Louder Than A Bomb, the Young Chicago Authors’ annual poetry festival, narrows the competition with the Individual Poet Finals at 7 p.m. tonight at the Chicago Cultural Center. The sold-out event is evidence of the fast-growing youth festival, which attracted more than 900 students across the city in its 13th year.

Even Rahm Emanuel will be in attendance tonight, according to the Young Chicago Authors. According to co-sponsor WBEZ, these are some of the top poets in the city, and each is vying for a spot on the 2013 Louder Than A Bomb All-Star Team.

The competition continues Saturday for the Team Finals where four teams—Simeon Career Academy, Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep, Oak Park and River Forest High School and Kuumba Lynx—will battle it out with slam poetry, oral storytelling and spoken word. For info, youngchicagoauthors.org.