An Amazing Addition To Prescott Nightlife

Prescott Poetry Slam is an exciting monthly event amidst the glittering night life of Prescott, Arizona. A shining star in its own right, Prescott Poetry Slam dazzles by offering an immersive experience of the rhythm and flow within the Prescott art and performance scene. 

Enjoy an unforgettable evening at Cove Cafe at 1446 W. Gurley Street each month when they offer special extended hours to host the Prescott Poetry Slam. Browse their menu of refreshing cocktails, mocktails and lite dining to find sips and bites that suit your palette perfectly. Take your pick between the bar or a table, the couches or a lounge chair where you can settle in to witness literary poetic genius performed right in front of you. The warm brick walls, hanging plants and eclectic art of Cove Cafe create a friendly and inviting atmosphere that you’ll want to revisit again and again! They have a patio, too!

The Prescott Poetry Slam features three rounds of performance poetry where poets compete for cash prizes. Shows typically feature between three and twelve poets, ensuring our audience gets a great presentation that normally runs between 90 minutes and 2 hours. Admission is free, donations are welcome and there’s plenty of food and drink for sale at the bar. The Prescott Poetry Slam experience will make you cheer, cry, shout, laugh and snap, but most importantly; a Prescott Poetry Slam will make you feel what it really is to be human. We look forward to performing for you! 

How Does Prescott Slam??

The Prescott Poetry Slam team is committed to building a community that supports freedom of expression, artistic innovation and collaborative communication. We know our culture runs deep, and we offer a stage for poets to explore those depths through competitive spoken word performances. Our monthly slams offer three rounds of performance poetry where the highest scores take home the cash prizes! 

Poetic Genius

Prescott Poetry welcomes poets and spoken word artists from all experience levels, ages, identities, creeds, backgrounds, national origins, belief structures, and any other variable one could imagine. We offer a safe space for expression with the exclusion of direct hate speech and overtly political tirades. No age limits nor experience requirements exist for poets. Newcomers to the stage are always reverently welcome. Poets are not obligated to memorize their work, however all work must be original art of the performing poet. 

Cash Prize Competition

Poets compete for cash prizes through three rounds of poetry wherein each poet is allowed to perform one poem per turn, per round. Each turn is limited to three minutes, with penalties possible if time is exceeded. The number of poets competing may decrease each round, with the highest scoring top three places awarded a cash prize. Cash prizes typically range from $10 to $50 dollars each month, and there are no limits on how many slams a poet can win. 

Picking Winners

During each slam, a panel of judges are randomly selected from the audience. After each poet's performance, the judges assign a score to the piece ranging from 0.0 to 10.0. The stores are cumulatively tracked throughout the slam. Then, they’re tallied and ranked as each round progresses. The top three highest cumulative scoring poets win the cash prizes. 

Winning a Prescott Poetry Slam is not only rewarding on a financial level, it also entitles the triumphant poets a life-long guarantee of very significant bragging rights. Prescott Poetry is a big deal, and we can’t wait to share it with you!

Who Pays For This?

Prescott Poetry is a joint personal passion project started by two Prescott Poetry practitioners. The Cove Cafe generously offers us their space, and our community is amazingly supportive. Basically, we’re all self-funded for the good of the community, which is why donations are always happily welcome and greatly appreciated.