Mission 

The Pittsburgh Poetry Collective makes and holds space for self-expression, identity exploration, and social justice via spoken word communities, poetry slams, writing & performance workshops, and poet showcases.  We welcome any opportunity for lyrical mayhem and believe that poetry heals, speaks, connects, and shares our experiences and differences.

 History

The Steel City Slam adult poetry slam league was founded in 1995 under the Suncrumbs’ 501(c)3 to build community around poetry and spoken word in Pittsburgh. After Suncrumbs’ dissolution in 2003, the Steel City Slam continued to operate at the Shadow Lounge in East Liberty under the shepherding of a continuous and dedicated group of  volunteer.. We were the only Poetry Slam, Inc. registered in the city of Pittsburgh. In 2014, under the Steel City Slam leadership committee of Adriana Ramírez, William James, Tera McIntosh, and Lori Beth Jones, the Pittsburgh Poetry Collective was incorporated as a Pennsylvania non-profit organization. We appreciate and acknowledge the invaluable contributions of many volunteers over our long history. We remember and remind people that the Steel City Slam was started by WOC.  We make and hold space for diverse voices in diverse rooms. We are a member of the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, Littsburgh, Pittsburgh Literary Calendar and more!

In the interest of our goal to foster and promote the growth of poetry and spoken word in Pittsburgh, many Steel City Slam poets have represented the Steel City at the National Poetry Slam, Individual World Poetry Slam, and Womxn of the World Poetry Slam as part of PSi.  The Pittsburgh Poetry Collective has hosted and attended many regional tournaments as well. After the closure of the Shadow Lounge, the Steel City Slam spent some time at brillobox before settling into an almost four year run at Capri Pizzeria in East Liberty. Beginning September 2018, Steel City Slam had an incredibly successful run at the Full Pint Wild Side Pub in upper Lawrenceville.  We are excited to branch out in 2020 and offer monthly slams in two different locations. We hope this will further increase accessibility for our performers and audience.

Our marquee shows and Grand Slams were held at the Union Project until 2016 when we entered into a partnership with City of Asylum to stage shows in their tent and the brand new Alphabet City Center. (Our 2016 WoWPS qualifier actually took place before the Alphabet City Center was officially open!)

Our current board members are: Sarah Rose (she/her), Von Brown (he/him), Lori Beth (she/her), Doug Nuhfer aka “The Nuhf” (he/they), and Tucker Pavelek (he/him).