Live Poetry Slams!

Now Registering the November 7th Slam. The deadline for poetry registration is November 2nd.

Audience members/open mic - get your tickets on Eventbrite:

REGISTERED POETS (Order will be drawn at 7:30):

A Poet Named Superman, Charlotte, NC
Justin Blackburn, Asheville, NC
Blazin Annie, Anderson, SC
Sassy the Poet, Piedmont, SC
Asma Olajuwon, Greenville, SC
Southern Stylz, Spartanburg, SC
Bawston Massacre, 
Jahbu, Charlott, NC
Curtis Levon, Greenville/Charlotte

Cookie, Charlotte, NC

Nightengale, Elaine Hill

-

We are excited to welcome veteran and emerging poets. Poetry Slams are by invitation only since we are offering a discounted poet registration of just $12 (audience tickets are $20). Please see your Facebook messenger for your invitation or email witsendpoetrysc@gmail.com to request an invitation. You may be asked to provide a reference or a link to a video.

Wits End Poetry's mission is to mentor and grow Carolina poetry talent in order to help poets make a living as poets.  The poetry slam events do have a short open mic available for those with "audience tickets."

Poetry Slams take place on the first Saturday of each month at the Artistry Gallery at 12 Andrews Street. Limited to 12 poets. No waitlist. Preference goes to those who live in the Carolinas and Georgia. Poets scroll to the bottom of this page to see all the rules.

Cashapp $12 to $witsendpoetry with the words POET: "poet name." Only register if you have received a personal invitation or been approved by emailing witsendpoetrysc@gmail.com. 

Volunteer and Receive a Free Audience Ticket

Sign-up to be a volunteer at the poetry slam! . 

http://witsendpoetry.blogspot.com/p/volunteer.html

SLAMS BY MONTH

August: Fresh Out the Oven Slam

September: Say What Anniversary Poetry Slam

October: Annual Nerd Slam

November: Say What $200 Poetry Slam. November 7th

December: Say What $200 Poetry Slam

January: South Carolina New Year Regional Poetry Slam

February: Black History Month Slam

March: Say What $200 Poetry Slam

April: Queen of the South Regional Slam

May: King of the South Regional Slam. 

SLAM RULES

1. Bout draw is at 7:15pm by Slammaster.
2. 12 Poets. No Waiting List. No refunds.
3. This is a three-round poetry slam. 12-6-3 Cut.
4.  Cumulative first two rounds. Clean Slate for final-round.  To move to final round, we will take top three poets based on their cumulative score for first and second round. If there is a tie for second, we will just take those top three poets (1st place, two poets tied for second = three poets going to final round). (1st place, 2nd place, two poets tied for third = four poets going to final round etc)
5. No Tie for First. In the event that there is a tie for first, then each poet tied for first place will perform one additional poem. A coin flip will determine order. Judges will vote for the winner by writing down the name of the poet who they believe should win.

6. The Time Limit. 3:00 minute time limit. At 3:10:01 a time penalty will be assessed.  A poet is certainly allowed several full seconds to adjust the microphone and get settled, but as soon as s/he makes a connection with the audience (“Hey look, she’s been standing there for 10 seconds and hasn’t even moved”), the timekeeper can start the clock. After 3:00 minutes, there is a 10-second grace period (for example: (in the 3 minute rotation) up to and including 3:10:00). Starting at one hundredth of a second over the grace period, a penalty is automatically deducted  of .10 from the poet’s overall score. THE MC/BM MAY STOP THE POET AT 4:00 MINUTES.
6. Influencing the Crowd Before the Bout Begins. Poets are allowed to talk casually with anyone in the crowd before the bout begins (except the judges, if they have already been chosen). They are not, however, allowed to give anything to the audience or have anyone do this for them. See full PSI
 tournament rules for more information.
7. Black Phoenix is the slammaster. Please see our page What is Slam for full rules as well as below. Kimberly Simms will adjudicate any protests. 

Slam Rules

1) Poems can be on any subject and in any style.

2) Each poet must perform an original work that they have created.

3) No props. Generally, poets are allowed to use their given

environment and the accouterments it offers microphones, mic stands,

the stage itself, chairs on stage, a table or bar top, the aisle as long as

these accouterments are available to other competitors as well. The rule

concerning props is not intended to squelch the spontaneity,

unpredictability, or on-the-fly choreography that people love about the

slam; its intent is to keep the focus on the words rather than objects.

Refer to Section V (Definitions) for further clarification on what is and is

not a prop. Poets who inadvertently use a prop (for example, a timely yet

unwitting grab at a necklace) can be immediately penalized two points if

the MC of the bout deems the effect of the violation to have been

appreciable, but sufficiently lacking in specific intent. A formal protest

need not be lodged before the MC can penalize a poet in this way,

however, the decision of the MC can be appealed after the bout.

Individuals whose use of props in a poem appears to be more calculated

and the result of a specific intent to enhance, illustrate, underscore, or

otherwise augment the words of the poem will be given a retroactive

score for the poem equal to two points less than the lowest scoring

poem in that bout. This deduction, which can only be applied after a

formal protest has been lodged against the offending poet, will not be

made by the MC, but by the Protest Committee.

4) No musical instruments or pre-recorded music, a poem which

violates this rule will be assessed a score of zero.

5) No costumes. (Do not put on or take off clothing during bout)The Protest Committee may apply a two-point deduction for violation of the costume rule.

Summer Update

GREENVILLE: It's hard to believe that our last live show was on March 15th . . .  which seems like a life time ago. 

During this ever changing time, we ask that you follow us on Facebook.com/witsendpoetry or on Insta at www.instagram.com/witsendpoetry to get the most up to date information about our virtual offerings.

Poetry Murals: As we strive to find new avenues to shine a light on local Greenville poets, we have partnered with www.oneGVLarts.com to sponsor a series of social-equity inspired poetry murals featuring work by Jenice Pleasant, Moody Black, Mythe Mosley, Kimberly J Simms, and Glenis Redmond. Art was created by local muralists Adam Schrimmer and Alexa Ternes. List of Murals. More murals are in development. Please tag selfies #witsendpoetry #onegvlarts

Mural Survey: We would love your opinion about the need for public art in Greenville, particularly in regards to projects similar to the Spartanburg and Charlotte projects. TAKE THE SURVEY

Carolina Poets: As part of our virtual programming, we are offering a free Thursday night Facebook Live reading #PoetryGoesViral each week at 7:00 pm featuring poets from North and South Carolina who have recently released poetry books. http://www.facebook.com/CarolinaPoets Each reading is archived on the page for future enjoyment. This event was designed to support the many poets whose book tours were cancelled due to COVID-19.

Sunday Night Events: We are taking a break for July 5, 12, 19, but we will be back with a virtual slam on July 26th. You can find the archive of our past Live Stream Facebook open mics on www.facebook.com/witsendpoetry

Say What Monthly Slam: The last Sunday of each month, we will broadcast a poetry slam on Instagram and partially on Facebook. We will need judges for this event, and 10 poets can sign-up by direct messaging us on social media or emailing witsendpoetrysc@gmail.com. 

War of Words 2/21 Poetry Battles Hip Hop

TICKETS: https://warofwords.eventbrite.com

GREENVILLE: On Friday, February 21st at Red@28th, catch the War of Words: Poetry Battles Hip Hop Greenville Premiere featuring the top regional spoken word and hip hop artists with special musical guest Brad Keaton! Moody Black (Def Poet) brings his team of poets to battle lyrically with sympL (Project Lotus founder) and his team of emcees. Live audiences votes via app for winners!  Who will win this war of words!

DJ Countryfied on the ones and twos starting at 7:30 pm. Red@28th is located in the West Village at 1237 Pendleton Street, Greenville, SC 29611.

Buy Tickets on Eventbrite ($10-$20) or in person during the weekly Sunday night poetry show at Coffee Underground 7:30:  https://warofwords.eventbrite.com
For more information TEXT ONLY 864.436.0045 or email witsendpoetrysc@gmail.com.

Host, Def Poet and National Host of the Year, Moody Black says of the event, “Honored to be a part of an event where people can witness the power of expression from both genres.” The event is also an exciting way to showcase local African American Talent as part of the celebration of Black History Month.

Musical guest, Brad Keaton, whose "Full Circle" EP debuted at #4 on the Billboard for the Heatseekers Chart Southeast, is excited to headline for the show, “I can't wait to share the stage with so many amazing artists, all while promoting the incredible talent in the Upstate!  This show will be a lot of fun!”

Organizer and founder of Wits End Poetry, says of the flagship event, “While War of Words uses lighthearted competition to heighten the excitement, this will not be an off-the-cuff insult battle - performers will be bringing their A Game to the stage with a focus on lyricism.”

“I first heard about bringing Poetry and Hip Hop together from an event in Berlin,” says Kimberly. “It has now become a trend popping up in cities like Atlanta, New York, and LA, so we are thrilled to bring Word Wars: Poetry Battles Hip Hop to Greenville! Our mission is to bring the latest big city trends from across the nation to Greenville to inspire local audiences and artists.”

Highlights in the show include National Nerd Poem Champion Black Phoenix, SC Regional Slam Champion and local actor Dove Dupree, signed rapper Al Harris, Button poet and self-love activist Bittersweet, Selah BlaK Sol who has opened for WuTangClang, local singer-songwriter Jenice Pleasant, and the hilarious IamPicturesque (as seen on Write About Now).

Team Poetry Captain Moody Black with:
Dove Dupree, Bittersweet, I am Picturesque, Black Phoenix, and Jenice Pleasant.
vs.
Team Hip-Hop Captain SympL:
Selah Blak Sol, Semi, Al Harris, Tam the Viibe, DJ Countryfied

https://warofwords.eventbrite.com
$15 General Admission in ADVANCE - First come, first serve seating & standing room only
$20 Reserved Seating in ADVANCE -Guaranteed chair
$20 GENERAL ADMISSION at the door - Standing room only!
Discounted tickets can be purchased on Sunday nights at Coffee Underground in person at the theater box office during the regular weekly poetry show.
www.witsendpoetry.com

COMING SOON! SLAMMADNESS March 20-22, 2020

Slammadness Champion Cocoa Flo

Past Slammadness Champion Breeze


Founder of Slammadness and poet, Johnny C Weaver:

DJ Mr. Countryfied, Demallo Abrams:


Host Souf Chase: