Cantab Feature for Wednesday, May 20, 2015: Anthony Ragler and the Champion of Champions Speed Slam!

NPS 2014 Finalist Anthony Ragler. Photo by Philomena Haley.

NPS 2014 Finalist Anthony Ragler. Photo by Philomena Haley.

When he is not binge drinking cranberry juice and eating fruit snacks, Anthony Ragler is a 21-year old writer, performer, and father. Using poetry, music and step dance, Anthony aims to change lives and heal wounds. He is an English and Education Major at Mercy College.

Anthony is an artist known for using persona and body movement to attack social stigmas and overly-traditional forms of thinking. He was a member of the 2014 NYC Urbana Slam Team that placed second in the nation at the 2014 National Poetry Slam in Oakland, Calif., as well as the 2013 Urban Word Slam Team that placed third internationally at the Brave New Voices Festival. He is the Inspired Word 2014 Grand Slam Champion and the Lincoln Center’s first ever youth Grand Slam Champion. Anthony has performed at numerous venues, including the United Nations, Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Symphony Space, Lincoln Center, The Apollo Theatre and the Audubon Ballroom in NYC, the Scottish Rite Theatre in Oakland, CA, and the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, Ill. He’s the first poet to teach Patricia Smith the Cupid Shuffle and the only poet to win a street fight on planet Neptune.

Tonight also marks the final night in our current 8×8 speed slam series! Eight slam winners will slam off for the season championship and the opportunity to challenge reigning Champion of Champions Sean Patrick Mulroy in an all-champions reduced-time-limit slam.

This show in our weekly Wednesday series takes place at the Cantab Lounge, 738 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge. Doors for the show open at 7:15. The open mic begins at 8:00 and the feature performs at approximately 10:00. The Champion of Champions Slam in the current 8×8 poetry slam series will follow. The show is 18+ (ID required) and the cover charge is $5.