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A New Format for Beijing

Hollie Montgomery opened the first Spittoon Poetry Slam with a brief history of slam poetry, a run-through of the rules, and an introductory slam piece to warm the crowd to both the concept and the display of it. From the outset it was clear this was something Beijing’s literary scene hadn’t seen before.

The Opening Slots

The night moved quickly into the Foreign Language slot, delivered by Laurence Couture, and a series of Single Slots in which each poet performed one three-minute poem. The poems ranged from love to the struggles of everyday life, earning sustained applause throughout. The mood in the room became warm and intimate as the audience settled into what they were watching.

Spittoon Slam poetry night

The Competition

Three competitive rounds followed, with each poet performing one poem per round they progressed to. What came next was not what the crowd expected — an impressive display of verbal delivery, storytelling, acrobatics, and stage presence that drew cheers and snapping fingers from everyone in the room.

The second round ended in a draw, sending two poets, OKIN and Jumi Bello, into a sudden death round before Jamaal (J. Pen) Pemberton was crowned the first official Spittoon Slam Poetry Champion. The judging panel consisted of one audience member, one Spittoon Slam organiser, and one special judge — Spittoon founder Matthew Byrne.

Round Two

The second Spittoon Slam Poetry event took place on 16th November at The Great Outdoors, 12 Fangjia Hutong, Yonghegong Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing. Free entry.

Originally published on the Spittoon WeChat channel, November 2017.