2020 Virtual Poetry Fest

Cash Prize: $100 to the winner

The writing and sharing of haiku is a deeply entrenched cultural practice in the poetry slam community, and the participants of the Haiku Death Match have been historically celebrated for their wit and use of well-crafted images.

Haiku is a short poetic form popularized by a Japanese poet named Matsuo Bashō. In the early 1670s, Bashō and his students devised an event called “the seashell game”: poets competed head-to-head with their original haiku and a winner was selected by a judge. In the early 1990’s—over 300 years later—a poet from the Illinois slam scene named Daniel Ferri created the Haiku Death Match, infusing the Japanese practice with a slew of Western conventions ranging from the roast to the rap battle. The slam-style haiku, also known as ‘ku’ is just 17 syllables (or less) and contains no title. As many as 32 poets will begin the competition, battling one-on-one until one “haikuster” is left standing.

Individuals who wish to compete in the Death Match should prewrite at least 10 haiku and sign up. If you have any questions about the competition, please contact the event host Adam “Henzbo-ku” Henze at adhenze@indiana.edu

Not for the faint of explicit language, the Erotica Open Mic has a rich and fun history in Southern Fried Poetry Slam lore. No topics are too adult for this event packed with sensuality, eroticism, and downright raunchiness! So are you a poet or lover of poetry which leans towards the down right freaky and nasty? You’ll find a home at the Erotica Open Mic.

Cash Prize: $100 to the winner

Many know Slam Masters as the organizational leader of a competitive slam team. They’re usually relied on to keep the business of a slam team in order and overseeing practices and team strategies. What you may not know is that slam masters are oftentimes prolific poets in their own right.

Make plans to attend this event in order to celebrate the unsung and often under appreciated leaders or the slam community, the slam masters.

Note: Must be a recognized Slam Master of Southern Fried Poetry Slam to participate.

This event aims to be a safe space for our respected members of the LGBTQIA+ poetry community. People of all orientations are welcomed to attend as we celebrate our LGBTQIA+ family.

Cash Prize: $100 to the winner

Are you considered a genius in a specific area like anime or Old School R&B? Do you have an obsession for Marvel comic books or wrestling? Participate in this trivia style event which celebrates all things considered nerdy by the outside world.

Over the years, we’ve lost more than a few impactful poets and poetry supporters in the Southern Fried Poetry Slam community. This events allows people to remember some of those who we have lost along the way. Dedications are requested to be from three to five minutes.