Consider all the objectifying, oversexed, or otherwise terrible poem permutations for the following title: “Ten Ways to Get in My Pants.”
Now write a good one.
Cantab Feature for Wednesday, June 15, 2016: Brendan Constantine
West coaster and Red Hen author Brendan Constantine.
Brendan Constantine’s work has appeared in FIELD, Ploughshares, Virginia Quarterly Review, Muzzle, Hotel Amerika, and many other journals. His first book, Letters To Guns (2009 Red Hen Press), is now taught extensively in schools across the country. His most recent collections are Birthday Girl With Possum (2011 Write Bloody Publishing) and Calamity Joe (2012 Red Hen Press). His work has inspired artists in a variety of other mediums, from the canvas to the concert hall. Most recently, composer Andrew McIntosh released his first album, Hyenas in the Temples of Pleasure (Populist Records) which draws its themes (and title) from Constantine’s work. A new collection, Dementia, My Darling, is due out in 2016.
Mr. Constantine has received grants and commissions from the Getty Museum, James Irvine Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. A popular performer, Brendan has presented his work to audiences throughout the U.S. and Europe, also appearing on NPR’s “All Things Considered,” KPFK’s “Inspiration House,” numerous podcasts, and YouTube. In 2014 he headlined at the Dodge Poetry Festival with many of the nation’s most celebrated authors. He currently teaches poetry at the Windward School in Los Angeles, California. In addition, he regularly conducts workshops for hospitals, foster homes, and with the Alzheimer’s Poetry Project. Please visit him at brendanconstantine.com.
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.
Annual Attleboro Arts Museum Poetry Slam: Friday, June 10, 2016
The 2016 Boston Poetry Slam Team will compete against Seven Hills and Providence on June 10: pictured are Zeke, Neiel, Bobby, Mckendy, and Simone. Photo by Marshall Goff.
Friday, June 10, 2016
86 Park St., Attleboro, MA
6:30 sign-ups, 7:00 open mic, 7:45ish poetry slam
FREE show for all ages
more details at the Attleboro Arts Museum website
The Boston Poetry Slam has presented a free poetry slam in conjunction with the Attleboro Arts Museum annually since 2007! This year’s special event will feature the Boston Poetry Slam Team, the Providence Poetry Slam Team, the Seven Hills Slam from Worcester, and an open mic featuring YOU. As always, the show is held in the main room of the Museum at 86 Park St. in Attleboro, and the event is free of charge. This year’s event is made possible by funding from the Attleboro accounting firm Castro, Thresher and Oliviera, P.C.!
This year’s event will reprise the high-energy show format from 2015: an open mic for members of the Attleboro community and beyond will kick off the night. After the open mic, teams from the Boston Poetry Slam, the Providence Poetry Slam, and the Seven Hills Slam will go head-to-head-to-head in a performance poetry exhibition! These three freshly selected teams will be shaking out their metaphors in preparation for their trip to the National Poetry Slam in Decatur, Georgia this August.
The Attleboro Arts Museum is located at 86 Park St. in Attleboro, Mass., just a short walk from the Attleboro stop on the Providence/Boston line of the Commuter Rail. Signups for the open mic begin at 6:30pm, with the open mic starting at 7:00. A poetry slam featuring teams from Boston, Providence, and Worcester will begin at the end of the open mic, around 7:45. The show is all ages and admission is free.
Encyclopedia Show: Somerville for Thursday, June 9, 2016 — S3V7: THE SUBURBS
Encyclopedia Show: Somerville — THE SUBURBS on June 9, 2016! Art by Melissa Newman-Evans.
Thursday, June 9, 2016
The Davis Square Theatre
255 Elm St. in Somerville
7pm doors, 8pm-10pm show
all ages, $10/$7 sliding scale
click for Facebook event
The Boston Poetry Slam and Catherine Martin present the SEASON FINALE of the third season in a slightly educational monthly series!
Our theme for this month’s show will be THE SUBURBS! A number of thoughtful, corn-fed, picket-fence-pondering artists will stay up well past their bedtime to present brand new work for this last event in the 2015-2016 Encycloepedia Show Somerville season.
The Encyclopedia Show Somerville is a franchise event, wherein invited artists from a variety of performance disciplines present all-new, original works on sub-topics of a single theme. A recurring cast of hosts and characters welcomes the artists with open arms and minds, while the resident Fact Checker is charged with maintaining the integrity of the Encyclopedic Truth of the show. Presenting all-original guest performances from local artists, plus work from our recurring cast members:
- Rob Crean and Chloé Cunha provide clever banter and funny accents appropriate for CO-HOSTING
- The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library offers MUSICAL SUPPORT
- Wes Hazard dispenses QUESTIONABLE EXPERTISE with panache and aplomb
- and The Intern has promised to mow the lawn and clean up the dog’s yard in time to get to the show.
Live Fact Checking is reluctantly provided by Jack van Sly from the Institute of Human Knowledge and Hygiene. The personal assistant to Mr. van Sly is Jade Sylvan.
This show in our monthly Encylopedia Show: Somerville series takes place at the Davis Square Theatre, 255 Elm St. in Somerville. Doors and the theatre bar open for a pre-show welcome party at 7:00. The show begins promptly at 8:00 and finishes at 10:00, including a short intermission. This is an all ages show! Admission is $10, or $7 for students, teachers, or guests in Prohibition-era dress.
Cantab Recap for Wednesday, June 9, 2016
Our five-poetry-payday month continued last night with NOLA poet Desireé Dallagiacomo, who’s in town on a whirlwind New England tour. Desireé brought us some of the performance work that’s already earned her a top-three spot at every major national slam tournament, as well as some vulnerable new poems she was inspired to dare reading by our super-solid open mic. Thanks for being you, Cantab; it was a fabulous night.
Our open slams are starting to fill up with competitors again (perhaps you all got wind of the fact that a win this summer qualifies you for the 2017 BPS team?), so we had a seven-poet brawl just before midnight last night! The final round came down to RebeccaLynn Gualtieri and Jess Rizkallah, each rocking unapologetic and thoughtful new work. Sure, both poets were awesome, but there can be only one: Jess Riz took the $10 prize, and RebeccaLynn survives to slam another day.
Another day might be next week, of course: you know we have our fifth slam in the series on June 15, right? It’ll be preceded by a feature from one of our favorite west coasters: Brendan Constantine will be back in the house with work from his new collection, Dementia, My Darling. Come check it out!
Cantab Feature for Wednesday, June 8, 2016: Desireé Dallagiacomo
New Orleans poet and top national slammer Desiree Dallagiacomo. Photo by Nikki Mayeaux.
Ranking 3rd at the 2014 Individual World Poetry Slam, 3rd at the 2015 Women of the World Poetry Slam, and 3rd at the 2014 National Poetry Slam, Desireé Dallagiacomo is an award winning writer, performer, and educator. She is the program director and a lead teaching artist for Forward Arts, Inc., a literary arts non-profit in Baton Rouge, La., and a 2014 Pushcart Prize nominee. Her work has been featured in The Huffington Post, The San Francisco Gate, EverydayFeminism.com, Upworthy, Tulane University’s production of The Vagina Monologues, the New Orleans Fringe Festival, and Tandem Review. She studies creative writing and women & gender studies at the University of New Orleans, where she is a recipient of the Ryan Chigazola Poetry Scholarship. She has taught and performed at colleges, universities, and youth organizations across the country.
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, June 1, 2016
June is a five-Wednesday, month, Cantabbers: it’s like a month with an extra payday of poetry, just in time to get your summer started off right! Big ups to Matt Mason for kicking things off for us beautifully… Matt made us a quick pit-stop on the way to his next feature in Reykjavik, bringing us the trademark humor, insight, and quick turn-of-story he’s been bringing to slam since the glory days of the Cantab itself. If you want to grab one of his books before his Icelandic listeners snap them all up, you can follow up with him over at his website.
The slam that night was a cozy four-poet affair, coming down to famed Last-Chance-Champion Colin Killick versus relative newcomer Kai Banker in the final round. Kai took the big win, cementing their spot in the next Champion of Champions round, and leaving Colin another chance (don’t worry, there’s lots) to slam another day.
Next week: your excellent June continues with one of everybody’s top three poets, as Desireé Dallagiacomo will be in the house from NOLA. We’ll also have our fourth open poetry slam in the 8×8 series.
Tips from the Bar: Terrible People
Tip from the bar for Wednesday, June 1, 2016. Prompt by Adam Stone.
Terrible people say things like “I don’t mean to be rude, but…” or “I’m not a racist, but…”. Turn these expressions on their heads by starting your poem with “I don’t mean to be polite, but…”.
Cantab Feature for Wednesday, June 1, 2016: Matt Mason
Omaha poet and Pushcart winner Matt Mason. Photo by Laurie and Charles Kay.
Matt Mason has won a Pushcart Prize and two Nebraska Book Awards; was a Finalist for the position of Nebraska State Poet; organized and run poetry programming with the U.S. Department of State in Nepal, Romania, Botswana, and Belarus; and been on six teams at the National Poetry Slam. He has over 200 publications in magazines and anthologies, including Ted Kooser’s American Life in Poetry and on Garrison Keillor’s Writer’ Almanac. He is the executive director of the Nebraska Writers Collective and a consultant for the Nebraska Arts Council with Nebraska’s Poetry Out Loud program. His most recent book, The Baby That Ate Cincinnati (SFA Press), was released in 2013. Matt lives in Omaha with his wife, the poet Sarah McKinstry-Brown, and daughters Sophia and Lucia. You can enjoy some of his work at drunk in a midnight choir or visit him at his home page.
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.
Boston Poetry Slam Online