Poetry is an important part of Scottish heritage and the Grand Slam Final promises to be a festival highlight.
It will combine fist-thumping music with rib-tickling and also reflective poetry.
I Am Loud Productions are officially partnering with Edinburgh International Book Festival for the Loud Poets: Grand Slam Final. The company is committed to making the spoken word scene accessible and showcasing the next generation of Scottish poetry talent.
The event will be hosted by Kevin Mclean with musical accompaniment from Jack Hinks, there will also be a special performance from the winner of more than 10 slam titles, Vanessa Kisuule.
Having qualified through a series of Scotland-wide Slams, the 12 competing poets this year will be Gray Crosbie, Angie Strachan, Chelsie Nash, Susi Briggs, Tom Bird, Natalie Jayne Clark, Jack Hunter, Lynsey Gilmour, Jo Gilbert, Callum O’Dwyer, Georgia Bartlett-McNeil and Jo Hunter. The slammers will compete to win a £3,000 prize and the coveted title of Loud Poets Slam Champion.
From their monthly shows, Loud Poets went on to produce multiple live shows with the team performing across the UK and around the world at the Edinburgh, Brighton, Prague Fringe festivals, Edinburgh’s Hidden Door Festival and London’s VAULT Festival.
The Loud Poets slam series has won the Best Regular Spoken Word Night award at the 2023 Saboteur Awards. Aiming to creatively present spoken word poetry in engaging and entertaining ways, I Am Loud productions featured some of the biggest names in the spoken word scene including Shane Koyczan, Harry Baker, Hannah Lavery, Rick Dove and Joelle Taylor.
Loud Poets: Grand Slam Final will be taking place at Baillie Gifford Sculpture Court on Saturday 26 August at 8:30 pm. Tickets are available to purchase here
