The Midnight Moonlight Marathon is a poetry reading and fundraiser to send 40 young women writers from Bedford Academy to see 12 of the best women poets in the country compete in the final round of the 2016 Women of the World Poetry Slam (WoWPS). The Marathon will raise $1,000 to cover the cost of a ticket for each student to attend the competition and witness powerful women onstage, on point, and on purpose!
The students of Bedford Academy participated in an ongoing weekly writing workshop (led by poet, community leader, and 2016 WoWPS organizer, Mahogany L. Browne) throughout the Fall of 2015. The workshop culminated in a poetry reading at the Pratt Institute’s Women Writers of Color Reading Room where these young women knocked the socks off of all who were in attendance! After the reading, it was decided that the students should be exposed to the womanly wonder that is the WoWPS competition. The Women of the World Poetry Slam is a competition in which 96 of the best women poets from all over the country and around the world compete to be named the Women of the World Poetry Slam champion. In this event, poets compete in preliminara competitions (called “bouts”) over two nights. The poets with the top 12 scores from the previous days’ bouts move on to Finals, where one poet is crowned champion. The last bout of the competition (known as “Final Stage”) is an amazing show the begins with a showcase highlighting the best poems of the competition and ends with the final bout that names the ultimate winner.

The Marathon will feature 48 poets reading poems from 12 noon to 12 midnight (just remember, on the 12th from 12 to 12)! Admission is free, though we strongly encourage all guests to enjoy (buy) snacks and beverages from The Commons’ café. Suggested donation is $5, but all donations are welcome!
$25 covers the cost of 1 WoWPS Final Stage ticket and if you’re interested in buying a student’s ticket, we’d love to be able to classify you with “Sponsor” status! Come down, get fed, get cozy, and get read! Suggested donation is $5, but all donations are welcome! $25 covers the cost of 1 WoWPS Final Stage ticket and if you’re interested in buying a student’s ticket, we’d love to be able to classify you with “Sponsor” status!