Lydia Gates is a queer autistic slam poet and crochet artist who lives Flagstaff, Arizona with her wife and their three adorable feline monster children.She is the managing organizer of FlagSlam, a poetry slam in Northern Arizona that was established in 2000. She was the 8th ranked poet at the 2025 Blackberry Peach individual national poetry slam and the winner of their inaugural "Form Slam." She is also the 2024 and 2026 Northern Arizona Book Festival Haiku Deathmatch champion.She has been featured by Arizona Republic and was a 2024 Viola Awards finalist. She also competes in poetry slams on a regional and national level including the 2017 and 2018 National Poetry Slams, the 2019 Southwest Shootout, the 2023 Beyond the Neon Regional, the 2023 and 2024 Bigfoot Poetry Slam, and the 2024 and 2025 Chicharra Poetry Slam.Her poetry collections, I Was an Empire (2017), She Dreams the Moon (2018), Changeling (2021), and Algorithmancer (2024) are available on Amazon.

© Lydia Gates 2024. All rights reserved.

Cover of Algoritmancer by Lydia Gates
Cover of Changeling by Lydia Gates
Cover of She Dreams the Moon by Lydia Gates
Cover of I Was an Empire by Lydia Gates

© Lydia Gates 2024. All rights reserved.

Photo of Lydia Gates performing on stage
Photo of Lydia Gates performing on stage

2026:February 2026:
Flagstaff Poetry Slam - Erotica Slam champion
March 2026:
Chicharra Poetry Slam Festival - preliminary bout and individual finals host
April 2026:
Northern Arizona Book Festival - featured performer and Haiku Deathmatch champion
Flagstaff Poetry Slam nominated for Viola Award in Community Impact Organization
June 2026:
Flagstaff representative to the Arizona State Poetry Slam (hosted by Ghost Poetry Show)
October 2026:
All Arizona Poetry Slam (Maricopa, AZ) - host and organizerPrevious Appearances:October 2025: Sedona Poetry Slam - winner
July 2025: Blackberry Peach National Slam - 8th place individual and Form Slam champion
June 2025:
Phoenix Poetry Slam - featured performer
Poetry on the Lawn (NOAZ Bookfest Event) - workshop leader
May 2025: Pendemonium Poetry - featured performer
April 2025: All Arizona Poetry Slam - host and organizer
March 2025: Chicharra Poetry Slam - team competitor
November 2024: Discover Flagstaff - featured performer
September 2024: Coconino Center for the Arts 40th Anniversary Celebration - featured performer
August 2024: MOCAF fundraiser - featured performer
July 2024: Poet Brews - featured performer
June 2024: Bigfoot Regional Poetry Slam (Portland, OR) - team competitor
May 2024:
Off the Rails - featured performer
ARTx Flagstaff - featured performer
April 2024:
Northern Arizona Book Festival Haiku Deathmatch - Champion!
March 2024:
Viola Awards - finalist, Storytelling
Chicharra Poetry Slam Festival (Albuquerque, NM) - team and individual competitor
Harvest - featured performer
February 2024:
Prescott Poetry Slam - winner
Poetry Out Loud Arizona finals - featured performer
October 2023:
A Night of Poetry @ Fiddler’s Dream Coffee House - featured performer
Discover Flagstaff - featured performer
September 2023:
5th annual Slamming Bricks (Grand Junction, CO) - event manager and featured performer
April 2023: Northern Arizona Book Festival - featured performer and speaker
March 2023: All Arizona Poetry Slam - competitor
October 2022: Flagstaff Women’s March - featured performer
September 2022: 4th Annual Slamming Bricks - judge and featured performer
June 2022: Poetry & Beer and Sunday Chatter (Albuquerque, NM) - featured performer
October 2021: Discover Flagstaff - featured performer
September 2021: 3rd Annual Slamming Bricks - Champion!
May 2019: FlagSlam Grand Slam - runner up
March 2019:
Juniper House Readings - workshop leader
Flagstaff Femme Fest - contributor
August 2018: National Poetry Slam - representing Flagstaff, AZ
July 2018: Featured at Juniper House Readings
March 2018: Flagstaff Mountain Film Festival - contributor
January 2018:
Rock Slam, Nyack, NY - winner
August 2017: National Poetry Slam - representing Sedona, AZ

© Lydia Gates 2024. All rights reserved.