PGHwrites: Pittsburgh Poetry Collective’s Steel City Poetry Slam

Photo Courtesy: Pittsburgh Poetry Collective

Can’t get enough of the Steel City Slam? Neither can we! 

This August, City of Asylum welcomes back longtime friends and partners at Pittsburgh Poetry Collective for another rowdy night with their poetry slam league. The slam is a poetry competition where individuals present and perform original works of poetry to an audience staged as an interactive show. And we do mean interactive—the audience can respond to the poets or the judges in any way they see fit. Audience members are encouraged to snap, clap, boo, or cheer (respectfully) at the conclusion of every poem, during scoring, or even during the poem.

The slam and its accompanying interactive elements place a dual emphasis on writing and performance, encouraging poets to focus on what they’re saying and how they’re saying it. Poets receive a numerical score for their work based on the poets’ content and performance from judges typically selected from the audience.

For more information (including rules and other ways to participate), visit the Pittsburgh Poetry Collective website. 

Complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be available at the program for all participants and attendees. 

About the Artist:

The Pittsburgh Poetry Collective exists to celebrate the power of your voice. They make and hold space for self-expression and identity exploration via spoken word communities, poetry slams, writing and performance workshops, and poet showcases. They believe that poetry heals, speaks, connects, and shares our experiences, similarities, and differences. They welcome all individuals regardless of gender identity or racial identity, background, class, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, ethnicity, lifestyle, age, and disability. By participating in Pittsburgh Poetry Collective events, actively or inactively, you agree to welcome these individuals as well.

About Your Visit: 

The in-house restaurant, Cucina Alfabeto, is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.