{"id":252419,"date":"2026-04-30T13:04:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T13:04:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/252419\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T13:04:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T13:04:07","slug":"speak-up-the-community-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/252419\/","title":{"rendered":"Speak up! – The Community Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"

The South has something to say, and the Literary Council of Central Florida<\/a> will ensure it\u2019s heard as Orlando hosts the 34th annual Southern Fried Poetry Slam<\/a>. From June 9 to 13, more than 200 poets will convene to battle for cash prizes and bragging rights while inviting Orlandoans to learn about the nation\u2019s robust slam community.\n<\/p>\n

The festival\u2019s kickoff event, #ReviveZora, honors literary giant Zora Neale Hurston<\/a> in her hometown of Eatonville<\/a> as five notable Black women poets, including Orlando\u2019s Poet Laureate Camara Gaither<\/a> and the festival\u2019s Director Blu Bailey<\/a>, will read work inspired by Hurston\u2019s legacy and written especially for the occasion.\n<\/p>\n

Attendees can expect African drumming, documentary-style film clips, food and music, all at the Eatonville Library<\/a>. \u201cWe plan to invigorate the town of Eatonville with literary arts and reimagine what a library can do,\u201d said Shawn Welcome<\/a>, former poet laureate of Orlando and president of the Literary Arts Council of Central Florida. \u201cIt will be unlike anything anyone has ever seen.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

The high-energy competition will take place at downtown\u2019s Embassy Suites Hotel<\/a>, with finals at the Orlando Museum of Art. <\/a>Each competing team or individual must first qualify in their hometown to compete, thus serving as exemplary representatives of their cities. \u201cYou can expect a higher quality of performance and delivery from all of the artists,\u201d Welcome said. \u201cThey\u2019re ready to show off.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

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With a time limit of just three minutes and 10 seconds, each performance will quickly pack a punch. \u201cIt has to be captivating,\u201d Welcome said. \u201cIt\u2019s a riveting experience that\u2019s going to bring you through a range of emotions.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Judges, mainly community volunteers, will score the performances, though the slam saying goes, \u201cThe points are not the point. The point is poetry.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Beyond the bouts, the festival offers workshops, open mics, themed slams and a masters versus rookies competition that will take place at the Dr. J.B. Callahan Neighborhood Center<\/a>, the former location of Jones High School<\/a>, Orange County\u2019s first Black high school. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of history and intentionality of where we\u2019re choosing to do things, to give people what is unique to Orlando,\u201d Welcome said.\n<\/p>\n

Attendees will enjoy a welcoming atmosphere where they can meet the contenders, buy their books and appreciate the slam community\u2019s inclusive nature. \u201cI think spoken word poetry helps you to become more compassionate,\u201d Welcome said. \u201cYou\u2019re in spaces where you\u2019re forced to listen to each other, which, to me, is the impetus of empathy.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

The festival encourages anyone curious about poetry to attend, especially those who have not yet experienced a slam. \u201cCome dip your toe in,\u201d Bailey said. \u201cNothing at the festival requires the full commitment of someone other than to be present.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no excuse for anyone, whether you\u2019re into literary arts or not, to not try something,\u201d Welcome said. \u201cAnd I think that what they\u2019ll take away is much greater than what they expected.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Beyond the Southern Fried Poetry Slam, the Literary Arts Council of Central Florida works behind the scenes to strengthen Orlando\u2019s literary ecosystem and introduce the city to its own rich literary history and spirited present. LACCF aims to position Orlando as the literary arts capital of the South and hopes that the festival will show just how possible that is.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe that it will drive us to become known as a place where poets, storytellers, spoken word artists and publishers would want to move because of the infrastructure that we put in place,\u201d Welcome said. \u201cBut we have to lay the foundation.\u201d\n\t\t<\/p>\n

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