2024-2025 SLAM SEASON
So you want to compete in a poetry slam at the Providence Poetry Slam?
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QUALIFYING SLAM #1
September 19th, 2024
8 poets → Top 3 advance to Semi-Final A -
QUALIFYING SLAM #2
October 17th, 2024
8 poets → Top 3 advance to Semi-Final A -
QUALIFYING SLAM #3
November 21st, 2024
8 poets → Top 3 advance to Semi-Final A -
SEMI-FINAL SLAM A
December 19th, 2024
9 poets → Top 4 advance to Grand Slam Finals -
QUALIFYING SLAM #4
January 16th, 2024
8 poets → Top 3 advance to Semi-Final A -
QUALIFYING SLAM #5
February 20th, 2024
8 poets → Top 3 advance to Semi-Final A -
QUALIFYING SLAM #6
March 20th, 2024
8 poets → Top 3 advance to Semi-Final A -
SEMI-FINAL SLAM B
April 3rd, 2024
9 poets → Top 4 advance to Grand Slam Finals -
GRAND SLAM FINALS
April 17th, 2024
8 poets → Top 5 make the 2025 Providence Slam Team
HOW WE RUN SLAMS AT PROVSLAM
WHAT IS A POETRY SLAM?
A poetry slam is a literary competition in which poets perform their own original work without props, costumes, or musical accompaniment.
In a Qualifying Slam, anyone can sign up to compete as long as they have 2 original poems — no prior experience necessary!
HOW MUCH TIME DO I HAVE?
For most slams, poets must perform within 3 minutes + 10 seconds. There’s a time penalty of -0.5 for every 10 seconds over.
Time begins the second a poet engages the audience*. If you wave, if you wink, if you say “hi!” — your time has started! Tip: time yourself beforehand!
*If you elect to offer a content warning in good faith before your poem, this will not count toward your time.
HOW IS A POETRY SLAM JUDGED?
We select 5 random judges from the audience who don’t know any competing poets. After that, it’s really based up to the judge’s taste. Some audiences are even vocal in their attempts to sway a judge!
Judges score each poem from 0.0 to 10.0. We drop the lowest + highest scores to get the cumulative total — the highest score a poem can get is 30.0!
WHAT DO WE COMPETE FOR?
At a Qualifying Slam, the top 3 scoring poets advance to a Semi-Final Slam. First place receives a modest cash prize.
At a Semi-Final Slam, the top 4 scoring poets advance to Grand Slam Finals.
At Grand Slam Finals, the top 5 poets form the Providence Poetry Slam Team. 1st place is named Grand Slam Champion.
WHY POETRY SLAM?
The point isn’t the points, it’s the poetry! Poetry slams are lively, electric competitions — a fast-paced, high-energy method to get community members in a room excited to celebrate performance poetry.
At times, the competition can seem antithetical to poetry. It can feel frustrating, disappointing + even disheartening. However, it can also be a way to convene people for innovative storytelling with an eye toward justice + liberation.
At its best, poetry slam provides a structure for everyone to have a stake in their community’s art: Poets who speak their truths + bare their hearts out. Judges who take up the challenge of assigning numbers to poems. Audiences who listen, cheer + respond. Volunteer staff who manage the door, host the show, keep score or time, + bridge conversations.
Originating in the Black art form of spoken word, poetry slam competitions started in working class Chicago bars as a way to reclaim poetry from elite institutions. The Providence Poetry Slam was co-founded in 1992 by Patricia Smith + we aim to honor our legacy. We know that poetry belongs to the people!
QUALIFYING SLAMS #1-6
DATES
2024: September 19th, October 17th, November 21st
2025: January 16th, February 20th, March 20th
OVERVIEW
Qualifying Slams are capped at 8 poets — sign-ups fill up fast!
To compete, you must have at least 2 original poems.
There is an elimination between Rounds 1 + 2.
ROUND 1
All 8 poets compete. Order is determined by a random draw.
Before the first competing poet goes up, a sacrificial poet performs. They are scored to help “calibrate” the five judges, but this poet is not actually in the competition.
We always need a sacrificial poet, so let us know if you want to volunteer as tribute!
ROUND 2
The top 5 scoring poets from Round 1 advance to Round 2. The other 3 poets are eliminated — they’re welcome to compete again in future Qualifying Slams!
Remaining 5 poets compete. Order is determined by Round 1 scores high-to-low. (ex. Highest scoring poet of Round 1 goes up first in Round 2)
The top 3 cumulative scoring poets of the night advance to a Semi-Finals Slam. First place wins a modest cash prize!
SEMI-FINAL SLAM A + B
SEMI-FINAL A: DECEMBER 19TH, 2024
9 poets compete — the top 3 poets, respectively, from Qualifying Slams #1: September 19th, #2: October 17th + #3: November 21st.
Top 4 poets of the night advance to Grand Slam Finals!
Poets who do not advance are welcome to try again in Qualifing Slams #4-6 for a spot in Semi-Final B!
SEMI-FINAL B: APRIL 3RD, 2025
9 poets compete — the top 3 poets, respectively, from Qualifying Slams #4: January 16th, #5: February 20th + #6: March 20th.
Top 4 poets of the night advance to Grand Slam Finals!
By the end, we will have our final 8 competing poets for Grand Slam Finals on April 17th!
PROVIDENCE GRAND SLAM FINALS
GRAND SLAM FINALS: APRIL 17TH, 2024
8 poets compete at Providence Grand Slam Finals — the top 4 scoring poets, respectively, from Semi-Finals A + B.
Top 5 poets become the 2025 Providence Slam Team! First place is named 2025 Providence Grand Slam Champion!
2025 PROVIDENCE POETRY SLAM TEAM
WHAT DOES THE SLAM TEAM DO?
Coached by veteran poets in our community, the team will meet for practice: building camaraderie, exploring personal goals, writing individual + group poems, + sharpening performance skills. Most of this happens in person May to September.
Practices are usually weekly or bi-weekly. It’s highly recommended that team members remain local to the area for a majority of the summer, especially so they can compete in regional slams leading up to NorthBeast.
The team competes against other teams at the 2025 NorthBeast Regional Poetry Slam + Festival, typically held in Boston, MA in July. (We won 1st place in 2023!)
The 2025 Providence Slam Team will serve as the first feature of the 2025-2026 ProvSlam season in September 2025!