WORDSlam

Staff Reports

Joining a national youth poetry movement, WORDSlam 2011 is Buncombe County’s own “spoken-word” poetry competition. Middle and high school youths engage in a multi-round tournament, showcasing their original writing and verbal expression for a live audience. Winners of the WORDSlam will perform at The Lake Eden Arts Festival (LEAF) and at Asheville WORDFEST alongside nationally acclaimed poets.

Performance poetry has won praise from educators for broad student engagement, increasing student interest in literature, reinforcing academic learning, and for building communications skills, confidence and self-esteem.

Area middle and high school students from all over Buncombe County,
including ArtSpace, Francine Delaney, and Evergreen Community Charter
Schools, Asheville Middle and High Schools, and Owen Middle and High
Schools, will send their top four slam poets to the preliminaries and
finals on Saturday, April 30. The finals will be held at the Altamont
Theatre on historic Church Street in downtown Asheville. A.C Reynolds
High School, the S.I.L.S.A Program at AHS, and Reynolds Learning Center
will also compete.

The unique partnership includes the Asheville Area Arts Council,
ArtSpace Charter School, LEAF in Schools and Streets, Asheville
WORDFEST, Poetry Slam Asheville, True Ink, Glenis Redmond, James Nave,
Allan Wolf, Ginger West, Melissa Hedt of Asheville Middle School, Beth
McDonough of Western Carolina University, and more.

WORDSlam 2011 takes place Saturday, April 30 beginning at 5 p.m. at the new Altamont Theatre, 18 Church Street, in Asheville.