Speak Loud, Win Big: $500 on the Line at Bards & Brews Poetry Slam May 1 at Central Library
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The Stage Is Set for BPL's Bards & Brews Poetry Slam on May 1: 10 Poets. 3 Rounds. One Champion.
BIRMINGHAM,
Ala. — Birmingham Public Library (BPL) invites the community to experience some of the metro area’s top spoken word artists competing for a combined $500 in a Bards &
Brews Poetry Slam happening Friday, May 1 at the Central Library downtown.
This will
be the second slam of the year hosted by Bards & Brews, BPL’s high-energy monthly
spoken word poetry series where poets express their voices on stage.
Ten poets
will go head-to-head in a fast-paced, three-round poetry slam. First place wins
a $250 check, second place $150 and third place $100. With audience members
serving as judges, every performance counts and getting the crowd on your side matters.
Thed Weller will serve as host.
Doors open
at 6:00 p.m., with live music by saxophonist Saxual Healer beginning at 6:30
p.m., followed by the poetry slam. The competition is limited to the first 10
poets who register on-site and pay the $5 entry fee.
Admission
is free and open to the public; you must be 18 or older to enter and 21 or
older to drink beer samples. Yellowhammer Brewing will serve as the beer
sponsor for the evening.
Now in its
16th year, Bards & Brews continues to be one of the library’s most popular programs. Bards & Brews is supported by a grant
from the Alabama State Council on the Arts, presented to the Friends Foundation
of the Birmingham Public Library.
For updates and more information, visit the Bards & Brews Facebook page.
What: Bards & Brews Poetry Slam
When: Friday, May 1, 2026 | 6:30–8:30 p.m. (Poet registration begins at 6:00 p.m.)
Where: Birmingham Public Library’s Central Location,
2100 Park Place, Birmingham, AL 35203
Host: Thed Weller
Live Music: Saxual Healer
Beer Sponsor: Yellowhammer Brewing
About: Bards & Brews, Birmingham Public Library’s monthly spoken word series, is supported by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts, presented through the Friends Foundation of the Birmingham Public Library.
Admission: Free (18+ to enter; 21+ to receive beer samples)
Poet Entry Fee: $5 | Limited to first 10 poets
Prizes:
1st Place – $250
2nd Place – $150
3rd Place – $100
Written by Roy L.
Williams, Public Relations Specialist
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