You might think it wouldn’t have been possible to upstage the 2012 Boston Poetry Slam Team send-off feature last night: Kemi Alabi, Antonia Lassar, Mckendy Fils-Aimé, Antonia Lassar, and Melissa Newman-Evans in a quintuple feature extravaganza, highlighting two super-tight group pieces, all the crowd’s favorites, and some new work throw in to boot! Kemi laying down a brand-new heart-wrenching and sweet love poem! Antonia pulling in all the light on stage to illuminate a dramatic group piece! Melissa lambasting every Sad Boy in the house! Mckendy dropping a wild sestina late in the evening! Oz weeping openly about his emotional dolphin experiences! And the release of the team’s annual chapbook, Shame and Honey, a twenty-plus-poem collection of the team’s work designed by Melissa! What a fabulous feature of well-crafted work, all to pump us up for this already-successful team’s trip to Charlotte for the National Poetry Slam next week!
Oh, wait, but also this happened:
Melissa says yes. Photo by Marshall Goff.
Congrats to Kevin Spak, who put his heart on the line in front of a sold-out house, and to Melissa Newman-Evans, whose gleeful acceptance is captured above. Awww. This happy engaged couple will be down at Nationals next week, so be sure to offer your good wishes! (Pro tip: they both drink dark beer or bourbon.)
Thanks to everyone who came out to see the show last night, and a special note of gratitude to those who bought books to help the team’s trip to Nationals. We bout on Tuesday and Thursday night, so keep an eye out right here and on the official website for results! Plus, don’t forget about next Wednesday: Cassandra de Alba will feature next week, followed by the first open slam of the new 8×8 series.
Boston Poetry Slam Online