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Hey Cantab! A beautiful spring Wednesday was had last week, with poets rocking the mic left and right! We had wonderful poems from regulars Portia, Nick Roberts, and Kat Gunther, and waitlist warrior Meredith O discussing the perils of sitting down and remembering all 141 original Pokemon. Isaiah continued their tradition of reading a heartfelt poem addressed to their friends on their birthday (happy birthday Isaiah), and Bailey read a fabulous poem with a ton of horsepower, per say, after Will Leonard’s well-known horse poem(s). Later on, slam team members Jenn, Ilse, and Kaitie D. nearly knocked the mic over with their skillz. We also had a bittersweet farewell poem from Tony, who, though it was her first time on the mic, read about how she was processing leaving Boston for the time being, and how it feels “more like home” than where she grew up.
The ✏️ Line of the Wednesday✏️ is from Tony, with “I think of love in very big words”
Our prompt from last week was inspired by Donovan Beck: Write a poem using direct address.
Our features were Sara Mae and Zenaida Peterson, and we were honored to be the first stop on their tour, for what we experienced was such a treat! The pair not only read from their respective chapbooks, weaving in beautiful lines that wash over you like a wave, but there was so much more! They brought in a literal church pew, which was symbolically moved and repositioned on stage throughout the show. One would sit or lean on the church pew, reading, while the other would perform a poem, or they would both sit on the pew together, reading a piece together. There was additionally a cootie catcher, eyeshadow application, and an overall display of what true friendship means. It was a unique and wonderful show.
Tonight! We have the NEWLY CROWNED POET LAUREATE OF BOSTON, Emmanuel Oppong-Yeboah!! Emmanuel is a Ghanaian American poet, editor, and educator living out the diaspora in Boston, Massachusetts. They are both Black & alive. Born in 1993, Emmanuel is Boston’s newly appointed poet laureate, and the school librarian at the Joseph Lee School in Dorchester. In the past, Emmanuel has served as a teaching artist at organizations such as the Massachusetts Literary Education and Performance Collective, the Cambridge Arts Council, Northeastern University, and the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston. Emmanuel’s poem, “kra-din” (Kweli Journal), is a past recipient of the Pushcart Prize (XLIII). In his free time, Emmanuel enjoys hot carbs, brightly colored chapbooks, and the long sigh at the end of a good book.
Lastly, I want to thank you all for reading, as this will be my (Amy’s) last time writing the recap for the foreseeable future. I’m passing the baton to the very skilled archivist and poet, Michael F Gill, to tell you the tales of Wednesday nights moving forward. It has been so fun to write these for the past 2 years! I now have other BPS duties to attend to. Stay tuned!
See you tonight,
Amy ✈️
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