When four distinctive voices, a stage and the diversity of language come together, the result is an evening of verbal artistry that really packs a punch. On Valentine’s Day, 14 February 2027, the ‘Kleines Haus’ at the Musiktheater im Revier will be transformed into an arena for words. ‘Best of Poetry Slam Gelsenkirchen’ brings four of the most sought-after poets from the German-speaking world onto one stage and promises an evening of loud laughter, quiet contemplation and that very special thrill – because in the end, it’s the audience themselves who decide the winner. Whether it’s poetry, comedy, storytelling, cabaret or Dada. Whether it’s a short story or a poem, read from a script or recited from memory, shouted or whispered – anything goes, as long as it’s your own original work and fits within a tight seven-minute time slot. Luise Wolff and Evgenija Kosov, successful poetry slammers and organisers from the Ruhr region, will be hosting the evening. Poetry slam is on everyone’s lips and in everyone’s ears. What began 25 years ago in the backwaters of subculture has now found its way into the temples of high culture. Yet this contemporary competition of the spoken word has lost none of its momentum – quite the opposite, in fact. Beneath the famous tulip-shaped lamps of the Great Hall at Bochum’s Schauspielhaus, the poets once again exert a whole new kind of intensity at the microphone. The immediacy of the format is palpable in this special venue; not least thanks to the quick-witted hosting, the audience is always part of the show. Our ‘Best of Poetry Slam’ is, so to speak, the Champions League of poetry slam: here, only the best-known and most successful slammers take to the stage.