Australian Poetry Slam ’14 – Queensland State Final

Overview

This article is sponsored by our partners, the State Library of Queensland.

Fast with words and fleet with a turn of phrase? Then you might just be the next poetry slam champion. The Australian Poetry Slam '14 is looking for a fresh batch of lyrical voices to brave the stage and battle it out in a war of pithy, punchy prose — be it traditional poetry, hip hop-inspired rhymes, a story or a monologue.

It all starts with local heats around the state, including in Brisbane on September 5. Winners then progress to the Queensland State Final on September 26 at the State Library, where creative wordsmiths will wield their verse in two-minute bursts of their own original material. The ultimate prize: bragging rights, of course, but also qualifying for the national final in Sydney (where $12,000 of cash and prizes await).

For those new to sharing short spoken word poems with crowds, a series of workshops precede the heats to help equip the poetically keen but practically inexperienced. Develop performance skills, fine-tune stage technique, build confidence as a writer, or simply enjoy plenty of time getting used to addressing a crowd.

Not interested in performing? The State Final offers plenty of other fun, too. Live music will set the mood, and the audience isn’t just there to watch — they’re also the judge.