Back in the day, a good knife fight helped young'uns determine who held sway over a coveted territory. Thank God poetry-loving Tucsonans have found a way to channel their personal (and possibly violent) angst with words as an alternative.

From the competitive Youth Poetry Slam to the Ninth Annual Poetry Crawl, poets of all backgrounds are taking part in the many festivities lined up to celebrate National Poetry Month.

Supported by the UA's Poetry Center, Theresa Sotto organized the first Youth Poetry Slam last semester, which was emceed by renowned slam poet Patricia Smith.

"Due to the positive reaction among the participants and the audience, including the many students who approached me after the slam and asked me when the next one would be, I decided there should be another slam to give students a venue in which they receive recognition for the wonderful poems they are writing," Sotto said.

As the Poetry Center's high school poets-in-residence, Violet Hopkins, who also helped organize the Slam, and Sotto encourage anyone 18 and under to participate when the slamming commences Friday at The Café, 121 E. Broadway Blvd., at 4 p.m.

Modeled after the National Slam Contest's format, each poet is rated from one to 10 points based on the quality of the performance and the poem itself, Sotto said.

"Depending on the number of participants, poets may only get to read one poem," she said. "However, while the judges of national slams give poets a time restriction, Violet and I are not enforcing that rule."

While the losers might go home sucking their thumbs, the winners will receive gift certificates and other prizes provided by The Loft Cinema, Casa Video, Zia Records, Antigone Books and EM Press.

The Poetry Crawl, designed after the idea of a pub crawl, was originally started as a celebration to get the word out for the Tucson poet laureate.

"Many people didn't and still don't know that Tucson has a poet laureate," said Andre Gavino, co-creator of the Poetry Crawl.

By the way, the UA's own Ofelia Zepeda, professor of linguistics and American Indian studies, is Tucson's poet laureate.

"This year we decided to do it in April since it's Poetry Month," Gavino said.

Unfortunately, because the Crawl is usually held in June, Zepeda cannot participate because she is out of town.

Those who participate in the Crawl, which includes two drum processions, will walk from venue to venue, sharing and exhibiting poetry.

With the help of his partner in poetry, David Mitchell, Gavino has been organizing the Crawl for years and titled it "We the People" this year.

"It's always a blast," Gavino said. "It's always free to the public."

Gavino said the Crawl will include 13 poets and take place in three venues, starting Friday at Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St., at 7 p.m., then moving to The Screening Room, 127 E. Congress St., at 8 p.m. before making a final stop at The Santa Rita Hotel, 88 E. Broadway Blvd., at 9 p.m.