Although this qualitative group case study of a youth poetry team competing in a statewide Poetry Slam tournament focuses on just four individuals, it represents a paradigm for the development of poetic voice in any young community. The Slam is presented in the context of the scholarly traditions of New Literacy Studies and New Literacies as a special kind of participatory culture, analogous to but not dependent on, the proliferation of technological platforms now available. Throughout the study, two threads of analysis are inter-related: first, the literary analysis of the poetry as written during the course of the tournament; and second, the subjective experience of the participants as they develop a sense of belonging to their specific team of writers and also to the Slam community at large. This study demonstrates how poetry serves as a vehicle for young people to develop a sense of themselves as writers that has long-term viability and significant social impact. This study also illustrates how Slam-- as an arts-centered, youth-oriented, inclusive model for teaching and learning – stands in contrast to formal writing instructional practices that are found in many school contexts. This finding has important implications for the teaching of writing and the development of a lifelong commitment to literacy for today's 21st century learners that are also discussed here. This dissertation employs arts-based research techniques, including poetry written by the author during the course of working on the dissertation, as a way to illustrate and exemplify the poetic process outlined in the study.