She’s done it about five times, she thinks, since it began somewhat tentatively alongside the Bellingen Readers and Writers Festival in 2011.

“We were in the Bowling Club,” she says. “We were kind of on the outer. The festival weren’t sure if they wanted to be associated with us, because slams are a little bit low-brow and irreverent.” 

It turned out to be a highly successful and hilarious night that attracted a huge and thirsty crowd.

“There was one guy who got through to the second round but by the time he got up to do his second poem, he was so drunk he couldn’t do it,” Liz says.

Sobriety, or the lack of it, has been less of a problem since the event moved to the Memorial Hall, but even so “you never know what you’re going to get”.

The format remains unchanged, with 20 slammers starting in round one, having prepared three original poems of three minutes duration.

Ten get through to the second round and five to the finals.

Contestants are judged on the subject form of the poem, performance delivery and audience reaction.

Judges are picked spontaneously and randomly on the night.

“People will often complain about the judging,” Liz says. “Some people say we should have professional judges. But it’s part of the slam tradition that you choose them from the audience.”

She thinks it works well, and the person who is supposed to win usually does.

Last year singer/songwriter Joe Newton won, and he also got the people’s choice award.

This year, he’ll be providing music during the time that the scores are being calculated.

Prizes are lucrative: $500 for first place and $250 each for runner-up and people’s choice.

It’s good value for the audience as well.

“It’s three hours of entertainment and you’re taken on a rollercoaster,” Liz says. “You could bet something that’s really funny, and then something that’s really subtle and tender.”

She has her full quota of 20 already, but registration is still open.

“There’s always people who just don’t turn up. People can still register and go on the waiting list.”

She’s also keen to encourage first-timers to give it a go.

“You might not win, but it’s not about winning. It’s about getting up and expressing yourself.”

With practice comes confidence, Liz says.

She admits to feeling “very nervous” the first time she performed in 2005, but she went on to win the Nimbin Performance Poetry World Cup in 2010 and in 2012 the Peats Ridge Poetry Slam.

To register as a performer, email your details to  routledgeelizabeth@gmail.com

Bellingen Poetry Slam, Memorial Hall, June 8, at 7.30pm. Tickets $15, not covered by weekend BRWF pass. M15+ material.