National Poetry Slam Meets Charlotte

Charlotte, N.C. (2/22/12)- What do you get when teams comprised of five poets each engage in a 5-day battle to compete for the national title? The National Poetry Slam comes to uptown Charlotte, North Carolina from August 7^th-11^th, 2012 at various Blumenthal Performing Arts’ theaters.. The events will feature poets originating from locations as far as Europe, making this championship tournament one of the most anticipated yet.

During National Poetry Slam (NPS), all participants will compete in three days of preliminaries, 20 teams will advance to semi-finals on Friday night, and culminate in an ultimate clash of the top 4 teams on the final stage Saturday, to determine the winner. The event’s first time in the “Queen City” will bring more attention to the city’s staple poetry/literary organizations: SlamCharlotte and Respect Da Mic and the ever-growing poetry scene.

Drawing diverse crowds from a melting pot of ages, ethnicities, economic backgrounds and genders, the attendees and participants of NPS have one thing in common: the love of literature, arts, and performance poetry. This great event will benefit arts organizations such as Poetry Slam, Inc., a non-profit organization, Blumenthal Performing Arts, and SlamCharlotte. The tournament is expected to bring over 5,000 attendees to the events and promises to stimulate the local economy. The event hopes to forge new relationships with local businesses, organizations, and area schools. The tournament’s goal is to attract individuals in the community to this cultural event, while reaching out to various age groups and poetry lovers in an effort to reaffirm their foundation for the arts, reading, and literature.

For more information, sponsorship opportunities, or to volunteer, check out www.nps2012charlotte.com or call 704.777.3368.

About Poetry Slam, Inc.-The official non-profit organization charged with overseeing the international coalition of poetry slams with a mission to promote the performance and creation of poetry while cultivating literary activities and spoken word events in order to build audience participation, stimulate creativity, awaken minds, foster education, inspire mentoring, encourage artistic statement and engage communities worldwide in the revelry of language. www.poetryslam.com

About Blumenthal Performing Arts-Blumenthal Performing Arts is home to outstanding arts many local organizations and also takes the performing arts off the stage and to area classrooms. The arts-integrated instruction helps to raise test scores, boost student enrollment and retain talented teachers. www.blumenthalarts.org

About SlamCharlotte-SlamCharlotte is a nationally recognized poetry slam located in Charlotte, NC and started at the African-American Cultural Center in 2003. www.slamcharlotte.com