Someone has died, but no one had anything to say.
Take only fifteen to thirty minutes to eulogize a person whose memorial service you might be asked to speak at.
Cantab Feature for Wednesday, March 23, 2016: Jonah Comstock
Poet, singer-songwriter, and journalist Jonah Comstock.
Jonah Comstock is a poet, singer-songwriter, and journalist operating out of Boston, Massachusetts. In his poetry, he strives to inject the mundane with a sense of whimsy, using both formal and free verse means to do so. He’s a regular contributor to the Brighton Word Factory, has been a member of the Cantab scene for more than three years and has featured at the Encyclopedia Show Somerville, Stone Soup, It Just Got Weirdo, and Grandma’s Basement Mixtape. His band, Pirate Not Included— consisting of Jonah and wombmate/fellow Cantab regular Nathan Comstock— performs occasional shows around Boston.
Note that tonight’s open poetry slam is a speed slam 3-, 2-, and 1-minute rounds. Slam winners qualify for the 2016 World Qualifier.
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 speed slam in the 8×8 series will follow. The show is 18+ (ID required) and the cover charge is $3.
Cantab Recap for Wednesday, March 16, 2016
The Boston Poetry Slam at the Cantab Lounge is proud to announce the 2016 Boston Poetry Slam Team:
The 2016 Boston Poetry Slam Team, together for the first time: Zeke, Neiel, Bobby, Mckendy, and Simone. Photo by Marshall Goff.
1. Neiel Israel 83.3
2. Zeke Russell 80.3
3. Simone Beaubien 79.7
4. Mckendy Fils-Aimé 79.1
5. Bobby Crawford 78.9
6. JR Mahung
7. Meaghan Ford
8. Joshua Elbaum
9. Manvir Singh
Poets in bold finished in the top five at Finals to make the team.
It was a windy and wicked Wednesday last night as a determined crowd lined up for the venue’s highest-stakes slam: the 2016 Boston Poetry Slam Team Selection Finals! Nine poets entered, but only five could leave as the official 2016 Boston Poetry Slam Team, and tensions were high in the dank little basement.
Wasting little time, 2015 slam team member and 2016 host Sean Patrick Mulroy launched into the slam, taking the stage as though it were his home (which it is: we don’t care what MFA program he’s a resident for) and shepherding bout manager (and 1994 slam team member) Tom Slavin’s hard-won judges smoothly into a well-lubricated team of five people who share no opinions or values and each want to control the outcome of the show. Welcome to poetry slam!
The night started with the judges terrifyingly panning strong work from two poets who had dropped from the series: Nora Meiners and Marshall Gillson, each taking the stage to warm up the already blisteringly hot room. That left Bobby to try to pump up the scores: invoking a high-energy performance of Dave of Liquor Basement got him a three-point jump, but still left the early-round slammers to wallow in the 24.x range, with no idea when or if the judges would show more generosity. Toploading was the name of the game as poets brought the tried-and-true to the stage: Meaghan with the wrong Matt, Manvir with last week’s open mic poem On Forgetting How to Be Happy and Make Friends, and Joshua with last year’s Grudge Match poem on the prompt of “back in the day.” Scores held until Neiel hit the stage fifth with a rollicking poem, complete with ribald hand gestures, about the dick, skyrocketing totals another 3 points and winning the hearts of the judges.
The hearts of the crowd, though, belonged to JR, who followed with his required new poem in the series, on the subject of skin, earning just enough to top the poets from early in the round… After which Mckendy, unshy about letting the room know that he intended to make this team, lent the full force of his performance chops to a rendition of Whistling Vivaldi for a 28.7 that would mark the highest score of the night. As the waters receded, Simone held on with another Grudge Match callback on the subject of a Boston sports “hero,” and Zeke finished up the round with a strong and solidly planted narrative on summering in junkietown.
At the end of the round one, Mckendy held a commanding lead with Neiel the only poet within striking distance; Zeke was 1.7 behind, leading the middle of the pack over a tightly grouped Simone, JR, and Manvir; and Josh, Bobby, and Meaghan trailed less than a point behind. Unlike round one, rounds two and three were unseeded, random draw, offering a mix in the rhythm, but no break, as Sean rolled right into the next ninesome.
Rocking a tough draw (first in the second round, and last in the third), Neiel performed a haunting, short form piece about watching a church burn, nearly doubling her score and looking good for a mathematical lock for the team. Joshua brought the first love poem of the night with his piece referencing the end of the Mayan calendar, satisfying the judges’ itch for sweetness (or, okay, apocalypse) and earning a 26.9, just a few tenths behind Neiel. Wait, was this a new baseline for these so-far-consistent judges? Nope: one of Manvir’s strongest crowd favorites, Eduardo dancing inside the alien machine, failed to engage the gatekeepers of the scores, and the rest of the round was a motocross course of ups and downs: Zeke drawing the judges in with his brother Ethan, only to have them draw back into their slimy low-score shells for an on-page poem from Mckendy, his second brand-new piece of the series.
Simone followed suit with another extra-credit brand-new page piece, somehow earning a score bump for informing the crowd that bartender Judy probably wouldn’t have liked them anyway… But the round’s winningest poem came from Bobby, kicking the mic aside and dropping to his knees for a dramatic new edit of Church, and topping Neiel’s early score by 0.6. JR and Meaghan both managed to hold score afterwards, JR with a well-received ode to Space Jam, and Meaghan with a newer, second-person piece on staying and leaving.
At the end of round two: Neiel was still on top of the world with a full point lead over Mckendy; Zeke hung 1.3 points back that with Bobby a scant 0.4 behind him. Simone, Josh, and JR were another point back, tightly grouped at the fifth spot, with Meaghan and Manvir on the ropes and needing a few extra things to go right in round three.
Looking to seal his place on the team from the one-spot, Mckendy brought Scrambled Eggs to the stage, earning a middling score. Would it be enough? Bobby followed with a high energy bang-bang(-bang), setting the tone for the third round and putting himself in solid striking distance with most of the round yet to play out. Manvir brought a joyous call-and-response poem to follow, earning his highest score of the night and dozens of loyal followers in the crowd. Having saved the most nerve-wrackingly best for last, Joshua finally ticked his new poem requirement for the season with a wrenching and personal narrative based on family card games. With five poets left to go, Mckendy and Bobby were looking strong, and the rest of the show was left to be anybody’s game.
Here’s where the slam got a little crazy: Simone elected to make the first and only crowdwalk of the evening, laying out a response poem about high school gymnastics old enough to enroll in second grade, and earning (a tie for) the second highest score for the night. Knowing a good setup when he sees one, Zeke took this opportunity to reclaim his less energetic performance from last year in a top-notch presentation of (yell it with him) HIGH SCHOOL IS BULLSHIT! In a shocking development, terrific crowd response pushed Zeke over the time limit for the slam’s only time penalty, but his consistency over all three rounds still earned him a lock for the team, leaving Simone and Bobby to bite their nails for the last third of the round. Meaghan came strong with an exceptional performance of Match Heads, but couldn’t make up for earlier math, pushing Simone up to the roster and leaving two more spots for Bobby, JR, and Neiel. Having made a strong strategy decision to save a well-known poem for late in the round, JR put forth a solid performance of his grandmother’s entreaty for him to eat, but fell just half a point short of Bobby.
With Neiel last to go, and with a commanding lead that only required her to score a 23.4 to make the team, poets in the know were wondering less how she would score and more how she would decide to finish out the slam. She chose a strong standby and the night’s first and only persona piece, Unborn, which earned her a tie for second individual score and a definitive win at the end of the night. Hot damn!
The team, confirmed and excited: Neiel Israel and Zeke Russell will enjoy their first year as BPS team members, with player-coach Simone Beaubien earning her first spot on a roster since 2010, and Mckendy Fils-Aimé and Bobby Crawford returning from the 2015 squad.
As always: heartfelt thanks and applause to our eliminated poets, JR Mahung, Joshua Elbaum, Meaghan Ford, and Manvir Singh. Special thanks to our hosting and management staff, including the long-suffering Kieran Collier, flawless score-and-timekeeper and leaver of lovingly snarky notes in the score spreadsheet. (Also, Sophia Holtz, we see you, back from New York for a night to round out the in-house reunion of the 2015 slam team.) What a good night.
Next week: OH YES, THERE WILL BE A NEXT WEEK. And it will feature Jonah Comstock, long-time regular, first-time feature, and philosopher, musician, and poet to boot. We’ll also continue our series of speed slams with the sixth in the series. See you there!
Cantab Feature for Wednesday, March 16, 2016: Team Selection Finals
The Cantab’s Team Selection Slams are the venue’s biggest, wildest poetry slams of the year. The venue’s late-winter selection is one of the earliest in the country, which gives them extra time to prepare for this year’s National Poetry Slam in Decatur, Georgia this August.
The top nine poets from semi-finals qualified to advance to the show. The following poets have decided to continue to finals, slamming in the following order in the first round (and drawing randomly for second and third round order):
1. Bobby Crawford
2. Meaghan Ford
3. Manvir Singh
4. Joshua Elbaum
5. Neiel Israel
6. JR Mahung
7. Mckendy Fils-Aimé
8. Simone Beaubien
9. Zeke Russell
Sacrifices: 1. Nora Meiners, 2. Marshall Gillson
The slam will be hosted by special guest Sean Patrick Mulroy and bout managed by venue favorite Tom Slavin.
After three previous slams in the last two months, already requiring four pieces to slam plus a brand new poem, you can expect hot competition, tense strategic moves, and the most finely-polished performance work of the slam season. The top five poets at the end of the evening will comprise the 2016 Boston Poetry Slam Team.
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. A SHORTENED open mic begins at 8:00 and the slam begins at approximately 9:00. The show is 18+ (ID required) and the cover charge is $5; proceeds will go toward funding the team’s trip to the National Poetry Slam in Georgia this August.
Cantab Recap for Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Holy scheduling follies, BPS! After not one, but TWO last-minute cancellations, the incredibly gracious and talented Rushelle Frazier agreed to fill in our Spring Break ’16 feature slot. Rushelle brought us a mix of sass and thoughtful commentary, all wrapped up in the unexpected language and transitions we’ve come to expect from this long-beloved Worcester local. If you didn’t get a chance to pick up her book, here’s a reminder that you can order Heavy Honey straight from the publisher, Doublebunny Press… Or, if you’re itching for more live performance, you can catch her at the 7 Hill Slam in Worcester on April 3.
Our fifth speed slam of the evening began with a somewhat sparse roster, but we were lucky enough to talk two more talented folks into competing for a very solid foursome. The final one-minute round came down to open mic regular John Pinkham vs. Nashville traveler Megan Smith: what a dynamic pairing! Despite a strong and polished effort by Megan, John’s momentum was not to be stopped: congrats to John on his first slam win at the Cantab. See you at the Champion of Champions Slam!
Next week: OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY, it’s the Boston Poetry Slam Team Selection Finals, YUP. Pack a $5 bill for the door to help support the team, because you’ll be paying for THREE awesome rounds from a blisteringly hot final roster: Bobby Crawford, Meaghan Ford, Manvir Singh, Joshua Elbaum, Neiel Israel, JR Mahung, Mckendy Fils-Aimé, Simone Beaubien, and Zeke Russell will all be slamming their dank little hearts out to see which five will represent us at the National Poetry Slam this year. Get in line early, stay late, and bring a buddy to judge the show!
Tips from the Bar: No One Told You Life Was Going to Be This Way
This week’s writing prompt from bartender Adam Stone.
Focus on something you have had enough of in your life: TV shows, small talk, forks, people.
Now write about a time when that very thing brought you joy.
Encyclopedia Show: Somerville for Thursday, March 10, 2016 — S3V4: THE PERIODIC TABLE OF ELEMENTS
Encyclopedia Show: Somerville — THE PERIODIC TABLE OF ELEMENTS on March 10, 2016! Art by Melissa Newman-Evans.
Thursday, March 10, 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 return from a frigid winter break to present the next installment in a slightly educational monthly series!
Our theme for this month’s show will be THE PERIODIC TABLE OF ELEMENTS! A satisfying number of local artists have been invited to try their hand at putting their uncategorizable work into little scientific boxes.
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 offered to obtain some experiment-grade sodium.
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, March 9, 2016: SCHEDULE CHANGE, AGAIN: Rushelle Frazier
Due to the vagaries of life, travel, and art, our re-scheduled feature, Raven McGill, will also not be able to attend this week. In great news, the following formidable and excellent local will (definitely, definitely) fill the spot:
Rushelle Frazier, Worcester superstar.
Rushelle Frazier is a queer black feminist writer, permaculture educator, urban farmer, herbalist, and organizer. She was a member of the 2002 and 2015 Worcester Slam Teams and co-coach of the 2004 Worcester Youth Slam Team and the 2010 Savannah Youth Slam Team. She has been the founder and coordinator a handful of well-loved readings, most recently the Hot Spot at Nine Dot Poetry Series. She was voted Best Female Poet at the 2006 Savannah Spoken Word Festival.
You can visit her at rushellefrazier.com, or check out recent video of her poem “Ah, Merica” on YouTube. Order her newest book, Heavy Honey, from DoubleBunny Press (or pick it up at the show)!
Note that tonight’s open poetry slam is a speed slam with 3-, 2-, and 1-minute rounds. Slam winners qualify for the 2016 World Qualifier.
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 speed slam in the 8×8 series will follow. The show is 18+ (ID required) and the cover charge is $3.
Bio of the canceled feature:
The dramatic and whimsical Raven Skye McGill.
Raven McGill is a soft angel/visual artist and poet hailing from New Hampshire (currently living in Oakland, Calif.) who has somehow convinced thousands of people that she is a somewhat regularly socialized human. Raven is a visual artist and performance poet whose competition credits include the Northbeast Underground Team Slam (N.U.T.S) with The Losers Club team, the National Poetry Slam as part of the 2015 Slam Free or Die team, and the National Underground Poetry Invitational Competition, for which she was a semi-finalist in 2015.
Her poetry can be found via Radius Lit and Youtube via Slamfind and Button Poetry. Her poems have been on Everyday Feminism and Huffington Post Black Voices. Her visual works can be found on tumblr (for now). You can also find her pretty much everywhere on the internet because it’s spooky like that.
Due to circumstances of scheduling, Timothy DuWhite will not be able to feature this week; we are actively looking to re-book the poet for an August 2016 date.
Bio of the original canceled feature (we look forward to re-booking Tim for August):
Humble and mind-bending artist Timothy DuWhite.
Through mistakes, short-comings, and failures Timothy DuWhite has been able to fashion himself a body of work that speaks directly to the value of transparency as well as self-accountability. Timothy has dedicated his journey of both artist-hood as well as person-hood to the preservation of stories, all of our stories, and all of the purpose they bear. As a spoken word artist, Timothy enlists his audience members in arratives spanning the pain of love, the insurmountable teeth of joy, the importance of forgiveness, the realities of living with a disease, the struggles of a man of color, the struggles of a queer man, the interconnections of the human experience, and every bit of beauty that can be found in the small and seemingly insignificant.
Timothy’s work has been featured at venues such as the United Nations/UNICEF, Apollo Theater, San Diego State University, Nuyorican Poet’s cafe, La Mama Theatre and many more. Timothy believes that by sharing our individual experiences and maintaining a dialogue of honesty amongst ourselves we can better navigate this behemoth we call life.
Cantab Recap for Wednesday, March 2, 2016
It was a cozy poetry night hidden from the wind in the Cantab yesterday, where feature Janaka Stucky arrived complete with polish, drama, and a wry and loving self-awareness that no Boston Poetry Slam feature should be without. As you know, Janaka took no payment for this feature, instead choosing to donate his honorarium to Black Lives Matter Boston; you can learn more about how to support the artist at janakastucky.com.
After Janaka’s feature, the seven-poet slam breathed an air of irreverence back into the room, as some very funny work (and a few gentle heckles) hit the stage. The top spot was a tug-of-war between newly minted BPS team finalist Bobby Crawford and Women-of-the-World-Poetry-Slam-bound Jess Rizkallah: on a vector for the big slam in NYC next week, Jess took the win in the one-minute round and earned herself the ten-dollar prize.
Next week: wait, what is this? Is Raven McGill really going to make a stop to feature for us on her return visit to New Hampshire from sunny Oakland? You betcha! (No worries, we’ll be rescheduling Timothy DuWhite for later in the year.) Come see this Manchester poet you might have missed on her first return visit home from the Bay.
Boston Poetry Slam Online