Frequently Asked Questions

What is NorthBEAST?
It’s an annual poetry slam. We invite teams from New England and beyond to come out and strut their stuff for your amusement. You’re going to have fun tonight, we promise.

What’s a poetry slam?
It’s a writing contest and talent show. Poets will come to the stage–alone or in small groups–and try to impress you in three minutes or less by reciting poems they wrote. They can use wordplay, storytelling, rhyme, comedy, beat-boxing, and dance. They can’t use instruments, recordings, or props/costumes. Judges will score the poets on their poetry and performance skills.

Who are these judges and what makes them so smart?
We don’t know who the judges are. We pull them at random from the audience about ten minutes before the curtain goes up. No, seriously.

Who came up with that crazy idea?
A Chicago construction worker named Marc Smith, back in 1986. So what?

So what? What if you pick judges who know squat about poetry?
Vox populi, vox Dei. The voice of the people is the voice of God. We trust you guys.

Are you basically ripping off American Idol™?
We’ve been doing this since 1986. You do the math. Also, our contestants must write their own material. No cover bands.

Why does all this matter?
It’s art! We’d argue that art is all that matters. But NorthBEAST matters because teams that do well this weekend will receive guaranteed berths in the 2010 National Poetry Slam.

Can I get in this?
The teams were picked long ago, but we’ll have an open mic on Saturday afternoon, and we’d love to hear what you’ve got. Plus, we’re always on the lookout for judges...

For more information about this weekend, please visit our Website:
www.slamnews.com/northbeast

For more information about poetry slam in general, please visit:
www.poetryslam.com

For more information about particular poets, please come talk to us. We’ve travelled hundreds of miles, some of us, and we’d like to make friends.