San José Poetry Slam – 2026 San José Poetry Festival Edition
Details
The 12th Annual San José Poetry Festival opens with bang—some spoken word competition and a headlining set from legendary performance poet Reggie Edmonds-Vasquez!
This is Day One of our four-day festival! Check out the complete list of events that are part of the 2026 San José Poetry Festival. Most live events and online events are free to the public, except for the Lee Herrick Writing Workshop and the San José Poetry Slam. Some require tickets due to limited seating.
#### Admission: $5–10 sliding scale, tickets available here and in person. No one turned away for lack of funds.
#### Poetry Center San José presents San José Poetry Slam – Live In Person!
Come join us for poetry and some of the most delicious pizza in San José at our new venue:
Wheelhouse of Willow Glen
1173 Lincoln Avenue
San Jose, CA 95125
Sunday, August 16, 2026
Doors open and the sign up list goes out at 6:30pm
The Poetry Slam starts at 7:00pm
Hosted by Scorpiana Xlent.
#### Our Featured Poet
Reggie Edmonds-Vásquez (they/them) is a poet, educator, and cultural curator from Richmond, CA. Their work explores Black, queer, and gender-diverse identities and has earned recognition from Nomadic Press, Afro Urban Society, and the Museum of the African Diaspora. A two-time Berkeley Grand Champion and national finalist, they direct programming at Rich Oak Events. Find them on IG: @reggiepoetry
Poetry Slam Competition Info
Cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.
If you have never been to a Poetry Slam before, a poetry slam is a competition, imagine spoken word poetry as an olympic sport. The rules are simple:
1.) Poets must use their own poems.
2.) poet must use only one poem per round.
3.) no musical accompaniment.
4.) no props.
5.) there is a time limit of 3 minutes and 10 seconds. going over that will result in a time penalty.
This is a two-round slam, poets with the highest scores will move up to round two.
If you're not competing, we could use judges.
Follow Poetry Center San José on Facebook and Instagram for announcements about other amazing South Bay poetry events happening throughout the rest of the year. Help support Poetry Center San José by becoming a member.