Show Me Poetry

05/20/2024

Congratulations to Sadie for taking home the $50 win at the May Show Me Poetry Slam! Mar the Ghost claimed our $20 2nd place and Cam "the" Poet took home the coveted 3rd prize of our undying love & respect. Thank you to all our participating poets for showing us your art; we can't wait to hear more from you at our next slam, June 30th at Nathan P.'s!

05/18/2024

Our next slam is this Sunday, May 19!! Come and see us! Doors open at 6:30; show at 7:00. $3 cover for performers; $7 cover for audience and judges!

04/29/2024

Congratulations to Mar the Ghost for taking the $50 win at the April Show Me Poetry slam! Our next show is May 19; we hope to see you all there!!

04/28/2024

See you tonight for our April slam! Doors open at 6:30; show at 7!

03/25/2024

Congratulations to Hayley for taking first place at the March slam!! Come and see us April 28 for our next show!

It was an honor for Show Me Poetry to participate as the final event of the 2024 Queen City Shout festival. If you would like to donate to support poverty relief through the nonprofits listed in the attached image, please Venmo your donations to !

03/07/2024

We are excited to announce our partnership with this year's Queen City Shout and that our March Slam is officially part of the QCS program! There are numerous amazing events comprising the week-long program and we encourage you to buy a ticket and attend as many as possible. Tickets can be purchased through www.queencityshout.com ($15 for a day pass, $30 for a week pass). Proceeds go to a variety of local non-profits in support of poverty relief! Please visit the Queen City Shout page for more information.

At the time of our March slam, if you have already purchased a QCS ticket to support the other events through the week-long festival, your admission into the Show Me Poetry slam will be pre-paid. Those who have not purchased a QCS ticket prior to the event will still pay the regular slam admission.

See you March 24th!

02/27/2024

Thank you Evergreen Horizon Portraits for your amazing work with these photos. And thank you to the lovely community for keeping the poetry alive!🎤

02/27/2024

02/26/2024

Congratulations to Sadie for taking the $50 win at our February slam! What an incredible night full of amazing poetry. We heard work from 12 amazing poets, our new performer cap. Thank you to all who attended: judges, audience and performers! Come and see us March 24th!

~All photos coming soon~
Thank you to Evergreen Horizon Portraits

02/17/2024

POETRY SLAM FAQ'S:

How can I participate in the slam?
Sign up upon arrival to perform, judge, or enjoy the show as an audience. Sign up begins at 6:30 pm and closes at 7 pm.

How many poems do I bring?
Bring 3 poems. 1 per round.

How many poets can perform?
Performers are capped at 12. These 12 slots are available on a first come, first serve basis. Poets may not sign up on behalf of another poet prior to that person's arrival.

What is the layout of the show?
3 rounds. Poets have up to 3 minutes each per poem, per round. Show usually includes 1 intermission in the middle. After the winners are announced, the 1st place performer may choose to deliver a “victory lap” performance, a final poem to close out the night.

How is the competition judged?
Community members volunteer at the door to judge the competition; the only qualification to judge is that you are not closely affiliated with any of the performers. Judges are given full instructions prior to the beginning of the show.

Are winners compensated?
1st place: $50 cash prize.
2nd place: $20 cash prize.
3rd place and beyond: love and respect.

How much does it cost to participate?
Audience and judges pay a $7 cover. Performers pay a $3 cover.
Payments accepted: cash, Venmo, Cashapp, or credit card. Pay at the door.

02/09/2024

Our February slam is Sunday the 25th. Please tell your friends and help us get the word out :)

01/30/2024

Congratulations to Cam the Poet for taking the $50 win at the slam on Sunday. Our hearts are so full-- we had 20 people there to share, beating our sign-up record by double since we have re-started after the pandemic! We had a generous and lively crowd there to listen. We couldn't do this without any of you! If you attend our show, whether as audience, judge, or performer, thank you. What an amazing start to a beautiful year of poetry. Come and see us again on February 25th. Mark those calendars!

01/28/2024

See you tonight for our January slam! Let's kick off a great year of poetry!

01/01/2024

We are pleased to announce the 2024 Show Me Poetry Slam calendar!
(in the event of a cancellation or any change, a post will be made)

January 28
February 25
March 24
April 28
May 19
June 30
July 28
August 25
September 29
October 27
November 17
December 15

12/18/2023

Thank you all for coming to our "Dadcember" poetry slam to support Dad's feature set, and congrats to Mar The Ghost for taking the win! What an amazing year this was. We are so grateful for the opportunity to host these events and hear all the amazing poetry happening right here in Springfield. Stay tuned for the release of the 2024 slam calendar! We can't wait to embark on another great year of slams!

12/16/2023

Come and see us tomorrow night for the last slam of 2023!

11/28/2023

Hey everyone, come and see an awesome poetry reading showcase here at Nathan P's next Monday night. Only a $3 cover and you'll hear from lots of talented local poets published in the Bards of Moon City anthology.