Some people might see poetry as a dying art form, but the Philly Pigeon poetry slam has proven that poetry is thriving and very much alive in Philadelphia. It is one of the most popular poetry events in the region. A poetry slam is basically a contest where poets perform their original work and are judged by members of the audience.

The Philly Pigeon Poetry Slam Event is organized by Jasmine Combs, Jacob Winterstein, and Kai Davis. The Philly Pigeon is a poetry slam event that is held monthly where poets compete among each other by performing their original work to an audience who also act as the judges of the competition. The Philly Pigeon poetry slam event is very different from your usual poetry event characterized by brooding poets inside a coffee shop. Philly Pigeon feels more like a party, featuring an animated audience, live Dj, and a disco ball.

Poets who wish to participate in the Philly Pigeon poetry slam event are required to arrive before 8:40 pm and put their names in a hat. Participants of the event are also required to pay a small fee of $5 for the event. The names are picked from the hat at 9:00 pm. If the people who put their names inside the hat are more than thirteen, a Haiku slam is held at 8:45 to decide who will slam. Some participants are pre-selected. The show kicks off at exactly 9 pm and you are required to claim your seat by 8:55 if you had reserved one. In the event that you have not claimed your seat by 8:55, it will be open to other people who have attended the event. Philly Pigeon welcomes attendees of all ages. However, the poetry slam event may contain adult content.

The Philly Pigeon collective comprises Jacob Winterstein, Kai Davis, and Jasmine Combs. All are cultural organizers, creative collaborators, and Philly Natives. Their mission is to popularize and elevate the performance poetry art form while being of service to the people. The trio strives to promote a sense of community across class, gender, sexuality, religion, and color. They believe in empowering both the audience and the poets to participate in developing the art form.

Jacob Winterstein is an educator, artist, and event producer from Philadelphia. Through poetry, events, and performance art, the work of Jacob Winterstein explores the separation from our environment and with each other, and ways to establish joyful selections. As a co-founder of the Philly Pigeon Collective, Jacob helps organize multi-media productions, poetry slams, artists retreats, and workshops.