Slam! Slam! Slam!

Flagstaff Poetry Slam (FlagSlam)

Poets compete using their unique performance/storytelling style to recite their poems on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month.

• Each poem must be of the poet's own creation
• A Slam bout will usually last 3 rounds so poets need 3 poems each
• Each poet gets three minutes (plus a ten-second grace period) to read one poem, if the poet goes over, points will be deducted from the total score
• The poet may not use props, costumes, or musical instruments

Five people picked randomly from the audience judge the poems on a scale of 0-10. The high and low scores are dropped and the rest are added together.

Yogaert

3 E. Aspen

2nd and 4th Wednesdays 

Starting the End of Jan.

Signup 7:30 pm

Competition Starts at 8:00 pm

Not Quite Ready to Compete?

Every Monday at 7:30, Lily Davan hosts an open mic for poets at the Awa Kava bar, 218 S San Francisco St Flagstaff. This is a really relaxed space, with folks sitting on couches sipping kava or coffee and passing a microphone around. Open to all!

Mondays

Awa Kava bar

218 S San Francisco St Flagstaff

Sign Up at 7 pm

Readings Start at 7:30 pm

• Flagstaff Brewing Co. has an open mic for poets and prose writers every Tuesday without the pressure of being a feature or in a competition. Improve your skill at reading in public.

Tuesdays

Flagstaff Brewing Company

16 E. Route 66

Sign-ups open at 7 pm

Show starts at 7:20 pm

Flagstaff's current Youth Poet Laureate Micaela Merryman hosts a curated reading series of local writers, mostly poetry.

Second Friday of the Month

Late for the Train, Downtown

19A E. Aspen Ave

Starts at 6 pm

Want Even More Poetry?

AZ Poetry Events Calendar

The Cinder Skies Reading Series (formerly The Narrow Chimney Reading Series) offers a hybrid online/in-person reading series from MFA students in Creative Writing at NAU and "established" authors. All genres. Free to access. 

For authors, Cinder Skies is a chance to try new ideas and see how they land with an audience. For listeners, it’s a chance to become inspired by others and engage authors directly, a chance that evades the solitary reader. The people brought together under Cinder Skies are primarily authors, but they come from various places. While the readings have traditionally been in-person, COVID demanded the format expand to include virtual events as well. Recent online forums showcased readers from California to Carolina. Still, Cinder Skies consistently draws on the inkwell of NAU talent.

Flagstaff Writers Connection is a big fan of NaNoWriMo. We host multiple write-ins in the month of November and encourage everyone to write their novel in the 30 days of November.

Now Flagstaff Writers Connection wants to introduce a new October tradition: 

Ready, Set, Write

Everyday in the month of October we will host a Zoom with 1-3 writing exercises to get you ready to write a whole novel in November. You do NOT have to be a contestant in NaNoWriMo to join the fun. Exercises will be geared to all kinds of story development at all speeds.

We will cover:

• Brainstorming an Idea
• Filling in the Plot Points
• Character Development
• Setting and Worldbuilding
• Terrible Endings
• Twists and Reversals
• Important Scenes
• Problem Solving/Getting Stuck

Sessions will be everyday at 12:15-12:55 on this Zoom Link. 

Meeting ID: 975 7936 9345

Passcode: 5WS8M3

Bring paper and pen or a computer for writing. If you miss a session the sessions will be posted HERE.

Companion Workbook

Get ready to smoke the competition!

Nature Writing Retreat: Eco Poetry & Prose

with 

poet, author, and writing instructor

Pam Davenport

“Tell me what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

~Mary Oliver, The Summer Day

Spend the day remembering you are part of Nature. This all day retreat in a Garden Setting will break down the barriers between you and the natural world. See things differently and discover how to use your Poetry and Prose to live and breathe and even to facilitate change.

Saturday, September 14

Check-In at 9:30 am

Instruction 10 am-4 pm

at

Flagstaff Arboretum

Fee $50 before Sept 1 

and $60 in Sept.

(Includes entrance to Arboretum)

Participants limited to 25

Register by mailing Registration Form and Check payable to  Nancy Brehm

925 N. Sinagua Heights Dr.

Flagstaff, AZ 86004

For more info call or email Nancy at: 

928-527-3188

nbrehm@aol.com

Arrive early and stay until 5 pm to enjoy the gardens. The Arboretum has lots of paths, a butterfly garden, a mushroom garden, art, a pond, and a climate change center. Maps and tours will be available after 9 am.

Participants should bring a brown bag lunch. Coolers will be available. Coffee, tea and muffins will be furnished in the morning. Healthy snacks and desserts will be available during the day. Participants are asked to bring a water bottle for refilling.

Pam Davenport's writing is inspired by the mountains and deserts of Arizona. After decades of teaching college writing and literature classes, Pam earned a Masters of Fine Arts in writing from Pacific University in Oregon. Her chapbook, A Midwest Girl Thanks Patti Smith won the Slipstream Chapbook Competition and will be published this summer. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and recipient of Arizona Authors' Assc. Annual Award for Poetry. Her poems have been published in Nimrod, Tinderbox, Slippery Elm, Poetry of the American Southwest, Chiron, New Verse News, and Pittsburgh Poetry Review.

After the Workshop

We had a great group on Sat for this workshop. The facilities were beautiful and the weather was perfect for our outside writing. Thanks to all who participated for making the workshop and the readings extraordinary.

Mark James, Flagstaff Arboretum Docent, gave a wonderful talk prior to our workshop on Sat. Plants discussed included columbine, yarrow, larkspur and puke weed. Thank you Mark for all the interesting info.