Poetry Slam

Repeating pattern of brown and white abstract shapes.

Step onto the red rug where stories spill forward, feelings soar, and laughter finds its way through the crowd.

How does our Poetry Slam work?

A group of people lined up at a table, with one person signing a book, in a room with black curtain backdrop.

On the evening of the event, participants who wish to perform put their names down on a sign-up sheet 15 minutes before the start of the event.

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People sitting in an audience at an event, one woman raising a whiteboard with #ATEA written on it and a flower drawing, others taking notes and looking on.

Participants have 3 minutes to perform their own original work, and are judged by 5 randomly chosen audience members.

2

Two women hugging and laughing joyfully indoors, one woman with face visible and the other with head turned away, wearing a headscarf and casual clothing.

The highest and lowest scores are omitted to prevent bias, and the median of the remaining 3 scores is calculated.

The three performers with the highest scores win.

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Ready to take to the stage and battle it out for the night?

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On the night, we also showcase local musical talent at the beginning of each half, and have a “feature act” in which a seasoned poet performs a set of poetry.

A young man is performing with an electric guitar and singing into a microphone on stage, with a purple banner for Western Sydney University in the background.
A woman with dark, curly hair holding an open book and smiling on stage, wearing a multicolored blouse.
Young woman with long, wavy hair singing into a microphone on stage, surrounded by three other women in casual outfits.
A man with dark curly hair and a beard is standing in front of a microphone, holding papers and gesturing with his hand, with his eyes closed, against a dark background.