🎙🌟 YOUR IRON POET CHAMPION IS NIC JEAN 🌟🎙

Thank you Hunchback Gallery for hosting us this past weekend! For those who were unable to attend the fierce showdown of lyrical mastery, a recap from your host, Nark:

Witnesses say the showdown was tense. Nic arrived armed with metaphors so sharp they had to be checked by TSA. Madeline, meanwhile, came dressed in peaceful protest, clutching a thesaurus and chanting, “Make puns, not war.”

When asked why they wouldn’t proceed with a 2-pt differential fight to first blood, Madeline declared, “I’m a poet, not a swashbuckler. I spill ink, not blood!”

Nic Jean graciously accepted, raising their quill in victory and whispering, “Roses are red, violets are blue, I didn’t draw blood — they just withdrew.”

The Iron Poet Council has confirmed the result and is reportedly adding a new rule: all future duels must include a safe word and a mandatory rhyme-off cooldown period.

“I feel a bit like the iron-deficient poet since I won this trophy on a technicality by 2 pts. The anemic poet if you will” – Nic Jean

Congratulations to our slam team Jedi master and website wizard! Keep your eyes and ears aware for the next round of qualifiers starting in Spring 2026!

Until that day does come, if you are feeling slam-curious, reach out to our Iron Poet themself! While the Gerund is not a slam venue, we are a resource for poets in Worcester County who have an interest in competing on local to regional and maybe someday national stages; Nic Jean is our “poetry grandpa” aka Dirty Gerund slam coach. Talk to them on a Monday to learn more.