2021 King of the South

 Sunday, May 23rd, 2021. Radio Room. 110 Poinsett Hwy, Greenville, SC.

AUDIENCES  Buy your advance, reserved seating on Eventbrite: $15 General Admission

The historical, original all-male poetry slam held in Greenville South Carolina! Don't miss the top male poets of the southeast region showcase their power and spoken word skills! HOST  Moody Black

Bout Manager Black Phoenix.

REGISTRATION FOR POETS IS OPEN!

Registration is $15 via PayPal or via Cashapp. Cashapp your poet name & city to $witsendpoetry or use this Paypal button:

Poet Name

REGISTERED POETS: Order will be randomly drawn on the night.

Tournament rules:
1. Prize Money: 1st $300  2nd $100
Top 3 poets will have the title, "King of the South Finalist"
2. Bout draw is at 7:15pm
If you are late for the draw, you will automatically be the 1st poet in the slam!
3. We are only taking 10 poets. No Waiting List. Cancellations must occur by 5/20 in order to receive a refund.
4. No Tie for First. In the event that there is a tie for first after the third round, then each poet tied for first will perform one additional poem. A coin flip will determine the order. Judges will vote for the winner by writing down the name of the poet who they believe should win.
5. Three Round Poetry Slam. 10-6-3. First two rounds are cumulative. Final round is clean slate. Order will be high to low for second round. Final round will be redrawn for order.
6. The Time Limit. 3:00 minute time limit. 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.
7. 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.

PSI Rules

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

2) Each poet must perform 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 ED.

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. No nudity.

2021 Queen of the South Slam

April 18th. Queen of the South Slam. $400 in prize money! Host Kimberly Simms. Invitational Poetry Slam featuring the top 10 female poets in the South East. To finish National Poetry Month with a magical bang - don't miss this exciting high-energy poetry slam which will spotlight emerging and veteran poetic artists who identify as women from across four states. This event, founded in Greenville by Kimberly Simms, inspired the creation of the national WOWps. Registration is open.

Radio Room. 110 Poinsett Hwy. Greenville, SC.

BUY TICKETS FOR AUDIENCE 

Scroll down to register and for tournament rules. 

$400 in Prizes

Registered Poets:

Shane Manier of Charlotte, NC
Sassy the Poet of Laurens

Shay Black of Greenville

Jenice Pleasant of Greenville

Asma Olajuwon of Rock Hill

Queen After Dark of Sumter

Starry Lail of Greenville

Carol G Superstar of Greenville
Casy Johnson of Greenville

Poets should arrive by 7:00 pm for the draw to determine the order. 

Qualifications to sign-up to compete: 1. Over 21 years old 2. Identify as women 3. Have participated in a past WEP/SoFried event or referred by a slammaster 4. In good standing with WEP 

PAYMENT: Use paypal or CASHAPP $WITSENDPOETRY with your poet name. Please email or FB messenger us your poet name, social media, and city of residence as we will make e-fliers for each poet competing. witsendpoetrysc@gmail.comk

Poet Name

Please pay via Paypal and be sure to include your poet name as a note. Or CashAPP $witsendpoetry
Email witsendpoetrysc@gmail.com

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY

If you are interested in helping with this event, we need timers, scorekeepers, and ushers. Please sign-up online at OR email witsendpoetrysc@gmail.com.

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

Queen of the South Rules

• The first two rounds of the competition are cumulative with the first round featuring 10 poets then cutting down to 6. The final round will feature only the top 4 poets and will be a clean slate. Standard tournament slam rules apply. Prop, plagiarism or costume violations will result in [-2 ] points from the score for that round. There will not be a tiebreaker round, rather prize money will be split in the event of a tie for first. If there is a tie during preliminary rounds, up to one additional poet may advance in some cases. Poets should bring at least 3 poems. Poems do not need to be memorized but memorization will help your score. Learn more about slam at http://www.witsendpoetry.com/whatisslam.html. 

The historical annual all-women poetry slam held in Greenville South Carolina celebrates 10 years of providing a platform where the women in the southeastern region showcase their power and spoken word skills! This event was conceived in 2005 and led to the formation of the Women of the World Slam.

Questions email witsendpoetrysc@gmail.com.

First Prize $250
Second Prize $100
Third Prize $50

In the event of a tie, the two champions will each receive $175.
And the 2nd place will receive $50. (With no 3rd place).

Standard tournament rules:
1. No costumes. You may not remove clothing items during your performance.
2. No props. You can not refer to an object during your performance. (mention earrings and pull on your earrings).
3. No musical accompaniment. You can sing but you can not use a musical instrument.
4. 3: 00-minute time limit. Points deducted for going over.
Tips for slamming: http://www.witsendpoetry.com/whatisslam.html

INVITATIONAL NOTES:
The Queen of the South Slam is a showcase of the top emerging and veteran female voices in the Southeast. Poets may be nominated by a slammaster or have participated in a previous Wits End Event to qualify if they are over 21 and in good standing with WEP.

Black History Month Poetry Slam at Radio Room

 

On February 21st at 7:30, Wits End Poetry will host its annual Say What Black History Month Slam at the Radio Room in Greenville, SC at 110 Poinsett Hwy! With Host Moody Black! The first prize is $200! We are excited to welcome veteran and emerging poets. 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."

We will be at the Radio Room the third Sunday of the month through May. 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 slammed at a Wits End slam during 2019/2020 or have been approved by messaging Moody Black, or Kimberly Simms on FB messenger or emailing witsendpoetrysc@gmail.com. Open Mic is also available.

Competing Poets (Order will be drawn at Bout Draw)

1. Jenice Pleasant

2. Shay Black

3. Black Phoenix

4. Azar King

5. Sassy the Poet

Pending

6. Kendra Yates

7. Jahbu of Charlotte

8. Selah of Greenwood

9. Johnny C Weaver of Spartanburg

10. Mythman  Mosley

11.

12.

Volunteer and Receive a Free Audience Ticket

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

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

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 .5 from the poet’s overall score, and an additional .5 is deducted for each additional 10 seconds. 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.

Live Poetry Slams!

Congratulations to Curtis Levon who won the November Carolina Regional Poetry Slam!

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.