Competition Schedule

This is it, folks: the competition schedule for the 2011 National Poetry Slam! All shows on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are $5, and there is no advance ticketing, although your admission is free if you show your Festival Pass at the door. For more information about what it costs to see each show, check out our Pricing Schedule.

Note that some venues are 21+, some are 18+, and some are all ages, but all will require a photo ID to get in. For more details on the locations and restrictions of our venues, see our Competition Venues page.

Results will be posted a few hours after the close of competition each night.

Tuesday, August 9, at 7:00 p.m.

Cantab Lounge
(upstairs)		 Cantab Lounge
(downstairs)		 The Lizard Lounge All Asia Cafe 939 Democracy Center

Bout 1

  • Damn Slam LA
    (Los Angeles, CA)
  • Elevate!
    (San Diego, CA)
  • Lizard Lounge
    (Cambridge, MA)
  • Tourettes w/o Regrets
    (Oakland, CA)

Bout 2

  • Bull City Slam
    (Durham, NC)
  • Slam of Steel
    (Boise, ID)
  • Soapboxing
    (St. Paul, MN)
  • louderARTS
    (New York City, NY)

Bout 3

  • Bama Slam
    (Montevallo, AL)
  • Delray Poetry Slam
    (Delray , FL)
  • Writers’ Block
    (Columbus, OH)
  • Second Tuesday Slam
    (Portland, ME)

Bout 4

  • WU Slam
    (St. Louis, MO)
  • Hawaii Poetry Slam
    (Honolulu, HI)
  • Brass Knuckles
    (Los Angeles, CA)
  • Providence Poetry Slam
    (Providence, RI)

Bout 5

  • Salt City Slam
    (Salt Lake City, UT)
  • ABQ Slams
    (Albuquerque, NM)
  • Punch Out Poetry
    (Minneapolis, MN)
  • Flagslam
    (Flagstaff, AZ)

Bout 6

  • Da Poetry Lounge
    (Hollywood, CA)
  • Puro Slam
    (San Antonio, TX)
  • Intangible Slam
    (New York City, NY)
  • Nuyorican Poets Cafe
    (New York City, NY(

Tuesday, August 9 at 9:00 p.m.

Bout 7

  • KnowVernacular
    (Bexely, OH)
  • Muddy Rivers Poetry Slam
    (Brunswick, VIC)
  • Mental Graffiti
    (Chicago , IL)
  • Urbana
    (New York City, NY)

Bout 8

  • Tombstone Poetry Slam
    (Mesa, AZ)
  • San Francisco Poetry Slam
    (San Francisco, CA)
  • Steel City Slam
    (Pittsburgh, PA)
  • Austin Poetry Slam
    (Austin , TX)

Bout 9

  • Oakland Poetry Slam
    (Oakland, CA)
  • Dallas Poetry Slam
    (Dallas , TX)
  • Neo Minds
    (Detroit, MI)
  • Respect Da Mic
    (Charlotte, NC)

Bout 10

  • SlamMN!
    (Minneapolis, MN)
  • Houston Poetry Slam
    (Houston , TX)
  • The Fuze
    (Philadelphia, PA)
  • Mill City Slam
    (Lowell, MA)

Bout 11

  • Words That Kill
    (Chicago, IL)
  • Busboys and Poets
    (Washington, DC)
  • Milwaukee Poetry Slam
    (Milwaukee, WI)
  • Writing Wrongs
    (Columbus, OH)

Bout 12

  • Legendary Santa Cruz
    (Santa Cruz, CA)
  • Worcester Poetry Slam
    (Worcester, MA)
  • Java Monkey
    (Decatur, GA)
  • Slam Free or Die
    (Manchester, NH)

Wednesday, August 10, at 7:00 p.m.

Cantab Lounge
(upstairs)		 Cantab Lounge
(downstairs)		 The Lizard Lounge All Asia Cafe 939 Democracy Center

Bout 13

  • Worcester Poetry Slam
    (Worcester, MA)
  • Words That Kill
    (Chicago, IL)
  • Oakland Poetry Slam
    (Oakland, CA)
  • The Fuze
    (Philadelphia, PA)

Bout 14

  • Vancouver Poetry Slam
    (Vancouver , BC)
  • Eclectic Truth
    (Baton Rouge, LA)
  • SlamCharlotte
    (Charlotte, NC)
  • Loser Slam
    (Long Branch, NJ)

Bout 15

  • Muddy Rivers Poetry Slam
    (Brunswick, VIC)
  • Java Monkey
    (Decatur, GA)
  • Busboys and Poets
    (Washington, DC)
  • Steel City Slam
    (Pittsburgh, PA)

Bout 16

  • Hampshire CSC
    (Amherst, MA)
  • Art Amok
    (Decatur, GA)
  • Berkeley Poetry Slam
    (Berkeley, CA)
  • Verbal Slap
    (New Haven, CT)

Bout 17

  • Dallas Poetry Slam
    (Dallas , TX)
  • SlamMN!
    (Minneapolis, MN)
  • Austin Poetry Slam
    (Austin, TX)
  • Mental Graffiti
    (Chicago, IL)

Bout 18

  • Knoxville Poetry Slam
    (Knoxville, TN)
  • Jersey City Slam
    (Jersey City, NJ)
  • White Plains Library Slam
    (White Plains, NY)
  • SlamRichmond
    (Richmond, VA)

Wednesday, August 10, at 9:00 p.m.

Bout 19

  • Beltway Poetry Slam
    (Washington, DC)
  • Portland Poetry Slam
    (Portland, OR)
  • Houston VIP
    (Houston, TX)
  • Boston Poetry Slam
    (Cambridge, MA)

Bout 20

  • WU Slam
    (St. Louis, MO)
  • Flagslam
    (Flagstaff, AZ)
  • Nuyorican Poets Cafe
    (New York City, NY)
  • Bama Slam
    (Montevallo, AL)

Bout 21

  • Dragon Inc. Slam
    (Cleveland, OH)
  • Piedmont Slam
    (Piedmont, NC)
  • Seattle Poetry Slam
    (Seattle, WA)
  • Ozark Poetry Slam
    (Fayetteville, AR)

Bout 22

  • Tourettes w/o Regrets
    (Oakland, CA)
  • Da Poetry Lounge
    (Hollywood, CA)
  • Bull City Slam
    (Durham, NC)
  • Punch Out Poetry
    (Minneapolis, MN)

Bout 23

  • Fort Worth Poetry Slam
    (Fort Worth, TX)
  • Slam Nuba
    (Denver, CO)
  • Austin Neo Soul
    (Austin, TX)
  • Poetic Justice Cafe
    (Wichita, KS)

Bout 24

  • Toronto Poetry Slam
    (Toronto, ON)
  • Omaha Healing Arts
    (Omaha , NB)
  • Mercury Cafe
    (Denver, CO)
  • Madison Poetry Slam
    (Madison, WI)

Thursday, August 11 at 7:00 p.m.

Cantab Lounge
(upstairs)		 Cantab Lounge
(downstairs)		 The Lizard Lounge All Asia Cafe 939 Democracy Center MIT Stata Center
Room 32-123

Bout 25

  • Toronto Poetry Slam
    (Toronto, ON)
  • Austin Neo Soul
    (Austin, TX)
  • Dragon Inc. Slam
    (Cleveland, OH)
  • Writing Wrongs
    (Columbus, OH)

Bout 26

  • Piedmont Slam
    (Piedmont, NC)
  • Urbana
    (New York City, NY)
  • Mill City Slam
    (Lowell, MA)
  • Omaha Healing Arts
    (Omaha, NB)

Bout 27

  • Fort Worth Poetry Slam
    (Fort Worth, TX)
  • Mercury Cafe
    (Denver, CO)
  • Houston Poetry Slam
    (Houston, TX)
  • Tombstone Poetry Slam
    (Mesa, AZ)

Bout 28

  • KnowVernacular
    (Bexely, OH)
  • Respect Da Mic
    (Charlotte, NC)
  • Madison Poetry Slam
    (Madison, WI)
  • Beltway Poetry Slam
    (Washington, DC)

Bout 29

  • Legendary Santa Cruz
    (Santa Cruz, CA)
  • Seattle Poetry Slam
    (Seattle, WA)
  • Neo Minds
    (Detroit, MI)
  • Boston Poetry Slam
    (Cambridge, MA)

Bout 30

  • San Francisco Poetry Slam
    (San Francisco, CA)
  • Poetic Justice Cafe
    (Wichita, KS)
  • Ozark Poetry Slam
    (Fayetteville, AR)
  • Houston VIP
    (Houston , TX)

Bout 31

  • Portland Poetry Slam
    (Portland, OR)
  • Milwaukee Poetry Slam
    (Milwaukee, WI)
  • Slam Free or Die
    (Manchester, NH)
  • Slam Nuba
    (Denver, CO)

Thursday, August 11 at 9:00 p.m.

Bout 32

  • louderARTS
    (New York City, NY)
  • Second Tuesday Slam
    (Portland, ME)
  • White Plains Library Slam
    (White Plains, NY)
  • Hampshire CSC
    (Amherst, MA)

Bout 33

  • Jersey City Slam
    (Jersey City, NJ)
  • Puro Slam
    (San Antonio, TX)
  • Hawaii Poetry Slam
    (Honolulu, HI)
  • Writers’ Block
    (Columbus, OH)

Bout 34

  • Knoxville Poetry Slam
    (Knoxville, TN)
  • Soapboxing
    (St. Paul, MN)
  • Brass Knuckles
    (Los Angeles, CA)
  • Loser Slam
    (Long Branch, NJ)

Bout 35

  • SlamRichmond
    (Richmond, VA)
  • Intangible Slam
    (New York City, NY)
  • Delray Poetry Slam
    (Delray, FL)
  • Slam of Steel
    (Boise, ID)

Bout 36

  • Providence Poetry Slam
    (Providence, RI)
  • Lizard Lounge
    (Cambridge, MA)
  • Slam Charlotte
    (Charlotte, NC)
  • Verbal Slap
    (New Haven, CT)

Bout 37

  • Eclectic Truth
    (Baton Rouge, LA)
  • ABQ Slams
    (Albuquerque, NM)
  • Elevate!
    (San Diego, CA)
  • Berkeley Poetry Slam
    (Berkeley, CA)

Bout 38

  • Damn Slam LA
    (Los Angeles, CA)
  • Art Amok
    (Decatur, GA)
  • Vancouver Poetry Slam
    (Vancouver, BC)
  • Salt City Slam
    (Salt Lake City, UT)

Friday, August 12, at 8:00 p.m.

Middle East
Downstairs		 Middle East
Upstairs		 The Brattle Theatre Cambridge YMCA

Semi-Final Bout 1

    Soapboxing (St.Paul)
    Beltway (Washington, D.C.),
    louderARTS (New York City)
    WU Slam (St. Louis)
    Writing Wrongs (Columbus)
    Showcase poets TBA.

Semi-Final Bout 2

    Slam Nuba (Denver)
    Urbana (New York City)
    Fort Worth (Fort Worth, Texas)
    Busboys and Poets (Washington, D.C.)
    Mercury Cafe (Denver)
    Showcase poets TBA.

Semi-Final Bout 3

    SlamMN! (Minneapolis)
    Da Poetry Lounge (Hollywood)
    Nuyorican (New York City)
    SlamCharlotte (Charlotte, NC)
    Second Tuesday Slam (Portland, ME)
    Showcase poets TBA.

Semi-Final Bout 4

    Legendary Santa Cruz
    Oakland (Oakland, CA)
    Providence Poetry Slam (Providence, RI)
    Berkeley Poetry Slam (Berkeley, CA)
    Salt City Slam (Salt Lake City, UT)
    Showcase poets TBA.

Friday, August 12: 10:30 p.m. doors (immediately following semi-finals)

Middle East
Downstairs

GROUP PIECE FINALS

Austin Poetry Slam
The Intangible Slam(New York City)
ABQ Slams (Albuquerque)
Dallas Poetry Slam
Elevated! (San Diego)
Houston Poetry Slam
Knoxville Poetry Slam
Austin Neo Soul
Houston VIP
Eclectic Truth (Baton Rouge)
Calibration Team: Java Monkey (Atlanta, GA)

Saturday, August 13: 6:00 p.m. doors, 6:30 pre-show

The Berklee Performance Center
136 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston

FINAL COMPETITION AND SHOWCASE POETS

The winners of the four semi-finals slam off for the championship! Showcase poets and teams TBD after Friday competition.

Note that some venues are 21+, some are 18+, and some are all ages, but all will require a photo ID to get in. For more details on the locations and restrictions of our venues, see our Competition Venues page. For more information about what it costs to see each show, check out our Pricing Schedule.

Results will be posted a few hours after the close of competition each night.

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