Young Poets to Compete at Sub 30 Poetry Slam

Parrish Art Museum does present
a poetry slam event
words and rhythm for ears and eyes
to win a title, cheers and cash prize
run to Water Mill to compete
and become the poet to beat

April is National Poetry Month, an annual tradition started by the American Academy of Poets in 1996, and celebrated by publishers, libraries, institutions, educators and poetry fans across the country. Parrish Art Museum joins the festivities with a Sub 30 Poetry Slam on Friday, April 12, 6 p.m., in the Lichtenstein Theater. Bad rhyming is not required.

The Parrish invited Poets age 21 to 29 to submit poems on the subject of “your generation” and the top 12 poets have been selected to compete on Friday. Each poet will read his or her poem, the audience will judge, and the winner will receive a $100 cash prize and the title “Sub 30 Champion.” The event will be deejayed by Blind Prophet (aka Joe Burns of South Fork Sound). Tickets are $10, free for members, children and students, and include museum admission. Advance reservations are recommended and may be made on the museum’s website, parrishart.org. Drop by the Parrish Friday and help choose this year’s champion!

Poetry slams are lively competitive events in which poets perform their work before a live audience. For Sub 30, two poets will compete in each round, each reading an original poem no longer than three minutes in length. At the conclusion of each round, the audience will select one poet to advance to the next round, until one poet is left standing. The Sub 30 Poetry Slam was conceived by Parrish staff members Sheree M.C. Elder, Michael Pintauro, Tessa Raebeck and Amanda Stein as a way to celebrate National Poetry Month and provide an outlet for younger poets.

The Academy of American Poets writes, “Poetry began as part of an oral tradition, and movements like the Beats and the poets of Negritude were devoted to the spoken and performed aspects of their poems. This interest was reborn through the rise of poetry slams across America.”