Cantab Feature for Wednesday, October 5, 2016: Neiel Israel

Neiel Israel, 2016 World Qualifier Winner.

Neiel Israel, 2016 World Qualifier Winner.

Neiel Israel is an internationally acclaimed poet, vocalist, and arts educator who reports that her first time performing a poem on stage came at the Cantab Lounge. Emerging from UMass Boston with a B.A. in English, Neiel quickly distinguished herself as a powerful and lyrical poetic voice in the Boston slam scene. As an international teaching artist, Neiel leads workshops and classes in creative writing for schools, community programs, and colleges, and she is presently the America SCORES Boston Poet in Residence. She was a five-time member of the Lizard Lounge National Poetry Slam Team (2011-2015) as well as the Lizard Lounge Representative for (2011) Women of the World Poetry Slam.

This year, Neiel was the top scorer in the Boston Poetry Team Selection Slams, cementing her spot at the top of the 2016 BPS team. She then went on to take top honors in the two-night, six-poem World Qualifier series to earn herself a chance to represent the Boston Poetry Slam at the 2016 Individual World Poetry Slam in Flagstaff, Ariz. Tonight will be a final fundraising push to send Neiel to the tournament in the American southwest; it’s a $5 cover charge to see her special extended set with no poetry slam tonight.

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 an extended set at approximately 10:00. The show is 18+ (ID required) and the cover charge is $5.

Cantab Recap for Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Thanks to all the good folks who came out last night for a great open mic and a feature from the SlamMaster! The slam was an eight-poet knock-down drag-out brawl, getting down to Brandon Melendez and Marshall Gillson in the final round. Marshall redeemed his loss from last Wednesday with a big finish over Brandon, qualifying him for the October 19 Champion of Champions match as well as the 2017 Boston Poetry Slam Team selection slams, which start in January (maybe you’ve heard).

Next week: grab a sawbuck and a friend and settle in downstairs for an extended feature set from our 2016 Individual World Poetry Slam representative Neiel Israel! We’ll be celebrating her trip to Flagstaff with a double-length feature of all the work you’ve been dying to hear (and plenty that you haven’t yet). Don’t forget: it’s a special $5 cover for this no-doubt-unforgettable show.

Cantab Feature for Wednesday, September 28, 2016: Simone Beaubien

Simone Beaubien performing at the 2016 Grudge Match at ONCE Ballroom. Photo by Marshall Goff.

Simone Beaubien performing at the 2016 Grudge Match at ONCE Ballroom. Photo by Marshall Goff.

Simone Beaubien is the SlamMaster of the Boston Poetry Slam at the Cantab Lounge, a franchise player since 2001, and the kind of jerk who books herself for a feature just about once every six years or so. She has been published exactly nowhere and has no books to sell you, so save your money and buy bourbon for someone you love (hint: could be yourself) instead.

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. An open poetry slam in the 8×8 series will follow. The show is 18+ (ID required) and the cover charge is $3.

Cantab Recap for Wednesday, September 21, 2016

It was the most bittersweet night of nights at the Cantab yesterday, folks: the incomparable Manvir Singh delivered a deliciously performed, fabulously crafted series of personal and fantastical narratives, all powered by his characteristic lilting and seemingly limitless energy. Yes! We shall miss him greatly in his indefinite travels: fortunately, he can be kept up with remotely on Instagram and at manvir.org.

The slam that followed also had the flavor of a gloriously surreal dance party: six experienced slammers threw down to fight for the ten-dollar prize, with Emersonian Emily Taylor and House Slam rep Marshall Gillson taking it all the way to finals. Despite a huge performance from Marshall, Emily took the big win and qualifies for the BPS team for the first time ever/so far/check out the list of 2017 qualified poets here.

Next week: we’re back with the seventh open slam in the 8×8 series. Our feature will be the SlamMaster who writes these recaps, so we’ll keep the exclamation points to a minimum. Come see some poems get read if you are into that sort of thing.

Tips from the Bar: While You Were Out

While you are away, your pet (real or imagined) has an unlikely job. Describe it and whether your pet is good at it.

Cantab Feature for Wednesday, September 21, 2016: Manvir Singh

Poet of the surreal Manvir Singh. Photo by Stace Brandt.

Poet of the surreal Manvir Singh. Photo by Stace Brandt.

Manvir Singh writes surreal stories and then embellishes them with flames, small crystals, and facepaint so that other people mistake them for performance poems. His mother thinks of them quite highly of them, an opinion she considers “objective,” whatever that’s supposed to mean.

Manvir has twice shared a Pushing the Art Forward Award and once received a stipend to study beetles in the Rocky Mountains. He has published two and a half small books, but none of them include poetry, except in the broadest sense. As of January 2016, he assures people that he wants to “destroy sincerity.” He currently resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he pursues a PhD. Check out his work and whatnot at manvir.org and his newly-minted Instagram (@moon.var).

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. An open poetry slam in the 8×8 series will follow. The show is 18+ (ID required) and the cover charge is $3.

Cantab Recap for Wednesday, September 14, 2016

The weather is getting cooler, folks, and you know what that means: more excuse to pack the house in our basement every Wednesday. Welcome back to all our returning fall readers! Our feature last night was longtime open mic regular Catherine Martin, who released her new chapbook, What I Want, to the listening crowd. The slam was a fun back-and-forth between some returning poets and some very harsh judges (yes! welcome to the Cantab), resulting in a final pairing between Meaghan Ford and Zeke Russell. Zeke took the big win and the ten-dollar payday, earning himself a spot in the qualifiers for the 2017 team this January.

Next week: Manvir Singh is one of our most distinctive and glorious voices at the Cantab, and he’ll be leaving us (!) for quite some time at the end of the month. Come wish him a fond farewell and enjoy the fantastical work he’s best-known for on our stage. We’ll close the night with the sixth open slam in our current 8×8 series.

Tips from the Bar: No, You Can’t Be Creepy

What would you do if you had a body double?

Cantab Feature for Wednesday, September 14, 2016: Catherine Martin

Catherine Martin, Florida-Georgia-Cantab poet.

Catherine Martin, Florida-Georgia-Cantab poet.

Catherine Martin was born in Florida and raised in Georgia. She’s been writing poetry since she was 13, which is officially half of her life. She loves Massachusetts, but doesn’t write about it too much. She does marketing, graphic design, photography, and video editing professionally. She does yoga, poetry, and drinking personally. Last year, she produced the third season of the Encyclopedia Show Somerville, which was pretty great. Catherine went to Smith College, and then Emerson College, so now she’s done with college for a while. Her work has appeared in the Nimrod Journal of Prose and Poetry, the Superstition Review, Drunk in a Midnight Choir, and elsewhere.

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. An open poetry slam in the 8×8 series will follow. The show is 18+ (ID required) and the cover charge is $3.

Cantab Recap for Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Well, we hope Scott Woods is thankful: despite his sick-day cancellation, we did NOT have to present an impromptu Columbus poet roast in lieu of his feature last night. Instead, local favorite and BPS staff mainstay Tom Slavin took the stage for a lovingly crafted, entirely off-the-dome selection of his greatest hits from 2015. Some of us wish we could put together such a cohesive and beautifully performed show given months of practice– never mind the couple of hours’ notice we were able to give Tom. If you were there, you were lucky enough to catch one more great example of how proud we are to see our poetry staff really walk the walk. If you weren’t there: well, you’re pretty lucky anyway, because in addition to hearing Tom weekly on our mic, you can also watch his Old Dog Poems website for the recorded version of last night’s feature.

Our slam last night was also one of the finest of the new season, welcoming a really exciting mix of regulars, occasionals, and new-poets-to-us to the stage. The devastating final round came down to 2016 teammates Zeke Russell and Neiel Israel: Neiel took the win, having shown off her 1-, 2-, and 4-minute poems (maybe?) for her upcoming Individual World Poetry Slam appearance. Both of those two have features coming up, so if you enjoyed the slam, mark your calendars for an excellent October.

Next week: the hits keep coming! Catherine Martin was a regular you could set your watch by on our open mic… Until coordinating a full season of the Encyclopedia Show: Somerville took her artist’s time away from us for almost a year. Come join us for her triumphant return to the poetry stage next Wednesday; if you’re looking to make your own return for the fall, we’ll have an open slam for you, too.