Hi Cantabbers!
We had such a supportive and spirited show last week, not to mention sold-out! Open mic hits include Edie going through and acting out an entire plethora of emotions in their poem, Danny Riordan’s sestina debut that had us all … rolling, and a poem written to the year 2024 from first timer Nikki. Bubbles (who was definitely a candidate for most outfit compliments on stage) also had a crowd favorite, which I’ll just say was about wanting life’s simple pleasures :) (If you know, you know ❤️.)
The ✏️Line of the Wednesday✏️ is from Shivank, with “I dream I am a moon covered in light switches begging someone to turn them on.”
We also had a SPEED SLAM!! 12 contestants competed in a 3-round slam of 1, 2, and 3 minute poems. We had plenty of poems that divided the judges, including an impressive set of memorized poems (“off the dome!”) by Deirdre, Mary, and Brynna. In the end, it was a certified “Oops! All Bangers” slam, with one poet victorious: Kelsey Kessler! Shoutout to Kelsey, who won the $50 and is qualified to try out for the slam team, along with our runner up Meredith! Thank you to our judges, and to all the slammers:
- Kelsey Kessler
- Meredith Lakis
- Brynna
- Mary
- Deirdre McCarthy
- Youssef
- Jack Chasse
- Kai Wallin
- TJ Jones
- Guy
- Keaton
- Brenna Snyderman
Fundraiser alert!
This Valentine’s day, we will have books for you to fall in love with! On our February 14th show, we are hosting a “blind date with a book.” Attendees may pay on a sliding scale to buy a brand-new poetry book and take it home to keep! In preparation, we ask our lovely community for poetry book donations. We invite you to bring a poetry book you’d like to contribute (along with a sticky note describing the themes in the book) to any of our upcoming Wednesday night shows. Funds will go towards the continued development of the Boston Poetry Slam.
Hailing from New Hampshire, this week’s feature is Mica Rich! Mica L. Rich (they/them) is a New England poet and writer whose poetry explores themes of trauma and its effect on healing and identity. It values the strength and bravery found in vulnerability. Their work aims to provide an outlet for people struggling to find their own voices in a world that would often rather keep them quiet. Mica’s poetry has appeared in literary journals and collections such as The Avocet, Inkwell, and Wingless Dreamer’s Dark Poetry Collection. Their own debut collection, This Is How Wildflowers Grow, was released in October of 2022 and can be found through Barnes & Noble. Mica is a staff member and slam team member with Slam Free or Die. Mica also works as a freelance editor and spends their free time exploring every nature reserve and hiking trail they can reach. Find Mica online at www.micalediting.net
COMMUNITY NOTE: The current COVID surge is one of the highest throughout the pandemic and we want to keep our community accessible and safe. We STRONGLY ENCOURAGE the community to bring a mask to the show for the next few weeks and to keep it on when not drinking or performing.
See you soon!
– Amy ✈️
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