Nitty Gritty Slam is the official poetry slam of Albany, NY, certified by Poetry Slam, Inc. and takes place on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each and every month at The Low Beat (335 Central Ave., Albany, NY).
NGS is sponsored by Albany Poets, Urban Guerilla Theatre, and The Frequency North Reading Series.
I was brought up in the Albany poetry scene on open mics. Slams were something completely out there to me. In many ways, they are still a vague concept to me. When the idea for the Nitty Gritty Slam was brought up last summer I thought “Freaking great. I hate slams.” I didn’t have to […]
Panza’s Nitty Gritty Take on Slam Read More »
At the “unlucky” NGS #13 we found that sometimes less is more. Less staff, less poets, but still a great night of spoken word with at least one new friend on the stage. In the end, familiar faces came out on top with Kevin Peterson, Poetyc Visionz, and Shannon “In the Money” Shoemaker taking home
Nitty Gritty Slam #14 featuring Rain Maker Read More »
Unlucky 13, el presidente Thom Francis had to hold down the electronic duties alone & host the open mic (as Mojavi took over the duties of the Slam Bastard) — the rest of the crew taken out & shot by competing slam venues from across the Regio…
Nitty Gritty Slam #13, March 6 Read More »
The next installment of Nitty Gritty Slam is tomorrow night at Valentines. We are back downstairs for the festivities and ready to rock! Who will come out on top at NGS #13? Will Shannon “In The Money” Shoemaker return to the spot? Will we see more perfect 10s? Will we see an upset from a
Nitty Gritty Slam #13 Tomorrow Night at Valentines Read More »
Tonight, much to the chagrin of the official Slam bartender Kim, we were upstairs at Valentines to make room for a band in the usual poets’ spot. We were just as funky & even louder to carry our voices over the sound of electric guitars & drum…
Nitty Gritty Slam, February 21 Read More »
We were upstairs for this edition of the Nitty Gritty Slam, battling the band downstairs. The voices of the poets rose above it all and we were treated to some great new poetry and some old favorites both at the open mic and the slam. Before the slam began, and while Dain Brammage was rounding
NGS #12 Results – In The Money Again… Read More »
In celebration of National Poetry Month, Albany Poets is proud to present the 2012 Albany Word Fest featuring the poetry, spoken word, and music of upstate New York. This year’s event will take place on Sunday, April 15 – Saturday, April 21, 2012 “This is by far the biggest Word Fest to date with eight
2012 Albany Word Fest – A Full Week of Poetry, Music, and Spoken Word Read More »
After competing in the Slam for the last few times, & coming in 2nd in Slam #10, I was a judge for the first time tonight. I read in the open mic & not in the Slam, & thus eligible to be a judge. I have my “issues,” as folks like to…
Nitty Gritty Slam #11, February 7 Read More »
At the last slam, NGS #10,Ben Golden took the top prize after not even making it to the second round at NGS #9. In second place was Dan Wilcox, another poet who has never seen the second round. Rounding out the top three was Elizag who, at the same time, was trying to win a
Nitty Gritty Slam #11, Tonight at Valentines Read More »
This year PSi (Poetry Slam Inc.) held an online video slam competition. Poets who live their life as a woman could submit a video that was placed on poetryslam.com for a chance to win a free slot into the WoWPS (Women of the World Poetry Slam). The entered poets ralleyed their troops to vote them
Elizag Takes Third in the Brenda Moossy WoWPS Video Competition Read More »
At some of the previous Slams here at Valentines, notably #9, the scores were so uniformly high, no matter what was performed, that it was like the judges were all clones, or smoking on the same crack pipe.
Nitty Gritty Slam #10, January 17 Read More »
Elizag, the winner of the last Nitty Gritty Slam is currently involved in a Video Slam on the Poetry Slam Inc. website with her poem “I Am Troy Davis”. As of this posting, she is in first place, but only by two votes. To cast your vote, go to this link, scroll to the bottom,
Vote for Elizag on the Brenda Moossy WoWPS Video Competition Read More »
The Hudson Valley Writers Guild supports the efforts of writers in all genres by sponsoring readings, workshops, and contests and providing a number of valuable resources for the entire literary community.
