Slam Fest has become a much anticipated experience, a festival that blends competitive performance poetry written tradition with lyricism, positive music and stage acumen in a way that profoundly affects and entertains youth and audiences of all kinds. Here young poets fearlessly tell their stories, in their own words to be shared with their generation and the community at-large.

This year the festival’s launch takes place at I.C. Norcom High School on Saturday, March 23rd *includes writing and performing workshops.

Our nation is experiencing young people in a whole new way. Youth are activating their power to effect change, passionately and poetically. They are picking up their pens and stepping up to microphones with spoken word poetry as their device. Teens With a Purpose has been at the forefront of this literary arts movement for youth for over a decade. This year we celebrate the eleventh year of the Hampton Roads Youth Poetry Season & Festival, also known as Slam Fest.

Slam Fest has become a much anticipated experience, a festival that blends competitive performance poetry written tradition with lyricism, positive music and stage acumen in a way that profoundly affects and entertains youth and audiences of all kinds. Here young poets fearlessly tell their stories, in their own words to be shared with their generation and the community at-large. They meet students from different cities and with different background who come together to share their mutual love for the art form - spoken word POETRY.

Students learn how to represent themselves, their experiences, and their ideas, powerfully. We know because we have worked with hundreds of youth through TWP’s school-based and community-based literary arts programs.

2019 HAMPTON ROADS YOUTH POETRY COMPETITION SEASON AND FESTIVAL EVENTS:

●HEAR THIS FESTIVAL LAUNCH & PRELIMINARY SLAM I.C. NORCOM HIGH SCHOOL, PORTSMOUTH – SAT. MARCH 23^RD, 12-5PM

●SEMI FINAL SLAM GOVERNOR’S SCHOOL FOR THE ARTS BLACK BOX THEATER, NORFOLK – FRI. APRIL 5^TH, 5:30-8PM

●GRAND SLAM DOWNING-GROSS CULTURAL ARTS CENTER, NEWPORT NEWS - SAT. APRIL 13^TH, 2PM- 5PM

●MIDDLE SCHOOL SLAM, ZEIDERS DREAM AMERICAN THEATER, VIRGINIA BEACH – SUN. APRIL 28^TH, 2019 1-4PM