Everything a slam poet knows to be true

About four years ago, I watched Sarah Kay’s TED talk/spoken word poem and my life was forever changed.  I of course continued how most slam poets do: by watching endless hours of Button Poetry videos on YouTube. I eventually found out about the my local slam scene, and just last week, I had the honor of going to the week-long National Poetry Slam in Decatur, Georgia. But whether or not you’ve been to a national or regional competition, there are a few things you know to be true if you’ve ever participated in a poetry slam:

You’ve definitely fought the urge to throw down impromptu poetry to teach someone a lesson

When someone is embodying a problematic part of society that either you or someone else has addressed in a poem, you may or may not quickly pull up said poem on YouTube and show it to said irritating person, because let’s be real, nothing can say it better than poetry.

You are absolutely free to be who you are

It’s hard to find a space where a queer, trans, black woman can talk about her previous suicide attempts and feel completely safe. But the slam community is one of the most inclusive ones out there. Once you get up to that mic, the world melts away and it’s just you and your heart, letting your story pour out. And not only will you feel safe, but also far from alone. We’re all writing for a reason, right?

“The points are not the point, the point is poetry”

Allan Wolf, slam master of the 1994 National Poetry Slam said it best. Yes, the poetry slam is a competition invented in the 1980s by a Chicago construction worker named Marc Smith in which performed poetry is judged by five members of the audience. But really, it’s all a gimmick.

Poetry slams aren’t about the competition. They’re about getting people to listen to poetry, and it happens to be in the coolest way possible. And of course, the only way to lose a poetry slam is if you walk away without your heart having been ripped to shreds and then promptly patched back together. Which means it is basically impossible to lose, unless you just don’t have a heart.

You are now a master at public speaking

The first time you stepped up to the mic and read your poetry off of an embarrassingly tremulous piece of paper, it felt like one of the bravest things you’ve ever done. But now, you step up to that mic with confidence.

But this doesn’t mean that reading ~new shit~ doesn’t absolutely terrify you and leave you with random parts of your body shaking as you sit down afterwards.

The pictures are worthy of a Sports Illustrated cover

You know those intensely emotional pictures of athletes after big wins or losses, like Brandi Chastain’s post-World Cup shirt rip-off or the iconic Miracle on Ice? Yeah, slam poetry can get even more emotional than that, so pictures of your performances can be pretty epic. Slam poets pour their heart and soul into their performance, and anyone in the audience can feel it in the goosebumps on their arms long after the poem is done.

Famous poets are actually celebrities to you

If you are in the same room as Toaster Henderson or Theresa Davis, you’re probably going to lose your shit.

And if you have the privilege of hearing them speak live, you will probably feel inclined to approach them after their reading and blurt out something like, “Thank you for existing and you are my personal hero and your poems are the best thing to ever bless my ears,” or… something.  

Your first regional or national competition was/will be the most mind-blowing occasion of your life

The first time you go to a competition that’s bigger than your local slam, your brain might not be fully capable of processing the experience for at least a few days. Not only will you probably be in the same room as Toaster Henderson or Theresa Davis, but also hundreds of other poets, potentially from across the country, bringing their best work and probably (definitely) bringing you to tears.

And there is nothing more inspiring – you’ll want to go home and immediately write the seventeen poems that you were moved to think of while your heart was relentlessly ripped open and reminded of all its own beautiful stories inside. And the world beseeches you to do so.

(Beseech!)