About slam academy:

With the assistance of the St. Joseph's Historic Foundation, the Jambalaya Soul Slam has begun a new initiative. In addition to our monthly poetry slams we will be conducting writing and performance workshops at the Hayti Heritage Center.These workshops are part of a program called the Jamabalaya Slam Academy. At the Slam Academy, experienced performance artists will help workshop participants bring their words from the page to the stage. In a peer to peer environment, participants will go through writing and performance exercises designed to help them improve both the writing and delivery of their work. Whether someone is new to performing, an experienced performer looking to slam, or someone who wants to feel more comfortable reading at the open mic...this is for them.

The series of workshops will be facilitated by Dasan Ahanu, one of the resident artists at the Hayti Heritage Center in Durham. Dasan has conducted workshops across the state, developed writing programs, and been a guest lecturer at a number of institutions on the topics of writing, Hip Hop, and literacy. He currently teaches creative writing at Saint Augustine's College and is the editor of their campus literary magazine Inside Out. He has also been member of the Slam Charlotte Slam Team and is the the founder and coach of the Bull City Slam Team that competes regionally and nationally each year. He is also the founder and host of the Jambalaya Soul Slam.

The workshops will take place on the third Sunday of every month from 4pm to 6pm. Each workshop will also feature a guest facilitator. Each guest facilitator will be an experienced touring performance artist, slam poet, or theatre veteran. In addition, voice coaches and improvisation coaches may be invited to help participants improve their performance abilities.

All workshops will take place at The Hayti Heritage Center, 804 Old Fayetteville, NC 27705.

Each session is $2 per participant. This can be paid at upon arrival.

Upcoming slam Academy Dates:



Sunday, February 19th from 4:00pm to 6:00pm
"Redefining Love"