Poetry Slam!

Did you know that April is National Poetry Month? It's also Autism Awareness Month, Mathematics Awareness Month and Distracted Driving Awareness month. So many worthy causes to educate your students about, but so little time! Some of these topics could be covered in a passive program or by participating in a community event. I am hoping to write an entry for Autism Speaks before the month is over. I ran a half marathon in Disneyland last January that benefited them, and they sound like a really cool organization!

But back to National Poetry Month. A poetry slam is relatively easy and inexpensive to put on, and can be pretty fun! Most people expect poetry to be like this:

But with a beret and a tiny drum.

But it can be anything you or your students want it to be. You can choose a theme or just let them go on their own. It's a fun way to get them to be creative and try something new. If you're worried about getting people to come, offering a gift card prize seems to work pretty well. And snacks, because who doesn't love snacks?

Also if Starbucks wants to hook me up, I'm very okay with it.

What will you need for this event? Advertisements! Microphones are pretty easy to make out of butcher paper (bonus points if they're taller than you) but if you feel like a giant paper sculpture is going to look ridiculous next to your recycled Earth Day board, you can go for something smaller but still eye-catching. These microphones are made of toiler paper tubes, Styrofoam balls, and glitter.

I won't tell anyone where you got the empty rolls.

Just secure them to the wall around your sign up sheet and you'll be sure to get a few students signed up. Don't be too discouraged if you don't get a lot of signatures, you're sure to get people who come to the program and then decide they want to participate.

The basic format of a poetry slam is this: in each round each participant reads a poem they've written, and the judges vote for who they would like to hear more from. The person with the lowest score each round is out. 

Judging can be done either by the audience or a judging panel. Each has its pros and cons. An audience would be easier because no additional people would need to be contacted, but there is a temptation for people to just vote for their friends. A panel will  be harder to organize, but can be more fair. Either way, it might be fun to invite a poetry or creative writing professor to act as a judge and can give more technical feedback. 

Professor Kittensworth has been moved by your use of iambic pentameter. 10 points to Kittendor!

Have fun!