How to Win a Poetry Slam Competition.

How to Win a Poetry Slam

Poetry slams gained national prominence in the 1990s after originating in the mid-1980s at Chicago's Get Me High Lounge, USA. 

These contests, driven by judges and audience members, pit wordsmiths against each other in a competitive round of performance poetry. 

Poetry slams are boisterous events that sometimes incorporate elements of hip-hop rhythms and themes into the performances. 

Try these tips to win a poetry slam.

Instructions

1. • 
     
   • Perform like you mean it. Poets and poems bursting with vitality, anger and other strong emotions win high scores at poetry slams. A subdued or shaky performance won't cut it with slam judges or audiences.
   • Set your timer. Slam poets are judged on the length as well as the content of their performance. Poems three minutes or under are given the highest scores. Longer performances are penalized by half a point, up to three points for poems over four minutes.
   • Hone your skills. Try out a variety of poems, reciting everything in your arsenal, from confessional pieces and political commentary to angry rants and risqué humor. Give plenty of readings before participating in your first slam.
   • Engage your audience. Poetry slam audiences critique poets during the performance, not after. Heckling, foot stomping and booing are common if a poet is deemed unsatisfactory by the audience. If you handle hecklers with a witty phrase or comeback, you may win back the audience.
   • Make lots of friends in the poetry slam world. Get to know slam organizers and judges, and bring lots of your own friends to poetry slams. The more fans you have, the better chance you have of winning a slam, since the contests are based on audience and judge approval.
   
   

   Tips & Warnings

   • Do use poems that address oppression. Angry or socially conscious poems are popular at many poetry slams.
   • Don't use props or costumes at a poetry slam. They are forbidden by slam rules.

   
   
   Source:
   
   
   http://www.ehow.com/how_2060270_win-poetry-slam.html
   
   

The 3 Great Judges for #WarOfWords...!!!!

Who better to judge a poet than an Emcee, who is also a free styling poet that runs his own weekly shows in Lagos and Abuja?

Who better to judge a poet than the first lady to start an open mic poetry event  and has organised over a 100 of such shows?

Who better to judge a poet than a master poet who runs a monthly open mic poetry show and has 3 recorded singles and videos?

We present to you our judges for War Of Words (Slam Poetry Competition):

Tope Sadiq aka Torpdeo Mascaw is an IT consultant during the day and a poet by night,having worked for a mobile telecommunications company for a number of years, he decided to follow his passion and the Freedom group was born. The Freedom Group consists of:

Freedom Studios: a kitchen where great alternative Music, Film and Poetry are produced.

Freedom Hall: a platform where talent is discovered ,nurtured and exposed on a national stage. The event currently runs in Lagos and Abuja on a weekly basis.

Freedom Records: a music and film distribution channel via online and mobile.

FreedomHall Arts Foundation: is an NGO through which we can help the less privileged in our Midst and in other Nations.

Tope Sadiq is currently Director of Content for e-Scape Technology as well as Executive Producer FreedomHall. 

His hobbies are Fishing, Chess, Cooking and Swimming

Lydia Idakula Sobogun is the CEO of Gbagyichild Entertainment and convenes 'Taruwa', a monthly performing arts event in Lagos, Nigeria. 

She also convenes the yearly 'Taruwa Festival of Performing Arts' and publishes the Taruwa Magazine. A quarterly arts and culture publication.

She has organised over 100 events including photography Exhibits, movie premieres and book launches

She lives in Lagos, Nigeria with her husband and four year old daughter.

Jeffery Jaiyeola aka Plumbline is a Poet, Songwriter, Political Blogger (rantingsofthetalakawa.blogspot.com)  and Hip Hop Rap/Spoken Word artist.

Plumbline was born in Lagos Nigeria, in his Lagos Island hometown. Growing up, he was influenced by Local Poets like the late Mamman Vatsa and later on caught up with the works of the Late Ken Saro Wiwa.

His defining moment was when he heard Kurtis Blow's "Basketball" and "If I ruled the World" in the Early/Mid Eighties.  Having been on Michael Jackson's pop and Boney M's Discotheque, this was to him a paradigm shift. By the time he was in high school, he started writing his own rhymes but did not go into active recording till 2006, the time he concluded his Masters Degree in Applied Geophysics.

Some temporary setbacks, including losing his recordings at the time his then Producer got robbed; Laptop, Backup and all did not deter him.

He started and runs a monthly Spoken Word Poetry event called Chill and Relax. He is a Regular Spoken Word performer at Taruwa and Anthill. He was also one of the Poets at Rhyme and Reasons for Jos, a gathering of Artists and Comedians to decry the Jos violence. He is one of the main act at WORD UP events.

He has since teamed up with BigFoot (Micworx), Kraft (Kraftmatiks), and Steady of STOMProductions on an ambitious Hiphop/Spoken Word project.

Plumbline's Alter Ego, Plumbtifex Rantimus has a forthcoming EP, a Seven Track in 7 Days Project with Kraftmatiks of which two singles: Beautiful and Not Jos a Song has been released.