JC Slam

The Jersey City Slam Finals, a competition for poets to try and represent Jersey City in the national competition, will be held on May 4 at Brightside Tavern. (Photo by Erin Anastasia)

Poetry will be the main attraction on Thursday, May 4, at the Brightside Tavern in Jersey City.

That's the date that Jersey City Slam will hold its finals in a poetry competition that began with close to 40 poets.

Now it is down to eight. Of these eight, only five will get the chance to go to the National Poetry Slam in Denver. Poets from all over the country meet at this national event to compete and share their love of poetry.

As of now, four out of the eight poets that will compete in the JC Slam Finals have been chosen: Patrick Roche, Rashad Wright, Radi and Erin Anastasia. These four along with four others to be determined will also compete for the Jersey City Slam Championship.

Returning to the stage to host the event is Kearny-native Christopher "Jelly" Stanly, who has been a part of the JC Slam since its inception.

Sam Sax will also be making an appearance as a guest poet. Sax had his first book, "Madness," published in 2017 and has another book, "Bury It," coming out in 2018. Along with that, he has also received multiple fellowships and numerous awards for his poetry.

The JC Slam Finals is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the organization. Proceeds cover the cost of registration, travel expenses and general event costs for all of those competing at the National Poetry Slam in August.

A new feature is the Bird Awards that will honor poets throughout the community for their work and participation in the program. All the award recipients will be honored at the JC Slam Finals.

Tickets are $10 online at Eventbrite until the day of the event. On the day of the event, tickets will be $15 at the doors. Students can buy ticket for $10 at the door with proper ID.

The Brightside Tavern is located at 141 Bright St. in Jersey City. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the poetry begins at 7 p.m., with karaoke following the competition.