About

Bill Abbott

I’ve been writing poetry since 1988, performing since 1992. In 1992, I also found Poetry Slam when it came to Johnson City, TN, where I was attending college. I became the slammaster of the Johnson City Slam in 1994 and organizer/host of other poetry readings at the same time. I regularly attended poetry events in Knoxville and Asheville and Boone (NC). In 1997, I started and handed off control of the Chattanooga Poetry Slam. I was the host of the 1997 Southern Fried Slam. In 1998, I closed down the Johnson City Slam and moved to Dayton, Ohio. In 1999, I began the Dayton Poetry Slam, and in 2000 and 2001, I “created” and ran the first two Rust Belt Regional Poetry Slam festivals. In 2003, I moved to Chattanooga, TN, and restarted the Chattanooga Poetry Slam, though it only ran for a year.

In 2018, I completed my MFA from Miami University of Ohio. I still attend poetry events and sometimes feature my poetry at different venues. I have given feature performances in Atlanta, Johnson City, Boone, Asheville, Dayton (multiple times, including at the Dayton Art Institute), Chattanooga, Columbus, Canton, Pittsburgh, Toledo, Miami University, San Antonio (during AWP 2020), Lexington, and Montevallo (AL). I have participated in Southern Fried 1993-1996, 1998 (hosted 1997), and 2017; Rust Belt 2000 (organized and competed) (hosted 2001); National Poetry Slam 1994 and 2000; and Ohio Meatgrinder 2016 and 2018. I have been involved in a radio comedy improv group in 1994-1995 called Things You Need to Hear.

I live in Middletown (OH) and raise my two children half the time. I teach English and Creative Writing at Central State University.