Queen of the South Poetry Slam

Queen of the South

Women's Poetry Slam 

November 15th | 7:30 PM | Greenville, SC

$500 in Total Prize Money ($350 First Prize, $100 Second Prize, $50 Third Prize)
Audience Tickets: https://26queenslam.eventbrite.com

About the Tournament

Welcome to the 21st Annual Queen of the South Slam in Greenville, South Carolina! Founded by Kimberly Simms, this historic event inspired the creation of the national Women of the World Poetry Slam (WOWps). This is an invitational poetry slam featuring the top emerging and veteran female and non-binary spoken word artists across the Southeast.

Host: Kimberly Simms!

Location: 1 E. Coffee St., Greenville, SC 29601



Tickets & Poet Registration

Audience Tickets: Available via Eventbrite.

Poet Registration Fee: $15 (Pay via PayPal below or CashApp to $witsendpoetry). No refunds. No waiting list.


Registered Poets List

  1. Shay Black
  2. Sahn the Poet
  3. x
  4. x
  5. x
  6. x
  7. x
  8. x
  9. x
  10. x

Volunteers Needed

Volunteers will receive a free audience ticket! Sign up on our Volunteer Page.

Queen of the South Slam Rules

  1. Eligibility: Poets can self-identify as "femme", "woman", or "non-binary." Must be over 21, nominated by a slammaster or Kimberly Simms, and in good standing with Wits End Poetry.
  2. Tournament Format: Bout draw is at 7:15 PM. 10 poets max (up to 11 in round one). Three-round cumulative poetry slam (10 poets → cut to 6 → final round cut to 3 with a clean slate). Bring at least 3 poems. Memorization is encouraged for higher scores. Learn more about slam rules. First Prize $350, Second Prize $100, Third Prize $50. Not tie breaker round. If poets tie for first, then two poets may opt to share title and each get $225. Or judges can vote on a winnner. Standard PSI tournament rules apply.
  3. Time Limit: 3-minute time limit with a 10-second grace period (up to 3:10:00). A penalty of 0.5 points is deducted starting at one-hundredth of a second over the grace period, with an additional 0.5 deducted for every 10 seconds following. Staff may stop poets at 4:00 minutes.
  4. Audience Interaction: Poets may talk casually with crowd members before the bout begins (excluding judges), but cannot hand anything to the audience.
  5. Standard Poetry Slam Guidelines:
    • Original work created by the performing poet only.
    • No props (strict penalties apply; see full PSI definitions).
    • No musical instruments or pre-recorded music (score of zero for violations).
    • No costumes (do not put on or take off clothing during the performance; 2-point penalty).
  6. Adjudication: Kimberly Simms (formerly on the Executive Council of Poetry Slam Inc.) will adjudicate any protests.

Questions? Email witsendpoetrysc@gmail.com

Contact Kimberly Simms or ShAy Black for more information.