Albuquerque is set to welcome over 75 poets and spoken word artists from 30 cities across the United States as the second annual Chicharra Poetry Slam Festival returns this week. The five-day event, which runs from March 19 to March 23, celebrates the power of poetry through competitions, readings, and workshops.
Festival founder Zachary Kluckman, who envisioned this event for nearly two decades, emphasized the community-driven spirit of Chicharra. “This festival started as a dream I carried around for almost twenty years,” he said. “But it has always been about us, about community, and creating opportunities for people to experience poetry in a profound, inspiring way.”
As the second-largest poetry slam event in the nation, Chicharra will take place at multiple venues across Albuquerque. Poets will compete for a regional title and a share of $5,000 in prizes.
A Celebration of Voices
The festival opens on Wednesday, March 19, with a poetry reading and roundtable discussion at the Albuquerque Museum. The event features New Mexico State Poet Laureate Lauren Camp, Albuquerque Poet Laureate Emeritus Hakim Bellamy, Sara Daniele Rivera, and Scott Wiggerman.
Poetry slams will take center stage over the next three days, with the festival culminating in the Breaking Bread Poet’s Picnic on Sunday, March 23.
“My fondest wish for Chicharra is that we build something together that makes us proud,” Kluckman said. “Something that amplifies all the cultures and voices that make us who we are and reminds the world that poetry is very much alive and growing.”
High-Stakes Competition and Inclusive Programming
This year’s competition features top poets, including defending individual champion Black Chakra from Baltimore, LadyK from Fresno, Billy Tuggle from Chicago, and many more. The team competition will include Albuquerque’s own Voices of the Barrio and last year’s winners, the Phoenix-based Ghost Phantom.
Beyond the competitions, the festival offers a diverse range of events, including a book market, writing workshops, and readings. Open mic sessions will highlight voices from LGBTQ+, trans and nonbinary, Indigenous, Black, Asian and Pacific Islander communities, as well as veterans and poets with disabilities. A “nerd slam” will blend poetry with pop culture trivia, while a late-night erotica open mic featuring burlesque performances will take place at the Albuquerque Social Club.
Workshops will be led by prominent poets and authors, including Pushcart Prize nominee David Meischen (“Ambient Noise in a Narrative Poem”), Billy Tuggle (“Write to Resist”), Brennan DeFrisco (“Chaos as Craft”), and National Book Award finalist Deborah Taffa (“The Lyric Essay as Omen and Discovery”).
With the exception of Finals Stage on Saturday, March 22, all events are free and open to the public. Workshops, readings, and open mics welcome participants of all experience levels, making Chicharra an accessible and inclusive celebration of poetry.
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