Anthology, Inc., the East Valley’s leading literary nonprofit, in partnership with the Downtown Poetry Slam, is proud to announce a new Poetry Slam Prize program called The Two Fists of Slam.

The program provides a special prize for poets that regularly attend and compete in both slams.

Beginning September 17th, 2009, each time the Mesa Poetry Slam and The Downtown Poetry Slam are held, each event will add $5.00 to the fund. The poet wins the prize when they win 3 consecutively scheduled slams where each slam has seven or more competitors.

The Anthology.org home page has been updates with a new "Two Fists of Slam" Tracker, where you can see the most current tally of Two fists of slam progress, including whether a poet is on their way to winning the prize. In describing the fund, Bob says, “In the 15 years that I have organized poetry in the valley, we have always had the opportunity to provide more tenured poets with an element of higher stakes to drive their performance. The audience definitely responds as well when they know more in on the line- it creates a more exciting show.”

For more information on The Mesa Slam (Anthology), Click Here. For more information on The Downtown Poetry Slam, Click Here.

Questions and Answers

1) Three in a row?

A) Yes, three slams that happen in a row, typically (but not always), that would entail two Mesa Slams and one Phoenix Slam, since Mesa is every week and Phoenix is the 2nd and 4th Fridays.

 2) If there are fewer than 7 slammers in a slam, what happens?

A) We still add $5 to the prize, but the winning poet does not qualify towards the three win criteria. If a poet already had 1 or 2 wins, their streak is considered broken and they must start over.

3) How do i get my winnings?

A) Each organizer tracks their portion of the prize independently, so, depending on schedules and circumstances, you may get paid independently by each slam for their portion, although the organizers will most likely make a point to try and be at the "Win Out" event to celebrate the potential 3rd win.

4) Subject to change

A) The organizers of the Tiny Mesa poetry Slam (Mesa Slam, Anthology Slam, Essenzaslam, et all) and The Downtown Poetry Slam reserve the right to review and modify the terms and conditions of the prize and it's awarding based on independent circumstance.