Spoken Horror Slam 🩸
Hosted by Black Chakra
📍 Busboys and Poets – Anacostia
📅 Friday, October 31, 2025
🕖 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
💰 $200 Prize for the Winner!
Step into the shadows for a night where poetry meets terror at the Spoken Horror Slam — a chilling competition hosted by the electrifying Black Chakra.
In honor of spooky season, we’re summoning the boldest voices to the mic for an evening of bone-chilling bars, haunting stories, and lyrical nightmares that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat.
Poets will have up to 3 minutes (plus a 20-second grace period) to share their scariest, most creative work — from Halloween-inspired tales to spine-tingling confessions, monsters, and metaphors that haunt.
👻 Rules:
- The piece must contain horror elements — fear, anxiety, monsters, or dark imagination welcome.
- Poems, monologues, and short stories are all fair game (as long as they fit within the 3:20 limit).
- Only 12 poets will be allowed to compete.
- To pre-register, message @blackchakra88. Walk-ups may be accepted if space allows, but pre-reg gets first dibs!
Whether you’re performing or just coming to vibe, this slam promises to be a frightfully good time.
🎟️ Free and open to the public | All ages welcome
🪩 Costumes encouraged. Nerves of steel required.
About Black Chakra
Black Chakra is an award-winning spoken word artist, emcee, and educator from Baltimore, Maryland, whose explosive delivery and powerful storytelling have made him a force in the national poetry scene. A two-time Southern Fried Poetry Slam Champion, National Poetry Slam Champion, and Brave New Voices Coach Champion, Chakra blends razor-sharp lyricism with deep emotional truth.
His work explores themes of Black identity, mental health, masculinity, and social justice — often laced with humor, grit, and undeniable stage presence. Beyond competition, he has performed on stages across the country, from HBO’s Brave New Voices to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, using his art to heal, educate, and inspire revolution through rhythm and word.
