Cantab Recap for Wednesday, March 28 / Grudge Match Recap

What a week, Cantabbers! First, our Wednesday kicked off big with a sold-out crowd for returning favorite Bobby Crawford, who presented a tight set with all the roller-coaster work-life heartbreak we’d dreamed of. The speed slam was an exciting five-poet affair, welcoming runner-up Kenny Piña on his first night at the show, with Evan Jymaal Cutts taking the eventual win for this fourth slam in the series. Then, the very next night, we welcomed patrons from both sides of the river to the Grudge Match, our annual head-to-head fundraiser with Boston’s House Slam! This hotly contested slam pitted some of the finest poets (and bestest of friends) against each other in an all-new head-to-head poem format; the twists and turns were many, but, at the end of seven rounds, the House Slam took the win, 4-3.

Thanks so much to everyone who visited us this week and helped pump up our fundraising total for the slam; your cover charge helps us (and, for Thursday’s show, House, too) get our newly minted 2018 Boston Poetry Slam team to the National Poetry Slam in Chicago this year.

Next week: we kick off National Poetry Month with a little schedule change… After a recent cancellation, we are really pleased to announce that the night’s headliner will be Jalem Towler, a Georgia native now local to Boston, in his first full-length feature. We’ll also host the fifth speed slam in our 8×8 series if you’re looking to get in on the World Qualifier fun coming up in May. See you there!