Happy Wednesday and 🌈HAPPY PRIDE🌈 from the Cantab! Last week was INCREDIBLE! We sold out the fastest we had since reopening our doors (sold out over an hour before the show started!) and the anticipatory energy in the room was palpable from the very start. During our open mic, we had banger after banger, with poets leaving their hearts on that stage, and also leaving…voicemail surveys?! (See below 📞)
After the incredibly packed open mic, we had our long-awaited feature, Hanif Abdurraqib. Just as he did in his previous Cantab features, the poet brought the house down, to say the least. With captivating pieces on community, basketball, grief, and of course, the TLC song “No Scrubs,” the audience was left awestruck and inspired. Check out Hanif’s work at Abdurraqib.com.
The 🎟️Shenanigans😊 this week was simply the fact that we all came together to sell out incredibly early to a packed and lively room. It was just one of those one-of-a-kind nights where everyone wanted to read aloud to one another :)
This week’s ✏️ Line of the Wednesday ✏️ is from Slam Team member Logan Lopez, with this line from their amazing voicemail poem: “But you didn’t think it was me at first, / And I’ve been trying so hard to make me different, / So that’s why I need you to answer these questions”.
Speaking of the Slam Team, the Northbeast Regional slam is THIS WEEKEND, JUNE 17-18th AT THE CAMBRIDGE FOUNDRY!!! Come see amazing poets from our team and others perform their best work, as well as enjoy the many other workshops and readings happening on Sunday! All-access passes are $25, and a ticket to the Slam Finals only is $10. Learn more over here: http://bostonpoetryslam.com/northbeast-regional-2023. The full schedule of events has just been posted! Don’t miss it!
Coming up this Wednesday, we have the wonderful Maya Williams. Maya Williams (ey/they/she) is a Black multiracial nonbinary suicide survivor who is currently the seventh poet laureate of Portland, Maine. Their debut collection Judas & Suicide will be released by Game Over Books in May 2023. Her second collection Refused a Second Date will be released by Harbor Editions in October 2023. They were one of three artists of color selected to represent Maine in The Kennedy Center’s Arts Across America series in 2020 and were listed as one of The Advocate’s Champions of Pride in 2022.
See you then,
– Amy ✈️
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All shows take place at the Cantab Lounge, 738 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge, with one flight of stairs to access the basement room (click for directions and accessibility information). The show is $4 / 21+ (ID/Proof of Vaccination required) and doors for the show open at 7:15. The open mic begins at 8:00 PM and the feature begins at approximately 10:00 PM.
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