About us
Rockland Poets hosts poetry slams, workshops, open mics, and other poetry events in Rockland County NY, in New York's Lower Hudson Valley.
We are dedicated to providing an outlet for people to create, share, and listen to poetry. We currently have an in-person poetry slam on the first Saturday of each month in Nyack NY, and have been hosting online workshops on Sunday, Thursday and Friday, in addition to online Open Mics over Zoom.
What is a poetry slam? A poetry slam is a performance poetry competition judged by the audience. Where traditional poetry readings are about supporting the poet, poetry slams focus on the interaction between audience and poet. Strong writing and strong delivery are both important. Whether you want to come out and participate by performing or by spectating, you are welcome. We've been putting on events since March 2011.
Upcoming events
2
September Poetry Slam at Round Table in Garnerville NY -- $100 prize
Round Table Brewery, 55 W Railroad Ave bldg 25, Garnerville, NY, USWe're currently holding a poetry slam the first Saturday of each month.
What's a poetry slam? It's a performance poetry competition judged by the audience. We use anonymous whole-room voting, so everybody in the audience gets to decide how the slam goes.
If you want to complete in the slam, bring at least 3 original poems, each of duration 5 minutes or less.
Show consists of:
- short open mic [4 people max]
- a poetry slam limited to 8 folk; the slam'll be 3 rounds with poets eliminated each round
- a $5-$10 cover (sliding scale: $10 if you can manage $10, otherwise $5)
- prizes: $100 for first place, $25 for second place
Sign-ups and doors open at 6:30 PM; sign-ups close at 7:00 and the show proper starts at about 7:02.
CART captioning is available with sufficient advance notice.
Slam format/rules @ https://www.rocklandpoets.org/slam-format-rules
4 attendeesSept Poetry Open Mic @ Burger Loft in Nyack NY feat. Toney Jackson
The Burger Loft, 3 N Broadway, Nyack, NY, USThis is our monthly poetry mic in the side room of The Burger Loft on N Broadway in Nyack. We're doing it the 3rd Saturday of each month.
Doors / sign-ups open at 6 PM. Poetry starts at 6:33 PM. Anyone that wants to can come and sign up to read up to 5 minutes of original poetry, but we do cap the number of readers. If you're signed up by 6:30 PM and we have more than our max number, we'll randomize who gets to read.
Admission is $10 general; $5 students/seniors/anyone who can't swing $10 right now; no one turned away for lack of funds.
We'll be featuring Toney Jackson.
Toney Jackson is a nationally recognized educator, poet, author, dad, and hip-hop artist from Hackensack, NJ. A fourth-grade teacher by day, he infuses his classroom with rhythm, storytelling, and creativity, work that’s landed him in national commercials for Microsoft and Canva. His innovative use of hip-hop in education has been featured in NEA Today magazine. Beyond the classroom, Toney is the host of S.P.E.A.K.: Sharing Poetic Expressions, Artistry, and Knowledge, a monthly open mic and writers’ circle at the Puffin Cultural Forum in Teaneck, NJ. He is an author and illustrator and records music under the name Zach Lost. With every mic he steps to, Toney brings heart, intellect, and a mission: to uplift, educate, and create spaces where community and creativity thrive.
You can see some of his poetry here:
Rock and Roll Clip from Insta
My Baby (Pachy) Clip from Insta
Post Omar Holmon created w/various MC clips
Speaking of Voice full poem1 attendee
Past events
653
Group links
Organizers
Members
92
