Cantab Recap for Wednesday, June 12

Sweet mother of kiwifruit! We got to hang with Eliel Lucero all night last night and now you know: trying to tell the poetry crowd that Eliel is a DJ is like trying to tell them that Adam Stone is a bartender (a pursuit Eliel is also known for, by the way). This hard-working NYC mainstay endeared himself to the crowd immediately and rocked a raucous and intensely-listening room. Maybe we can blame that intensity for the moment the slam almost went off the rails (pro tip: bring more than one poem if the slam is more than one round, readers!); after a surprise resurrection from the first round and having edged out Alex Erhardt in a tie, Phoenix Bunke took the win over a still-smiling Ed Wilkinson.

Next week: doom metal! Powerlifting! Super-sensitive poetry guy! Ross Hickerson, who doesn’t tour, has come to us from Omaha, Nebraska just because we asked so nicely. We’ll finish the night with the next slam in our 8×8 series.