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.

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!

Tips from the Bar: The Break-Up

Have you ever broken up with someone (partner, friend, family member) whose loved ones hated you?

Imagine a conversation where they tell you why. Imagine how they were right. Imagine how they were wrong.

Cantab Feature for Wednesday, June 8, 2016: Desireé Dallagiacomo

New Orleans poet and top national slammer Desiree Dallagiacomo. Photo by Nikki Mayeaux.

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.

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.

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.

Cantab Recap for Wednesday, May 25, 2016

If you missed last night’s breathtaking feature by Fatimah Asghar, you’ll be doubly sad to learn that her YesYes Books chapbook, After, is completely sold out. (Don’t worry, you can still read more of her new poems at her homepage.) Those of us who were there are doubly grateful that Adam finally got the air conditioner working, because Fatimah’s intricate, gut-punching poems were giving us the vapors. To close out the night, front-row-listener Bagheera inched out Colin Killick to take the number one spot in a riotous slam. See you next week for a feature from Omaha slam veteran Matt Mason!

Encyclopedia Show: Somerville for Thursday, May 26, 2016 — S3V6: EXERCISE

Encyclopedia Show: Somerville — EXERCISE on May 26, 2016! Art by Melissa Newman-Evans.

Encyclopedia Show: Somerville — EXERCISE on May 26, 2016! Art by Melissa Newman-Evans.

Thursday, May 26, 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 next installment in a slightly educational monthly series!

Our theme for this month’s show will be EXERCISE! The brawniest, most cardiovascular artists we could locate will breathfully present their newest work on this stimulating topic.

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 a really goofy headband he will absolutely not be permitted to wear.

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 Feature for Wednesday, May 25, 2016: Fatimah Asghar

Kundiman Fellow Fatimah Asghar. Photo by Reginald Eldridge.

Kundiman Fellow Fatimah Asghar. Photo by Reginald Eldridge.

Fatimah Asghar is a nationally touring poet, photographer and performer. She created Bosnia and Herzegovina’s first Spoken Word Poetry group, REFLEKS, while on a Fulbright studying theater in post-violent contexts. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in POETRY Magazine, PEN Poetry Series, The Paris-American, The Margins, and Gulf Coast. She is a Kundiman Fellow and a member of the Dark Noise Collective. Her chapbook After was released on Yes Yes Books fall of 2015.

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.