Each year, Portland youth spend months writing and competing in poetry slam competitions on high school campuses across the city. Each April, about 20 finalists compete for the title of city-wide Portland slam champ at Verselandia!, in front of an audience of nearly 1,000.

The 2026 Verselandia! competition returns to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on Thursday, April 30 at 7 pm. For more information and tickets visit our website literary-arts.org.

On this episode, we go backstage at Verselandia! 2025 to talk to student poets as they wait to take the stage at the Schnitz, and then hear them perform.  We’ll also hear some poems from people competing in this year’s Verselandia!, and talk to them about their work.

A quick note to listeners: Portions of this episode contain mature themes that may not be suitable for all audiences.