A Poetry Slam is a competitive poetry event where a bunch of poets compete for points. There are five random audience members who are tasked with being judges, and they score each poem out of 10 to one decimal place (like 6.7 or 9.9).
The number of poets involved and number of rounds can change event-to-event, but there are some universal rules: No props, no costumes, poems must be 3 minutes or less, poets must read original work, no punching down and no hate speech.
We run slams in Hamilton, Tauranga, Hawke's Bay, Wellington and Otago, and the winners of our slams become their regions Poetry Slam Champion for that year, then go on to represent and compete at the New Zealand Poetry Slam Finals, run by NZ Poetry Slam. The winner of this event becomes a New Zealand Poetry Slam Champion.
Slam was invented in the USA in the 1980s and has since spread around the world. You can learn more of its history here, and the slams we run in Aotearoa below.
The general description of this section can go in here about all the wonderful things we arrange and how to find out more.
Discover more SLAM in non-Motif regions:
We love our trophies for lots of reasons. They're more affordable and in line with our kaupapa than big cash prizes. As we add names we are making a record of our community, they're great advocates for what we do, and they look cool!
We reckon judging art with numbers is an impossible thing to do. Art is too subjective and any attempt to score it shouldn't be taken seriously.
Random audience judges are a key part of our slams. Many of them have never read a poem or been to a poetry event, but all know what they like and know when they are moved by a poem. These amateur judges are an important part of the spirit of our events. There is a saying in slam that the point is not the points, the point is the poetry. Centring the random judges in this way helps emphasise that poetry slam is a game that we are playing with our friends, not a formal critique of poetry.
Our poetry slams are raucous, high energy events that we make sure are safe and fun. We often have a DJ and you'll find our MCs bouncing round the stage like the poetry maniacs that they are.
Slam is just one format within the wider scene of poetry and performance poetry. It's a fun way to meet people, share your work, make an event of poetry and fill a room with people who may never go to a traditional 'reading'.
It's loads of fun but not for everyone. You can read more about poetry progression here.
Can I read someone else's poems?
No, we want to hear your original work
Is it improvised like a rap battle?
Not usually, almost all poets will bring pre-written poetry to read or perform
Do you have to use certain kinds of poem?
No! There is no such thing as a "slam poem", any kind of poem can win a slam if it is well written and delivered.
Can I use music?
Not really, we like to focus on the written word. Singing one or two lines is fine, but we are after poetry not songs. This doesn't mean you can't read song lyrics like a poem.
Do the points matter?
No, your poetry still exists afterwards, as lovely as it was beforehand. The points just are just a fun way to get an audience in the room and to celebrate poetry.
It seems too competitive and judgemental for me
Totally fair enough, slam is NOT for everyone, and some of our favourite poets steer clear of this format. It's meant to be fun, so we recommend giving it a go and seeing if it's for you. For some people it really fits and is a great incentive to keep writing and practising, plus if you win you get the cool title of Slam Champion.
Can I sign up?
Yes! Check out if we are running a slam near you here.
If you want to speak to the Motif team, ask a question, hire a poet, or start your own poetry journey – then you can fill out the form below and we’ll be in touch!
We love meeting people face to face, so why not come say hi at our next event near you?
