• To compete in this competition, you must be a teen! (ages 13-19)
• Register and compete in one of three Preliminary Bouts
  • Lowell, MA: April 3rd
  • Boston, MA : April 10th
  • Worcester, MA: April 25th
• The top 4 poets from each Preliminary Bout will go on to compete in the Individual Slam Finals on May 5th, during the Festival
• We will have a Last Chance Slam on Saturday, May 4th, 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 6 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 Washington D.C. to compete on July 17th – 21st.

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.

In partnership with The Lowell Poetry Wheel, Mass Poetry will be hosting a Preliminary Round for our Individual Poetry Slam on Wednesday, April 3rd from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM at Coffee and Cotton (250 Jackson Street 4th Floor, Lowell MA, 01852). The top four poets in this slam will win a cash prize of $50. This is a Preliminary event, meaning that the top four winners of this slam will go on to compete in the Individual Slam Finals on May 5th from 5:00 – 8:00 PM at Mass Poetry’s Teen Spoken Word Festival in Boston’s Seaport District. The top six poets of the Individual Slam Finals will then form Mass Poetry’s Slam Team, competing at the Brave New Voices Festival (BNV) in Washington, D.C. on July 17th – 21st. 

Please note: The purpose of registration is to ensure you are eligible and aware of the full commitment of this preliminary slam. Participation in the slam is still first come, first serve, so we recommend you arrive early to ensure your spot!

In partnership with the Boston Public Library, Mass Poetry will be hosting a Preliminary Round for our Individual Poetry Slam on Wednesday, April 10th from 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM at the Boston Public Library – Central Branch in the Orientation Room (700 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02116). The top four poets in this slam will win a cash prize of $50. This is a Preliminary event, meaning that the top four winners of this slam will go on to compete in the Individual Slam Finals on May 5th from 5:00 – 8:00 PM at Mass Poetry’s Teen Spoken Word Festival in Boston’s Seaport District. The top six poets of the Individual Slam Finals will then form Mass Poetry’s Slam Team, competing at the Brave New Voices Festival (BNV) in Washington, D.C. on July 17th – 21st.

Please note: The purpose of registration is to ensure you are eligible and aware of the full commitment of this preliminary slam. Participation in the slam is still first come, first serve, so we recommend you arrive early to ensure your spot!

In partnership with the City of Worcester, BrujaTheVillain and The White Room, Mass Poetry will be hosting a Preliminary Round for our Individual Poetry Slam on Thursday, April 25th from 6:30-8:30pm at the White Room (138 Green St, Worcester, MA 01604). The top four poets in this slam will win a cash prize of $50. This is a Preliminary event, meaning that the top four winners of this slam will go on to compete in the Individual Slam Finals on May 5th from 5:00 – 8:00 PM at Mass Poetry’s Teen Spoken Word Festival in Boston’s Seaport District. The top six poets of the Individual Slam Finals will then form Mass Poetry’s Slam Team, competing at the Brave New Voices Festival (BNV) in Washington, D.C. on July 17th – 21st. 

Please note: The purpose of registration is to ensure you are eligible and aware of the full commitment of this preliminary slam. Participation in the slam is still first come, first serve, so we recommend you arrive early to ensure your spot!

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. The deadline to register a Slam Team is Friday, April 12th. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Mass Poetry Director of Programming, Crystal Valentine, at crystal@masspoetry.org.

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.

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, April 6th from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM at Mass Poetry’s GrubStreet Location (50 Liberty Drive, Boston MA 02210).