15th Annual Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival July 21, 2012

Multiple times July 18th - 21st with the Grand Slam Finals at 7pm on July 21st

As seen on HBO, this year's 15th Annual Brave New Voices Festival will take place in the San Francisco Bay Area, from Tuesday, July 17 - Sunday, July 22.

Over the course of five days there will be an array of events and activities that are primarily open to participants and their mentors, such as open mics, writing and leadership workshops, as well as classes on running non-profits and writing grant proposals for past participants, local educators and nonprofit leaders. There are also preliminary spoken word poetry bouts and slams that are open to the public, including the culmination of the festival, the Brave New Voices Grand Slam Finals, which brings together the best of the best youth poets from their respective cities. In order to make it to the Grand Slam Finals, each team must first compete in the Brave New Voices Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals during the Festival. Only four teams will move on to battle for the Brave New Voices crown at the Grand Slam Finals on July 21, 2012, at the Fox Theater in Oakland.

The following is the schedule of events that are open to the public:

Writing and Performance Workshops
Led by leading practitioners from across the United States
Wednesday, July 18
Everett Middle School (450 Church St.)
San Francisco
10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Open to youth ages 13-19. Free. Space is limited. Registration required at www.bravenewvoices.org

International Youth Poetry Slam Quarter-Finals
Thursday, July 19
Berkeley (Various venues)
10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
All ages. Free.
See bravenewvoices.org for venue details and to reserve a seat.

International Youth Poetry Slam Semi-Finals
Friday, July 20
Berkeley (Various venues)
11 a.m.
All ages. Free
See bravenewvoices.org for venue details and to reserve a seat.

Hear the Children Left Behind
Youth from across the country speak out on the state of public education
Saturday, July 21
Frank H. Ogawa Plaza
Oakland
2 p.m.
All ages. Free. No reservations required.

Official Website: http://www.bravenewvoices.org