WOW Poetry Slam (WOW - Incendi Spontanei)

A wildfire of words in the heart of Rome

Founded in 2018 at the Arci Sparwasser club in Pigneto, WOW - Incendi Spontanei is now one of the most vibrant forces in Italian spoken word poetry. The collective, established by Dome Bulfaro, Giuliano Logos, Valerio Santori, Luca Scacchetti, and Anna Mazzoni, organizes a recurring series of poetry slams, open mics, shows, and workshops in Rome that transform spoken word into a truly immersive, participatory live event.

What is a poetry slam?

A poetry slam is a spoken word competition: each poet has three minutes, a single original text, no costumes, and no musical backing—just their voice and body. The judges are not experts, but the audience in the room, who vote on the performances to crown the winner, who then advances to the Italian Poetry Slam League national championships. As the discipline's motto goes, «the point is not the points, the point is the poetry».

WOW formats

• Poetry Slam & Open Mic: the competitive challenge preceded by an open mic where anyone can step up to read their verses.
• Poetry Jam Session: poetry meets live music thanks to the WOW Resident Band led by Matteo Bussotti, improvising soundscapes beneath the performers' words.
• Poesia Carbonara: a secret event inspired by Hakim Bey's «Poetic Terrorism», with the location revealed only hours before and a traditional Roman dish served alongside the performances.
• Spoken word shows and international events featuring guests from across Europe and the world.

Venues

True to the collective's nomadic spirit, the series moves between the capital's independent cultural hubs: from the historic Sparwasser club in Pigneto to the Ombrelloni Art Space in San Lorenzo, and Garbatella venues like Zalib and Largo Venue, as well as institutional theaters like Teatro Torlonia. Each event brings poetry to a different neighborhood in Rome, Lazio, introducing the public to spoken word in ever-changing contexts.

Rome, the poetry slam capital

WOW is the first collective in the history of the discipline to count two World Champions among its members: in 2021, Giuliano Logos won the 15th World Championship (the first Italian to do so), and in 2022, Lorenzo Maragoni took the title in Paris. In 2022, the collective hosted the European Poetry Slam Championship in Rome, while in 2026, Gabriele Ratano placed second at the World Championships. A track record that has made the Roman scene an international benchmark for spoken word poetry.

An open cultural project

More than just a calendar of events, WOW - Incendi Spontanei is a community: workshops, collaborations with institutions and universities, and projects blending poetry, music, and visual arts revolve around the slams. It is the perfect opportunity for locals and visitors alike to discover one of the most immediate and surprising forms of live art, where every night is different and the boundary between stage and audience dissolves.