WELL DANG. We’ve been (figuratively) holding our breath since March for the promised re-booking of Timothy DuWhite, and he finally made it out to the Cantab for our post-Nationals celebration last night… It was worth the wait! An engaging and risk-taking performer, Tim broke out clever, well-crafted, and thought-provoking work to start and didn’t let up for the rest of the show; from glimpses of his maybe-epic mouse poem to sweet real-love moments on stage, the poet took great care of the audience while pushing the writers listening to try and be more. Thanks for getting us on the calendar, Tim!
After the feature, six poets slammed off, looking to wrest the title from our reigning Champion of Champions, Mckendy Fils-Aimé. Three rounds of intense work followed, with Jess Riz taking the 8×8 victory over Adam Stone (who gets an honorable mention for bringing an all-new set to the slam). Basking in her season championship for only a few moments, Jess elected to challenge the one-year reign of Mckendy… And won the title in the new-poem round! Congrats to Jess, high-fives to Mckendy, and a reminder to all of y’all that the next eight open slams can qualify any of you for the 2017 Boston Poetry Slam Team, the 2017 World Qualifier, and, yes, the October 19 Champion of Champions Slam.
Next week: we are elated to return to the stage with that aforementioned open slam, as well as beloved local and one-spot-mainstay Valerie Loveland in the feature slot.
Boston Poetry Slam Online