The OM Center Poetry Slam

Home of the 2003 and 2006 National Poetry Slam semi-finalist Omaha team and 2007 iWPS Finalist Dan Leamen

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(image © Omaha Healing Arts Center)

2nd Saturday of every month

7:30pm at 1216 Howard in the Old Market

more great events at the Healing Arts Center

The OM Center has been a place for great poetry and performance since January of 2002. Doors open at 7, with an open mic (you have up to 3 minutes to read whatever you'd like) starting at 7:30pm and the poetry slam (competition poetry (see below) 3 rounds (meaning you need 3 poems, none longer than 3 minutes)) beginning afterward. Emceed by Matt Mason and Zedeka and featuring many of the nation's finest poets, it's guaranteed better than a night at the movies for only a $7 suggested donation.

Sign up is limited, so to read you must sign up before 7:30. Sign ups will only be allowed after 7:30 if there are less than 6 on the open mic list or 8 on the slam list.

Oh my God what a great audience and slam community in Omaha. A reunion with old friends and many new friends. It was one of the most perfect nights of my life as slam papa. Matt & Sarah and their group nurtured one the best slam family tribes to date... The old man was holding back tears of joy all night. I'll be back, Omaha!
–Marc Smith (from his March, 2010 Facebook status (used with Slam Papi permission))

See some video from Marc's show in Omaha at: www.youtube.com/omcenterevents#p/u/31/ov5cc_DJmpE.


Upcoming Schedule:

The OM Slam thanks The Nebraska Writers Collective for help booking our features.


Qualify for National Events:

To qualify for the OM Center Poetry Slam Team, Individual World Poetry Slam, or World of Women Poetry Slam (the 3 annual Poetry Slam, Inc. events) see the Omaha Tournament Page.

Get Disqualified:

The OM Center Poetry Slam encourages creative disqualifications (especially in the 3rd round where last place in this round gets you Ted & Wally's Place, earning you a free Ted & Wally's ice cream). The current record-holder for most reasons being DQed is Sean Patrick Mulroy with six (December, 2011). For all the known ways you can be DQed, Click Here.

Help us out!

Help the OM Center Poetry Slam bring in great features and send poets to events like the National Poetry Slam by donating: click here to donate.


2013 Slam Season Champions

January 12, 2013
April Team Finals Qualifiers:
1st: Justin
2nd: Greg Harries
3rd: Tryst		 February 9, 2013
April Team Finals Qualifiers:
1st: Zedeka Poindexter
2nd: Maribel Navarette
3rd: Mary Beth Becker		 March 9, 2013
April Team Finals Qualifiers:
1st: Ben Wenzl (already qualified)
2nd: Kayla Thomas
3rd: Steven Evans
4th (Tie): Shukura Huggins
Gina Keplinger
April 13, 2013
Poetry Slam Team Finals:
1st: Brok "Tryst" Kerbrat
2nd: Greg Harries
3rd: Ben Wenzl
4th: Maribel Navarette
5th: Justin Gilbreath
6th: Shukura Huggins 		May 10, 2013
No Rules Poetry Slam:
1st: Ben Wenzl
2nd: Reagan Myers
3rd: Justin Gilbreath

2012 Slam Season Champions

January 13, 2012
April Team Finals Qualifiers:
1st: Jarvis
2nd: Zedeka Poindexter
3rd: Ben Wenzl		 February 11, 2012
April Team Finals Qualifiers:
1st: Gina Keplinger
2nd: Travis Good
3rd: Candace (already qualified)
4th: Gage Wallace		 March 10, 2012
April Team Finals Qualifiers:
1st: Ben Wenzl (already qualified)
2nd: Pat McEvoy
3rd: Steven Evans
4th: Nicholas Bell
April 14, 2012
Poetry Slam Team Finals:
1st: Zedeka Poindexter
2nd: Sean Patrick Mulroy
3rd: Gage Wallace
4th: Ben Wenzl
5th: Jarvis		 May 12, 2012
1st: William Mosby
2nd: Dan Leamen
3rd: Charlie Curtis Beard		 June 9, 2012
1st: Ross Hickerson
2nd: Sean Patrick Mulroy
3rd: Nicholas Bell
July 14, 2012
1st: Lauren G. Parker
2nd: Rashid White
3rd: Matthew Cuban		 August 11, 2012
1st: William Mosby
2nd: Sydney Hiatt
3rd: Steven Evans		 September 9, 2012
1st: Steven Evans
2nd: Matt Mason
3rd: Mickey Melaku
October 14, 2012
1st: Tryst
2nd: Sydney Hiatt
3rd: Sam Stecher		 November 10, 2012
1st: Tryst
2nd: Steven Evans
3rd: John Byrne		 December 8, 2012
April Team Finals Qualifiers:
1st: Sam Cook
2nd: Ben Wenzl
3rd: Deirdre Evans




Click for the 2002-11 Slam Season Champions




What's a poetry slam? It's competition poetry; meaning humor, politics, sex, entertainment masquerading as literature, literature masquerading as entertainment. Poets will read, then judges will flash Olympic-style scoring (ranging from 1 to 10) based on the poet's poem as well as performance of the poem to determine who goes on to the next round until there's just one poet left standing as the champion, and only the champion can leave with the Golden Monkey.

The OM Center Poetry Slam uses the rules listed at PoetrySlam.com

We're proud to have hosted slam founder Marc Smith, Marty McConnell, Rachel McKibbens, Roger Bonair-Agard, Buddy Wakefield, Anis Mojgani, Yusef Komunyakaa, Big Poppa E, Ken Arkind, Panama Soweto, Mike McGee, Shane Koyczan, Mindy Nettifee, Sam Cook, Sean Conlon, Andrea Gibson, Gary Mex Glazner, Dessa Darling, Jonathan Bryant, Craig Arnold, Luke Warmwater, Charlie Rossiter; slam teams from Denver Merc, Denver Nuba, Normal, Albuquerque, Des Moines, Milwaukee, and more.

For more information, email mtmason at novia.net or go to poetrymenu.com for other info.



the Poetry Menu
Omaha Healing Arts Center
PoetrySlam.com
PoetrySlam.net		 SlamNation on DVD

Links: MidVerse.com: Matt Mason and Sarah McKinstry-Brown

Last update: May 11, 2013