The ILL LIST returns for its 21st year, bringing eight extraordinary spoken-word artists to Modesto for one unforgettable night of original poetry, fierce competition, audience participation, and free expression. This year marks one of the widest-reaching ILL LIST competitions in our history: all eight competing poets are traveling from out of state to take the stage at Modesto’s historic State Theatre.
These nationally recognized performers and slam champions represent some of the most powerful voices in contemporary spoken word, coming together for a high-energy literary showdown where every poem, every point, and every audience reaction matters.
Through three exhilarating rounds of original poetry, eight poets will go head-to-head—matching metaphor for metaphor and line for line—as randomly selected audience judges score each performance, with $1,500 in cash prizes going to the first- and second-place finishers.