Meeting the Regulars: Word SLAM

Our next post in the series looks at Word SLAM held at Hares and Hyenas, like Mother Tongue, it’s a slam that really celebrates and encourages words from a specific group that needs their stories told.

Words by Maeve McNelis

The Hare Hole WordSLAM?! is a little bit different. Not just open to poets, we encourage all writers to get up and show us what they’ve got.

It’s a competition.

Six writers perform in three rounds, competing for top place and a chance to enter the GrandSLAM. In the first round writers perform for up to 3 minutes, in round two they have up to 4 minutes. After two rounds the judges confer and choose the top two performers who go on to a final battle of up to six minutes each. First prize is a cut of the door plus entry into the GrandSLAM where there will be GRAND PRIZES (yet to be announced)

It’s queer.

Performances are often intimate and bold. Writers lay open their hearts with stories of love, life, the joy of bicycling, being trans, bringing up kids, sex, internalised homophobia, books they read as a kid, growing up in japan, abortions, racism, the wonders of dating librarians, & cannibalism.

You won’t believe it ‘til you see it.

The WordSLAM?! is on the second Thursday of the months with a GrandSLAM planned for October, at Hares and Hyena’s, 63 Johnston Street, Fitzroy. Tickets on the door, $10 full / $8 concession. Doors at 7:30 for an 8pm start. Come down and check it out, or contact Maeve at [email protected] to perform.

Dates are:
May 9th
June 13th
July 11th
August 8th
September 12th
GRANDSLAM PLANNED FOR OCTOBER

About
Latest Posts

Annie Solah

Annie Solah is a writer, poet, spoken word artist, activist and the Director of Melbourne Spoken Word. She grew up in Western Sydney before calling Melbourne home in 2008, where she's performed since 2010 around Melbourne's regular spoken word and poetry nights including Passionate Tongues, The Dan Poets, Voices in the Attic and House of Bricks as well as the NGV and White Night. She's released a chapbook, broken bodies, and two spoken word albums, Duel Power with Santo Cazzati and The World Doesn't Make Sense EP.