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Autumn Echo stops by the WRFA studio to discuss the 2018 National Win & You’re In Poetry Slam competition in Jamestown.

On Saturday, Feb. 24, performance poetry will reach a new height in Jamestown, NY.

Pulse Poetry Slam has been invited to host the 2018 National Win & You’re In Poetry Slam, a qualifier event for poetry slam teams in this region of the US. Poetry slam teams representing Buffalo, NY, Pittsburgh, PA, Columbus, OH, and Cleveland, OH will travel to Jamestown to participate in this event, which will decide which teams will have a spot to compete in the 2018 National Poetry Slam, hosted in Chicago, IL this summer.

The National Poetry Slam is the largest & longest running team poetry slam in the world, and teams from across the country will participate.

A poetry slam is a performance poetry competition. Poets who participate in a slam read or recite original poetry in front of an audience, and 5 randomly selected judges, who are generally individuals simply attending the event as spectators. These judges attribute numerical scores to the performances, and cumulative scores from multiple rounds and performances decide the winner of the slam. The performances are judged on the content of the poems, the performance itself, the impact, style, and overall way that the performances move the judges. Poetry slams are energetic, engaging, and fun. They combine performance art with the excitement and unpredictability of a competition, and force us to ask the question, “How do you judge art?”

This qualifier slam will be hosted at the Studio Metro Underground Theatre, located at 316 East 4th Street in Jamestown, NY and will begin at 7 p.m. In addition to the team slam, there will be an open mic for participants interested in performing their own original poetry at the event. There will also be live music from local musicians. This event is free to attend!

For more information about the 2018 National Win & You’re In Poetry Slam, please visit facebook.com/pulsepoetryslam, email pulsepoetryslam@gmail.com, or call 602-339-6980. We hope to see you on Saturday, Feb. 24th, 7:00PM at the Studio Metro Underground Theatre for this exciting event!