The National Poetry Slam ( NPS ) was a performance poetry competition where teams from across the United States , Canada , and, occasionally, Europe and Australia , participate in a large-scale poetry slam . The event occurred in early August every year and in different U.S. cities. The last National Poetry Slam took place in 2018 in Chicago, Illinois.
20-562: The first National Poetry Slam was held at Fort Mason in 1990 in San Francisco. It was organized by poet Gary Mex Glazner and featured three competing teams: Chicago ( birthplace of slam ), New York City ( Nuyorican ), and San Francisco (host city). It was held every year from 1990 until 2018. From 1990 to 2007, the National Poetry Slam held an individual poetry competition (known as "indies") simultaneously with
40-669: A World of Poets (La Alameda Press), 2005's How to Make a Living as a Poet ( Soft Skull Press ) 2006's How to Make a Life as a Poet ( Soft Skull Press ) and 2014's Dementia Arts: Celebrating Creativity in Eldercare, (Health Professions Press). Glazner was poet-in-residence at Desert Academy in Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2005-2006. His Precision Poetry Drill Team was featured on National Public Radio's All Things Considered: New Mexico School Lets Students Letter in Poetry Glazner
60-711: Is the founder and Executive Director of the "Alzheimer's Poetry Project" In 2013 the Alzheimer's Poetry Project was the recipient of the "Rosalinde Gilbert Innovations in Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiving Legacy Award." In 2012, the Alzheimer's Poetry Project was the recipient of the MetLife Foundation Creativity and Aging in America Leadership Award in the category of Community Engagement. The award
80-559: The Poetry Slam movement. In 1993, he helped organize the fourth National Poetry Slam held in San Francisco again. In 2000, he organized the "Slam America" bus tour, which involved "38 live poetry shows in 32 cities over 30 days with more than 100 poets." The poets in tour would perform and tour together in various "legs" as the tour bus as they traveled to the 2000 National Poetry Slam held in Providence, RI. The tour resulted in
100-613: The 1998 Paul Devlin film SlamNation , and the 2006 Kyle Fuller and Mike Henry film Slam Planet . Gary Mex Glazner Gary Mex Glazner (born 1957), is a poet and author. He was the Managing Director of the Bowery Poetry Club in New York City, 2007 to 2010. In 1990, Glazner working as a florist in San Francisco. As poet and organizer in that city's ever-evolving spoken word community, he
120-431: The championship title. Because of the popularity of iWPS and to avoid the confusion of two "individual" poetry slam titles being awarded ever year, Poetry Slam Inc. decided to cancel the "indie" competition at the National Poetry Slam. In 2008, the "Indie Finals" was replaced with the "Group Piece Finals," in which the teams with the highest ranking group pieces (multi-voice poems featuring more than one poet) competed for
140-429: The championship title. Because of the popularity of iWPS and to avoid the confusion of two "individual" poetry slam titles being awarded ever year, Poetry Slam Inc. decided to cancel the "indie" competition at the National Poetry Slam. In 2008, the "Indie Finals" was replaced with the "Group Piece Finals," in which the teams with the highest ranking group pieces (multi-voice poems featuring more than one poet) competed for
160-551: The documentary, "Busload of Poets." Glazner also edited the anthology, "Poetry Slam: The Competitive Art of Spoken Word" which was published by Manic D Press in 2000. The book "documents 10 years of poetry slams, with 100 poems from national slam champions and a dozen essays on how to run a slam, winning strategies, tips for memorizing poems, and more." In addition to his work in the Poetry Slam community, Glazner has authored four books: 2002's Ears on Fire: Snapshot Essays in
180-525: The first National Poetry Slam , Glazner used such "unpredictable" ideas as hiring a circus barker outside of the venues in which the slams were happening "like at the freak show at Coney Island", selling hot dogs from a vendor during the slam, and the use of a "PoJ Kit," which Glazner described as a mobile DJ unit wherein poets can perform and broadcast their poems onto the street while being driven around in Glazner's car. Glazner's relationship continued with
200-591: The first two days of competition moving on the semifinal and final rounds. The first winner of this event was Patricia Smith , who would go on to win the Individual National Poetry Slam Championship title a record four times. Starting in 2004, Poetry Slam Inc. (PSI) began hosting a separate event called the Individual World Poetry Slam (IWPS), in which solo poets, rather than teams, competed for
220-493: The team competition, with the poets earning the highest ranking individual poems during the first two days of competition moving on the semifinal and final rounds. The first winner of this event was Patricia Smith , who would go on to win the Individual National Poetry Slam Championship title a record four times. Starting in 2004, Poetry Slam Inc. (PSI) began hosting a separate event called the Individual World Poetry Slam (IWPS), in which solo poets, rather than teams, competed for
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#1732798824235240-574: The title. Only teams who weren't already eligible for NPS semifinals were allowed to compete, with New York, NYC-Urbana being the first Group Piece Finals championship team. Also in 2008, the Women of the World Poetry Slam (WOWPS) was introduced, in which only female and female-identified poets are allowed to compete. The first WOWPS was held in Detroit, Michigan and the first WOWPS champion
260-399: The title. Only teams who weren't already eligible for NPS semifinals were allowed to compete, with New York, NYC-Urbana being the first Group Piece Finals championship team. Also in 2008, the Women of the World Poetry Slam (WOWPS) was introduced, in which only female and female-identified poets are allowed to compete. The first WOWPS was held in Detroit, Michigan and the first WOWPS champion
280-550: Was Andrea Gibson . In 2008, poet Harlym 125 created an unofficial individual competition called the National Underground Poetry Individual Competition (NUPIC) as a response to the absence of an individual competition at NPS. The winner of this competition has traditionally been given a showcase spot on the finals stage at NPS. The National Poetry Slam has also been the subject of several feature-length documentaries, including
300-436: Was Andrea Gibson . In 2008, poet Harlym 125 created an unofficial individual competition called the National Underground Poetry Individual Competition (NUPIC) as a response to the absence of an individual competition at NPS. The winner of this competition has traditionally been given a showcase spot on the finals stage at NPS. The National Poetry Slam has also been the subject of several feature-length documentaries, including
320-425: Was a San Francisco poet-florist named Gary Mex Glazner. Stocky, tan and impish with a quick and crooked smile, Glazner resembled your favorite bartender more than poetry-organizing guru. But in 1990, it was Glazner, already famous for his unpredictable ideas for championing poetry, who came up with the idea of using San Francisco's National Poetry Festival as the backdrop for the first National Poetry Slam." To promote
340-532: Was a performance poetry competition where teams from across the United States , Canada , and, occasionally, Europe and Australia , participate in a large-scale poetry slam . The event occurred in early August every year and in different U.S. cities. The last National Poetry Slam took place in 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. The first National Poetry Slam was held at Fort Mason in 1990 in San Francisco. It
360-847: Was administered by the National Center for Creative Aging. In 2018, Glazner was the co-recipient of the International Leadership in Arts and Health Award, administered by the Australian Centre for Arts and Health. In 2020, in response to COVID-19, Glazner began to use robots to deliver poetry programs and creativity training to help reduce social isolation of elders in nursing homes. "Times Villager Robot helps senior-living residents communicate with families." Glazner currently lives in Chicago, Illinois. National Poetry Slam The National Poetry Slam ( NPS )
380-649: Was instrumental in organizing the first ever National Poetry Slam , which featured poets from San Francisco, Chicago and New York City. In the book, Words in Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam , author Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz wrote: ...[N]either Chicago-based poetry slam creator Marc Smith nor Bob Holman of the Nuyorican organized the first National Poetry Slam . The first "Nationals Slammaster"
400-434: Was organized by poet Gary Mex Glazner and featured three competing teams: Chicago ( birthplace of slam ), New York City ( Nuyorican ), and San Francisco (host city). It was held every year from 1990 until 2018. From 1990 to 2007, the National Poetry Slam held an individual poetry competition (known as "indies") simultaneously with the team competition, with the poets earning the highest ranking individual poems during
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