piedmont slam

Robert Moyer, co-slammaster of the Piedmont Slam, has been slammaster of the Winston Salem Poetry Slam since 1998.  He was a member of the team that first year, and has been coach every year since.  Mr. Moyer has won poetry slams in Black Mountain, Roanoke, and, of course, Winston Salem.  Mr. Moyer has twice come in second at the prestigious L.E.A.F. Slam in North Carolina, and in 2006 won the Shakori Hills Poetry Slam. 

Mr. Moyer also won the Head to Head Haiku Slam at a Gathering of Poets.  Mr. Moyer has published haiku extensively in such journals as Modern Haiku, simplyhaiku, Ambrosia, Sketchbook, bottle rockets, Riverbed, acorn, and frogpond.  His work can currently be seen online at Dailyhaiku.org, and Ambrosiahaiku.com.  His work has appeared in numerous anthologies, including LOOSE THREADS, the ten year anthology of the best from acorn.

Ismael Khatibu, born Herbert M. Ricks Jr. in NY, has been a resident of Winston-Salem, NC for the past ten years. He holds a BA in English/Language Lit. from Southern New Hampshire University and has been involved in community building and research work for the past five years. Mr. Khatibu is a three-time member of the WS Poetry Slam Team and has written songs and performed with the roots band -acousticpoetelectric. His list of collectives include, Who We Am and Eurydice White presents The Showcase. Mr. Khatibu has performed and been the featured artist at numerous venues, universities, schools and community events around the country including Juneteenth celebrations and most recently the 2009 Greensboro Earth Day. Mr. Khatibu displays a work of cadence guaranteed to educate, entertain and empower.