Poets compete for New Zealand’s Biggest Poetry Slam Prize

 

 Hot on the heels of Phantom Billstickers National Poetry Day (26 August), the heats are on find the poets who will take the honours in Going West Books and Writers Festival’s 21st year Poetry Slam.

 Poets can register now to take part in their local selection event. The top three placings from each heat go directly through to the grand final.  It’s a poetry slam worth going all-out for: First prize is $1,000, second prize is $500 and the third prize winner gets $300 – the biggest prize pool for poetry slam in the country.

Doug Poole, poet and Going West Poetry Slam director for the past three years, encourages all new and established poets to take part.

“This is where the spoken word hits the road in a fast-paced evening of competitive performance poetry with generous cash prizes. With courage to the fore, poets from all backgrounds and beliefs speak from the heart with passion, intelligence and a desire to tell their stories. It is powerful and, above all, immensely entertaining,” says Poole.

HEAT 1 for West Aucklanders is on Wednesday 31 August, 6.30pm registration for a 7pm start | Te Pou Theatre, 44A Portage Road, New Lynn.

HEAT 2 for South Aucklanders is on Monday 5 September, 6.30pm registration for a 7pm start | MIT Faculty of Creative Arts, 50 Lovegrove Crescent, Otara.

HEAT 3 for North Shore and Central Aucklanders is on Tuesday 6 September, 7.30pm till late | ‘Poetry Live’, Thirsty Dog, 469 Karangahape Road, Ponsonby.

HEAT 4 will take place on the night of the Grand Slam Final, Saturday 10 September at the Titirangi War Memorial Hall. Register for this heat from 7.30pm for an 8pm start. There are a limited number of registrations available for this heat.

 

To register, please contact Dougpoole3@gmail.com, 021 144 6619. Find out more here: http://www.goingwestfest.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/GRAND-FINAL-GUIDELINES.pdf.

Going West Books and Writers Festival Poetry Grand Slam Final is on Saturday 10 September at 8pm, at the Titirangi War Memorial Hall. Directed by Doug Poole and assisted by MC Zane Scarborough & guest judges Raewyn Alexander and Rewa Worley.

Tickets to the final are available from https://www.iticket.co.nz/events/2016/sep/going-west-saturday.

 

Read the full Going West Books and Writers Festival programme online at www.goingwestfest.co.nz.

 

The Festival is grateful for support from the Waitakere Ranges Local Board, Creative New Zealand, The Trusts Community Foundation, Foundation North and the Douglas family Trust.