Another week, another Wednesday, another show (as the prophecy states, “every Wednesday”). This week’s open mic had many first-timers, including Maya who made it clear she is not Adam’s rib. We also learned from another first-timer that glitter is infinity’s mascot, and look forward to a response next week from ∞, the original mascot of infinity.
After a fabulous mic with heartfelt pieces from our staff members, we had our feature, the incredible Maya Williams, who performed an amazing set of intricate and storytelling pieces. We heard poems on elaborate and fantastical pity parties, to those spanning religion and fate. We were all thoroughly moved by this poet!
The 🫰Shenanigans😦this week must have to be the specific poem that had the whole audience snapping up a storm each time the phrase “mustard gas and artillery” was spoken. Truly something only a poet could do. (Also, if you are this poet, drop us a line so we can mention you by name!)
This week’s ✏️ Line of the Wednesday ✏️ comes from our wonderful March Penn, with “99% of my poems are trying to kill my secrets”
Coming up, we have yet another incredible feature: Yena Sharma Purmasir. Yena is a poet and essayist from New York City. She was the Queens Teen Poet Laureate from 2010-2011. She is the author of Until I Learned What It Meant (Where Are You Press, 2013) and When I’m Not There (self-published, 2016), as well as co-author of [Dis]Connected Volume 1: Poems & Stories of Connection and Otherwise (Central Avenue Publishing, 2018). In 2022, she released her third and fourth books of poetry: Our Synonyms: An Epic from Party Trick Press and VIRAHA from Game Over Books. Purmasir holds a master’s degree in theological studies from Harvard Divinity School, where she focused on South Asian religious traditions. Her research endeavors were supported by fellowships from the Science, Religion, Culture Program and the Center for Black, Brown, and Queer Studies. She also holds a B.A. from Swarthmore College, where she majored in Psychology and double minored in English Literature and Religion. Currently, Purmasir works as a Copy Editor at AppSumo. She resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts and loves the Charles River.
See you Wednesday!
– 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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