FOREWORD 5

Entering the third year of Balkan Hip Hop Studies International Scien­ti­fic Journal, publishing the Fifth Issue, with the enthusiasm of the editorial team and a distinguished group of authors and supporters of urban culture, the journal continues to pave its way—not always easily, yet with an ad­mirable level of positive energy.

To our great excitement, this time, the entire issue of BHHS is de­dicated to slam poetry. As far as we know, such a presentation of slam poetry is happening for the first time in Macedonia and the Balkans. A publication entirely dedicated to this contemporary poetic and performative expression in our region once seemed next to impossible—or even unimaginable. And yet, here we are, offering this issue to the wider reading audience.

In this issue, we present addresses penned renowned international and European artists in the field of slam poetry. The first address, to our great pleasure, is by Edwing Canuto Roldán, poet, slam poet, secretary, and chair­person of the World Poetry Slam Organization (WPSO). His address is dedi­cated to the Fourth World Poetry Slam Championship, organized by WPSO and held from May 30 to June 1, 2025, in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.

The next contribution is by Dino More, also known as Dino Tremens, a Croatia-based hip hop artist and two-time Croatian slam poetry champion, in 2016 and again in 2019.

Dino More’s address is followed by the address of Damjana Vidiches­ka, a Vienna-based Macedonian slam poet who is deeply involved in the Vienese poetry slam scene.

In translation by Eli Pujovska, we present the insights of the Belgian slam poet Kevin Asme, who offers several valuable tips on improving one’s chan­ces of a successful poetry slam performance. As he notes, a slam poet’s participation is only partially in their own hands: while text and performance are essential, they are not decisive, as much also depends on other factors such as organization, the jury, the audience, and the atmosphere of the eve­ning in whole.

In the Papers section, we include two scholarly articles dedicated to the poetry slam scene in Macedonia and to the poetics of slam poetry, written by Elena Prendjova and Slavcho Koviloski. Prendjova identifies the per­formative art of slam poetry as a recent form of both literary and per­formative art in Macedonia that has developed and thrived successfully over the past decade. Koviloski, on the other hand, focuses on general techniques for crea­ting slam poetry that are considered relevant—relating to structure, lan­guage, affect, and meaning. With his contribution, this issue—the fifth in total and the first for 2025—is concluded.

The Editors