I've never explored any slams or open mics. Part of me feels poetry is mostly a written art, but that part may also just be a coward.
It's one thing to be raw and vulnerable on a page that strangers read on their own time. To do it on stage, in front of a crowd, would be a very different experience.
We'll have to find the bay area Steemit meetup and have a political discussion sometime. I'm sure it would be fascinating.