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Word UP! 2012
Student Poetry Slam

WHAT:
High school students (grades 9-12) in Jefferson County are invited to celebrate their voices through a poetry slam. The students will write and perform an original work inspired by the theme "Milestones." The participants in WORD UP! will be winners from each school's contest.  WORD UP! is sponsored by the public libraries of Jefferson County.
 
WHEN:
Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 3:00 p.m.
 
WHERE:
The Birmingham Public Library, Central, Arrington Auditorium, 2100 Park Place
 
HOW:
TELL YOUR TEACHER OR SCHOOL LIBRARIAN THAT YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE!  For more information, call 205-226-3670 or email hm@bham.lib.al.us.

Click here to see the Guidelines for WORD UP! 2012.

The deadline for schools to sign on to participate is January 31, 2012. Each participating school will hold its own contest and select a first, second, and third place winner and submit a WORD UP! entry form for the top three winners by March 15, 2012.  Word Up! Entry Form

*Cash Prizes!*
First place is $300
Second place is $200
Third place is $150
To celebrate the fifth anniversary of WORD UP! we're hosting five programs at the Birmingham Public Library, Central. The festivities kicked off on Saturday, January 21 at 2:00 p.m. with a spoken word poets showcase. WORD UP! continues with evening programs on Tuesday March 6, 13, 20, and 27 at 6 :30 p.m.

2011 - 4th annual Word Up Poetry Slam Winners

Word Up Winners 2011

First Place Winner Derrick Spencer-Ramsay High School, Second Place Winner Illyshia Parker-Woodlawn, Third Place Winner Tamunotonte Korubo-Shades Valley, and Angela Hall-Birmingham Public Library, Associate Director
Photo taken by Enefaa Korubo, father of the 3rd place winner

Word Up! Flyer (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

More Photographs at http://www.flickr.com/photos/bpl/tags/wordup/

Resources

Spoken Word Resources at the Library

YouTube videos of spoken word performances: