Chicharra Poetry Slam Festival returns to sa国际传媒官网网页入口
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Poet Zachary Kluckman invites Logan into his home studio to share his creative process, recounting his journey from being an introverted student to performing slam poetry in front of big crowds. Zachary Kluckman is also the founder of Chicharra Poetry Slam Festival, whose second annual event begins March 19, 2025. For a full schedule, visit , check out Logan's recent feature:
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The second annual Chicharra Poetry Slam Festival returns to sa国际传媒官网网页入口 for five days this week, drawing over 75 of the top poets and spoken word artists from 30 cities across the United States. Like buzzing chicharras 鈥� also known as cicadas 鈥� the arrival of the poets is a sure sign of spring.
鈥淭his festival started as a dream I carried around for almost twenty years,鈥� said Zachary Kluckman, the festival鈥檚 founder. 鈥淏ut it has always been about us, about community, and trying to create opportunities for people to encounter poetry in a profound, inspiring way.鈥�
The second largest poetry slam event in the nation according to Kluckman, Chicharra will unfold across many venues all over the city, offering both seasoned and novice wordsmiths the chance to compete for a regional title and $5,000 in prizes.
The festival kicks off with a poetry reading and roundtable discussion at the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Museum on the evening of Wednesday, March 19, featuring State Poet Laureate Lauren Camp, sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Poet Laureate Emeritus Hakim Bellamy, Sara Daniele Rivera and Scott Wiggerman.
The poetry slams take place over the next three days, along with many noncompetitive events, and ends with the Breaking Bread Poet鈥檚 Picnic on Sunday, March 23.
鈥淢y fondest wish for Chicharra is that we build something together that makes us proud, something that amplifies all of the cultures and voices that make us who we are and reminds the world that poetry is very much alive and growing,鈥� Kluckman said.
鈥淩ight now, especially, we need our artists, our poets and writers, to have access to platforms where we can raise our collective voice and respond to the state of the world and the coming challenges,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is often how we find our place in the world, by engaging with it through a creative lens.鈥�
This year鈥檚 competitors will include Black Chakra from Baltimore, who won in the individual category last year, along with LadyK from Fresno, California, Billy Tuggle from Chicago and many more. There is also a team competition, featuring local sa国际传媒官网网页入口 favorites Voices of the Barrio, and last year鈥檚 winners, the Phoenix-based Ghost Phantom.
Besides the contests, the festival program boasts a book market, free writing workshops, themed readings and numerous events focused on nonslam styles of poetry, including haiku. There are several open mics designed to amplify marginalized voices, including LGBTQ+, trans and nonbinary, Indigenous, Black, Asian and Pacific Islander poets, veterans and poets with disabilities. A 鈥渘erd slam鈥� will mix poetry with pop culture trivia. There will even be a late night erotica open mic with burlesque dancers at the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Social Club on Saturday.
Notable workshops include 鈥淎mbient Noise in a Narrative Poem,鈥� led by Pushcart Prize nominee David Meischen, 鈥淲rite to Resist鈥� by Billy Tuggle, 鈥淐haos as Craft鈥� by Brennan DeFrisco, and 鈥淭he Lyric Essay as Omen and Discovery鈥� by National Book Award finalist Deborah Taffa, who is also the director of the Institute of American Indian Arts鈥� master鈥檚 program in creative writing.
All events, with the exception of Finals Stage on Saturday, March 22, are free, and anyone may participate in the workshops, open mics and readings, even if you are not a competing poet.
The full listing of events and locations are available at .
Chicharra Poetry Slam Festival returns to sa国际传媒官网网页入口
Logan Royce Beitmen is an arts writer for the sa国际传媒官网网页入口. He covers music, visual arts, books and more. You can reach him at lbeitmen@abqjournal.com.
