Slamming poetry with the best of them

By Otago Daily Times | Posted: Monday Sep 15, 2025

Slamming poetry with the best of them | Otago Daily Times Online News

Sharing her tips and tricks for writing slam poetry at a workshop during the New Zealand Young Writers Festival on Saturday is poet and writer Amy Grace, of Wellington.

Festival co-director Kate Schrader said many of the attendees of the workshop were preparing for the Otago Slam Poetry Championship that took place later that night.

"It's an opportunity for aspiring slam poets ... to draw inspiration from each other, to work on new poems in the room, or work on poems that they've already written that they might want to present as part of the slam."

She said it played into the festival’s philosophy of providing opportunities for young writers to build connections with each other and to develop their skills.