Exit 36 Slam Poetry Festival is a four-day festival founded by spoken word artist and cultural programmer, Sharonda “Eccentrich” Richardson in 2018. Eccentrich, who is a Pompano Beach native, recognized an opportunity to celebrate her love for her craft and her city while creating an opportunity for the spoken word community to soak up South Florida’s warm climate and experience Florida’s Warmest Welcome in the City of Pompano Beach! In addition to being the only poetry festival in the Southern United States to be held during the winter season, the Exit 36 Slam Poetry Festival strives to nurture, support and showcase regional, national and international writers and poets while providing the local community with arts experiences facilitated by visiting.
After a successful inaugural competition in which, one artist representing the state of California walked away with the grand prize of $2,000 the festival was acquired by the City of Pompano Beach’s Cultural Affairs Department and will benefit from increased financial and physical resources while upholding a commitment to the spoken word tradition.
