Feature Poet – Ed Mabrey
Steph Love is a spoken word artist and web designer, originally from Virginia Beach, VA currently residing in Norfolk, VA.
SF2021 Tournament Updates, Bout Schedule, Tournament Week Ahead
Download Event GuideThe FINAL edition of the SF2021 Event Guide has been released with the list of teams and indies as well as the Bout Schedule and other side events. Please view the latest version of this important document as it shows the final dates and times for each bout. Official Tournament Updates Tournament Scoring Changes - SF2021.docx Bout ScheduleView Full Schedule of Events PRELIMS DAY 1 - TUE JUN 8 PRELIMS DAY 2 -...
#SF2021 Bout Draw
The #SF2021 BOUT DRAW was held on Wednesday, June 2 @ 7PM EST and was hosted by Eddie Vega and Matthew Cuban.
#SF2021 Volunteer Information
My name is Shanya “Lady S” Speller, and I’m proud to serve as the Volunteer Coordinator for this year's virtual Southern Fried Poetry Slam taking place from June 8-12, 2021. First of all, we want to thank you for your willingness to volunteer with us whether this is your first time or if you've helped out in previous years...
Feature Poet – Steph Love
Steph Love is a spoken word artist and web designer, originally from Virginia Beach, VA currently residing in Norfolk, VA.
29th Annual Virtual SoFried Poetry Festival Event Guide, Updates & More!
In this edition of our SoFried Poetry newsletter, we have a range of updates related to our upcoming virtual tournament from June 8-12, 2021. Whether you are a poetry lover who wants to inquire about how you can get involved or a potential competitor who wants to grab one of the remaining slots, scroll below to see how you can do so.
Win a SF2021 Registration Sponsorship!
We know that finances may be limited for some teams and Indies who have either already registered or are interested in doing so. For that reason, we are launching an initiative to pay for the registration costs of at least two teams and two Indies...
29th SoFried Virtual Poetry Festival, Q2 Slammasters Meeting, and More!
We are well on our way towards registering 32 team/16 Indies for our all-virtual edition of Southern Fried Poetry Slam from June 8-12, 2021. This year, we are guaranteeing $6,000 in cash prizes! More important than the money, we've been working diligently this year to ensure that our community will find a safe space in which we can share our words and ideas with one another...
Feature Poet – Roscoe Burnems
Roscoe Burnems is an educator and Richmond, VA's first poet laureate. Their one hour poetry and comedy special, "Traumedy", is streaming currently on Amazon Prime.
SF2021 Virtual Poetry Festival registration is now open!
In Region Registration for SF2021 Virtual Poetry Festival registration is now open!
3 easy steps to register...
Virtual Events for March 2021
March is all about women's history and empowerment! Check out the event lineup for this month...
Feature Poet – iCon
SHA'CONDRIA “iCon” SIBLEY is a poet, writer, performing artist, visual artist, teaching artist, originator of the “little Black girls with big names'' movement...
Virtual Festival Announcement 2021
Statement from the President regarding the 2021 Southern Fried Poetry Festival.
Virtual Events for February 2021
For February, we are celebrating Valentine’s Day with a special virtual event called Couplets on February 14. Throughout the month, we will be launching our My Black Is Poetic campaign which is a set of video performances from poets of the SoFried Poetry community...
Check Out Our Revamped Website!
We are excited to invite you to our revamped website portal for all things Southern Fried Poetry! Click the link below to learn more...
Q1 Southern Fried Community Town Hall Meeting Minutes
January 17, 2021 Meeting started at 2:05 pm EST Attendees: Board of Directors in Attendance: Cuban Lady S Sarah Timmons Eddie V Dorian Zach Executive Board in Attendance: Sarita Shadow Henzbo Community Members in Attendance: 33 AGENDA: Welcome from President Sarita and Introduction of Meeting Moderator and Co-Vice President, Cuban Shared personal SF experience and what SF means to her Goal of new leadership is to provide more of...
Virtual Events for January 2021
Greetings to you and to all of our SoFried slamily!
For us, 2021 is all about growth and evolution. In past years, we only had the chance to meet a few days out of the year during our annual festival and competition in June. Starting in 2021, we want to see you more. It is our hope that you, your team, and your city's poetry scene will join us and get in the mix with your SoFried Family. Please see below and, as always, you can reach us at info@southernfriedpoetryslam.com with any questions or comments.
Sincerely,
Dorian "Paul D" Rogers
Secretary
Southern Fried Poetry, Inc.
Feature Poet – Ashlee Haze
Ashlee Haze, Poet & Spoken Word Artist wins the SoFriedPoetry Haiku Contest and becomes the first Feature poet of 2021...
MEANS OF CONVEYANCE: SPOKEN WORD PEDAGOGY, HIP HOP LITERACIES, AND THE CHALLENGES OF FOSTERING POETRY SPACES
A dissertation by Dr. Adam D. Henze. Submitted to the faculty of the University Graduate School in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Education, Indiana University May 2020. View in Google Drive. ADH-Diss-Master-v.5.docx
The Passing of the Baton…
Hello Slamily, Southern Fried Poetry is changing, growing- evolving. Part of that evolution is bringing in new leadership. This allows the energy at the helm to remain fresh and invigorated to this work. At our first virtual Slammmaster’s Meeting on July 7, 2020, 6 new members were voted on to the Board of Directors. We give thanks to those who have sacrificed in previous years to get us to this place: Akin “Shadow” Sawyerr, Dr....
SoFried Poetry Virtual Slammaster’s 3Q Meeting
Greetings to the Slammasters and patrons of Southern Fried: Board Elections On behalf of the greater Southern Fried community, we would like to congratulate the newly elected board members to Southern Fried Poetry, Inc.! This is an era of change and expansion for our organization, and we are grateful for the skills and talents that our new leaders will be sharing in the coming years. Please congratulate our new board members: Matthew “Cuban” Hernandez Zachary...
(UPDATE) SF2020 – “In Spirit” TShirts
We have just received the first batch of orders from the printer. If you are in Batch 1, shipping starts the weekend of July 3, 2020. Thank you for your continued support! Batch 1 – Shipping weekend of July 3 Takia Dickens Walter Jennings Matthew Hernandez Ashlee Haze Hope Ostane-Baucom Liz Prisley Christopher Massenburg Keegan Anderson Erica Cuscina HeRo Wells Kevin Campbell Frederick Eberhardt Sarita Goods Leandrea Hill Nadya Hand Batch 2 –...
Town Hall Update
Greetings to our Southern Fried colleagues: We wanted to say a quick thank you to all the poets who attended our first virtual Southern Fried Town Hall. The board was excited to share some big news and we appreciate you taking the time to spend your evening with us. If you were unable to attend, no worries – you can view the recording of our meeting along with the presentation in our Townhall blog post....
SoFried Poetry Town Hall
Greetings to the Slammasters and patrons of Southern Fried: We cordially invite you to attend our first virtual SoFried Poetry Town Hall, where the Board of Directors will be discussing the future of Southern Fried Poetry, Inc. with stakeholders in the community. Our organization is in the need of new leaders, and we want to spend an evening with you to discuss our long-term plan for growing and sustaining our beloved festival. The meeting will...
Commemorate Tampa 2020 w/ “In Spirit” TShirt
Hello Slamily, For those of you who want to commemorate Tampa 2020, we have tees available on the Southern Fried website. They are $25 each, and all of the proceeds will go to https://colorofchange.org/ and the https://bailproject.org/ – two institutions dedicated to fighting racial injustice. Shipping and handling is included in the cost and because we stand in solidarity with our community members, Southern Fried Poetry, Inc will match whatever the community raises, up to...
From The Southern Fried Board of Directors: We stand together
For inclusion and equity for all. We reconvened board meetings last week, and seeing what has transpired at the start of this week, we feel it is important to reflect on what is going on across the U.S. recently following the senseless deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, the ugly confrontations between police and protesters, and many other acts of racism and violence that have occurred throughout our nation’s recent history. These...
Happy Mother’s Day from SoFried!
Hello slamily, Happy Mother’s Day to all! …and Thank You. The Southern Fried Tournament we had planned for you would have been a month away today. We know it has been a very difficult reality and tough times with the pandemic, but a lot of you have given us strength and courage by sharing with us your stories and experiences, your zoom videos and your 30 for 30 poems and we just want to say...
2020 Tournament Cancellation
Dear friends and family of Southern Fried Poetry, We held onto wishfulness as long as we could, but unfortunately, we must cancel the 2020 Southern Fried Poetry Slam. As we prepare this statement, the United States has surpassed Italy as the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic, with more confirmed cases of coronavirus than any other country. This decision was not easy, as this is the first cancellation in the 28 year history of Southern Fried....
![[Update] COVID 19 Pandemic Response for the 2020 Tournament](https://www.southernfriedpoetryslam.com/dev/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/CORONAVIRUSRESPONSE-450x272.jpg)
[Update] COVID 19 Pandemic Response for the 2020 Tournament
Date: March 13, 2020 The board of Southern Fried Poetry, Inc strongly recommends all participating teams postpone their qualifying competitions for the 2020 Southern Fried Poetry Slam. There has been a disproportionate regional response to the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States, and we on the board are thoughtful of how an outbreak might affect numerous elder and infirmed communities in the Southeast region, and beyond. As part of an international network of artists who...
Coronavirus Response from SoFried Poetry
Date: March 11, 2020 Dear SoFried Family, Like many festival organizers around the world, the board of Southern Fried Poetry, Inc has been monitoring the global response to Covid-19 (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html), and discussing what it means for our beloved festival. Though the Southern Fried Poetry Slam is still 3 months away, this unprecedented situation has raised questions about the safety and security of our event. We are excited for our festival in Tampa, but also concerned...
2020 Tournament Update – 100 Days Out!
Greetings from the Board of Directors of Southern Fried Poetry, Inc. We are almost three (3) months away from this year’s festival and have some updates for you: Registration Due to circumstances beyond our control, early team registration for the 2020 tournament in Tampa has been postponed until March 15, 2020. Preference will still be given to in-region teams in the month of March, and open registration will be April 1st for teams from all...
Happy New Year 2020 from SoFried Poetry!
Greetings and Happy New Year from the Board of Directors of Southern Fried Poetry, Inc.: We are less than five months away from the 28th Annual Southern Fried Poetry Slam taking place this June in Tampa, Florida. We want to take this opportunity to provide you some pertinent information: The official dates of the tournament portion of our festival are June 10, 2020 – June 13, 2020. As usual, we will also host activities for...
In memory of Tessica “Lady Tess” Williams
In-memory-of-Tessica-_Lady-Tess_-Williams-Address-Change Date: December 28, 2019 Greetings to our Southern Fried family and the greater poetry community: By now you may have heard that a sacred member of our community, Tessica Williams, passed away on Christmas Eve. “Lady Tess,” as she was known to her poetry family, is remembered for her bright and beautiful personality, and often served as a one-woman “welcome wagon” to both newcomers and veteran festival attendees each year. For the last several...
End of Year Report (2019)
Cheers from SoFried Poetry! Please take a moment to read our 2019 End of Year Report. August-31-2019-End-of-Fiscal-Year- Date: August 31, 2019 Salutations on behalf of Southern Fried Poetry, Inc. We are celebrating the end of the fiscal year, and this letter is intended to inform the Southern Fried community about pertinent news and business. First, we’d like to congratulate the city of Fayetteville, North Carolina for hosting a memorable festival. Thank you to all the...
Letter to Slammasters Regarding 2016 Prize Winners
letter-to-slammasters-regarding-2016-prize-winners-update-2-1
2019 Scores – FRI
*All Scores subject to change.*If you have any questions, or your score is missing, please email info@southernfriedpoetryslam.com TEAM SCORES TEAM-RANK-FRI_FINAL-1 INDIE SCORES INDIE-RANK-FRI_FINAL3
2019 Tournament Update – 5 Days Away!
Hello Slamily! Southern. Fried. Is. Just. Five. Days. Away! Festival organizers are working around the clock to make our 2019 festival as epic as possible. We’re writing you today to let you know about a few pressing matters! Childcare First, we want to remind patrons with small children that babysitting services are available once again this year. The Fayetteville community has made itself accessible to provide childcare coverage for the entire week for children of...
2019 Tournament Update – 14 Days Out!
Southern Fried is just two weeks away, and we’re just as excited as you! We can’t wait until we see our slamily the first Tuesday of June, but until then, here are a few things for your attention. 2019 Bout Draw First, we want to let you know that the bout draw for the tournament will occur this Thursday, May 23rd. The list will be made available on our website and social media pages that...
2019 Tournament Update – 21 Days!
Greetings Southern Fried Family! We are 21 days out from the 27th annual Southern Fried Poetry Slam and beyond excited to see you once again!! We just want to touch base with you and share the schedule of events as you prepare your trip to Fayetteville, North Carolina this June 5th – 8th. Schedule of Events Host Hotel We would like to remind poets that single rooms are still available at the host hotel, each...
2019 Tournament Update – March
Greetings from the board of Southern Fried Poetry, Inc Our 27th annual tournament is a little over two months away, and we want to share some vital information to help you prepare for the best time of the year. Registration We want to provide an update on registration for the tournament. Registration for in-region teams has been open since March 1st, and so far 24 teams have registered to compete at Southern Fried in Fayetteville,...
2019 Additional Indies Slots
Hello Southern Fried Poetry Family, We are excited about the opening of registration for this year’s Southern Fried Poetry Slam taking place in Fayetteville, NC. We are looking forward to gathering with you again to share our art, network, provide service to the community, and fellowship with each other. Due to the registration response so far, we see that you are excited as well! For Teams, registration is split in two. March 1 is registration...
End of Year Report (2018)
Cheers from SoFried Poetry! Please take a moment to read our 2018 End of Year Report. Download PDF August 31, 2018 (End of Fiscal Year)
2018 Bout Schedule
The official 2018 Bout Schedule has been released: 2018 Bout Schedule Check back regularly for updates.
2018 Schedule of Events
The 2018 Schedule of Events has been released on the Southern Fried Poetry Slam website. Please visit https://www.southernfriedpoetryslam.com/events for more information.
Volunteer at the San Antonio Food Bank
Our community service opportunity this year will be at the San Antonio Food Bank. We’ve signed up for 25 slots for Friday, June 15, from 9am-11:30am. If you’d like to join us, sign up here: https://goo.gl/forms/cq56KAR5kCCn6d2z1
The Carver Community Cultural Center (2018 Finals Venue)
The Carver Community Cultural Center is delighted to serve as host venue for the 2018 Southern Fried Poetry Slam Finals on June 16, 2018, from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. The mission of the Carver Community Cultural Center is to celebrate the diverse cultures of our world, nation, and community, with emphasis on its African and African-American heritage, by providing premier artistic presentations, community outreach activities and educational programs. Visit Website. HISTORY & MISSION For...
2018 50% Registration Update
Thank you and Congrats to all the Teams and Indies that have registered early for this year’s Tournament. We are excited to have 16 teams and 8 indies already signed up to join us in San Antonio! If you are In-region, you can Register now at https://www.southernfriedpoetryslam.com/registration/ Out-of-Region registration opens on April 1st, 2018. ***Please note: The following Teams and Indies will have their registration fees waived for the 2018 Tournament: Team Sno – 1st...
Registering Online for Southern Fried Poetry Slam
10 Steps to Register for Southern Fried Poetry Slam Online: NOTE: Users will need to be logged into www.southernfriedpoetryslam.com to register for the tournament: Register or Log In Log in and Go to Tournament > Registration page: https://www.southernfriedpoetryslam.com/registration/ Select a registration product type (Team/Indie) On Product page, before selecting “Add to Cart”, fill out your Team/Indie details in the registration form Click “Send” to submit the registration form, a confirmation message will appear...
Southern Fried 2018 logo released
Southern Fried Poetry Slam is proud to announce the release of its newest logo for the 26th annual competition being held in San Antonio, Texas this June. “The artist blended Indigenous Aztecan and African symbolism in the design, creating a mestizaje (or culturally blended) identity for 2018.” – Christopher “Rooster” Martinez, Festival Director for #SoFriedSATX
End of Year Letter 2017
Hello Southern Fried Family! On behalf of the Southern Fried Poetry, Inc Board of Directors, we hope you have enjoyed celebrating the 25th anniversary of our festival! This is our end-of-fiscal-year report, following what we believe to be one of the most successful Southern Fried tournaments in our history. 2017 was our first year that a centralized Council assisted in the organizing of the festival, but that should take nothing away from Lance G Newman...
Shawnee Boys & Girls Club Community Service
Southern Fried Community Service event at the Shawnee Boys & Girls Club in Louisville, KY.
Community Togetherness Walk
Thank you to Writer’s Den & Lady S for performing at the Ali Togetherness Walk
2017 Final Stage Winners
Indie Top 4 1st Place – Ed Mabrey 89.4 2nd Place – Jahman Hill 89.2 3rd Place – Steven Willis 89.1 4th Place – Asia 85.4 Team Top 4 1st Place – Slamageddon 118.8 (T)2nd Place – Say What 118.5 (T)2nd Place – Slam Nuba 118.5 4th Place – New Jeru 118.1 Nerd Slam Champion: Slangston Hughes Slam Master’s Slam Champion: Ebony Payne Head-to-Head Haiku Champion: Ashlee Haze
Congratulations to 2017 Team Champions Slamageddon!
Slamageddon – 2017 Southern Fried Team Poetry Slam Champions
Congratulations to 2017 Indie Champion Ed Mabrey!
Ed Mabrey – 2017 Southern Fried Individual Poetry Slam Champion
Southern Fried Advisory Council Q3 Update
Date: Sunday, April 2, 2017 It has been over nine months since the Slam Masters decided to incorporate at the 2016 festival, and the following is our third quarter report for April of 2017. To prepare for the upcoming 25th Anniversary festival we have decided to enter the second stage of our fundraising campaign, “25 years of Southern Fried”. To raise revenue, we are selling a limited edition SoFried commemorative T-shirt, on high-quality material...
#SoFried2017 Registration Information
Greetings from the Southern Fried Advisory Council, We hope this email finds you and your poetry community well. We wanted to take the time to thank you for supporting Southern Fried Poetry Slam, Inc. We hope you are planning to join us in Louisville, KY for the 25th Anniversary of Southern Fried. The official dates are 7-10 June 2017. Registration is $250 for teams and $150 for indies. Registration opens on Wednesday, 1 March for...
2017 – Louisville, KY
Started in 1993 to highlight the southeastern region of the nation, Southern Fried Poetry Slam is one of the fastest growing Poetry communities. In 2017, the festival will be celebrating its 25th anniversary in a state and city where it’s never been held before…Louisville, Kentucky! (more…)
2017 Host Hotel Selected
We are excited to partner with the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Louisville Downtown as the official Host Hotel for the 25th Annual Southern Fried Poetry Slam Festival. (more…)
2017 Happy New Year!
Happy New Year from Southern Fried Poetry, Inc! Hope every good present day in the New Year serves as a valuable treasure for a better tomorrow. Here’s the end of year update from The Advisory Council: (more…)
In memory of Tavis Brunson
To the family and friends of Southern Fried Poetry: As you may have heard by now, the Southern Fried Poetry community lost a very important member in the early morning of December 27th. For many poets, Tavis Brunson represented the spirit of Southern Fried as an exceptional performer, writer, competitor and spoken word emissary. (more…)
#FriendsofSoFriedPoetry!
Back in October, we set a goal to raise $1000 from 50 donors in 14 days. In the end, it took us 8 days to raise $1007 from 43 people! Thank you from Southern Fried Poetry Slam to the following members of the 50/20 Club: (more…)
