The St. Catharines Poetry Slam represents a diverse, welcoming space for poets looking to compete in or simply enjoy some poetry readings.
Held once a month, the St. Catharines Poetry Slam is a community-supported event in which poets from all over the region come together at Mahtay Cafe to share their work, hang out and compete for a $50 prize. This month’s slam is on Jan. 24 at 7 p.m.
Victoria Ashleigh Rose, an undergraduate English student at Brock and aspiring published poet and author, is one of the event’s co-organizers who helped to revive the slam after it was forced to pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The slam was such a huge part of my teenage years, when I was able to discover my passions and realize that there was a community for people like me,” said Rose. “[Now,] I can help the space live on and be as inspiring for others as it was for me.”
The price to get in is $10 or pay what you can at the door; no registration is necessary. Due to safety and inclusion measures, masks are required to get in but are provided upon entry. An open mic begins the event, in which participants can share their poetry in a way completely unrelated to the competition.
The competition itself consists of two to three rounds of spoken-word performances, in which all poems must be original and must not exceed three minutes, or else the poet’s points will be deducted. The scoring system is scaled from one to ten and decided by the audience, and whoever wins it all gets the prize and the chance to perform an encore.
Participants who don’t care to perform do not need to. “There is no requirement to participate in either open mic or the competition,” said Rose. “We encourage anyone who’s interested to come out and enjoy the show as well as the welcoming social space with fresh food and warm tea from Mahtay.”
As often as they can, the St. Catharines Poetry Slam also books established artists to come and perform with the earnings from each event.
The last Poetry Slam, in November, featured an artist Rose described as “inspiring and free-spirited”: NASRA, a queer Oromo/Somali poet, musician, actor, dancer, speaker and community builder rooted in Amiskwaciwȃskahikan (Edmonton, Alberta). NASRA was named Youth Poet Laureate of Edmonton (2016-17) and co-received the Bp Nichols National Chapbook award in 2017 for their debut chapbook, A God Dance in Human Cloth.
This month, the event is featuring Sunshine Express, a St. Catharines alternative indie band represented by the label ROUTINE EXPLOITS. S.EX fuses rock n’ roll and electronic sounds like auto-tune, ambient guitar and MPC sampling to contribute to Niagara’s New Alternative Wave scene.
“Featuring a band is untraditional for the poetry slam,” said Rose. “However, we thought it would be a great opportunity to kick off the new year with something fun and memorable, while simultaneously branching out into new audiences and helping to provide exposure for the local music scene.”
The St. Catharines Poetry Slam is “determined to re-establish a welcoming space for poets, both emerging and professional, to share their work with their fellow poetry lovers,” said Rose. Usually, the competition adheres to a set of rules like no props, original work only and no disrespectful or non-inclusive behaviour. Sometimes, they hold an “ANYTHING GOES” slam, where there are no rules – except those relating to respect and inclusivity – and even optional prompts or encouraged costumes to celebrate the art of poetry in all its unique facets. This month’s slam will be traditional, but participants are encouraged to interact with the prompt “New Year’s resolutions.”
In addition to performances, the St. Catharines Poetry Slam also hosts one or two vendor tables per event, which local artisans can rent for $15 – or $5 if they provide a prize for second place – by reaching out on their Instagram or filling out the vendor form on their Linktree. “We do this to further encourage the local art scene and diversify our space while giving self-made artisans the opportunity to display their creations,” Rose said.
Aspiring writers can often feel lonely in their craft or fear that their work will never be heard. The St. Catharines Poetry Slam provides a monthly opportunity for those doubts to be quelled. Whether you’re a poetry reader, a writer or simply just interested, the St. Catharines Poetry Slam is the place to go.