Workshop Poetry Slam Battle

What is E-slam?

The one and only poetry slam of the South, the E-slam (Eindhoven-slam). Get ready for an evening full of gripping poetry, spoken word and duelling poets. At a Poetry Slam, poets compete against each other to collect as many votes from the audience as possible.

Sign up for the Poetry E-slam battle and let your words speak. Everyone is welcome to join! The preliminary rounds take place on 12 and 26 February, with the final on 19 March. The winner will go on to compete in the Dutch National Poetry Slam Championship at Tivoli on 20 September 2026.

For participants, there’s a free Poetry Slam Battle workshop on 5 February, where you’ll learn to improvise and collaborate. Come and watch or take part!

Workshop Poetry Slam Battle

In this workshop, NK poetry slam winner and Eindhoven city poet Monique Hendriks will teach you how to surpass yourself in partnership with others, so you don’t fear the battle but enjoy it!

The battle is a prominent part of a poetry slam: loved by the audience, feared by many participants. A good battle is both a contest and an intense collaboration. Your opponent is your partner. You try to outshine each other, but also tempt one another to go that extra mile. Of course, you aim to win the battle, but to win you must win over the audience – and that means putting on a great show together. How do you find the right chemistry with a partner you don’t know yet? How do you stop nerves from getting in your way? How do you find the freedom to improvise when uncertainty feels overwhelming?