On April 30, Word Around Town (WAT?!), Rebel Crew, and Nuestra Palabra will present the second ever Poet Draft at Taft Street Coffee. Poet Draft participants will compete for seven spots in the eighth annual Word Around Town Tour. The Word Around Town Tour is a spoken word competition that will take place from August 4 to August 10 at a different location every night. The event was introduced in 2024 with the intent to expose both audiences and poets to cool Houston hang-outs, and of course bring together great poets.
Poets competing in Poet Draft for a spot in the Word Around Town Tour will perform one original piece in front of a panel of four judges and a Taft Street Coffee audience. The panel will be comprised of four accomplished spoken word artists who are also organizers of the event: Joe B, Blanc Alanis, Stephen Gros, and Lupez Mendez. Judges will evaluate poets on content, delivery, vocal expression, and stage presence. Organizers will contact poets a week after Poet Draft via e-mail to inform who did and didn’t make the cut. Poets of all stripes are welcome to come out and show their stuff. Whether you’re a trained, formal writer or entirely self-taught, this will be an opportunity to connect with other poets, find new hang-outs, and spend time with others who are also passionate about words.
If you are interested in competing at Poet Draft, you can pre-register at www.wordaroundtown.org. Also available online are the different bars and coffee shops that will host the Word Around Town Tour. Taft Street Coffee is located at 2115 Taft St. in the Montrose area. The event will begin at 8pm. If you have any questions, you can contact event organizers directly at watpoetrytour@gmail.com.
