In the years since, Brave New Voices has grown to represent young writers from the ages of 13 to 19, and it is the largest ongoing spoken word festival in the world.
The final teams are judged by a jury composed of artistic personalities such as illusionist and TV host Penn Jillette, poets Mayda Del Valle and Beau Sia, musician Talib Kweli and actress Sanaa Lathan.
James Kass, Marc Bamuthi Joseph and others had worked with Stan Lathan for several years to make sure that young people were booked on HBO's Def Poetry Jam.
Before Russell Simmons and Lathan launched Def Poetry Jam on Broadway, they tried it out in San Francisco, finding appreciative audiences and new talents there.
There are many different types of competitions and events including Speak Green, MC Olympics, the Individual Poetry Slam, Queeriosity, and Life is Living.
Semifinal bouts have previously been held in prestigious venues around the United States, including Constitution Hall, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the University of Chicago.
Past members of the Green Team were able to perform at the Sundance Film Festival, the U.S. Greenbuild International Conference and Expo and the Kennedy Center.
Life is Living also hosted performances from artists including Saul Williams, Pharaoh Monch, Mick Jenkins, George Watsky, Chinaka Hodge, Jamila Woods, and Theaster Gates.
Introduced in 2010, Queeriosity is an open mic for LGBT poets inspired by the work of Youth Speaks in the San Francisco Bay Area.