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Michael: We did it, we survived team selection finals night! First of all, THANK YOU for showing up, because not only did we sell out as soon as we opened, but so many dedicated people waited upstairs to get in! Finals night may officially be too big for our basement dive bar! Our open mic was short and sweet, with an incredible pulse of anticipation. Let’s go to our tournament director Zeke Russell for the slam recap of our biggest night of the year.
Zeke: As much as I hyped this slam up, it was even better than advertised. 9 poets competed over three rounds and blew the doors off the building.
Hosting the show was the pride of Lowell, Massachusetts, Anthony Febo. His energy and excellence hyped the crowd up before a single poet hit the stage, and we were ready for poems.
The two runners up from our preliminary bouts honored the stage by performing in the sacrifice spots.
Kelsey Kessler gave us an encore of her haunting piece about Rosemary’s Baby and the challenge of living in certain kinds of bodies. The judges gave it a 23.8.
Isaiah brought us a poem that was not about Survivor but instead explored the interplay of rules, law, power and compassion. The judges gave it a 25.6…but after a 1 point time penalty (CURSE YOU LINEAR TIME) the result was a 24.6.
Brynna kicked off the slam proper with a poem exploring the perils of navigating whiteness. They got a big bump up from the two sacrifices with a 26.8.
Aparna’s first poem of the night was an examination of identity and erasure with a stunning and complex weaving metaphor that carried the poem. The judges were into it and awarded Aparna a 27.1.
Jarvis showed us the depth of his skill with an erasure of the executive orders targeting vulnerable citizens. This writer was impressed with the creativity and craft involved in this poem, the judges felt otherwise and gave the piece a 24.6
Next up was Logan with a touching poem about family, loss and what it is to know one’s self. The judges were apparently not in the same room as me and gave the poem a 23.8.
Amy gave us an elegantly constructed piece about siblings, art and identity. The judges responded with a 27.2.
Myles followed that up with their classic poem about gender myth and what it is to be a “Gender Fuck Angel.” The judges gave it a 28.0.
Katie’s first round offering was a tightly written piece about cancer, family and grief. The judges awarded it a 26.4.
Jenn was next with a raucous poem about love, capitalism and game shows. The judges chose love over money and gave the poem a 27.5.
Ilse closed out the first round with a fire cracker of a poem about identity, joy and finding oneself. The Judges were feeling it and gave a 28.5.
With only a one poem break Jen was back on the mic to kick off the second round with passionate devastating work about surviving trauma. The judges scored the poem a 28.3.
Brynna played with time and imagery in a piece about the changes in America in the last 8 years. The judges responded with a 26.7.
Logan’s second performance explored language, culture and heritage. The Judges chose to give it a 25.8.
Following that was Aparna with a stunning poem about colonialism and the nature of storytelling. The judges gave it a 28.5.
Next up in the second round was Myles with a poem about the beauty of work; the judges were paying a living wage and gave the poem a 29.1.
Ilse hit the stage next with their thoughts on progress, love, and a baby running in the apartment upstairs. The judges gave the poem a 28.4.
Katie lit up the stage with a stunning string of images about loss and love. The judges responded with a 27.6.
Jarvis poured joy all over the stage as they told us what they would do if the were the fortune giver. The poem earned a 28.2 from the judges.
Amy closed the second round with a poem about grief and the power of memories through the lense of Alex Trebek’s ghost, and the answer the judges gave: What is a 27.8?
The audience was on the edge of their seats and we finally got everyone waiting upstairs into the venue for the third round.
First up was Aparna with a fever dream of a piece about motherhood and mortality. The judges scored it a 28.8.
Ilse thundered onto the stage telling us about the poetry of romanticism. The poem was rich with language and emotion. The judges responded with a 29.5.
Myles’s final offering was a complex piece about masculinity, survival and what it truly means to be punk. The judges decided the poem was punk as fuck and gave it a 29.5.
Katie returned to the stage with the final installment in their ghost trilogy. It was a haunting, delicate performance that caused audible gasps from audience members. The judges gave the poem a 29.4.
Jen was next and told us a story of cataclysm, and survival. That earned them a score of 29.2.
Amy told us the story of the Chicago Rat Hole and the power of legacy. Amy’s final poem of the night scored a 28.1.
Jarvis wowed the audience, and this writer, with a classic piece about love and survival. The poem was scored a 29.4.
Brynna’s last poem wove a complicated tale of living through the things that are supposed to kill us. The judges scored the poem a 29.1.
Logan closed out the slam with a nuance and emotional piece about queerness and chosen family. The judges did their final work of the night giving it a 27.5.
After we mathed it out, our top five performers are now the 2025 Boston Poetry Slam team! The final results were:
- Myles Taylor – 86.6
- Ilse Ruizvisfocri – 86.4
- Jennifer Martinez – 85.0
- Aparna Paul – 84.4
- Kaitie Dilán – 83.4
- Amy Argentar 83.1
- Brynna Boyd 82.6
- Jarvis Subia 82.2
- Logan Lopez 77.1
Huge thanks to everyone who competed, judged or sacrificed, and to Febo for making the whole thing happen.
Michael: As a little bonus, everyone who participated in the slam was given an award, and the audience responded to each award with the chant of “Thank you [poet’s name], we see you poet” which was extremely heartwarming, and just what we all needed as Wednesday night stretched into Thursday morning. We are lucky to be able to share nights like these together as a community.
This Wednesday, our feature is Ephraim Nehemiah! Ephraim Nehemiah is a published writer, educator and award winning performance poet. Ephraim is the recipient of grants from PEN America, Gabrielle Bouliane Foundation, The Cleveland Foundation, and received fellowships from The Karamu House Performing Arts Theatre, Baldwin House Urban Writing Residency, and The Watering Hole Winter Retreat. Ephraim’s poems appear in various journals and publications such as Anxy Magazine, Flypaper, Lake Effect Anthology, UHURU Magazine, and Knights Library Magazine, where the poem “Jesus Christ Tries Talking to His Father Again” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Their performances have been featured on TEDx Talks, The Smithsonian Channel, The National Basketball Association, 2022 World Cup, AfroPunk, Season 1 of Snapchats Free Tuition, and various other channels. They are the 2020 Baltimore Grand Slam Champion, 2022 Southern Fried Poetry Champion and the 2023 recipient of the Peale Foundation Grit Fund for their work exploring Black Queer Artistry in Maryland. Ephraim is currently based out of Baltimore where they serve as a Teaching Artist. Their first full-length poetry book “The Autobiography of Absence” was published in 2021 with Twelve Arts Pres.
See you soon!
– MFG🚪& Zeke ⚾
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