ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Poetry slam

A poetry slam is like a big party where people come and share their own poems with others. Imagine you’re at a birthday party and everyone gets to show off their new toys or presents. Except at a poetry slam, people share their words and emotions instead of toys, and they’re judged on how good they sound and how much they make people feel.

Usually, a poetry slam happens in a cool place like a café or a bar, and there's a host who introduces the poets and keeps things moving. They start by explaining what the rules are - like how long each poem can be and when it's time to clap and cheer for friends.

The poets take turns getting on stage and sharing their own original poems. They might hold a microphone or just speak loudly so everyone can hear them. They use lots of words to express their thoughts and feelings, often using fun rhythms or rhymes to make their words sound even better.

After each poem, the crowd claps and cheers, and a few judges (usually selected from the audience) give the poet a score based on how good they thought the poem was. Whoever gets the highest score at the end of the night is often declared the winner, but really, everyone is a winner because they got to share their feelings and hear others connect with their words.

Overall, a poetry slam is all about having fun, sharing your words with others, and hearing what your community has to say.