Bx3 Poetry Slam
The Bx3 poetry Slam
Bx3 Poetry Slam Official Slam Rules
& Bylaws in Accordance with Write Art Out.
Slams take place at the end of each month at Jandro's Garden Patio from May-December. Poets earn points throughout the season. Top scoring poets will qualify for Bx3 Slam Finals to earn a spot on the Blah Blah Blah Poetry Spot Slam Team.
Bx3 Poetry Slam is a subdivision of the Blah Blah Blah Poetry Spot and directed by the Slam General Manager (Slam GM) - Dominique Edmonds-Martinez
Basic Poetry Slam Rules
Each individual poem must be of the poet’s own creation.
Poets may choose to bring a sheet of paper, chapbook, or phone to read from.
Each poet gets three minutes to read one poem. Each round is allowed a 10 second grace period at which point the poet is stopped from continuing–there will be no time penalties.
All poets receive scores out of 10.0 from five randomly-selected judges. The high and low scores are dropped and the middle three are added together, giving the poet a total score out of 30.
Poets may not wear any costumes, use props, pre-recorded/taped music, musical instruments, nor animal acts. Poets may sing, beatbox, or make sounds only using their body.
Judges:
● Judges are to be selected at random.
● Judges will be vetted for fairness (ie. not having arrived with or being close friends with a
competitor, no family members of competitors, etc.) and to stay for the duration of the
competition.
● Poets will get a chance to see the judges.
● If a poet has an issue with any judge, the complaint will be heard and, depending on the
nature of the complaint, the judge may be replaced. Judge replacement will be at the
discretion of the bout manager.
Code of Conduct:
Write Art Out Inc., the Blah Blah Blah Poetry Spot, and all other Write Art Out affiliated poetry events do not permit discrimination or harassment of any person based on race, religion, ancestry, ethnicity, age, color, marital status, disability, sexual orientation including gender identity, or national origin.
We ask that competing poets remain respectful with each other, the audience, showrunners, Jandro’s staff, etc. If a poet has any issues about their safety, please see either Dominique, Mandy Lynn, Rooster, or Paul.
The goal of the slam is to have a good time and celebrate poetry in San Antonio. We ask all participants to promote good sportsmanship. Slam is a competition, slam is subjective, and slam is not always fair.
Slam Season Rules and Other Information:
The slam season opener will take place in May with the final regular season slam in December. Slams will take place on the last Wednesday of the month during the season.
The first prize winner of seasonal slams wins $30 and 5 points towards the season standings; second place wins a prize and 4 points towards the season standings; third place wins a prize and 3 points towards the season standings; poets who make the 2nd round of the slam get 2 points, all other competitors earn 1 point towards the seasonal standings, and sacrifice poets get .5 of a point.
The poet with the most points by season's end, prior to finals, will be crowned grand slam champion for that season. In the event of a tie, poets will share the title and split winnings.
The final slam will take place in January. The top four poets will earn a spot on the Bx3 Slam Team to represent WAO Inc and San Antonio at regional competitions.
The slam team will consist of four team members and a coach. If a slam team member cannot commit or is removed from the team, the spot will be made available to the next highest scoring poet from finals.
All poems performed at the final slam will be documented and may not be performed at any future final slams.
These rules and bylaws are written in accordance with Write Art Out Inc. and ratified by the directors of WAO Inc. Any changes may be proposed by any member of the Write Art Out and Blah Blah Blah Poetry Spot community. Official changes must be considered and agreed upon by previously stated directors of WAO. Rules are subject to change with directors' approval.