DOORS 6PM // KITCHEN OPENS 6PM // SHOW STARTS 7PM

Slama acknowledges that our slam takes place in Naarm, on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. We acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded, no treaty was signed and it always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

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*This venue is wheelchair accessible 

*This venue has gender neutral toilets

Since 2011, Slama has been a space where spoken word Poets celebrate intersectional community and encourage each other to bring their absolute best work to the stage. 

After a two month hiatus, we’re back! This time with an exciting collaboration with the City of Literature’s Slamovision and a feature like peanut butter mac, interstellar banana split with a chocolate covered cherry on top!

Slamovision is the spoken word version of Eurovision, where each UNESCO City of Literature organizes a competition to choose their poetry entry as their global representative. 

This year, we do it the Slamalamadingdong way. 12 Poets. 3 Rounds. 1 Winner. 

We will run our slam the way we usually run it. The winner will represent Australia in the global Slamovision event, with a video capture of their winning piece performed at Slama, entered into the global comp. 

How to Register? 

We will be returning to our random draw for 12 spots in our riveting, fast paced 3 round poetry slam.

 We invite as many Poets as possible to register at our trybooking link.

The draw will occur LIVE from Team Slama’s participation in the NIMBIN POETRY CUP on our Instagram and Facebook pages on Friday September 5th 2025 at 7:00PM with TEAM SLAMA announcing the twelve Poets!!

Any Poet who does not get drawn on 5 September will automatically be offered a place in our returning Slam on October 21 2025! 

The vibe and spirit of Slama is such that the points are not the point - the point is our poetry. The point is community, deep listening, equity over ego. The point is inspiring each other to be better on stage and off stage in our arts practice. The point is our voices and joy as resistance to oppressive systems. The point is maintaining a sustainable living thread of spoken word poetry growth in so called Melbourne. 

WHO IS PARTH?

Parth Rahatekar is a performance poet and writer from Pune, currently based in Naarm/Melbourne. Their practice is focused on conjuring vivid, pluralistic evocations and imagery that extend beyond systems of violence, trauma and identity. 

Most recently, they were a poetry fellow for The Queer Muslim Project and British Council’s ‘Language is a Queer Thing’ (2024, 2025). Parth's poems and writing have been across the world—including the BBC’s Contains Strong Language UK, Kolkata Literary Meet, Melbourne International Film Festival, ISCP New York, Vogue India, Fashion Journal Australia, Multicultural Arts Victoria, and more.

They believe words have the ability to mobilise, energise and interrogate. That poetry isn’t just art, but a magical sustenance of sorts. 

RULES OF THE 3-ROUND POETRY SLAM 

- No props, music or costume. 

- Poems must be 3 minutes. 

- Must be original work.

- ONE PIECE ONLY (per round)

POET REGISTRATION: (Mark Your Calendars!) 

Want a coveted slam spot? Ready to share your work and compete in the poetry slam? 

$10 for poets to register. Poets must have 3 pieces ready. 

SIGN UP HERE: 

https://www.trybooking.com/DEPBG

12 spots only. 

Online registration OPENS at 12 noon, Wednesday August 13 2025 and CLOSES at 11:59 am on Thursday September 4th 2025.

Out of the pool of Poets who have registered, 12 Poets will be drawn on Instagram Live on September 5 2025 at 7:00 PM. 

Poets, please make sure to follow the registration process closely: 

1. Go to the trybooking link and pay your $10 fee at the trybooking link.

2. Review the rules.

3. Practice. Memorize (if you want to, it’s not mandatory) Embody. 

STRICTLY 12 SLOTS ONLY. 

See our IG page: @slamalamaslam for more info about accessibility, how we run our events and competitions fairly, aiming for equity and restorative justice at the core of our ethos. 

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 9, 2025

THE BRUNSWICK BALLROOM 

UPSTAIRS

314 SYDNEY ROAD, BRUNSWICK

TICKETS: 

$24 waged

$20 unwaged

Free entry for First Nations folk

Free entry for Palestinians

Tickets available at brunswickballroom.com.au

Limited tickets available on the door. 

 DOORS: 6 PM

 POET’S PRE-SHOW GATHERING IN THE GREENROOM: 6:15 PM

 SHOW STARTS: 7 PM

 SHOW FINISH: 9:45 PM (for all you 9-5 folk) 

SLAMALAMA WHAT!!!?????

SLAMALAMADINGDONG!!!!!!

 OPEN DOOR POLICY:

We will never turn anyone away. Selling tickets allows us to pay our producers, venue and artists appropriately. It also helps us make a small profit margin so we can continue to thrive and grow as a small, grassroots arts organization. We donate 2% of our income to Pay the Rent.

This being said, if you are struggling financially and feel the need to participate, please advocate for yourself and send us a message so we can find a way to make sure you can participate in all the Slama goodness.

TICKETING INFO 

Please have a digital or printed copy of your ticket ready on arrival along with a valid photo ID. Acceptable ID includes a current and valid Australian Photo Drivers Licence, State Approved ‘Proof of Age’ card or Passport.

The Brunswick Ballroom strives to improve our practices when it comes to sustainability and to reduce our carbon footprint. We don’t sell or provide plastic water bottles.

VENUE INFO 

THE BALLROOM MENU
The kitchen will be serving The Ballroom Menu for this show.
You can view the delicious offerings available by clicking here.

ACCESSIBILITY
The Brunswick Ballroom is Accessible.
The Brunswick Ballroom has made significant improvements to accessibility by installing an Acorn Chairlift. (Model: New Acorn Indoor 180 Curved Stairlift.)

VENUE FAQS
To find out more about the venue, FAQs can be viewed by clicking here.