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.

Career

Go to an open mic night.

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!

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.

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. >> How does it feel to be part of a movement? Like, you're a big part of this slam poetry movement, you know? And I, I mean I don't know if you it, I would have never found you if you hadn't created this thing. In Austin. >> I can honestly say, I mean, it's not and yeah, I'm a part of it, we're all part of it, but there are so many people who came before me. There are so many, the shoulders that you stand on when you do this. We use the phrase, 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 be able to survive off of it because not many people can say that. >> Yeah. >> That's what I'm looking for. >> There was some years after I got down here that I did I think what's pretty typical of a lot of people, where I just explored a lot of options. Thought about grad school, made friends, played music, just kind of did my thing. I'd always loved writing, always loved poetry, and I really never performed before, because there was no community, there was no place to do that. So I got down here, and started going to open mics, and I just was so blown away, it's like gonna be a year before I step up there. And I'm gonna watch. And I did. I watched for a year. And I'll never forget. That first time that you kinda take the leap and you get up and perform and you want to be good at it. And you think you are. But you don't know until you try it. And whatever, the first time I probably was not, the angels might not have sang. >> [LAUGH] >> But so I found quickly this world of poetry and performing that I thought okay, this is it. This is my juice. This is why it drives me. Okay, so this is a piece about kinda where I came from. My grandparents had chickens. A small shack behind their red brick, Norman Rockwell-esque home housed dozens of small, bitchy birds rampaging around the yard. Pecking, and clucking, and stinking that mealy, acrid stink. My tanned forearms showed scars from scratches and pecks in the war for eggs. Commerce and kidnapping played out like Shakespearean tragedy. And I started dedicating myself to building a career and a life where I can support myself in art. My parents, they didn't understand what I was doing and there was literally years where we didn't have much to talk about. I own and I am a talent buyer for an independent Indy rock club and we're doing this thing called Poetry Slam. And they're like, you could have just speaking martian. I don't understand. >> [LAUGH] >> This at all. And so there was just nothing to talk about. Yeah, it's hard. It's hard but I just cling to the belief. It's like I'm gonna get where I need to be, and I'm gonna be happy, and you're gonna be proud of me. Partly from chasing chickens around the yard, carrying away their eggs as if they were hushed voices speaking songs. >> Yeah. 

Dedication

Family

This Is It

Hi, ow! Hi. >> Welcome to Texas. >> Yeah. >> You've been officially maimed by our native plants. >> That hurt. >> [LAUGH] >> I'm Kessa. >> Hey. Nice to meet you. >> I'm the one that's been calling you every day. >> Not a bad way to start the night off, huh? >> [APPLAUSE] >> It's about that time to bring forth the rhythm and the rhyme, ladies and gentleman welcome to Slam Off 2004. Here's how we do this. >> How does it feel to be part of a movement. You're a big part of the Slam Poetry movement. I don't know if you know it, but I would have never found you if you hadn't created this thing in Austin. >> I can honestly say, and yeah, I'm a real part of it, but there's still so many people who came before me. There's so many like the shoulders that you stand on when you do this. We used the phrase Poetry Slam Movement now and it is one. >> I think it's amazing that you can do what you love and be able to survive off of it. Cuz not many people can say that. >> Yeah. >> That's what I'm looking for. >> Well, there were some years after I got down here when I did I think what's pretty typical, a lot of people, right, just explore a lot of options. Thought about grad school, made friends, played music, just kinda did my thing. I'd always loved writing all those love poetry and I'd never really performed before because I never had, there was no community, there was no place to do that. So I got down here and I started going to open mics and I was so blown away. And was like, I going to take a year before I step up there and I'm gonna watch. And I did, I watched for a year. I'll never forget that first time that you kind of take a leap, you get up and perform. And you want to be good at it, and you think you are, but you don't know until you try it. And everybody, whatever, the first time, I probably was not, the angels might not have sang. >> [LAUGH] >> So I found quickly this world of poetry and performing that I was like, okay, this is it. This is my juice. This is why it drives me. Okay, so this is a piece about kinda where I came from. My grandparents had chickens, a small shack behind their red brick Normal Rockwell-esque home, housed dozens of small, bitchy birds, rampaging around the yard pecking and clucking and stinking that mealy, acrid stink. My tanned forearm showed scars from scratches and pecks in the war for eggs. Commerce and kidnapping played out like Shakespearean tragedy. And I started dedicating myself to building a career and a life where I could support myself in art. My parents, they didn't understand what I was doing. And there was literally years where we really, we didn't have much to talk about. I own and am a talent buyer for an independent indy rock club. And we're doing this thing on Poetry Slam and their like you could have speaking martian, I don't understand >> [LAUGH] >> This at all, and so there was just nothing to talk about. Yeah, it's hard. It's hard but I cling to the belief. It's like i'm gonna get where I need to be, and I gonna be happy and you're gonna be proud of me. Partly from chasing chickens around the yard. Carrying away their eggs as if they were hushed voices speaking soft. >> [APPLAUSE] >> Thank you all. 

Interview

You know, there was some years after I got down here when I did I think what's pretty typical of a lot of people, where I just explored a lot of options, thought about grad school, made friends, played music-- just, you know, j-just kinda did my thing. I'd always loved writing, always loved poetry, and I'd never really performed before 'cause I'd never had, there was no community. I got down here and I started going to open mics, and- and I got, and I was so blown away, I was like, "I'm gonna take a year before I, "before I step up there, and I'm gonna watch." And I did, I watched for a year. And so I found quickly this world of-of poetry and performing, that I thought like, "Okay, this is, this is it. This is, this is my, my juice." You know, "This is what drives me." All right, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Slam-Off 2004. Yeah, it's hard, that first time that you kinda take the leap and you get up and, you get up and perform, and want you to, you know, you want to be good at it and you think you are, but you don't know until you try it. 

Mike Henry

Slam Poet

Videos

Mike Henry

Milestones

Education

Career

Career Roadmap

My work combines:

My work combines:

Art

Writing

Being Creative