classic slam
Thank you to the poets, educators, teaching artists, judges, volunteers, and staff who filled Los Angeles with your bold voices and brilliant hearts!
We can't wait to see you at next year's Classic Slam.
An evening of youth spoken word poetry
The culmination of Get Lit’s in-school program is the annual Classic Slam — one of the largest youth Spoken Word events in the country. It’s a youthful celebration of fire and feeling, with fresh perspectives that demonstrate storytelling at the highest level.
get your tickets
host, Judges & DJ
how it works
Schools who participate in Get Lit’s curriculum take a team through the Get Lit Model of claiming a Classic poem and writing an original Spoken Word response.
At quarter and semifinals, schools from around Los Angeles come together for a day of excitement, poetry, and community. The top four teams from qualifying rounds will take the stage at Classic Slam Finals on Saturday, where they’ll compete for the title of Classic Slam Champions. Their poems will be scored by renowned judges and the winners will be awarded thousands of dollars in cash prizes.
LAST YEAR'S TOP SCORING POET
The Classic Slam is the culminating event in Get Lit’s in-school curriculum. Schools that teach the Get Lit curriculum can put together their own poetry team to compete at the Classic Slam. To prepare for the Classic Slam, students will memorize a Classic poem and write their own original Spoken Word response to perform onstage.
The Classic Slam competition is open to teams of 4-6 students from any school, classroom, or club that has used Get Lit’s curricula during the school year. Each competing poet must be between the ages of 13-19 and enrolled in middle or high school at the time of the Slam. Teams must have a minimum of one adult sponsor/mentor and have at least 6 different Classic and Response sets prepared for the Slam.
After you purchase your ticket for Classic Slam finals, you’ll join us on April 20 at the Wilshire Ebell Theater (4401 W 8th St, Los Angeles; free parking across from entrance). At the Classic Slam Finals, you’ll watch the top teams from our qualifying rounds compete for the title of Classic Slam Champions and see performances by our celebrity judges, the show host, and more.
We welcome donations, volunteers, in-kind giving, corporate sponsorships, and more. For information, please reach out to Development@GetLit.Org.
this year's guiding poem
“The Song” by Naomi Shihab Nye (photo, on the left) was hand-selected to be this year's Classic Slam guiding poem for its depth of emotion, bursting with hope and rich with the gentle power of artistic creation. We hope it inspires every attendee at the Classic Slam to use their own poetry as a light to discover, open, and explore their internal world.
Every Classic Slam has a guiding poem that inspires the event and guides the creative vision. This poem is selected to reflect the zeitgeist of the day and to offer a starting point for creativity and forward growth.
