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FURTHER READING
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by Barbara Jane Reyes
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Poetry Slam, Inc.  

Poetry Slam, Inc.

Poetry Slam Incorporated (PSI), the non-profit organization charged with overseeing the international coalition of poetry slams, as well as their annual National Poetry Slam, has been on a mission since 1997 to "promote the performance and creation of poetry." Today, PSI boasts venues in all fifty states as well as seven countries.

Their official site, www.poetryslam.com, contains essential slam community information, including a comprehensive list of venues across the country where readings are held. The site also features basic information on slam, audio and video files of performances, and links to slam-related sites and forums. There is also a Poetry Gallery, profiling a diverse group of slam poets from across the country.

Allan Wolf, "slammaster" of the 1994 National Poetry Slam in Asheville, NC, said, "The points are not the point; the point is poetry." This statement has become a mantra on the site as they remind poets and organizers involved in the competition that the goal of slam is to expand poetry's general audience, which is precisely what they are achieving.




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