Slam Your Poetry

"No props. No music. No costumes. Just you, your words and a mic-you've got two minutes to make the crowd scream your name.

Miles Merrill, spoken word artist and founder of Australian Poetry Slam, and award-winning teacher Narcisa Nozica will take you from novice to spoken word superstar in no time. Twenty years after Merrill introduced poetry slams to Australia, there’s a national competition with a live audience of 20 000 people, and it’s taught in schools across the country. It’s been nothing short of a revolution!

With tips from stars of the Australian poetry slam scene, including bestselling author Maxine Beneba Clarke, Slam Your Poetry provides step-by-step instructions and exercises that will inspire you to:

1. Write a poem that pops
2. Rehearse like a winner
3. Wow your audience
4. Beat stage fright
5. Run a winning competition for your school or community group

Part how-to guide, part masterclass, part manifesto, this book will help teachers, students and wannabe spoken word artists of all ages slam like a pro."

About the Author

Miles Merrill is a performing writer who regularly appears at festivals and events worldwide. He is the founder of Australian Poetry Slam, an international performing writers' program, which sees up to 1000 writers performing in over 80 events across Asia-Pacific every year. Miles has hosted an ABC TV special on poetry slams, performed solo at the Sydney Opera House and published award-winning poetry in print, audio and video.

As creative director of the literary arts organisation, Word Travels, he focuses on empowering people from diverse and marginalised communities to share their stories and poems with the world. Narcisa Nozica is a high school English teacher in southern Sydney. In 2016, she won a NSW Premier's English Teachers Association Scholarship to study how spoken-word poetry can be used in schools. She has presented at conferences and worked with teachers and students to help young people find their poetic voice.