We are thrilled to host internationally-ranked poet, Savon Bartley and our last open slam of this quarter!!

It’s also a NEW SHIT SLAM, so bring your freshest!!

(New Shit slams are open to anyone, however, if you are going out for the Nationals Team, you need to compete in at least one New Shit Slam at some point before Finals in May. New Shit is defined as anything that has not been heard on a Union Square mic, the exception being that it has been over 50% edited)

(Please note: the Bureau is closed on Mondays. We open at 6 PM on Mondays for the Union Square Slam.)

6:00pm: Free Poetry Workshop, hosted by Sara Emily Kuntz
7:00pm: Sign-ups
7:30pm: Open Mic
8:00pm: Feature
8:30pm: Slam

$5 // All Ages

About our Feature:

Savon Bartley is a North Chicago born poet, writer, and Oreo cookie connoisseur. Known for his lyricism and ability to command a crowd he has worked with HBO Def Poets, United Nation Officials, Grammy, Oscar, Tony, and Emmy award winners. Savon’s work is a reflection of his experiences with identity, mental illness, social justice, and what it means to be a man that’s better than his father. Having represented New York and New Jersey on the international poetry slam level multiple times, placing 3rd in the world in 2013, his work has captured the attention and hearts of many. Savon, who has been featured at The Apollo Theater, Auditorium Theater, and The United Nations General Assembly, has been published in Slate Magazine and was the youngest coach at the 2015 National Poetry Slam.

About our Slam:

::Union Square Slam National Team Competition::

There are 3 quarters of competitive poetry slam, each culminating in a Semifinal. Each quarter consists of six open slams (one or more of which is a New Shit slam — competition in New Shit slams counts towards your total points!)
Each open slam will :

•consist of up to 8 poet competitors

•have a 3 min time limit for each round with a 10-second grace period

•will go from 8 in the first round to 5 in the second round and 3 in the third round (this is subject to change depending on the number of competitors that night — see below)

•be scored cumulatively — the winner of the night will have the highest cumulative score from all three rounds.

At the end of each quarter, the poets with the 8 highest cumulative scores FOR THE QUARTER, are invited to compete in Semifinals. If a qualified poet opts out, then the next highest ranking poet qualifies. Semifinals are run using the same rules as the Open Slams. The top two highest ranked poets in each Semifinals bout will advance to Finals Stage, along with the top two winners of the Last Chance slam.

Last Chance Slam will be INVITATIONAL only to include the top 8 poets who have the highest cumulative scores over the entire season/all three quarters, but who didn’t not otherwise qualify for FINALS.