A talented young man discovers himself through the love of a woman and through his extraordinary talent at "slamming"- a com-bination of poetry and rap which is exploding across America. Set in Washington, D.C., Slam tells the story of Ray Joshua, an original, gifted rapper/poet trapped in a war zone housing project known as Dodge City. When Ray is arrested on a petty drug charge, he is sucked into the black hole of D.C.'s criminal justice system. While there, he finds his salvation in Lauren Bell, a beautiful writing teacher who helps him to understand and cultivate his skill. Using his wits and his dazzling verbal talents as weapons against the brutality of his forced surroundings, Ray learns to survive both in and out of jail while giving voice to the pain of his lost ge