Salt City Slam

Salt City Slam Salt City Slam is Utah's longest running and poetry reading.

Rowdy as it gets, anyone can sign up and compete with their own original poems for a cash prize and literary arts glory!

We’re so excited to welcome two of our favorite people back to Salt Lake City, Allie Marini and Brennan DeFrisco! This t...
09/19/2026

We’re so excited to welcome two of our favorite people back to Salt Lake City, Allie Marini and Brennan DeFrisco! This two for one deal is a must see feature!

Bios:

Allie Marini is a cross-genre Southern writer and a certified tarot reader with the Tarosophy Association. She has been working with tarot for 25 years and is currently pursuing her Biddy Tarot Certification. In addition to her work on the page, Allie was a 2017 Oakland Poetry Slam team member & reads her poetry, fiction, & essays in the Bay Area, where as a lifelong Floridian, she is always cold. She might give you a reading if you ask nicely. Find her online: www.alliemarini.com or Allie Marini.

Brennan DeFrisco is a poet, teaching artist, voice actor, and arts coordinator from the San Francisco Bay Area. He’s been a National Poetry Slam finalist, a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee, and champion of the Oakland Poetry Slam. He’s the author of Honeysuckle & Nightshade (Swimming with Elephants Publications) and A Heart With No Scars (Nomadic Press, Black Lawrence Press). Brennan’s work has been published in Red Wheelbarrow, Oracle Fine Arts Review, Drunk in a Midnight Choir, Gemini, and elsewhere. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University Los Angeles.

We’re still trying to find a home, so we have another venue switcheroo for you, sorry gang. Come find us at the Alliance...
08/11/2026

We’re still trying to find a home, so we have another venue switcheroo for you, sorry gang. Come find us at the Alliance Theater!

We are so excited to welcome this months feature El’ja Bowens!

Bio: LeJuane “El’Ja” Bowens is an award-winning spoken word poet, author, host, and arts educator whose work bridges storytelling, culture, and community empowerment. Born in Detroit and raised in Lima, Ohio, he served six years in the United States Army, including two deployments to Iraq—an experience that shaped his voice and commitment to creative expression.
El’Ja has collaborated with major national arts and community organizations, including The Kennedy Center, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, and the Wounded Warrior Project, using poetry as a tool for healing, advocacy, and connection. He has been featured at notable cultural events such as the National Folk Festival and the Big Ears Festival, and currently serves as the Director of the Southeastern Regional NC Poetry Slam.

A former slam champion with the Bull City Slam Team, El’Ja is a multiple award-winning poet whose performances and work have appeared on All Def Poetry, NPR, Amazon, and PBS. His artistry continues to inspire audiences while uplifting the literary arts across the Southeast and beyond.

Is been a turbulent month for Salt City Slam, but even though we lost our home venue, the show MUST GO ON.So join us Mon...
07/21/2026

Is been a turbulent month for Salt City Slam, but even though we lost our home venue, the show MUST GO ON.

So join us Monday, July 27th, at The Mad King Fellowship theater inside the gateway, for a feature performance from our Slam Master, Chris Atkin!

Bio: Chris Atkin is a teacher, a spoken word artist, and a two time pushcart prize nominated poet currently residing in Eagle Mountain, Utah. When Chris isn’t in the classroom, he’s reading horror novels, walking up mountainsides, or taking a power nap. He is the Slam Master of Salt City Slam, the editor in chief of Wailing and Gnashing, and an all around chill dude. His work can be found in the Lascaux Review, the Rising Phoenix Review, the Antifa Lit Mag from Not a Pipe Publishing, among others.

Finals is here! Join us Monday, June 29th for the biggest slam of the year as our 10 highest ranked poets of the season ...
06/08/2026

Finals is here! Join us Monday, June 29th for the biggest slam of the year as our 10 highest ranked poets of the season duke it out for the title of Salt City Slam Champion, a cash prize, and this years Salt City Slam custom painted typewriter!

It’s going to be a show you don’t want to miss, and best of all, Joe Robert’s is our feature!!

Bio: Joe Roberts is a Salt Lake City poet and environmentalist. His second chapbook, IcarU.S.A., is a collection of poems of political rage for these difficult times. IcarU.S.A. is now available from Bottlecap Press. Joe’s first chapbook, Anathema, was published by Lisa Bickmore’s Moon in the Rye Press in 2024. Joe’s poems have appeared or will soon appear in Allium, Tiger Moth Review, Arlington Literary Journal, and Juste Milieu Zine. With his free time, Joe writes music reviews for SLUG Magazine and hikes the Wasatch Front with his partner, Brooke.

Bella M.K. Is your favorite Salt City poets, favorite poet, and now she’s one of favorite local singer/songwriters! Join...
05/05/2026

Bella M.K. Is your favorite Salt City poets, favorite poet, and now she’s one of favorite local singer/songwriters! Join us as we celebrate the release of her new EP, “Leave it! That’s Bunny Food!” Now streaming on all platforms!

Bio: Isabella Merritt-Kuhlmann (BELLA MK) is an up-and-coming mixed media artist based in Utah. Primarily known for her lyrical poetry and folk music, BELLA MK dives into themes of loss, heartache, and learning to find one’s self again throughout her work. Her most recent release is an EP titled, “leave it! that’s bunny food!” available on all streaming platforms.

With every piece performed, she hopes to encourage others to step into their vulnerability and voice even the quietest—or the loudest— parts of themselves, as there is no feeling too big for the microphone. You can find some of BELLA MK’s published works on Wailing and Gnashing, or on most social media platforms under the name .

Re upload: the original flyer had the incorrect dateApril is National Poetry Month, so we’re bringing out the big guns w...
04/09/2026

Re upload: the original flyer had the incorrect date

April is National Poetry Month, so we’re bringing out the big guns with this month’s feature, Utah’s poet laureate, Lisa Bickmore!

April is National Poetry Month, so we’re bringing in the big guns! Join us in welcoming back Utah’s poet laureate, Lisa ...
04/09/2026

April is National Poetry Month, so we’re bringing in the big guns! Join us in welcoming back Utah’s poet laureate, Lisa Bickmore!

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Salt Lake City, UT
84111

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