WordXWord Festival 2017 Schedule

The WordXWord Festival is back and bolder than ever July 30 – August 5, 2017 with a variety of spoken word events in downtown Pittsfield and nearby Lenox, bookended by two variations on the popular poetry slam format.

The festival kicks off Sunday, July 30 with a first-ever western Mass TEAM Poetry Slam. WordXWord is pleased to partner with the Mount to host a number of northeast-based slam teams in spirited competition just prior to their departure for the National Poetry Slam in Denver.

A single-day, multi-bout INDIVIDUAL poetry slam featuring some of the Berkshire’s best spoken word artists closes out the festival on Saturday, August 5.

For those not familiar with the format, poetry slams are spirited, yet friendly, spoken word “competitions” with free ranging styles and work that frequently tackles challenging social issues.

Rounding out the week, the schedule includes the popular Poetry sCrawl which takes the audience for a pop-up poetry tour of downtown Pittsfield; Intersection, which explores the multiple identities that converge on any individual; and Excuse Me While I Kiss The Sky, WXW’s tribute to the Guitar: The Instrument That Rocked The World exhibition at the Berkshire Museum.

For more information and schedule updates, visit wXw365.org.

WordXWord Festival 2017 is made possible by lead sponsor Greylock Federal Credit Union, with additional support from Housatonic Heritage, Pittsfield Office of Cultural Development, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.