Overview
Whose America is it? Ours.
We The Poets are We, The People. The 14th Amendment, passed in 1866, was a transformative addition to the U.S. Constitution. It says that people deserve equal protection under the laws of this country. Since the passage of this Amendment, some have tried to limit whom and what it protects. But brave people have organized, advocated, educated and fought to enforce and expand its meaning. It forms a foundation for our efforts to shape this country into a home for all of us: Black people, immigrants, women, LGBTQ people… all of us.
In celebration and defense of the 14th Amendment, we are making a call to poets to add your voice to this historic struggle. The ideals of inclusion and equality enshrined in the 14th amendment are under attack today. Let us wield our poetry in our defense. Submit your video poems and enter to compete in a 3-round competition with cash prizes, culminating in a final poetry slam in NYC in April 2025. Together, we will raise our voice and declare, ‘This is our America!’
Timeline
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Round 1 deadline January 24, 2025Round 1 deadline for online submissions
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Round 2 Regional Slams February 12, 20253 regional slams for grassroots poets who are active with Popular Democracy affiliated organizations, and one open call national slam for anyone else. This round will be held via zoom.
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Round 3 Final Slam March 29, 2025Finalists travel to NYC, expenses paid, participate in an exclusive writing workshop with renowned People's Poet Lemon Andersen, attend a Broadway show, and be headliners at an in-person slam.
Rounds
The competition will consist of 3 rounds leading up to the final poetry slam in NYC.
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The Langston Hughes Round 1 will be virtual with approximately 20 organizations in Popular Democracy’s network- with 5 online video submissions for each- 100 total contestants.
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The Pedro Pietri Round 2 will be 3 regional competitions, on a highly- produced zoom. We will pick a winner from each of the 3 regions to compete in the final national slam. Additionally, we will pick 3 winners via an open call for poets from around the country who are not in the Popular Democracy network. These 3 out-of-network winners cannot win the final but will be invited to the final as featured guests.
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The Nikki Giovanni Round 3 final will be in-person, featuring the 3 regional finalists and 3 at-large poets. All finalists will have their travel to NYC covered. In addition, all finalists will receive an exclusive poetry workshop from Lemon Andersen and the opportunity to attend a Broadway play.
Prizes
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ROUND 1- $250
Video poem submissions. 20 Winners
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ROUND 2- $1000
Virtual Zoom. 3 Winners
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ROUND 3- $3000
Live Performance in NYC. 1 Winner
Judging
Judges will score entries based on 3 criteria:
How effectively do you elevate the history, content, and struggles related to the 14th Amendment? Please note that we don’t need you to talk about the 14th Amendment explicitly (unless you want to!)… we are looking for poems that invite us to think about building a future where all of us are protected and all of us can thrive.
• Theme
• Creativity and originality
How well do you take these themes, make them your own, and make us see things in a new way?
How well do you perform/deliver your poem?
• Delivery
Featured Poet-
Lemon Andersen
Legendary actor, playwright, and Tony award-winning poet Lemon Andersen will be blessing the stage and co-judging the We The Poets competition final. The honorary people’s Poet Laureate of Kings County, Lemon has spent more than two decades as a creative force representing BK to the fullest- from writing Netflix shows, to brand-advising LeBron James, to leading poetry workshops at universities across the world. He has been interviewed and profiled by National Public Radio, The New York Times, NBC TV, and The Wall Street Journal and published in The Nation magazine.
ABOUT US
We The Poets is powered by Popular Democracy. We are 50 grassroots organizations across 34 states and DC, that unapologetically demand justice and opportunities for the new majority of our nation. Because it’s long overdue, we upend politics as usual to forge a representative, multiracial government and just society where we all thrive - no exceptions.
“As organizers, we understand cultural expression and joy should be at the center of everything we do. We can see no better way to help move an understanding of the systems and structures that impact our daily lives than through the magic of spoken word and poetry!”
