Cantab Recap for Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Some of us have been waiting a long time to hear Ricky Orng feature at the Cantab Lounge; last night, we finally got our wish! Ricky took us through stories of family and food, language and missed connections, and through all of it wound the substantial joy he makes part of his craft. You can catch Ricky at the East Meets Words reading on second Fridays, just down the street on Mass Ave., or book him as part of his latest duo project, Adobo Fish Sauce.

Our slam drew six poets in the mood for a face-off as we count down the last few (just six, people) slams left to qualify for the 2018 Team Selection Slams. The final pairing came down to previous winner Anna Binkovitz and the yet-to-qualify Allison Truj… True to form, Anna pulled no punches, but Truj came out on top at the end of an exceptionally enjoyable slam.

Next week: is there something… imperfect… about the family you might be headed home to see for next Thursday? We mean, of course not, and how rude of us to suggest– but if you’re looking for an unconditional welcome to warm your week, we would like to most heartily suggest our feature from John Pinkham! As usual, we’ll close the night with the family-style argument we like to call an open poetry slam.