Poetry Slam Mom

05/09/2026

Happy May everyone! NOTE THERE ARE A COUPLE CHANGES FOR MAY!

*Writing workshop will NOT be held in May. Look for it again in June.

*Tucson Slam will be held Sunday May 31st (not the 24th) and is a qualifier for the Arizona State Finals in June.

On May 31st, at the we are honored to host one of the 2026 Arizona State Poetry Slam Qualifiers!! The Arizona Poetry Community has come together to provide an opportunity to crown a 2026 state champion

The top 2 poets of this qualifier will meet the top 2 poets of the other 7 qualifiers and will then compete at the state finals at June 10th, 2026.

Our state champion will represent Arizona at being held this year in Kansas City, Missouri 07/23/26 - 07/26/26.

With that being said, we will be capping this roster list to the first 12 people who sign up and want to compete! The 13th spot will be the sacrificial poet for the evening!

Our feature this month is the incredible an amazing poet and human who is traveling down from the Phoenix area to grace our stage with his amazing work and presence!

We do understand there was a mix up with the dates (the 5 Sunday’s tricked us) and we will reach out to everyone who messaged initially to see if you can or cannot make it!

05/04/2026

05/04/2026

May Slams are here! Not only can you hear great slam poetry, but they will also provide the ability to qualify for BlackBerry Peach Nationals in July!

I've attached the flyer for each slam and will provide a link to each specific Instagram in the comments. The Instagram page is where you will find all the details.

It will be an amazing month in Arizona!

04/27/2026

Full slate of poets in the house tonight along with 2 food trucks!

04/21/2026

Join Tucson Slam Poetry and the poetry community for our slam benefitting community mutual aid. Not only will we be fundraising, and amazing slam poets, but also a celebration of the April birthdays of two of our co-founders: Chelsea Guevara and Alex Schotten. The slam will be followed by an hour of music and mingling, as well as the opportunity to purchase books and merchandise (part of proceeds will also go to mutual aid).

NOTE THAT THIS SLAM STARTS EARLIER THAT PREVIOUS MONTHS!

Featured poet: Alex Schotten

Alex is a 31 year old poet who calls the Tucson desert home. Author of "Tomorrow Stole Today" and "I Learned How to Love From He**in", Alex has dedicated his life to the art of processing trauma through storytelling. As a former storyteller and winner of LMS Voice's Disrupting the Narrative Challenge in Washington DC and a current storyteller for Rise Together, a non-profit mental health and substance use disorder outreach, Alex uses his experience with addiction, trauma and mental health to perform and host workshops with at-risk youth and young adults. Alex is the founder of Lifted Poets Society and one of the co-founders of Tucson Slam Poetry. As a nationally ranked slam poet, Alex is either writing and recording poems or out in the mountains soothing his soul.

Slam is a form of poetry competition that was founded by Marc Smith in Chicago in 1984. Whether performing or cheering from the audience, your soul will be touched by some amazing artists.

The rules to compete are simple:
*All poems must be original and written by the poet competing
*Poems will be judged by 3-5 randomly selected judges in the audience
*Poets will compete in 1 to 3 rounds (be prepared with 3 poems) with scoring to determine round 2 and 3 competitors
*No props, costumes, or other materials not available to all posts are allowed
*No hate speech, disruptive behavior or nudity (respect each other)
*3 minute maximum with a 10 second grace period (.5 deducted for every 10 seconds over)

Signups to compete should be requested through the form in the bio of Instagram or sent to [email protected]

Doors open at 6:00 PM
Competing poets: Arrive by 6:15 PM
Competition is 6:30-9:00 PM
Birthday Celebration and Mingle: 9:00 PM-10:00 PM
Cost to attend is "pay what you can"

(Please note that topics often include sensitive, adult content or language, so suggested audience is 13 or older)

Feel free to bring your own non-alcoholic beverage.

Follow Tucson Slam Poetry events on IG

Thank you to our hosts The 4th Avenue Coalition for providing the Coalition Space at 311 E 7th St, Tucson, AZ 85705

04/21/2026

Another great event with an amazing poet! Don't miss this opportunity.

04/09/2026

Tucson Slam Poetry has a different kind of writing workshop on April's 2nd Sunday!

This free workshop will focus on creating personal poems with a typewriter (feel free to bring one if you have one) and a Polaroid. As always, there will also be open mic poetry.

Sunday, April 12th
5 PM to 7 PM

The Coalition Space
311 E 7th St
Tucson AZ

Tucson Slam Poetry was built as a safe space to express truth and be a bridge between community and art.

Follow them on IG for updates

04/01/2026

Tucson Slam workshop and poetry events will feature Alex Schotten this month! The Slam will include a celebration for his and fellow co-founder Chelsea Guavera's April birthdays 🎂

04/01/2026

Heads up on upcoming Phoenix Slams...feel free to add yours!

04/01/2026

Shout out to the poets who make our world better by sharing their words!

04/01/2026

Another great Slam in the books!