Slam poetry

Slam Poetry is often part of a competitive poetry event or "slam" in which poets perform their own poems (or sometimes those of others) in as nuanced a performance as the performer can muster and as the material can bear - with an eye to the audience who votes on such things.

Cynics of the egalitarian model of Slam will say that the quality of the performer often wins the day irrespective of the quality of the poetry. That is like saying a poem printed in the finest type on the most exquisite paper will win the Pulitzer Prize for poetry.

The point of Slam is to challenge the authority of anyone who portends to know absolutly what is "quality." Additionally, it seems that the tribe of poets that embrace Slam Poetry wish to give audience members the power to become part of each poem's presence, thus breaking down the barriers between poet/performer, critic and audience. More details on Poetry Slam can be found at http://www.poetryslam.com