we will allow anyone to sign up, we hope to prioritize and feature voices of those identifying as women or nonbinary. We're celebrating women but the poems do not have to have a specific theme.

Doors will open at 7, signup by 7:30pm, Show starts at 8.

Tickets will be $15 at the door (no cash) and $12 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.

OPEN MIC RULES

If you'd like to read but would not like to compete, please sign up at the door before 7:30pm. We will guarantee 5 slots. If more than 5 people sign up, we will do a random draw of who will be performing. You will also have the chance to be the calibration/sacrificial poet for the Slam. You will have 4 minutes to perform your piece (please try to limit it to one work, unless they are very short poems). If you enter the open mic, you will not be eligible for the slam.

SLAM RULES

The 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 10 competitors in the first round, 5 in the second round, 3 in the final round. $200 dollars will be awarded for first place.

We will take 5 advanced sign ups with a code for a discounted ticket (reach out to [email protected] for more details), otherwise you have to sign up at the door.

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 prejudicial speak.

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

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Host or Publisher Últimas Palabras, a DC Poetry Slam