Poetry NI proudly presents The Belfast Book Festival Poetry Slam
Friday 9th June, Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast, 9pm (£4 entry)

Open to all poets, we invite you to take the mic and enter our annual poetry slam competition. Share your work in front of a lively and appreciative audience, with new readers always welcome.

To enter, just register at the start of the night; names will be drawn out at random, with each poet invited onstage to read, competing to become Slam Champion 2017!

This year, the winner will receive the inaugural Brian Bailey Memorial Cup, in tribute to the much missed poet and pioneer of the Belfast live poetry scene. Poems in tribute to Brian will also be read out on the night.

For full rules, click here.

Check out our Facebook event page, book tickets via the Crescent Box Office or purchase on the night.

Many thanks to all our readers and listeners who came down to our open mic on a sunny May evening!

In orderof names drawn out of the hat, our readers were:
Linda McKenna, Mark Brownlee, Daryl Fletcher, Helen Hastings, Patrick Taggart. Thomas Elliott, Ross Thompson, Peter Adair, Joe Neal, Siobhán McCafferty, Ray Givans, Anthony Haughey, Geraldine O'Kane, Nathan Elout-Armstrong, Carla McG, Gareth Osborne, Samantha Patrick, and Sean Fitzsimmons

Our next event is the Belfast Book Festival Poetry Slam on Friday 9th June at 9pm, the winner of which will receive the inaugural Brian Bailey Memorial Cup. More details soon...

Poetry NI presents presents two special events for this year's NI Mental Health Arts & Film Festival at the EastSide Visitor Centre (402 Newtownards Road, Belfast) on Saturday 27th May.

Both events are free. Readers so far include Lara Sunday, Patrick Taggart, Willetta Fleming, Tory Campbell, Vincent Creelan, Geraldine O'Kane and Colin Dardis, with more to be confirmed soon.