What is
Poetry Slam?

It's a group of poets competing, usually for cash, with three-minute performances of their works. Judges score Olympic-style, with decimals, so a neo-Wasteland thrillingly intoned gets a 9.8, and the latest Hallmark drivel, muttered into the microphone, gets a 5 or a 6. In individual cities, from Tallahassee to Portland, there's a slam season (roughly September to May) which culminates in a final showdown, which necessitates selection of a four-person slam team to represent the locals at a nationwide tournament.

It is a competition that pits poem against poem, poet against poet. Poems are judged on a scale of one to ten, fractions encouraged, by a panel of judges picked from the audience. Equal parts poetry, performance, delivery and verve. And, occasionally, theater, stand-up comedy and strip tease.

There is an excellent description of the slam and its origins in this article: To SLAM, to DUNK, Perchance to RHYME by Shilanda L. Woolridge of the Austin-American Statesman.

Check out:

The Rules of a Poetry Slam

The Guide for First-Time Poetry Slam Judges

Official Poetry Slam spiel