Annual Inspired Word Café poetry slam battle features a timeless show-down theme
What: Seventh annual IWC Team Slam
Who: Team Heroes vs Team Villains
When: Thursday, March 28, 7:00 pm
Venue: BNA Burger, 1254 Ellis Street, Kelowna
The much-anticipated Inspired Word Café (IWC) Team Slam event is coming up on March 28th at BNA Burger. Team Heroes and Team Villains will compete with their poetry to see who will reign victorious. A slam is a competitive event where poets perform original works to a lively and engaged audience.
The event is designed to foster high calibre performances, new work by local poets, and an interactive and rowdy night of fun for the audience. “Unlike other poetry events, a slam is interactive, with the audience playing a key role as the judges for the competition,” explains Ken Shaw, IWC collective member and one of the hosts of this year’s contest.
“The team slam is a chance for us to get extra creative and weird with poetry! I love seeing what poets come up with when they are asked to collaborate in a team setting. And the costumes are always on point!” says Ken.
Five randomly selected judges from the audience decide the fate of our contestants, and the general audience gets to hoot, holler, cheer, and boo as a way of expressing their opinions about the poetry and the judges’ scoring. The first round is individual poems, followed by a unique second round where poets compete together with a co-written ‘team’ poem.
Michael V. Smith, Creative Writing professor at UBCO, who was a participant on Team Fantasy at the event last year says, “Even though my team didn’t win due to what I can only imagine was a technicality, that slam was easily one of the most fun nights in my decade. I’m really looking forward to seeing what the teams will bring to the table this year!”
Prizes are $400 for the winning team, provided by Inspired Word Café; the runner-up prize will include books generously donated by local bookstore Mosaic Books. More sponsors for door prizes to be announced.
To find the answer to the age-old question of who will win between heroes and villains, come to IWC’s Team Poetry Slam on March 28th. Join us at BNA Burger from 7:00pm – 9:00 pm to find out who will reign victorious.
Show up dressed to rep your team in what is sure to be a slam for the ages as both sides fight for a cash prize. Tickets are available for $10 to $20 on a sliding scale, and can be purchased at the door.
IWC programming is supported by the City of Kelowna, British Columbia Arts Council, the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies at UBC Okanagan, and BNA Brewery.
Team Fantasy at the 6th annual Team Slam event on March 23, 2023.
Team Sci-Fi at the 6th annual Team Slam event on March 23, 2023.
Media Contact: Britt MacKenzie-Dale, britt@inspiredwordcafe.com
About IWC
Inspired Word Café Society (IWC) is a community arts-organization that provides accessible, low-cost literary and performance art programming (including events, education, and mentorship) for local writers, performers, and word lovers from many walks of life, including youth and other equity deserving groups across the Okanagan.
We believe that participation in the literary and performing arts is not only a right for everyone, both as consumers and to creators, but is also a vital part of the creative and emotional well-being of our local community.
Find out more at www.InspiredWordCafe.com