Wits End Poetry

GVL POETRY TRAIL

2026-03-09T06:02:00.000-07:00

Celebrating artists and their stories in the upstate & beyond. @witsendpoetry ● www.witsendpoetry.com ● witsendpoetry.eventbrite.com

SUBMIT YOUR POEM TO THE GVL POETRY TRAIL CONTEST!

CLICK HERE to submit.

POETRY CONTEST RULES

Each poet may submit a single entry per category consisting of up to three poems. While poets of all ages are welcome to participate, every poem must be an original composition created without the assistance of AI. Individual poems are limited to a maximum of 28 lines, and each line must contain fewer than 16 syllables. Poets may be previously published. There is no cost to enter this competition. Poets must live in Greenville County or have a personal connection to Greenville County.

LIVE READINGS: Adult poets should confirm their availability to perform their winning work in person on either the morning of May 9th at the Fred Collins Stage (Grand Boho Lawn) at Artisphere and/or May 10th at 7:30 at Coffee Underground in the Theater (free entry for winners). A virtual reading option will be held on April 29th.

PRIZES: Adult winners will receive a $50 prize paid via CashApp or check on the day of the event, while student winners will receive a $25 prize via Visa gift card or CashApp. A minimum of six winners will be awarded across all categories.

TEACHERS: Teachers can also use the above form to submit up to three poems per class. There will be additional contests in the future. The initial GVL Poetry Trail stops will be completed in summer of 2026.

THEMATIC CATEGORIES: These themes are meant to be broad but should connect to our area (aka don't write a poem inspired by the Rocky Mountains, instead write a poem inspired by the mountains of South Carolina).

Nature
Sports (including Baseball, Cycling, Fishing, tributes to GVL athletes like Shoeless Joe Jackson etc.)
Beverages (including coffee, tea, coctails etc.)
Southern Food
History (including industries, tributes to historic figures like Jesse Jackson etc)
Culture (art, public art, music, tributes to culturally important people, etc)

NOTES: Please note that more stops will continue to be added on a rolling basis. We want the poetry to drive some of the locations but we do know that the first stops will be along Main Street downtown GVL and around Heritage Green and may include coffee shops, southern restaurants, art gallery/museums, bookstores, libraries, a baseball related-museum, libraries, Swamp Rabbit trail, and downtown GVL public art and landmarks. If you are not selected for the first group of stops, please know that you may be selected at a later date. This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate something that you love about GVL.

QUESTIONS! GVL Poetry Trail Q&A's.

1. Sun March 22nd at 6:45-7:15 pm at Coffee Underground in Theater.
(Followed by Say What Open Mic)

2. Wed April 1st Virtual via Facebook@witsendpotry/YouTube @carolinapoets. (It's not a joke!)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Kimberly Simms Gibbs

EMAIL: witsendpoetrysc@gmail.com

@WITSENDPOETRY

Wits End Poetry is proud to announce the launch of the GVL Poetry Trail, a new interactive cultural experience bringing the power of the written and spoken word to Greenville’s public spaces, businesses, and parks starting summer 2026. In anticipation of the organization’s 25th anniversary in 2027, the project invites Greenville County poets to submit original work by April 15th for a chance to be featured in this city-wide installation.

"The GVL Poetry Trail is about celebrating both emerging and veteran artists," says Kimberly Simms Gibbs, Founder and Director of Wits End Poetry. "By placing poetry in our trails, museums, and storefronts, we are making high-quality literary art accessible to everyone—residents and visitors alike."

More information on submissions can be found on the Wits End Poetry Blog witsendpoetry.blogspot.com. Poets will receive a $50 prize, publication of their winning poem, public display as part of a rotating stop on the GVL Poetry Trail, and be invited to read their poems at a celebratory GVL Poetry Trail Launch Reading during Artisphere weekend. Please direct questions to Kimberly at witsendpoetrysc@gmail.com.

Founded in 2002, Wits End Poetry has spent over two decades fostering community engagement through the literary arts. The GVL Poetry Trail is the latest initiative to enrich the Upstate’s cultural landscape, offering a unique way for the public to engage with South Carolina’s vibrant "sense of place."

This project is funded in part by the Metropolitan Arts Council, The City of Greenville A-Tax, and the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Submissions are accepted via Google Form. Full details and guidelines are available on the Wits End Poetry Blog at witsendpoetry.blogspot.com.

For more information on the GVL Poetry Trail or to follow the project’s growth, visit or follow @witsendpoetry on social media.

This project is part of Wits End Poetry’s 25th year anniversary celebration upcoming in 2027. The main goal of Wits End Poetry is to provide high quality poetry programming to local and visiting audiences in Greenville County. The secondary goal is to celebrate both emerging and veteran artists and their stories.

The curator and director of the project is Kimberly Simms Gibbs who founded Wits End Poetry in 2002. Kimberly is an acclaimed Greenville poet, literary organizer, and educator who has made significant contributions to the literary arts in South Carolina, organizing major literary festivals and fostering community engagement for over thirty years.

The GVL Poetry Trail will offer a unique cultural experience that attracts both residents and visitors and will enrich Greenville's cultural landscape, offering an interactive way for visitors to engage with the city's artistic heritage and landscapes. Each year more stops will be added to the GVL Poetry trail.

Not Quite New Year's Poetry Slam 2025

2025-12-03T11:06:00.000-08:00

REGISTRATION IS CLOSED

GREENVILLE, SC: Sunday 12/28/2025, Say What?! Not Quite New Year's Poetry Slam at Coffee Underground! Don't miss the opportunity to witness 10 slam poets in this End of the Year Poetry Slam. Host Moody Black. First place prize is $100.

Coffee Underground, 1 E. Coffee St., Greenville, SC 29601. 7:30pm. $10.

Local Poets in Greenville County register below using PayPal or Cash app $10 to $witsendpoetry.
Audience tickets are available via Eventbrite. Coffee Underground Theater.

HOST: Black Phoenix; Bout Manager:

Wits End Poetry's mission is to mentor and grow Carolina poetry talent in order to help poets make a living as poets. The poetry slam events do have a short open mic available for those with "audience tickets" which happens from 7:30 to 8:00pm.

Fresh Out The Oven 2025

2025-11-13T04:06:00.000-08:00

Registration is Open

On November 23, 2025 at 7:30, Wits End Poetry will host its annual Say What Fresh Out The Oven Slam at Coffee Underground in Greenville, SC at 1 East Coffee St! With Host Black Phoenix
! The first-place prize is $100. New poems only!!! (New poem defined as a poem that has never been used in a poetry slam or competitive event before).

Poets register below using PayPal or Cash app $10 to $witsendpoetry. Audience tickets are available via Eventbrite.

We are excited to welcome veteran and emerging poets. Wits End Poetry's mission is to mentor and grow Carolina poetry talent in order to help poets make a living as poets. The poetry slam events do have a short open mic available for those with "audience tickets."

HOST: Black Phoenix

Bout Manager:

Limited to 8 poets. No waitlist. Poets scroll to the bottom of this page to see all the rules.

REGISTRATION IS OPEN. Cashapp $10 to $witsendpoetry with the words POET. "poet name" to register or register ABOVE with Paypal. $10 General Admission. Buying an audience ticket does not register you for the slam.

Say What Poetry Slam

2025-09-26T16:14:00.000-07:00

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

GREENVILLE, SC: Sunday 10/19/25, Say What?! Poetry Slam will be at Coffee Underground! Don't miss the opportunity to witness 10 slam poets in the October Poetry Slam. Host Black Phoenix. First place prize is $200.

Coffee Underground, 1 E. Coffee St., Greenville, SC 29601. 7:30pm. $10.

Local Poets in Greenville County register below using PayPal or Cash app $10 to $witsendpoetry.
Audience tickets are available via Eventbrite. Coffee Underground Theater.

HOST: Black Phoenix; Bout Manager:

20th Anniversary Queen of the South Slam on Sept 21

2025-09-10T12:10:00.000-07:00

Women's Poetry Slam !!!

SEPTEMBER 21ST! 20th Annual Queen of the South Slam. $500 in prize money! This is an Invitational Poetry Slam only featuring the top female poets in the South East. You don't want to miss this exciting high-energy poetry slam that will spotlight emerging and veteran poetic artists from across the southeast. This event, founded in Greenville by Kimberly Simms, inspired the creation of the national WOWps. Special guest host Queen Sheba!! First prize $350. Cashapp $15 to $witsendpoetry

$500 in Prizes

1 E. Coffee St., Greenville, SC 29601. 7:30pm.

Poets register below using PayPal or Cash app $15 to $witsendpoetry.

Audience tickets are available via Eventbrite.

Contact Kimberly Simms or ShAy Black for more information.

Registered Poets List:

1. Shay Black

2. Cassandra is Free

3. Asma

4. Shai Moonlight

5. Jenny Stohlmann

6. Elaine Hill

7. Arrie Lane (Dropped out)

8. Amalia Grannis (Drpped out)

Volunteers will Receive a Free Audience Ticket

Sign-up to be a volunteer at a poetry slam!

http://witsendpoetry.blogspot.com/p/volunteer.html

SLAM RULES

1. Prize Money: First Prize $350
Second Prize $100
Third Prize $50
2. Bout draw is at 7:15pm 8 Poets. No Waiting List. No refunds.
3. This is a three-round poetry slam. 8+ to 6 to 3 Cut. This is an invitational by nominations. Reach out to see if you can be nominated. Must be in good standing with Wits End Poetry.

The first two rounds of the competition are cumulative with the first round featuring 8 poets then cutting down to 6. The final round will feature only the top 3 poets and will be a clean slate. Standard tournament slam rules apply. Prop, plagiarism or costume violations will result in [-2 ] points from the score for that round. There will not be a tiebreaker round, rather prize money will be split in the event of a tie for first. If there is a tie during preliminary rounds, up to one additional poet may advance in some cases. Poets should bring at least 3 poems. Poems do not need to be memorized but memorization will help your score. There can be up to 11 poets in the first round. Learn more about slam at http://www.witsendpoetry.com/whatisslam.html.

5. The Time Limit. 3:00 minute time limit. At 3:10:01 a time penalty will be assessed. A poet is certainly allowed several full seconds to adjust the microphone and get settled, but as soon as s/he makes a connection with the audience (“Hey look, she’s been standing there for 10 seconds and hasn’t even moved”), the timekeeper can start the clock. After 3:00 minutes, there is a 10-second grace period (for example: (in the 3 minute rotation) up to and including 3:10:00). Starting at one hundredth of a second over the grace period, a penalty is automatically deducted of .5 from the poet’s overall score, and an additional .5 is deducted for each additional 10 seconds. THE STAFF MAY STOP THE POET AT 4:00 MINUTES.

6. Influencing the Crowd Before the Bout Begins. Poets are allowed to talk casually with anyone in the crowd before the bout begins (except the judges, if they have already been chosen). They are not, however, allowed to give anything to the audience or have anyone do this for them. See full PSI
tournament rules for more information.
7. Kimberly Simms will adjudicate any protests. (formerly on Exec Council of PSI)

Slam Rules

1) Poems can be on any subject and in any style.

2) Each poet must perform an original work that they have created.

3) No props. Generally, poets are allowed to use their given

environment and the accouterments it offers microphones, mic stands,

the stage itself, chairs on stage, a table or bar top, the aisle as long as

these accouterments are available to other competitors as well. The rule

concerning props is not intended to squelch the spontaneity,

unpredictability, or on-the-fly choreography that people love about the

slam; its intent is to keep the focus on the words rather than objects.

Refer to Section V (Definitions) for further clarification on what is and is

not a prop. Poets who inadvertently use a prop (for example, a timely yet

unwitting grab at a necklace) can be immediately penalized two points if

the MC of the bout deems the effect of the violation to have been

appreciable, but sufficiently lacking in specific intent. A formal protest

need not be lodged before the MC can penalize a poet in this way,

however, the decision of the MC can be appealed after the bout.

Individuals whose use of props in a poem appears to be more calculated

and the result of a specific intent to enhance, illustrate, underscore, or

otherwise augment the words of the poem will be given a retroactive

score for the poem equal to two points less than the lowest scoring

poem in that bout. This deduction, which can only be applied after a

formal protest has been lodged against the offending poet, will not be

made by the MC, but by the Protest Committee.

4) No musical instruments or pre-recorded music, a poem which

violates this rule will be assessed a score of zero.

5) No costumes. (Do not put on or take off clothing during bout)The Protest Committee may apply a two-point deduction for violation of the costume rule.

INVITATIONAL NOTES:

The Queen of the South Slam is a showcase of the top emerging and veteran female voices in the Southeast. Poets may be nominated by a slammaster, Kimberly Simms or have participated in a previous Wits End Event to qualify if they are over 21 and must be in good standing with WEP.

The historical annual all-women poetry slam held in Greenville South Carolina celebrates 20 years of providing a platform where the women in the southeastern region showcase their power and spoken word skills! This event was conceived in 2005 and led to the formation of the Women of the World Slam.

Questions email witsendpoetrysc@gmail.com.

First Prize $350
Second Prize $100
Third Prize $50

In the event of a tie, the two champions will each receive $225.
And the 2nd place will receive $50. (With no 3rd place prize but still bragging rights).

King of the South

2025-08-07T05:51:00.000-07:00

Men's Poetry Slam !!!

August 24th King of the South Slam. $500 in prize money! This is an Invitational Poetry Slam only featuring the top male poets in the South East. You don't want to miss this exciting high-energy poetry slam that will spotlight emerging and veteran poetic artists who identify as a male from across four states. This historical, original all-male poetry slam is held in Greenville South Carolina!

Early bird tickets $10 till August 22 Midnight. Only 64 tickets for sale. Tickets KOS Name to $witsendpoetry or eventbrite. https://kos2025.eventbrite.com

$500 in Prizes

1 E. Coffee St., Greenville, SC 29601. 7:30pm. $15.

REGISTRATION IS CLOSED.

Audience tickets are available via Eventbrite.

Contact Kimberly Simms or ShAy Black to sign up

Registered Poets List. REGISTRATION IS CLOSED.

Azar King, Greenville
Atlas, Williamsburg, VA
Black Phoenix, Greenville
Chev, Atlanta/NY
Dove Dupree, Union, SC
Justin Blackburn, Asheville
Moses Freeman, Columbia
Nathan Wallace, Atlanta
Southern Stylz, Greenville

Volunteers have been assigned.

Sign-up to be a volunteer at the poetry slam!

http://witsendpoetry.blogspot.com/p/volunteer.html

Notes for KOS 2026:

Invitee List: Wesley Frazier Keys, Nick Courmon,

SLAM RULES

1. Prize Money: First Prize $350
Second Prize $100
Third Prize $50
In the event of a tie, judges will vote on the winner OR the two champions can opt to each receive $225. And the 2nd place will receive $50. (With no 3rd place).

2. Bout draw is at 7:15pm 10 Poets. No Waiting List. No refunds.
3. This is a three-round poetry slam. 9-6-3 Cut.

The first two rounds of the competition are cumulative with the first round featuring 9 poets then cutting down to 6. The final round will feature only the top 3 poets and will be a clean slate. Standard tournament slam rules apply. Prop, plagiarism or costume violations will result in [-2 ] points from the score for that round. There will not be a tiebreaker round, judges will vote for the winner. If there is a tie during preliminary rounds, up to one additional poet may advance in some cases. Poets should bring at least 3 poems. Poems do not need to be memorized but memorization will help your score. Learn more about slam at http://www.witsendpoetry.com/whatisslam.html.