Individual Slam
This year’s Individual Slam Finals took place on Sunday, March 16th. A huge congratulations to our winners and members of the BNV team: Maria, Voula, Parker, Preston, Veronika, and Natalie, and a heartfelt appreciation to all the brave poets who shared their voices on stage. Our Indie slam qualifiers competed in one of three Preliminary Bouts held across Massachusetts in February and March. Special thanks to the City of Worcester, Lowell Poetry Slam, and Trident Bookstore and Cafe for hosting our individual preliminary slams.
The Individual Slam Competition served as a qualifier for the Mass Poetry Youth Slam Team, where our dynamic team will hone their writing, performance, and slam skills over the summer. They will also compete at Brave New Voices (BNV)—an international youth poetry slam festival—held in Madison, Wisconsin, from July 16–20, 2025.
Individual Teen Poetry Slam Breakdown Rules
- To compete in this competition, you must be a teen! (ages 13-19)
- Register and compete in one of three Preliminary Bouts
- Worcester, MA: February 11, 2025
- Boston, MA: February 25, 2025
- Lowell, MA: March 2025
- The top 4 poets from each Preliminary Bout will go on to compete in the Individual Slam Finals on March 16th, during the Festival
- We will have a Last Chance Slam in the morning of, March 16th, during the Festival, and the winner will advance to the Individual Slam Finals
- During the Individual Slam Finals, 13 poets (the top 4 of each Prelim and the Last Chance Slam winner) will compete in two rounds of slam and the top 5 poets will form the Mass Poetry Brave New Voices Team
- The Mass Poetry team will meet weekly leading up to the Brave New Voices Festival and the team will have an all expense paid trip to Brave New Voices. The 2025 Brave New Voices Festival will be held in Madison, Wisconsin, from July 16-19, 2025.
For more details about the Individual Slam Rules and Requirements, check out the Individual Slam Rules Page. You can also reach Mass Poetry Director of Programming, Crystal Valentine, at crystal@masspoetry.org.
Individual Teen Poetry Slam: Worcester Edition
Date: February 11, 2025
Time: 6:00 – 9:00 PM
Doors Open: 5:30 PM | Slam Signups: 5:45 PM
Venue: The White Room
Address: 138 Green St, Worcester, MA 01604
Join us at the Worcester Preliminary Individual Slam on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, from 6:00 – 9:00 PM at The White Room! Check out this link for more details about the Slam timeline and qualifications.
If you are a teen poet that would like to slam, register here.
Individual Teen Poetry Slam: Boston Edition
Date: February 25, 2025
Time: 5:00 – 7:30 PM
Doors Open: 5:00 PM | Slam Signups: 5:15 PM
Venue: Trident Booksellers & Cafe
Address: 338 Newbury St, Boston, MA 02115
Join us at the Boston Preliminary Individual Slam on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, from 5:00 – 7:30 PM at Trident Booksellers & Cafe! Check out this link for more details about the Slam timeline and qualifications.
If you are a teen poet that would like to slam, register here.
Individual Teen Poetry Slam: Lowell Edition
Date: Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Time: 6:00 – 9:00 PM
Slam Signups: 6:00 PM
Venue: Dragonfly Cafe
Address: 165 Thorndike St #1001, Lowell, MA 01852
Join us at the Lowell Preliminary Individual Slam on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, from 6:00 – 9:00 PM at Dragonfly Cafe! Check out this link for more details about the Slam timeline and qualifications.
If you are a teen poet that would like to slam, register here.
Team Slam
On Saturday, March 15th, we will be hosting a full day Team Slam Competition, with several Preliminary Bouts happening in the morning and afternoon, and Finals in the evening. Our Team Slam is a one-off event: there are no qualifying rounds leading up to the Festival and there are no next steps. After Finals on Saturday evening, we will announce our winning team and that will be that!
Team Slam Registration
Registration is first come first serve, and there is a registration fee of $100. If this fee is a barrier for your team to compete, please let us know and we can offer a reduced fee, or waive the registration fee if needed. Teams that are choosing to stay at the offered hotel with the discounted rates will have the $100 registration fee waived. The deadline to register a Slam Team is Friday, February 14th. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Mass Poetry Director of Programming, Crystal Valentine, at crystal@masspoetry.org.
Team Slam Rules
To compete as a team, you just need 4-6 poets and 6 poems, including one group piece. That’s it! For more information and details on how our Team Slam is going to work and what you’re going to need, check out our Team Slam Rules.
First Breath: Team Slam Lead-Up Event
Although there are no team competitions leading up to the festival, we will be hosting “First Breath,” a day of non-competitive activities, workshops, and performance. Just like the importance of pausing to breathe before performing a poem, we want to emphasize the importance of taking time to connect with each other before engaging in competition. First Breath will take place on Saturday, February 8th from 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM at Mass Poetry’s GrubStreet Location (50 Liberty Drive, Boston MA 02210).