Queertopia Poetry Slam

15th July

Presented by: Transpire

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0	SOUTHEND-ON-SEA: Utopia Coffee
P	Tuesday 15th July, 2025
N	7:00pm

Event information

Following our successful and sold out Poetry Slam last month, we are back again to bring you even more poetry! Join us for a powerful evening of spoken word, community, and joy! Whether you're a seasoned poet, a first time performer, or just here to listen and support, all are welcome - allies and members of the trans community alike.

Once more, all funds raised will go to Transpire, a local grassroots charity doing vital work to support and empower the transgender community.

The optional theme of the night is hope.

Sign up for a performer ticket now to compete, or you can sign up for a few non-competitive open-mic slots on the night.

Congratulations to our last month's winner, Maddy McMurray who won the mystery rainbow platypus badge. Come along to discover what mystery trinket will be won this time!

All tickets are £5.00, plus an optional donation. There are a limited number of 'no questions asked' free tickets available, please email me at jay.woods@transpiresouthend.org to request one. Likewise, if you have any issues or questions, please just send me an email.

Rules for Performers

1. All poems are a maximum of 3.5 minutes in length, with a 10 second grace period.

2. Going over your time will result in a point deduction of 0.1 points per second you go over. This point deduction will be announced only after the judges have scored.

3. There will be four judges randomly chosen from the audience. The highest score and the lowest score will be removed, and your final score for that round will be the two remaining scores added together.

4. You do not have to memorize your poems, but they must be your own original work.

5. There will be three rounds altogether, one poem per round. The scores from the first two rounds will be added together, and then the top three poets will go through to the final round.

6. During the final round, the scores reset back to zero, and you are judged only on your final poem. The highest scoring poet in this round wins.

Poster designed by local artist Freya Richardson, you can check out their art instagram here @freyarichardsonartist