Young poets, storytellers, culture-bearers, and changemakers who are shaping the future

The Academy of Music Theatre is proud to present the Third Annual Academy Regional Youth Poetry Slam, a live competition where young poets perform original work for $400 in cash prizes! As the ONLY youth poetry slam in Western Mass, this event promises to showcase the most talented slam poets in the Pioneer Valley!

Hosted by renowned spoken word artist Lyrical Faith, the Academy Regional Youth Poetry Slam returns for its third year, uniting the most talented young poets from high schools across Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties for an electrifying competition. This dynamic event provides a powerful platform for emerging artists to share their voices, challenge perspectives, and inspire social change through the art of spoken word.

Academy Regional Youth Poetry Slam 2024 Participants and Host, Lyrical Faith

From a pool of exceptional entries, the following finalists have been chosen to take the stage:

1. Izaria Thomas, Springfield Honors Academy
2. Melanie Rivas, Springfield Conservatory of the Arts
3. Julianys Centeno, Holyoke High School (Dean Campus)
4. Maria Roblez, Holyoke High School (Dean Campus)
5. Thanisha Martinez, Holyoke High School (Dean Campus)
6. Samara Thadison, Holyoke High School (Dean Campus)
7. Zilaij’a Lewis, Holyoke High School (Dean Campus)
8. Adrianna Serrano-Rios, Holyoke High School (North Campus)
9. Espin Santiago, Westfield High School
10. Allyson Klement, Amherst Regional High School

Don’t miss this unforgettable evening of creativity, passion, and raw storytelling as these young poets take the stage to captivate and inspire. Join us in celebrating the next generation of spoken word artists and the power of their voices!

This Year’s Judges

Nicole Young-Martin (she/her) is an award-winning writer, educator, and performer based in Connecticut and Western MA. Nicole’s works spans across performance poetry, playwriting, theatre, community-centric creative practices and content creation. She is the founder, producer, and host of the podcast, Black Writers Read, which is scheduled to launch its fifth season in September. Nicole recently served as editor for A Queen’s Narrative’s Heavy is the Crown anthology and is the founder of Straw Dog Writers Guild’s Emerging Writer Fellowship. She is the recipient of several grants including from Easthampton City Arts, Northampton Open Media, and the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts’ ValleyCreates initiative. Nicole received the 2024 Kent Alexander Award for Radical Imagination and a 2009 James Baldwin Memorial Fund Award for her 10-minute play, get (t)his. She serves on the board of directors for Play Incubation Collective and WAM Theatre and teaches for Bard Microllege Holyoke and UMass Amherst’s Arts Extension Services.  Learn more about Nicoleat nicolemyoung.com.

Instagram:  @coco_penexplore | Twitter: @coco_penexplore  | Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/writercocopenexplore  

Qua’Nae Golston-Thomas is a Freshman student at UMass Amherst studying Political Science. She is the creator and host of the podcast Let’s Talk with Qua’Nae, through her podcast, she creates space for important conversations and highlights the voices and experiences of her community.

She is proud to be a newly joined poet of Slamherst, the official slam poetry team at UMass Amherst. Qua’Nae is currently an apprentice at the UMass Center for Racial Justice Youth Board, where she collaborates on youth-led initiatives focused on equity and meaningful change.

Eliza Keenan is a writer, editor, and performer from Great Barrington, MA. In her own high school years, she performed as a top-5 Massachusetts state finalist for the national Poetry Out Loud contest, as well as a member of the W.E.B Du Bois Youth Poetry Ensemble at the National Du Bois Legacy Festival. In her senior year, she directed “Finding Home: Four Artists’ Journeys,” a multimedia performance based on the Norman Rockwell Museum’s exhibition by the same name, raising community-wide conversation on art, immigration, and belonging. In recent years, Eliza has worked as a freelance editor and as Head Fiction Editor for Jabberwocky, the official undergraduate literary journal of UMass Amherst, where she is currently completing her BA in English. In her free time, she is cultivating the grave and perilous art of stand-up comedy. 

Richie Wills is a Nigerian-American writer and Multidisciplinary Artist currently pursuing an MFA in Prose with a certificate in Film Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Richie’s work explores themes of identity, queerness, and culture. Currently, he is working on his first novel with the goal of creating narratives that challenge and inspire readers.

Jen Jabaily-Blackburn is the author of the full-length collection Girl in a Bear Suit (Elixir Press, 2024) and the e-chapbook Disambiguation (Salamander/Suffolk University, 2024) She is the winner of the Louisa Solano Memorial Emerging Poet Award from Salamander, selected by Stephanie Burt. Her recent work has appeared in or is coming soon from The Common, On the Seawall, SIR, Arkansas International, Palette Poetry, Salamander, Fugue, and and Banshee and her poems have twice been selected for Best New Poets. She is at work on a series of mixed-media blackout poems, hem, drawn from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Originally from the Boston area, she now lives in Western Massachusetts with her family. In 2024, she joined the advisory board of Perugia Press, and she is an associate editor of Nine Syllables Press, housed at Smith College, where she is the Program & Outreach coordinator for the Boutelle-Day Poetry Center. More at jenjabailyblackburn.com.

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Season Sponsors

Academy Regional Youth Poetry Slam Sponsors & Foundation Support

It takes a village! Academy Regional Youth Poetry Slam Partners

Fees always apply to purchase. Tickets can be purchased in person or over the phone Tuesday through Friday 3pm to 6pm. Tickets can also be purchased online at any time for no additional cost/fee. All Sales are final. If you have any questions about accessibility, please contact the box office at boxoffice@aomtheatre.com or (413) 584-9032 X105.

This event is participating in the Card to Culture Program! They will be offering 10 seats at a discounted price of $0 to any patrons with a valid EBT, WIC, or ConnectorCare card. To purchase these tickets, please visit or call the box office Tuesday through Friday between 3:00pm and 6:00pm. Limit 4 tickets per cardholder per show. Tickets are sold on a first-come-first-serve basis. Find out more at: https://massculturalcouncil.org/organizations/card-to-culture/

Ticket Prices:
$10.00

Where/ How Tickets Can be Purchased:
Purchase online using the button on the top right (scroll to the bottom of the page if using mobile), or you may visit or call our box office at 413-584-9032 ext.105.
Box Office Hours are 3pm – 6pm, Tuesday – Friday. Service fees always apply with purchase.