Snaps over claps: Panama City man to host county's first poetry slam. Here are the details.

Ebonee Burrell, The News Herald
·2 min read

PANAMA CITY — Calling all poets! Do you have what it takes to participate in Bay County’s first poetry slam?

Lew Griffin of Panama City is organizing a poetry contest that invites the community to gather for a night of poetry readings from local and regional poets. Each poet will perform their reading, whether it's free-versed or prewritten, for a minimum of three minutes and be judged based on content and presentation. A winner will be announced and awarded a cash prize and trophy.

Wild Root Coffee & Apothecary in Lynn Haven, shown at a previous event, hosts poetry readings every Tuesday. Lew Griffin of Panama City will host an inaugural poetry slam competition at Wild Root on Sept. 2.
Wild Root Coffee & Apothecary in Lynn Haven, shown at a previous event, hosts poetry readings every Tuesday. Lew Griffin of Panama City will host an inaugural poetry slam competition at Wild Root on Sept. 2.

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The inaugural event is free to the public and is set for Sept. 2 from 6-8 p.m. at Wild Root Coffee and Apothecary, 830 Florida Ave. in Lynn Haven. Anyone can enter and is encouraged to sign up through Griffin at lgriffin60@yahoo.com or 850-890-7216. Poets also can sign up at the door on the night of the event.

Griffin said the idea for hosting a poetry event came from reminiscing from his childhood of attending poetry slams in New York City.

“I grew up attending poetry events and I really enjoyed them, so it out the blue crossed my mind to host a competition of my own,” Griffin said, a New Jersey native. “With the poetry scene growing in Bay County, I thought hosting a competition would create another entertaining way for poets to gather for a good time.”

The event will follow the “snaps over claps” format where the audience can snap for their favorite performances.

He hopes the event will grow with the help of eager poets wanting to share content they create on any topic. Depending on the success of the first poetry slam, Griffin said he will host more competitions in the future.

“This will be a time where people can get together and talk about anything in their own fashion to draw the audience in,” he said. “I’m hoping to have a full night of poetry readings to keep the entertainment lasting all night long.”

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City man will host Bay County's first poetry slam at Wild Root