The Albany Word Fest will be coming to a close on Saturday, April 20, the Word Fest with the inaugural Word Fest Invitational Slam at Valentine’s (17 New Scotland Ave., Albany) starting at 6:00 pm with a very exciting event bringing poets from all over the state together.

For the first time ever, poets from Albany’s very own Nitty Gritty Slam will be joined by poets from Verbal Slap (Bridgeport, CT), Underground Poetry Spot (Syracuse, NY), Suffern Slam (Suffern, NY), Jersey City Slam (Jersey City, NJ), and Pure Ink Slam (Buffalo, NY) on one stage to close out the Word Fest and compete for prizes and bragging rights as we get closer to the National Poetry Slam in August.

Six teams and four rounds of great poetry and spoken word from some of the best talent in the northeast United States. This is the only way that we could think of to end a week long celebration of the art.

Admission for this event at Valentine’s is $10.00 in advance / $12.00 at the door. This event is 18+ (21+ to drink) with a picture ID required. Advance tickets are now available at the Albany Poets Online Store.

If have a ticket stub from the previous night’s UGT show or the Saturday Love show at the Book Club, present that at the door for $10 admission.

This is just one of many events that will be taking place in Albany during the 2013 Albany Word Fest week (Sunday, April 14 – Saturday, April 20). For more information on all of the readings, open mics, slams, and how you can get involved, go to the Albany Poets website.