The Haiku Slam

The Set-up:

The Haiku slam should be set up on a sumo wrestling mat. Each poet will be given either a (red) or (green) headband/bandana which correlate to the colors of the two sticks placed in front of each of the judges. There should also be some sort of board (either dry erase or chalk) to keep track of the tournament procession. It would be nice to have a Gong (Tam) to culminate each tournament.

Procession of the Haiku Sumo Slam (approximate):

the MC talks about the significance of haikus:

The haiku is a Japanese art form and is probably the most widely abused form of poetry. In ancient Japan, poets would get into little groups reciting their haikus, each poet trying to outdo the last. By true technicality, a haiku talks about nature, whereas a humorous poem written in the haiku format is called a senryu.

then the MC talks about haiku in other languages:

The 5-7-5 syllable format of haiku spread to other places, including this very arena. Haiku is not necessarily a poem written in the 5-7-5 format. Poets like Jack Kerouac wrote haikus (in English) which broke this format. He realized that he did not speak Japanese, but he understood the art form itself and knew how to break the rules.

Then the MC talks about the rules to the slam:

For this event, we’re going to force the 5-7-5 rule. Here’s how it will work: two poets will each have 20 seconds to read, recite, or make up his or her poem. After the face-off, the winner will be decided by the three judges. After the last poet reads, the judges, to decide a winner, will hold up one of the two sticks in front of them each of which correlate to the poet’s headband. It will run as a single elimination tournament with three rounds.

And then the MC begins with a topical haiku, such as:

Haiku is easy
all you do is stop at the
seventeenth syllab-

The Rules:

• Each poet has 20 seconds to read, recite, or make up his or her poem
• Each poet must observe the 5-7-5 syllable format
• Winners are chosen by the majority vote of the three judges
• Judges will judge based on performance and poetic merit
• A winner will be decided through a single-elimination tournament

Poetry Slam

The Set-up:

The basic poetry slam should be set up anywhere that there can be an audience and a designated performance area. Depending on the intended draw, the performance area may or may not include amplification equipment.

The Rules:

The slam will consist of three rounds. In the first round, each poet performs one his or her poems. After each poet performs his or her piece, the judges will give a score no higher than 10 to one decimal place. Based on these results, a portion (which varies depending on the number of participants) of the poets are eliminated. The second round runs much the same as the first round, leaving three poets for the third round, which also runs in the same way.

• All poems for competition are to be of the poet’s original work.
• Poets may not use props (this includes altering your clothing during and for the purpose of your performance)
• Time limits may be set, in which case, a system of point deductions for going over time must be introduced

The MC:

The poetry slam is introduced by the MC. It is the MC’s job to introduce each poet, and call for and announce scores given by the judges. The MC must be versatile enough to be able to skillfully stall if need be and perhaps perform a poem to begin the slam. The MC must be charismatic, enthusiastic, and funny. It is the MC’s job to set the raucous atmosphere of a slam so that the audience cheers rather than claps, and reacts to content that they do or don’t like.

The Judges:

Judges are chosen at the beginning of the slam by the MC from members of the audience unaffiliated with the organization of the slam (if possible). Judges should not be given any criteria on which to judge poems.

Calculating Scores:

After the judges give their scores, the highest and lowest scores are dropped, giving any poem a maximum potential of thirty points. Points are not carried over from round to round.

Between Rounds:

The poetry slam doesn’t need to remain exclusively that. Here are some suggestions for a bit of change between rounds:

• Open the floor up to non competitors performing their own or other author’s work
• Have a live band play a few songs, and perhaps play while the performer is getting to the stage
• Have a freestyle competition
• Create a mini poetry or art (or both) competition

Variations on the Theme:

• Prop slam: Eliminate the ‘no props’ rule and see what ridiculousness abounds
• Cover slam: Require poets to perform the works of other poets
• Painter’s slam: Set up an easel, enforce a time limit, and replace poetry with painting
• Turn of Phrase slam: Make each poet include a certain phrase in all of their poems