About WordXWord
WordXWord was founded in 2009 (by Jim Benson) as a week-long spoken word/poetry festival held each August in the Upstreet Cultural District of downtown Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The festival created a transient community of visiting, nationally recognized spoken word artists; local poets; and enthusiastic audiences in celebration of diversity and the creative use of language. Festival activities took place - then as today - in a variety of borrowed spaces in partnership with business owners and key cultural partners. Events included Poetry and Story Slams featuring local performers as well as feature events. The common element to all performance events - then as now - is the focus on work from a personal perspective, specifically intended for oral, live presentation.
