The Oakland Poetry Slam & Open-Mic

The Oakland Poetry Slam & Open-Mic Serving Poems & Poets Since '99 The Oakland Poetry Slam was founded in 1999 by a small, deticated group set on bringing Slam to the sunny side of the Bay.
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The Oakland Poetry Slam and Wide Open Mic is held on the 3rd Tuesday of every month at Luka's Taproom and Lounge in Downtown Oakland. These visionaries included Sonia Whittle, Charles Ellik, Nisa Ahmad & Nazelah Jamison. In that very first year the rookie team Oakland reached the Finals stage at The National Poetry Slam, finishing the tourney as the 4th ranked team (of 64). After the team’s triump

hant return the Oakland Slam soon took off, taking on a life of it's own. Over the years The Oakland Slam has been held at a variety of venues around the city of trees. The city doesn't always make it easy for the arts or the artists. Our venues have included Mambo-Mambo, The Black/Oakland Box Theater, The Oakland Metro, Oaklandish Gallery, the Uptown Theater, KTOP Studios, the Oasis Restaurant & Bar,Awaken Cafe, The Flight Deck, and now Luka's Taproom! The Oakland Poetry Slam Open-Mic has been organized & promoted by the dynamic duo of Dahled & Nazelah Jeffries Since 2005. In that time D has produced the show and managed to make the team a record 6 straight times ('04-'09) and Naz has hosted the show and coached the squad. The team has performed consistently well in National competitions with many top 10 finishes. Since 2018, the Oakland Slam has been organized by the Rich Oak Events crew, Reginald and Collin Edmonds, Tino V.H. Jr and Arvind Nandakumar In that time, they have expanded the show, moved into a larger venue, and helped to build community wide network of slams and open mics that communicate, learn, and grow with each other.

Sunday, catch us at for our next Oakland Slam!Slide though with your poems! And sign up for the show!
05/01/2026

Sunday, catch us at for our next Oakland Slam!

Slide though with your poems! And sign up for the show!

Dropped the news yesterday that we are back from Haitus, here’s some more info on the show!We got a $50 cash prize for f...
02/22/2026

Dropped the news yesterday that we are back from Haitus, here’s some more info on the show!

We got a $50 cash prize for first place!

Slide through at 4:45 to get your name on the list! Show starts at 5pm promptly!

Tickets are on sale! Check your bio for the link!

And that’s why you didn’t make it to the second round!!!😭
04/27/2025

And that’s why you didn’t make it to the second round!!!

😭

Catch us this Saturday, for a special book reading with Brennan DeFrisco and some friends!We got hosting and a few poet...
06/13/2023

Catch us this Saturday, for a special book reading with Brennan DeFrisco and some friends!

We got hosting and a few poets joining the showcase. and

Grab a pre-sale ticket in our bio! Doors open at 7PM!

Next Saturday, we got something super special for you all!’s sophomore poetry collection “Honeysuckle and Nightshade” is...
06/07/2023

Next Saturday, we got something super special for you all!

’s sophomore poetry collection “Honeysuckle and Nightshade” is out! Come support his book at this personal, intimate book release party!

Join us on June 16th, at 7pm at !

will be hosting!

We will be announcing the line up soon! Grab your FREE tickets at our linktree in our bio!

Boy, do we have a line up for you all this month !Get your pre sale tickets for our show for next month!The man, the poe...
04/23/2023

Boy, do we have a line up for you all this month !

Get your pre sale tickets for our show for next month!

The man, the poet, the winner for American’s Got Talent is gracing our stage at the top of the month!

Big things are happening this month at our sister show !Slide through and see who makes this year’s Berkeley Poetry Slam...
03/08/2023

Big things are happening this month at our sister show !

Slide through and see who makes this year’s Berkeley Poetry Slam team! It’s going to be stacked!

07/18/2022

Oakland Slam is happening tomorrow, and though we don’t have a feature for you, we still have CASH PRIZES on the line!

Join us for another virtual show!

Sign up list is in the bio! Click on our linktree!

Address

Luka's Taproom
Oakland, CA
94612

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