Friday, Maricopa Arts Council holds its first of three performance poetry events, a Poetry Slam devoted to young poets ages 5 to 13.

Like the subsequent two Poetry Slams, it is an artistic competition. All three slams are special events within MAC’s three-season, all-arts expo, “Got Arts, Maricopa?” and have free admission.

First up is the Kids’ Slam On-the-Spot, 5-7 p.m. on Friday at Maricopa Public Library.  Any Maricopa-area child kindergarten age through eighth grade is eligible to enter, whether a student in MUSD 20, any Maricopa charter school, or being home-schooled.

•All poems must be original and must be performed aloud by the author.
•Poems should be approximately 40 lines in length, or take three minutes to perform.
• Judging is done by members of the audience selected right then-and-then by the Slam Master.
•Three cash prizes will be awarded to the top poems at the end of the competition: $75, $150, $200.

The Slam begins promptly at 5 p.m., and entry forms will be available at the Library starting at 4:30 p.m. that day.

The Kids’ Poetry Slam On-the-Spot  will be led  by expo Slam Master The Klute  (stage name of nationally known poet Bernard Schober), who  leads all MAC Expo Poetry Events.

The two following Slams are both for high school age on up.  Both are scheduled for January:  The All-Maricopa Slam on Jan. 13 at Honeycutt Coffee and the All-State Adult Slam on Jan. 28 at The Duke.
Guidelines for these will be announced later this fall.

The written-word expo thread will continue in February with the newest sensation on both coasts: a Silent-Reading Party.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR