Poetry SLAM! series continues at Fozzie's Feb. 16

BEMIDJI — Watermark's second-of-the-season Spoken Word Poetry SLAM will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 16, at Fozzie's Smokin' Bar-B-Q, 114 Third St.

"A poetry slam is a competitive art event in which poets perform spoken word poetry before a live audience and a panel of judges," a release said. "While formats can vary, slams are often loud and lively, with audience participation, cheering and dramatic delivery."

Along with the $100 first-place cash prize, each winner in this series will be awarded a one-year membership in the League of Minnesota Poets with the option to participate in the League’s BlackBerry Peach National Slam Qualifier in Minneapolis in May 2023.

The winner from there may also choose to go on to the 2023 National BlackBerry Peach Slam where thousands of dollars are awarded. That National Slam will be held in Des Moines, Iowa, June 21-25.

Poets should prepare three original SLAM! poems, each under three minutes of reading time. Judges, selected from the audience, give each reading a score on a scale of 1 to 10. The poets with the highest scores move forward to a second, then third round. The top three in the final round win cash prizes of $100, $50 and $25, the release said.

There is no fee to participate or watch. Sign-in begins at 6:30 with the performance at 7 p.m. Performers may pre-register by calling Watermark at (218) 444-7570 .