Chicharra Poetry Slam Festival

March 20- 22, 2025

Albuquerque, New Mexico

THE POINT IS POETRY

You Are The Poem

2024 National Champions

The competition was intense and brilliant (we had a tie for 2nd Place in the Team Competition!) but in the end these brilliant poets took home the first ever Chicharra Poetry Slam Festival regional championship titles!

Individual Champion

Congratulations to our inaugural national Indie Champ - the one and only Black Chakra!

Team Champions

Congratulations to our inaugural national Team Champions - Phoenix, Arizona's Ghost Phantom!

What's A Chicharra?

In the southwest, if you say the word cicada, most people won't know what you mean. Around here we call these little beauties chicharras. (pronounced Chee-char-ah)

In 2024, the year of our inaugural event, the world saw a rare dual emergence - two massive broods of cicadas emerging at the same time - an event which only happens every 221 years.

We like to think our own emergence was a similarly beautiful occurrence.

Like the emergence of cicadas, the Chicharra Poetry Slam Festival is also a spring phenomenon, filling trees and city streets with the music of life emerging from deep underground. Gathering the top poets & spoken word artists from around the nation for 3 days of team & individual competition, creative expression, open mics elevating marginalized voices, special events, art and community - the Chicharra is a celebration of all that poetry inspires!

Showcasing incredible national talent, we aim to deliver a high intensity display of verbal virtuosity and dynamic performance while fostering safe spaces for artists of all ages and identities. We believe every human being has the right to live without fear, apology or shame.

Whether you register to compete, or simply want to attend the free events; everyone, everywhere is invited to participate!

You can expect:

At least 12 teams and up to 28 Individual poets competing together!
An exhilarating Finals Stage featuring the top 4 Teams & top 4 Individual Poets!
3 days & nights of events including:
- Dynamic Workshops
- Themed Readings & Open Mics
- Book Market
- Breaking Bread - Poet Family picnic
- Showcases
- Safe Spaces
- Sober Spaces available
Plus the chance to explore the unique cultural history and gorgeous high desert landscapes of our beloved state.
- And we have a few new surprises for you this year!

A Taste of 2024

With deep gratitude to our media partners at Canvas Asylum Productions, here is just a sample of our inaugural event to get you pumped.

A Multitude of Side Events

Even if you're not into the competitive side of poetry, we have plenty for poets of all backgrounds and interests to take part in!

Inspired Open Mics

Interactive Workshops

Dynamic Poetry Readings

Festival Structure

3 Days of Team & Individual Competition

(please note: attendance at the poet's orientation on March 21st at 1 pm is required for all poets)

All poets experience 2 nights of preliminary competition (Thursday, March 20th & Friday, March 21st) with 3 Early Bouts and 3 Late Bouts per night.

Each night there will be 3 bouts happening simultaneously in 3 separate venues. Venues and placement in prelims are determined by a public, random draw prior to the festival.

For a more detailed breakdown of the structure and format, visit our Format & Rules Page here

Slam Rules

In addition to the traditional rules of slam, please be aware of the following:

We absolutely will not tolerate anyone plagiarizing another poet's work. This is grounds for immediate removal from competition. If work you are doing is inspired by another poet or samples their work, please be sure to credit them.

This is a free speech event, but any form of hate speech or unwanted actions against anyone will not be allowed. Violation of this will result in an immediate zero score on your poem and expulsion.

Since there is always at least one poet who asks – No, you do NOT have to memorize your poems (and should never have to). Do what works for you.

This is a safe & consenting space. All poets are required to sign and agree to the Chicharra Code of Ethics. You will not be able to compete without this, so please be sure to get those turned in.

Check out the Format & Rules page here for more information.

Team Requirements

Pick your team any way you like! Bring last year's team, this year's team, your youth team, or a hand picked squad of poets and bring that fire! (Teams may consist of up to 5 poets, but no less than 4 poets)

Individual poets ~ simply register!

We are working to ensure every venue is accessible and open to all of our competitors, but if you have team members under 21 or team members with accessibility needs please let us know during registration so that we can make accommodations as needed.

All poets welcome regardless of experience, style, or demographics. We love all of you.

Registration

Simply click on the Registration tab at the top of the page, where you will find registration options for competition and the book market.

Team registration is $300 for up to 5 people. You are welcome to bring a 6th person (Coach, Slam Master or team Member) but there is a small additional fee of $50.

Individual registration is $150.

Y'all, the cost of living is stupid right now. And we don't want anyone left out because of this, so we have a pay-over-time registration option available before February 15th, 2025. Please complete all payments within 30 days if possible. After this it may become difficult to reserve your spot.

We will keep a wait list, which will open one week after registration closes, so we have enough time to notify teams if they have been moved up to the active list.

Please be aware, we cannot offer refunds after January 1st.

If you or your team need to drop or are unable to compete after you have already registered, please contact us.

Can I register as part of a team and compete as an Indie as well?

Absolutely! But please note, you will need to register and pay both registration fees. If you got the ambition, we got the mics.

And no, you cannot use the same poems in Indie and Team competition, so if you want to do both be sure to bring enough poems!

For poets competing on a team - performing individual pieces during your slot is obviously fine, and its all love, but those scores will NOT be considered as qualifying for Indie finals. If you want to qualify for Indie Finals, you have to compete in the Indie bouts.

We feel its important to respect both forms of competition and allow them to exist separately during the festival in order to maintain a sense of equity.

Other Ways to Participate

Participating in the Chicharra is easy, and there are a few ways you can take part, even if you're not competing!

If you have books or merchandise to sell, grab a table at the book market from our registration page at a minimal fee!

Also we love (and need) volunteers! All volunteers receive sweet swag and free admission to Finals. Without you, we can't do any of this!

All workshops & daytime events are free, and open to all to attend. Check the schedule and plan your day!

Register

What is Poetry Slam?

For those who may not know - poetry slam is a competitive art event in which poets perform poetry and spoken word pieces in front of live audiences and a panel of judges. The roots of this artistic competition go back thousands of years to Greek poets who performed for audiences that would pick their favorite, but the current version most of us are familiar with originated back in the 1980’s at Chicago’s Green Mill under the influence of poet Marc Smith.

The game has evolved over the last three decades and many luminaries have stood upon stages worldwide to speak their truth in power. Slam poetry has its own legends and all of us who compete today stand on the shoulders of giants who have redefined and reshaped the way this competition unfolds.

The format of the competition can vary, but some things are the same no matter where you go – the poet’s performances are judged as much by the style and energy of the performance as they are by the content and quality of writing. Judging is usually handled by random audience members from the audience. And in most cases, poets are allowed to use only their voice, their body and their presence to perform.

At the end of the day, a poetry slam is an opportunity for poets, whether deeply experienced or brand new, to occupy a space and fill a room with their story. Prize money and recognition are sweet rewards for those who go all the way, but the ability to move people with your experience and your art in a safe space is what brings poets and audiences back again and again to these rooms.