Five-time Emmy winner Paul Devlin (Power Trip) gives you a ringside seat at the ultimate verbal slugfest. SlamNation illuminates the National Poetry Slam - the Olympics of verse - in which spoken word artists compete fiercely in battle poetic. New York City's novice team journeys to join over 120 spoken word artists on 27 city teams to compete at the National Poetry Slam in Portland, Oregon. Here, SlamNation finds a good old-fashioned tale of heroes and villains amidst the dramatic tension of fiery competition. On display is the raw energy and sheer talent of some of the greatest performance poets in the country - Saul Williams (Slam), Beau Sia (Def Poetry Jam on Broadway), muMs (HBO's OZ), Taylor Mali (HBO's Def Poetry Jam), Jessica Care Moore (Showtime at the Apollo) Marc Smith (Father of the Slam) and more. From the inevitable rivalries, highly charged controversies, and unusual characters emerge some classic struggles such as art versus ego, and self-expression verses self-advancement. The stakes are unexpectedly high: audience adulation and thunderous applause that few poets will ever experience.