Word Slam Brings Teens to Center Stage

Posted on by Jen Nathan Orris

Word Slam’s upcoming contest takes spoken word out of bars and clubs and into a beautiful new venue, the Altamont Theater. Middle and high school students will take to the stage on Saturday April 30 at an event just for them. The multi-round tournament will highlight teens’ “writing and verbal expression for a live audience,”according to the press release. The winners will perform at The Lake Eden Arts Festival (LEAF) and at Asheville’s Wordfest.

Slam poetry is “the fusion of literary and theatrical arts, where the performer IS the poet, and at WORD … area youth have a lot to say!” It’s a modern twist on beat poetry that places the emphasis on rhymes and rhythm. Several area schools, including ArtSpace, Francine Delaney and Evergreen Community Charter Schools, Asheville Middle and High Schools, and Owen Middle and High Schools, will send four students to take over the stage and throw down their rhymes.

For more information visit www.AshevilleArts.com. The event will take place on April 30 at 5 p.m. at the Altamont Theater, 18 Church St. in Asheville.

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