By Roy L. Williams | Birmingham Public Library
Birmingham Public Library (BPL) invites the community to experience some of the metro area’s top spoken word artists competing for a combined $500 in a Bards & Brews Poetry Slam happening Friday, May 1 at the Central Library downtown.
This will be the second slam of the year hosted by Bards & Brews, BPL’s high-energy monthly spoken word poetry series where poets express their voices on stage.
Ten poets will go head-to-head in a fast-paced, three-round poetry slam. First place wins a $250 check, second place $150 and third place $100. With audience members serving as judges, every performance counts and getting the crowd on your side matters. Thed Weller will serve as host.
Doors open at 6:00 p.m., with live music by saxophonist Saxual Healer beginning at 6:30 p.m., followed by the poetry slam. The competition is limited to the first 10 poets who register on-site and pay the $5 entry fee.
Admission is free and open to the public; you must be 18 or older to enter and 21 or older to drink beer samples. Yellowhammer Brewing will serve as the beer sponsor for the evening.
Now in its 16th year, Bards & Brews continues to be one of the library’s most popular programs. Bards & Brews is supported by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts, presented to the Friends Foundation of the Birmingham Public Library.
What: Bards & Brews Poetry Slam
When: Friday, May 1, 2026 | 6:30–8:30 p.m. (Poet registration begins at 6:00 p.m.)
Where: Birmingham Public Library’s Central Location,
2100 Park Place, Birmingham, AL 35203
Host: Thed Weller
Live Music: Saxual Healer
Beer Sponsor: Yellowhammer Brewing
About: Bards & Brews, Birmingham Public Library’s monthly spoken word series, is supported by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts, presented through the Friends Foundation of the Birmingham Public Library.
Admission: Free (18+ to enter; 21+ to receive beer samples)
Poet Entry Fee: $5 | Limited to first 10 poets
For more information, click here https://bplolinenews.blogspot.
