During the ‘Abbasid period, considered the climax of classical Arabic literature, imā’ shawā‘ir (slave-girl poets) played a formidable role in literary society. These women were typically purchased as children, receiving rigorous and expensive training in poetry, music, and the Arabic language in preparation for careers in performance and lyrical composition. Some, when engaged with male patrons, could reap distinct social benefits by means of their literary talent and attractive appearance. They might appear to be an obedient slave—a woman in love, reciting touching verses to her lover, a girl in tears at the death of her master or patron, or even a capable defender, lampooning anyone who might affront her verses or personality. In addition to their personal diwān (collection of poems), references to some slave-girl poets have survived, mostly through the compilations in al-Iṣfahānī’s (d.356/967) Kitāb al-Aghānī (Book of Songs) and al-Imā’ al-Shawā‘ir (The Book of the Poet-slaves). This paper will examine the ijāzah (dueling) poems composed by the ‘Abbasid slave poetess ‘Inān (d.226/841)—considered the first woman to achieve literary fame under the ‘Abbāsids—to ascertain how her wit and eloquence played a pivotal role in an intricate system of verse-capping exchanges with the famous poet Abū Nuwās (c.198/813–200/815), who is generally recognized as the most renowned wine poet, particularly for his use of erotic elements and the licentiousness generally associated with his works. The majority of the verse exchanges between ‘Inān and Abū Nuwās were built on frivolous and lustful themes and expressed in a satirical tone. Through the poems I examined, ‘Inān clearly exploited her mental agility and mastery of words, reacting with skillful poetry and even challenging whatever Abū Nuwās presented. She made the voice of a woman more than a mere physiological faculty. She not only developed her narration from the conventional motifs of the tradition of Arabic literature, but also produced her own style by utilizing intertextual elements to compose her statement. Her verses display how she controlled the narrative process, defined her own essence, played the game of textual sexual politics with a male poet, and developed and made her feminine voice heard, memorized, and cherished.