Aspiring poets can display their talents at the Knox Word Literary Whangdoodle and Poetry Slam today at 8 p.m. at the new Emporium Building on Gay Street.

“This is about showcasing some of the best performance poets in the Southeast, if not in the nation,” Marilyn Kallet, professor of English, said.

Daniel Roop, event organizer, said anyone who enjoys good writing and good performance is welcome to attend.

“This show is a collection of the best performance poetry Knoxville has to offer and also has out-of-town guests from Chattanooga and New Orleans,” Roop said.

An “Open Mic” will be held at 8:30 p.m. for anyone who wants to speak followed by UT alumnae Julia Nance and Rhea Scruggs in a head-to-head slam.

“I will be doing two performance pieces, one by myself and the other by Miss Julia Nance,” Scruggs said.

At 9:30 p.m., Jack Neely will talk about the history of Knoxville poetry.

“I’m giving a brief and very subjective history of the poetry-reading problem in Knoxville,” Neely said.

The poetry will contain mature themes, Neely said.

“Don’t let your professors see you there, or your parents,” he said.

Jonathan Kilpatrick, University of Tennessee alumnus, said the poetry slam is a great way to share ideas with others in an entertaining fashion.

At 9:45 p.m., a special Knoxville Invitational Slam group, of which Kilpatrick is a member, will take the stage.

“I’ll be reading some original pieces that I’ve created performances around,” Kilpatrick said. “When you come and check out how cool (the) slam is, and how people really get into it, I think it will change your perceptions of poetry readings.”

The event will allow guest judges to score performers.

“If you show up and say you want to judge, you’ll find that you have a lot of power over the poor slammers,” Kallet said.

“Slam is the rock ‘n’ roll of poetry. This group (that) Daniel has gathered is a local treasure,” Shonna Cole, UT alumnus, said.

The poetry event will cost $3 to participate.