The 8th Annual Attleboro Arts Museum Poetry Slam

On Friday, May 30th, Boston Poetry Slam will be invading Attleboro for the 8th straight year as they bring their high energy literary event to the Arts Museum.  Given the location of the Slam, it is not uncommon to see Poets coming together from different areas surrounding Attleboro, most predominantly the Boston, Worcester and Providence scenes. Although typically lasting around 3 hours, the night can become quite fast-paced when these poets are hitting their stride.

The night begins with the youth slam, which features poets of age 19 or younger. With 3 prizes on the line ($100, $50, $25), these young poets are to deliver their best efforts for judges to score. The judges of the night are typically ever-changing, as audience members are selected at random to provide their assistance with the scoring. Poets participating in the youth slam are required to have 2 poems in order to win.

Between the Youth and Adult slams will be performances from two featured poets, Emily Carroll and Sean Patrick Mulroy. Carroll, a freelance writer and designer based in Boston, also took part in last year’s poetry slam, but as a participant. Mulroy was not in attendance last year, but is an experienced Poetry Slammer, himself.  The two will look to dazzle and move the crowd in attendance through the use of their literary skills. If previous Slams at the museum are any indication, they should have no trouble doing so.

Following the featured poets performance and concluding the evening will be the Adult Slam. The adult slam is open to participants of any age (provided they aren’t already a part of the youth slam) and require 2-3 poems in order to win. Cash prizes for the top 3 highest scores will receive $150, $100 and $50. If you’re interested in participating in the slam, you do not need to be pre-registered prior to the night. However, you do need to show up early enough to get your name on the list. Sign-up will begin at about 6:30pm.

Once again, this year’s slam will be hosted by SlamMaster Simone Beaubien. Beaubien, a recent “Poet Laureate” award winner at the Attleboro Arts Museum, has served as SlamMaster for all of the AAM Slam events, as well as other Slams from coast-to-coast. She was also the Host City Director for the 2011 National Poetry Slam which took place in Boston. As a participating slammer, Beaubien has performed her work on the Finals Stage of the 2008 National Poetry Slam.

This event is free and open for listeners of all ages. That said, parents/guardians/chaperones should be aware that the poetry slam is uncensored and may contain strong language, adult themes, and unfiltered ideas. These performances can be very powerful and thought-provoking.  If you’ve never attended a poetry slam, this is a great first opportunity for you.

The schedule for the night of 5/30/2014:

6:30 p.m.: sign-up for slam performers and judges

7:00 p.m.: YOUTH POETRY SLAM

8:00 p.m.: Performances from featured poets EMILY CARROLL and SEAN PATRICK MULROY

8:45 p.m.: ADULT POETRY SLAM

For more information about Boston Poetry Slam, please visit http://bostonpoetryslam.com/

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