Cantab Recap for Wednesday, February 3, 2016

We had the best of luck last night for a windy February Wednesday, folks: Boston-based thinking poet Emmanual Oppong-Yeboah kicked in the door for Black History Month with a feature informed by life, loves, and philosophy. Performing almost entirely unencumbered by the page, Emmanuel brought us all along for the ride both inside and out of our own bodies, preparing us to bring joy and honor to the month ahead.

The speed slam was also a doozy, full of powerful work, painful time penalties, and sometimes raucous applause as a few poets in the slam met each other’s work for the first time! The finals came down to cross-river-commuter Jayy Dodd and north-side rising star RebeccaLynn. RebeccaLynn took top honors with her incisive thirty-nine-second finale (pro tip: that is how you speed slam), earning the $10 prize, a shot at the 2016 World Qualifier, and a berth in the springtime Champion of Champions Slam.

Next week: you are NOT ready for Erotic Poetry Night! Surely, no one can be… But if anyone is trying to get you in the mood, it’s Emily Carroll producing the Schmaltz Slam: twelve steamy local favorites will slam off with brand new work, representing either the Valentines or the Pick-Up Lines. Remember, it’s also the week to bring your hothot erotic poems to the open mic, so get your favorite sexy stories in order to share on the awkwardest date night of the year.