‘City of Destiny Poetry Slam: Hilltop Edition’ on May 15

Registration is now open for the “City of Destiny Poetry Slam: Hilltop Edition,” which will take place on Friday, May 15, at 6 p.m. at the Sure House Church (901 S. 10th St.)as part of Historic Preservation Month. The slam is open to Tacoma residents between the ages of 12 to 19, and the theme is Hilltop Past, Present, and Future. The purpose of the event is to encourage young people to engage with Tacoma’s history and historic neighborhoods. This event will also feature performances by local hip hop artists and poets.

The top three writers from this competition will have their poems highlighted on a custom poster, designed by local artists and displayed throughout Tacoma.

“I am most excited about this event because it gives us the opportunity to hear the voices of young people in Tacoma. This is the first in what we hope is a movement towards creating spaces for young poets of all backgrounds and skill levels to express themselves in public forums,” said Michael Haeflinger. “More than a poetry slam or a single event, we are talking about creating a movement of young voices and young leaders in the community.” Haeflinger is co-founder of City of Destiny Poetry Slams with Necashaw Montgomery and both have taken thel ead on creating this new community for Tacoma’s young poets.

Free writing and performance workshops are available for students who are interested in participating. These workshops will be led by local historians and poets who will prepare contestants for the May 15 performance. The first of these workshops is Saturday, March 28, at 2 p.m., at Write@253 (1310 Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Tacoma). For a full list of workshop dates and locations, visit write253.wordpress.com.

This event is presented by the City of Tacoma’s Historic Preservation Office, in partnership with Write@253 and the City of Destiny Poetry Slams. To register for the event or for more information contactdestinycityslams@gmail.com or Lauren Hoogkamer, Historic Preservation Coordinator, atlhoogkamer@cityoftacoma.org.