VoxPop Poetry Slam Team Finals

Poetry Slam Tournament Returns to New Hampshire

Manchester, NH -

The VoxPop Poetry Slam tournament is returning to New Hampshire September 12-14, 2025. Top performance poets from across the northeast will converge on the city to compete in the slam, a poetry competition in which poets perform original poems judged by members of the audience. On Friday evening, ten individual poets will compete for the title in the Indies Slam at Stark Brewing Company in Manchester.

Competitions continue on Saturday afternoon and evening with team preliminaries at Stark Brewing Co. Eight teams of 4-5 poets compete in preliminary slams in the afternoon, with the top teams advancing to finals. In addition to the competition, there will be open mics, writing workshops, and video events throughout the day. Doors open Friday at 5:30 PM and Saturday at 9:30 AM. Admission to Friday and Saturday events is at the door - $5 for a single event or $15 for a pass to all Friday and Saturday events.

This year’s VoxPop Team Poetry Slam Finals will be held at the Bank of New Hampshire stage in Concord, Sunday, September 14, starting at noon. The top four teams from the competition will battle it out for a $1000 prize and the VoxPop title. Tickets for team finals are on sale now at the Capitol Center for the Arts box office. With team finals at the BNH Stage, organizers hope to bring the thrilling poetry slam experience to a new audience in Concord.

Poetry slam is a performing arts experience like no other. The performers are skilled and moving, and the audience adds to the energy and enriches the experience. The origins of poetry slam reflect the idea that poetry is participatory, and it’s for everyone to appreciate, not just those who have studied it academically. Just like with music, everyone in the room who hears a poem will respond to it and form an opinion of its worth. Poets in the slam write and hone their performances at open mics and writing workshops in community with other poets, and that’s all they need to hold a room breathless or bring a tear to the eye of a stranger at the bar, all in the span of three minutes. This convergence of some of the top poets in the northeast in one event is a rare opportunity to showcase their mind-blowing talent right here in New Hampshire!

The VoxPop tournament is hosted by Slam Free or Die, a long-running weekly Thursday night poetry open mic and slam at Stark Brewing Co. More information and the full tournament schedule are available on Slam Free or Die’s social media pages or atslamfreeordie.org.