A poet stands center stage, one hand clutching the microphone, the other flailing high in the air accentuating every word. His voice is clear and strong, uttering the rhythmic cadences beating loudly in his head. His body swings back and forth, then side to side.

At the end of the poem, he moves his head slightly past the edge of the stage. He smiles and turns his ear toward the crowd. . .making sure they understood, and most importantly, enjoyed his performance.

Some in the audience scream loudly, clapping and nodding their heads in a show of approval. Others clap modestly out of a show of respect for the poet’s effort. Did he have what it takes to be crowned best poet of the night? The decision rests in the hands of the judges. So for the moment, he will have to wait and see.

This ritual takes place every week in coffeehouses and venues in New York, cities across the country and in places as far away as Germany, England and Israel. It is known as the slam. Its roots go back to 1984, where according to Marc "Slampapi" Smith, the father of slam, he and several other poets performing at a local Chicago club started an audience participation aspect of the poetry readings. "The traditional poetry readings were sort of boring," Smith says. "So we developed things from there and in 1986 at the Green Mill, we started performing the slam. It was part of a cabaret, vaudeville-type poetry show."

More than 15 years later, slam has developed into a national competition where poets representing their state compete in three-minute performances for cash prizes. Poets are judged on a scale of one to ten by judges chosen from the audience. The performers are judged on their poetry, delivery, performance and impact on the audience.

Smith says he came up with the name "slam" during an interview. "I pulled it out of the air," he confesses. "The interviewer asked what we called this style of poetry. I was thinking of slam dancing, slamming a home run."

Smith, who put together the first national competition in 1989 with just three competing cities, wants people to view slamming as more than just a competition. "As an artform," he explains, "Slam has opened the door to experimentation. The group aspect has opened the door to multi-voiced pieces. Slam has connected people who would never have joined together otherwise. I want to turn it away from being thought of as just a competition and turn it into a thing for social change."

On the grassroots level, slam represents the chance for poets to network, and hone their writing and performance skills. "I think participating in the slam is another way for people to expose themselves to other poets," says Jessica Care Moore, member of the 1996 New York slam team and CEO of Moore Black Press. "It’s a way of expressing yourself. It’s about being able to effectively move the crowd with your work. And in the midst of it all, you can really find some good poets."

Many of those poets have found a breeding ground in New York clubs like the Nuyorican Poets Café and 13 Bar Lounge. Two men who are well known in the New York slam scene for their contributions to the form are Bob Holman (poet, playwright, director), the man credited with bringing the style to New York; and Keith Roach, (poet and Slammaster at Nuyorican Poets Café) who helped shape the 1998 New York team which brought home top honors from last year’s National Poetry Slam Competition held in Austin, Texas. In the following articles, they provide their thoughts on the artform of slam and the slam scene in New York.