Tucson Slam Poetry invites spoken word artists to the stage THURSDAY, AUGUST 14TH!
Tucson has a vibrant art and poetry scene and we are excited to bring Slam, a form of poetry competition that was founded by Marc Smith in Chicago in 1984, to the table. Whether performing or cheering from the audience, your soul will be touched by some amazing artists.
This month's featured poet ...Skyelyn Riggs-Davis!
Skyelyn is a Mesa, Arizona native and a storyteller before anything else. His work mainly depicts what it is to live as a 20-something in late-stage capitalist America, while also detailing his unique experiences as a transgender man. Skyelyn began his poetry journey performing at Grand Ave Poetry Slam, Ghost Poetry Show, and Poetry Open Mic with Margot Berlin at Jarrod's Coffee, Tea, & Gallery in the summer of 2023. In 2024, he toured with Ghost Poetry Show, competing regionally at Chicharra Poetry Slam Festival in Albuquerque, NM, as well as Bigfoot Poetry Festival in Portland, OR. In the summer of 2025 Skyelyn placed 3rd at the Arizona State Poetry Slam, then 4th place at the 2025 Blackberry Peach National Poetry Slam in Albuquerque, NM. Skyelyn currently hosts BODY SLAM - the premiere wrestling-themed, bracket-style poetry event in Phoenix. He is eternally thankful for the Arizona poetry community and the family he has found here.
The rules to compete are simple:
*All poems must be original and written by the poet competing
*Poems will be judged by 3-5 randomly selected judges in the audience
*Poets will compete in 1 to 3 rounds (be prepared with 3 poems)
*No props, costumes, or other materials not available to all posts are allowed
*No hate speech, disruptive behavior or nudity (respect each other)
*3 minute maximum with a 10 second grace period (.5 deducted for every 10 seconds over)
Signups to complete should be sent to
dHVjc29uc2xhbXBvZXRyeSB8IGdtYWlsICEgY29t
Doors open at 6:30 PM
Competition is 7:00-9:00 PM
Cost to attend is "pay what you can"
(Please note that topics often include sensitive, adult content or language, so suggested audience is 13 or older)
Our host, Valley of the Moon, provides a beautiful outdoor venue with plenty of shade, so bring a blanket or chair along with your water (refill station available) or non-alcoholic beverage.
Valley of the Moon
2544 E Allen Rd
Tucson, AZ
Follow Tucson Slam Poetry events on IG @tucsonslampoetry
and through Poetry Slam Mom on Facebook
You may also like the following events from Poetry Slam Mom:
Also check out other
Arts events in Tucson,
Literary Art events in Tucson,
Performances in Tucson.
|
