The Fifth Annual Exit 36 Slam Poetry Festival is a three-day poetry festival that serves the community through educational, theatrical, and literary performances. The festival will nurture, support, and showcase regional, national, and international writers, facilitators, and artist from all over the country to honor the creative genius of our own cultural arts pioneers. The festival includes writing workshops, artists' talks, and the Slam Poetry competition. In its fifth year, the Exit 36 objectives remain the same -- to pay homage to poetry, spoken word, literacy, community engagement, and to celebrate the arts. The 3-day event attracts the premier spoken word artists in the country and will take place December 8-10, 2022 at the City’s cultural venues.
Tickets
All-Access Festival Pass (3-Day Pass) | $30
The Festival Pass provides you with access to all the events during the entire festival: December 8 – 10
This includes all access to the featured events such as Artist Talk with Tavia Osbey, County of Kings performance and more!
Daily Pass l $15
The Daily Pass provides you with access to the events on the selected day you purchase the ticket for: Thursday 12/8, Friday 12/9 or Saturday 12/10.
Poet Registration
Poet Registration for 2022 now closed!
Rules
There will be 20 competing Poets, all competing Poets will need a total of five (5) poems to win.
PRELIMINARY ROUNDS:
During preliminary rounds (“bouts”), all poets will perform one (1) original poem.
- Each poet will draw a number to determine the order of each performance.
- No poet will be eliminated during preliminary competition.
- The 1st place winners of the preliminary competition will be awarded a refund of their $150 registration.
- If a poet wins more than one preliminary bout the $150 prize can be gifted to the runner-up of that bout, per the winning poet’s request or prize will be forfeited.
The top 15 poets with the highest cumulative score will advance to the Final Stage with the 16th and 17th ranked poets serving as sacrificial poets (Sacs) at Final Stage.
FINAL STAGE:
- Round 1 – Fifteen poets
- Round 2 – Eight poets
- Score is a cumulative score based upon the evening’s first two rounds.
- There is a half point deduction for every 10 secs over allotted three minute time limit, after a 20 second grace period.
- Round 3 – Four poets
- The Final round score is a clean slate and starts at zero.
- There will be a calibration poet before the final round
- There is a half point deduction for every 10 secs over allotted three-minute time limit, after a 20 second grace period.
- NO POEM REPEAT – Poets are not allowed to repeat poems performed throughout competition.
- Tie breaks will be decided by highest overall score except for the last round on final stage, which will be broken by poem, which can be a repeat poem.
- If there is a tie going into rounds after taking all 5 scores, we will take the extra Poet.
- Protest to Scores must be done after bout, before score sheets are signed. Once score sheets are signed by competitors no protest can be issued.
- Score sheets MUST BE signed by all competitors.
JUDGES:
- Three (3) Judges will be selected from a pre-selected group of judges. The remaining two (2) will be selected from the audience.
PERFORMANCE RULES:
- No props allowed
- No reading of poems on final stage
- 3 minutes and 10 sec grace period during preliminary rounds
- 3 minutes and 20 second grace period during final stage
Prizes
1st place : $2,500
2nd Place : $1,500
3rd Place : $1,000
Event Schedule
This year the contest will feature a Guest Host... SHA'CONDRIA (“iCon”) SIBLEY
An Alexandria, Louisiana native and longtime New Orleans-based poet, writer, multi-inspired artist, and teaching artist, whose work spans across page, stage, canvas, theater, music, talk radio, short film. Raised in “the church” and with a graduate-level education in biology and public health, her art naturally intersects with healing and spirituality, while centering Blk Women and reverence for the divine feminine. Sha’Condria has taught poetry and creative writing inside prisons, juvenile detention centers, and schools, toured the college circuit, and has worked for over a decade creating, organizing, and hosting arts-driven events.
A multiple-time national poetry slam champion and multiple-time viral spoken word artist, she appeared on the third season of TV One's Verses and Flow, and her work has been featured on many platforms including Huffington Post, For Harriet, Teen Vogue, and BBC World Radio. She is also featured on multiple recording projects alongside Grammy Award-winning artists. Sha’Condria is currently the 2022 Dr. Doris Derby Creative Spark Awardee with Junebug Productions in New Orleans and the author of My Name Is Pronounced Holy: A Collection of Poems, Prayers, Rememberings, and Reclamations.
Thursday December 8, 2022 - Bailey Contemporary Arts
- Welcome Mixer | 5pm to 6pm
- Story Slam | 6pm to 7pm
- Prelims | 7pm to 8pm
- Artist ally Cypher and Open Mic | 8pm to 9 pm
Friday December 9, 2022 - Ali Cultural Arts Center
- Workshop | 5pm to 6pm
- Artist Talk | Tavia Osbey | 6pm to 7pm
Tavia Osbey is the Co-Founder of New Orleans-based management company MidCitizen Entertainment. After receiving a degree in Business Entrepreneurship from Southern University in New Orleans, she went on to manage Grammy-nominated group Tank and The Bangas and award-winning hip-hop artist Alfred Banks. She has worked in the music industry for the past 13 years and along with her business partners has the mission to help build the infrastructure of music business in the city of New Orleans.
- Preliminary Bout | 7pm to 8pm
- Cyphers and Open Mic at the Ali | 8pm to 9 pm
Saturday December 10, 2022 - Pompano Beach Cultural Center
- County of Kings (Theatrical Performance) | 3:00pm
Based on the memoir by Lemon Andersen. Adapted from the life of Tony Award–winning poet Lemon Andersen, this riveting onstage spoken-word memoir touches on his childhood, life on the streets, incarceration, and redemption through poetry in Brooklyn. Tickets for only this event can be purchased here.
- Final Stage | 5pm to 8pm
- 5th Anniversary After Party | 8:30pm to 11pm
Become a Volunteer
Volunteer Positions have been filled! Stay tuned for more opportunities.
Competing Poets
Scores/Results
Congratulations to 2022 Winners
1st place - Blaqwildflowr
2nd place - Breeze
3rd Place - Eddie Figures
Hotel Accommodations
Book your corporate rate for Pompano Beach Cultural Arts
Sponsors
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