Poetry Slam at the Cantab Lounge: Slam Rules

Poetry slam is a fast-paced, winner-take-all competition in which members of the audience judge the competing poets on their performed poetry.

The Cantab Lounge holds a slam after the open mic and feature. Anyone is welcome to enter an open slam at the Cantab (see our schedule for the next open slam). Unless noted, National Poetry Slam rules are always in effect: poems are the poet's original work of three minutes or less, no props, no costumes, no musical accompaniment. Poems are scored Olympic-style by judges selected from the audience, with penalties levied for exceeding the time limit.

Once a poet wins a slam, the poet may not enter an open slam again until the end of the current 8x8 series (see below for details). Every poet who wins an open slam at the Cantab qualifies for both of the following slam series:

• 8x8 Slam Series -- Winners of all open slams are invited to return for the 8x8 semi-final slams. This series leads to the Champion of Champions title, a continuous local slam title that's been around since 1993.
• PSi Event Qualifiers -- Winners of open slams are also invited to compete for a chance to represent the Cantab at PSi competition, either at the National Poetry Slam or the Individual World Poetry Slam. The date of the open slam determines which event(s) the winner is qualified for.

Open slam winners may check the official schedule to see when they are invited to return to slam again. Winners are also encouraged to contact the SlamMaster directly by email with any questions or concerns.

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