MEGASLAM: The Battle For Worcester IV: The Carnage Continues

WORCESTER, MA—So, what if there was a poetry slam and everybody came? Such is the question posed by Victor Infante, poet and journalist who is hosting MEGASLAM: The Battle For Worcester IV: The Carnage Continues on April 26 at 7 p.m. at The Worcester Public Library, 3 Salem Square, Worcester

The point of MEGASLAM, explains Infante, is to "invite as many disparate factions of Worcester's poetry scene under one roof with the pretense of an utterly ridiculous poetry slam, or performance poetry competition. The goal is to take one moment in the year, during National Poetry Month, naturally, and show the city the wide range of what Worcester Poetry has to offer. And to have some fun while doing it!"

Competitors at the slam:

• Craig Blais representing the Worcester County Poetry Association
• Strawberry Blue representing the Federation of Belligerent Writers
• Tony Brown representing the Thirsty Lab
• Jenith Charpentier representing 7 Hills Slam
• Nicholas Earl Davis representing the Dirty Gerund Poetry Series
• Richard Fox representing Radius literary journal
• Joe Fusco Jr. representing Damfino Press
• Robert Blackwell Gibbs representing BlackSpeariance
• Joey Gould representing Worcester Storytellers
• Jessica Guimond representing the Rabbit Heart Poetry Film Festival
• Carle Johnson representing the Fourth Saturday Open Mic at Barnes & Noble
• Ron Whittle representing the Hangover Hour Poetry Series
• Ashley Wonder representing the Top Floor Listening Room
• Sacrificial Poet: Last Year's Champion, Eirean Bradley

Starting in Chicago by Marc Smith in 1984, a poetry slam is a performance poetry competition. Normally, each poem must be written by the author, using no props, costumes, musical accompaniment or animal acts. There is a three minute time limit, and a penalty if you go over three minutes. But, according to Infante, this is MEGASLAM, and sometimes the rules change, so anything can happen.

Host Infante is the entertainment editor for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, the editor of the online literary journal Radius, the author of the poetry collection City of Insomnia from Write Bloody Publishing, and an Aquarius.

This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Worcester Public Library and the Worcester County Poetry Association.

Photo via Shutterstock