Watch videos of slam poetry from the Austin Poetry Slam to get familiar with the craft and find inspiration. Knowing what makes for good slam poetry is the first step to writing your own!

Career

Watch the Austin Poetry Slam.

Watch these 5 tips about how to write your own slam poetry and then get started! Try performing for some friends or family, or find a poetry slam near you to try it out!

Write your own slam poetry.

Check out your local comedy clubs and find out when they hold open mic nights. Check out other comedians' sets, then sign up to try performing yourself.

Go to an open mic night.

Writers

Create original written works, such as scripts, essays, prose, poetry or song lyrics, for publication or performance.

Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Artistic

Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Investigative

Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Enterprising

First Interest High-Point

Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

Social

Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Conventional

Second Interest High-Point

Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Realistic

Third Interest High-Point

Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers

Writers and Editors

Writers and Authors

Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations

Media and Communication Workers

Revise written material to meet personal standards and to satisfy needs of clients, publishers, directors, or producers.

Choose subject matter and suitable form to express personal feelings and experiences or ideas, or to narrate stories or events.

Plan project arrangements or outlines, and organize material accordingly.

Prepare works in appropriate format for publication, and send them to publishers or producers.

Follow appropriate procedures to get copyrights for completed work.

Write fiction or nonfiction prose, such as short stories, novels, biographies, articles, descriptive or critical analyses, and essays.

Develop factors such as themes, plots, characterizations, psychological analyses, historical environments, action, and dialogue to create material.

Confer with clients, editors, publishers, or producers to discuss changes or revisions to written material.

Conduct research to obtain factual information and authentic detail, using sources such as newspaper accounts, diaries, and interviews.

Write narrative, dramatic, lyric, or other types of poetry for publication.

Attend book launches and publicity events, or conduct public readings.

Write words to fit musical compositions, including lyrics for operas, musical plays, and choral works.

Adapt text to accommodate musical requirements of composers and singers.

Write humorous material for publication, or for performances such as comedy routines, gags, and comedy shows.

Collaborate with other writers on specific projects.

Computer laser printers

Laser facsimile machines

Personal computers

Tablet computers

Apple iWorks Pages

Ashley Software Writer's Blocks

AutoCrit Editing Wizard

Bare Bones Software BBEdit

Blogger

Contour Storyteller

Google Drive

Literature & Latte Scrivener

MasterWriter

Microsoft Word

OpenOffice.org

Power Structure

Ravenshead Services WriteItNow

Red Sweater MarsEdit

RoughDraft

ScriptPerfection Power Writer

Storymind StoryWeaver

Text to speech software

Tumblr

WhiteSmoke

WordPress

Write Brothers Dramatica

WriteWay Pro

Slam Poet

<p>: In New Mexico, the Roadtrip Nation team interviews Baron Wolman, the first photographer for Rolling Stone magazine. Wolman went to spy school during the Vietnam War to avoid the draft and was stationed in Berlin when the Wall went up. In Austin, TX they interview Mike Henry, poetry slam artist, and Bev Kearney, head track and field coach at UT Austin.</p>

Santa Fe - Austin

And welcome to SlamOff 2004, here's how we do this. be part of a movement? slam poetry movement, you know? you hadn't created this thing. it's not and yeah, I'm a part of it, many people who came before me. that you stand on when you do this. poetry slam movement now and it is one. 

Culture

Part Of A Movement

I think it's amazing that you can do what you love and not many people can say that. >> That's what I'm looking for. here that I did I think what's pretty where I just explored a lot of options. played music, just kind of did my thing. poetry, and I really never performed there was no place to do that. started going to open mics, and gonna be a year before I step up there. I watched for a year. take the leap and you get up and was not, the angels might not have sang. >> But so I found quickly this world of this is it. kinda where I came from. Norman Rockwell-esque home housed bitchy birds rampaging around the yard. stinking that mealy, acrid stink. scratches and pecks in the war for eggs. out like Shakespearean tragedy. to building a career and understand what I was doing and didn't have much to talk about. we're doing this thing called Poetry Slam. you could have just speaking martian. >> This at all. there was just nothing to talk about. need to be, and I'm gonna be happy, chickens around the yard, were hushed voices speaking songs. 

Dedication

Family

This Is It

Hi, ow! >> Welcome to Texas. >> You've been officially maimed by >> [LAUGH] >> Not a bad way to start the night off, >> [APPLAUSE] gentleman welcome to Slam Off 2004. be part of a movement. the Slam Poetry movement. hadn't created this thing in Austin. yeah, I'm a real part of it, many people who came before me. that you stand on when you do this. now and it is one. you can do what you love and >> That's what I'm looking for. down here when I did I think what's pretty just explore a lot of options. played music, just kinda did my thing. poetry and I'd never really performed community, there was no place to do that. to open mics and I was so blown away. step up there and I'm gonna watch. that you kind of take a leap, and you think you are, but the angels might not have sang. >> So I found quickly this world of poetry okay, this is it. kinda where I came from. a small shack behind their red brick of small, bitchy birds, rampaging around stinking that mealy, acrid stink. scratches and pecks in the war for eggs. out like Shakespearean tragedy. to building a career and support myself in art. they didn't understand what I was doing. really, we didn't have much to talk about. an independent indy rock club. and their like you could have speaking >> [LAUGH] there was just nothing to talk about. to be, and I gonna be happy and chickens around the yard. were hushed voices speaking soft. >> Thank you all. 

Community

Determination

Individualism

Talent

Interview

You know, there was some years after I got down here when I typical of a lot of people, a lot of options, made friends, played music-- kinda did my thing. always loved poetry, before 'cause I'd never had, I got down here and I started and I got, and I was so gonna take a year before I, and I'm gonna watch." And so I found quickly performing, that I thought like, This is, this is my, my juice." what drives me." welcome to Slam-Off 2004. first time that you kinda get up and, you get up you know, you want to be you are, but you don't know 

Mike Henry

Slam Poet

Videos

Mike Henry

Milestones

Education

Career

Career Roadmap

My work combines:

My work combines:

Art

Writing

Being Creative

Interviewed By

What Drives You