Poetry Center San José presents San José Poetry Slam – Live In Person!
Come join us for poetry and some of the most delicious pizza in San José at our new venue in Willow Glen:
Wheelhouse of Willow Glen
1173 Lincoln Avenue
San Jose, CA 95125
Sunday, May 17, 2026
Doors open and the sign up list goes out at 6:30pm
The Poetry Slam starts at 7:00pm
Admission is $5–10 sliding scale; no one turned away for lack of funds.
Hosted by Scorpiana Xlent.
Our Featured Poet is Julian “Protected Poet” Blackmon!
Julian Blackmon, known to the world as Protected Poet, was born in Marion, Indiana, and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. A dynamic force in both music and spoken word, he is a Gold-certified recording artist, international spoken-word poet, actor, published author, and a commanding voice of purpose, healing, and truth.
His journey in poetry is marked by a defining early victory—on May 14, 2023, he won his very first poetry slam at the San Jose Slam, on a night headlined by Brandon Leaks. That moment ignited a trajectory that would quickly establish him as a force in the spoken-word world.
Protected Poet has built a powerful presence on stages across the globe. In 2024, he gained national recognition joining the Berkeley Slam Team and competing in the National Bigfoot Poetry Festival in Portland, earning 2nd place. He is also a Berkeley Slam Grand Slam Champion, further solidifying his dominance within the Bay Area poetry scene. He was invited to perform in the 2024 ILL List Invitationals at the Modesto Theatre and has been featured twice in the Modesto View newspaper. That same year, he toured 8 states and 23 cities, followed by an even greater run in 2025—17 states, 44 cities, and an international performance in the Bahamas. In 2025, he was crowned the Fort Worth, Texas Harambee Festival Poetry Grand Slam Champion and winner. That same year, he was nominated for Best Poet of the Year at the Spoken Word Awards Show in Chicago, where he also took the stage as a featured performer. A 5-time Grand Slam Champion, his performances are known for their electrifying energy, emotional depth, and unforgettable delivery—where every line lands like a gem.
Expanding his artistry beyond poetry, Protected Poet is also making his mark as an actor. In 2026, he is currently performing in the hit musical stage play Back in the Day in Las Vegas, directed by Eugene Parker—who is widely known for his role as Mr. Keys on the BET hit Tyler Perry’s Sistas.
As an author, he has published the book Peace of Me, with a new release titled A Walking Lighthouse set to be released soon. He is also preparing to release a new poetry album under the same title, continuing to expand his voice across multiple creative platforms.
He is currently touring the Bay Area ahead of his 2026 national book tour, continuing to build momentum across stages, cities, and audiences worldwide.
Poetry Slam Competition Info
Cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.
If you have never been to a Poetry Slam before, a poetry slam is a competition, imagine spoken word poetry as an olympic sport. The rules are simple:
1.) Poets must use their own poems.
2.) poet must use only one poem per round.
3.) no musical accompaniment.
4.) no props.
5.) there is a time limit of 3 minutes and 10 seconds. going over that will result in a time penalty.
This is a two-round slam, poets with the highest scores will move up to round two.
If you're not competing, we could use judges.
Please remember to submit a quick audience survey to help us improve our logistics and content and report to our funders and sponsors. Here is the link to the survey: https://bit.ly/3M63VqH
Poetry Center San José promotes and supports the literary arts in San José. Over the past four decades, PCSJ has brought hundreds of exceptional writers from around the country to read from their works and, in many cases, to conduct workshops for local writers. PCSJ is a nonprofit organization established in 1978. Its base of operations is in the charming turn-of-the-century Victorian home where the renown poet Edwin Markham once lived, now located in San José History Park. Poetry Center San José is a member supported organization and is funded, in part, by grants from Applied Materials Foundation, the City of San José's Office of Cultural Affairs, Knight Foundation, Poets & Writers, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, SVCREATES, in partnership with the County of Santa Clara and the California Arts Council and also supported in part by a SVCreates National Endowment for the Arts American Rescue Plan grant. We also thank Brandenburg Family Foundation and Anne & Mark's Art Party for their generous giving.