Join us as part of an international celebration of the Poetry Slam featuring founder Marc Kelly Smith!
Countries around the globe will be celebrating the first-ever World Slam Day. It's only fitting that the main United States Slam celebration is in Chicago--the birthplace of the Poetry Slam--and at the home of the newly acquired Marc Kelly Smith Poetry Slam Collection. The Slam movement has grown through the years--to France, Madagascar, and Singapore--as the phenomenon started at the Green Mill Lounge in Uptown.
In partnership with Media Burn, a nonprofit dedicated to overlooked video archives, we will be showing vintage interviews with Marc and footage of Slams past. Chicago-based performance artist Brigid Murphy (poet and host of Milly's Orchid Show) will be discussing early Slam days. Brigid is best known for creating and hosting Milly’s Orchid Show, the vaudeville-style variety revue that has been running for over three decades.
There will also be live performances from poets as well as video shoutouts and footage from around the world.
Other performers and guests include:
Edward Herrera
Mark Messing
Cin Salach
Robbie Telfer
Cost and Registration
Admission is free; a $10 donation is suggested.
Interested in Learning More?
Learn about the acquisition of the Marc Kelly Smith Poetry Slam Collection, announced in May of 2026.