Cantab Recap for Wednesday, July 10

HARLYM125 IN THE HOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUZZZZZZZZZZZZEEEEEEEEEEEE!!

Oh, excuse us. Did you miss the party? A big-talkin’, explosive-performin’, complex-writin’ major player took the stage for us last night: Harlym125. Did he rock the mic? He did. Were there singalongs and special guests and surprises? There were. Did he change your life? I guess we’ll know next week, since some of us might show up with our hair still blown back and smiles still plastered across our faces. Ladies and gentlemen, the champion of your hearts, Mister One Two Five.

We were so pumped up to slam after Harlym’s feature, and it was a wild one: the slam was almost evenly split between Boston and Portland competitors, fighting it out for honor, glory, and a special supplementary $20 prize (thanks to the generosity of our feature!). In just the first round we saw a Champion of Champions and a World Qualifier winner ousted, and the second round featured a wicked tie that catapulted Adam Stone (circa 2004) to the final two! In the final head-to-head, Adam ultimately fell to Rhythmic Cypher SlamMaster TLove, who takes the eighth spot in this season’s Champion of Champions series, scheduled for July 24.

Next Wednesday: the National Poetry Slam is less than five weeks away, and we’ve got some regional preparation to do! Number one on our list: invite all the NorthBEAST teams over to slam at our house! This next iteration of the NorthBEAST summer regionals will feature a 4×4 NPS-style slam with Worcester, Port Veritas, Providence, and the Lizard Lounge.

Can’t wait until next Wednesday for your poetry fix? No problem! You can check out Tom Slavin at Moonlighting over in JP tonight, Thursday, July 11. This monthly GLBTQ reading also will feature a spotlight feature from the inimitable Sophia “Fanny” Walker.