Poetry Slam Inc

Results: The 2016-17 season reminded us that, perhaps now more than ever, poetry is necessary. At Poetry Slam, Inc. (PSi), it has been our honor to continue to provide a platform for poetry to be seen, felt, and heard all over the world. In 2016, we underwent our first-ever strategic planning process, which included a SWOT analysis, member surveys, and post-event surveys to learn more about the people we serve and how well we are serving them. We adopted a more concise mission statement, grounded the National Poetry Slam in four anchor cities, and continued to focus on our three major performance events meet or exceed member expectations. In 2015, PSi had over 600 members, and over 100 certified poetry slams throughout the United States and Canada. In 2016, our membership increased to over 800 people, with 113 certified slams. Today, we have nearly 1100 active members! With an increased focus on social media, our Twitter followers increased from 700 in 2014 to 2,200 in 2015, to 4,200 today. Our Facebook fans went from just over 5,000 in late 2014 to 10,000 in 2016 to more than 15,000 today. Our YouTube channel, launched in late 2014, has over 55,000 subscribers and nearly six million views from around the globe, which is not only a new source of revenue for PSi, but has allowed us to expand the audiences for our events and for our poet members. As we move through the remainder of 2017 and planning for 2018, we continue to evaluate our strengths and weaknesses and strive to offer the best possible programming for our members and audiences. Our tournaments are the most well-recognized performance poetry competitions around the world, and our member poets continue to make PSi the best place for this incredible art form to thrive. Thank you for your support of PSi, for making this organization the face and voice of slam poetry. We look forward to making more progress together in 2018.

Direct beneficiaries per year: Hundreds of poets, thousands of audience members, and millions of online viewers

Geographic areas served: The mission of Poetry Slam, Inc. (PSi) is to promote the creation and performance of poetry that engages communities and provides a platform for voices to be heard beyond social, cultural, political, and economic barriers.

Programs: the National Poetry Slam, the Women of the World Poetry Slam, the Individual World Poetry Slam, and certified local poetry slams throughout North America