Cantab Feature for Wednesday, October 15, 2014: Andrew Campana

Canada-gone-Boston poet Andrew Campana. Photo by Andrew Littlejohn.

Canada-gone-Boston poet Andrew Campana. Photo by Andrew Littlejohn.

Andrew Campana was born and raised in Toronto, and now lives in Somerville, Massachusetts. He’s currently working on his Ph.D. at Harvard in Japanese literature and media studies, and started writing poems as a way to distract himself from preparing for his general exams. This didn’t really work, because all his poems turned out to be about the things he was studying.

He has done readings in Boston, Toronto, and Tokyo, and his work can be found in On Spec Magazine, Freeze Ray Poetry, Voicemail Poems, Printer’s Devil Review, and Gendaishi Forum (現代詩フォーラム). He always chooses Luigi.

Tonight’s show will also feature a spotlight from Austin poet Jena Kirkpatrick. Jena performs and conducts writing workshops with the Trio of Poets (including Regie Gibson and Timothy Mason) In January 2011, Jena released her first poetry and music compellation CD, Dangerous Snakes, featuring 20 years of poems accompanied by a variety of Austin’s most talented jazz, singer/songwriter and pop musicians.

Austin poet Jena Kirkpatrick.

Austin poet Jena Kirkpatrick.

Over the last two decades, Jena has self-published seven books; co-written, directed and produced three multi-media performance art pieces; and competed in two National Poetry Slam competitions. She is published in Shelf Life Magazine and Drash Pit, and featured in articles in The Austin American Statesman, The Daily Texan and Teachers & Writers Magazine.

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 $5.

Cantab Recap for Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Welcome, October poetry fans! One of the joys of having a featured poet every week at the Boston Poetry Slam is the opportunity to book a vast array of poets from different cities and moments in their poetry career. Last night might have been the year’s best example: Ocean Vuong, an award-winning, widely published Pushcart Prize winner, was unknown to much of the audience, but his intense, densely crafted, deeply emotional work stuck a chord with the crowd and will no doubt ring familiar in voices of open mic readers for weeks to come. What an excellent and eye-opening night.

Following our feature, a six-poet extravaganza of slam took the stage: first-timers bringing polished work, veterans bringing work still in the notebook, and at least two judges willing to spend as much time at the bar as necessary to get them through the slam. A surprisingly consistent team of listeners awarded Adam Stone and Ed Wilkinson the spots in the final round: Adam edged out Ed for the win and a crisp $10 bill we assume he will waste on notebook paper.

Next week: we are back with local favorite Andrew Campana! Austin poet Jena Kirkpatrick will also be in the house for an oh-so-slightly snarky spotlight feature on the open mic.

But wait: there’s more! If you need your slam fix tonight, you might not even have to leave the comfort of that questionable papasan chair you picked up at Allston Christmas last month… The Individual World Poetry Slam kicks off in Phoenix, Arizona, this evening, and you can follow all the action at scores.poetryslam.com. Check in on how our 2014 IWPS rep Sean Patrick Mulroy sizes up against 71 other top poets from around North America, including some other local names we love like Meaghan Ford, Emily Eastman, Generalissimo, Franny Choi, Robin Merrill, and Porsha O! Break some legs, poets!

Tips from the Bar: Business Vision

What is the worst possible restaurant theme/concept possible?

Cantab Feature for Wednesday, October 8, 2014: Ocean Vuong

NYC poet Ocean Vuong.

NYC poet Ocean Vuong.

A winner of a 2013 Pushcart Prize, Ocean Vuong has received fellowships from Kundiman, Poets House, Civitella Ranieri Foundation (Italy), The Elizabeth George Foundation, and The Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts. Poems appear in Poetry, The Nation, Beloit Poetry Journal, Guernica, Quarterly West, Denver Quarterly, and American Poetry Review, which awarded him the 2012 Stanley Kunitz Prize for Younger Poets. He lives in Queens, NY. Visit him at oceanvuong.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 $5.

Cantab Recap for Wednesday, October 1, 2014

When a poet asks you to change your usual behavior in order to accommodate the plans for his feature –for instance, by asking you not to clap in a slam venue so he can pack more poems into his set– you might at first be taken aback, or tempted to engage in some good-natured ribbing at the poet’s expense. However, if the poet can really put his money where his mouth is (and if anyone can, Sean Patrick Mulroy can), you just might find yourself spellbound, glued to your seat, and perfectly willing to go along with whatever the night’s plan might be. Sean blazed through two marathon sets, performing and reading from his new chapbooks by turns, and only coming up for air once during a remarkable extended feature set. We may never have sent a poet this prolifically prepared to the Individual World Poetry Slam: Sean heads to Phoenix to compete next week, but you can hit him up for a chapbook to catch up on at least half of last night’s set before he goes.

TONIGHT: don’t forget that it’s the first Thursday of the month, folks! That means it’s time for Moonlighting, our LGBTQ-everyone-friendly monthly reading. Tonight’s feature is the superbly awesome Janae Johnson.

Next week, of course, we’re back at the Cantab on a Wednesday. We’ll welcome Pushcart Prize-winner Ocean Vuong to the stage, and fire up the scorecards for another open poetry slam.

Tips from the Bar: That’s Not My Department

Consider the poetry books you know best, or have at least read cover to cover. Interrogate one in the name of your own poem by asking it a question it is not designed to answer.

Moonlighting: A Queer Open Mic and Reading Series on October 2, 2014 Featuring Janae Johnson

This reading is part of our monthly LGBTQ series, Moonlighting. Click here for more information about this recurring show.

The featured reader for October 2 is Janae Johnson.

Janae Johnson, WOWPS 2014 Finalist, champion Boston slammer, and Moonlighting feature. Photo by Jonathan Weiskopf.

Janae Johnson, WOWPS 2014 Finalist, champion Boston slammer, and Moonlighting feature. Photo by Jonathan Weiskopf.

Janae Johnson is a Stevie Wonder-loving, Jamba Juice-sipping, slampoet, educator, and activist in the Boston area. With a jock’s mentality and a poet’s heart, Janae brings all sports and no games to poetry slam. Inspired by uncomfortable silences and midnight bus rides, Janae uses her poetry to shed light on issues of racial inequality, homophobia, and the nuances of love. Truly believing that language is power, she wishes to inspire others to find and embrace the strength in their voices. Janae ranked 5th at the Women of the World PoetrySlam (2014), was the grand slam champion of the 2014 Boston Poetry Slam Team and the 2013 Lizard Lounge Poetry Slam Team. She is the founder/coach/advisor for the nationally ranked Simmons College (Speaks) Poetry Slam team.

This show in our monthly Thursday LGBTQ series takes place at Fazenda Coffee Roasters, 3710 Washington St. in the Jamaica Plain area of Boston. An open mic begins at approximately 7:00 p.m. and the headliner follows the open mic. The show is all-ages and a $3 donation is requested.

Cantab Feature for Wednesday, October 1, 2014: Sean Patrick Mulroy

Sean Patrick Mulroy, 2014 Boston Poetry Slam IWPS representative.

Sean Patrick Mulroy, 2014 Boston Poetry Slam IWPS representative.

Sean Patrick Mulroy is having the best 2014 ever. Listen: first, after ten years of visiting, slamming at, and working for the Boston Poetry Slam, he finally took possession of the Champions of Champions title just this January. Next, just in time for National Poetry Month, he cemented his spot on his third Boston Poetry Slam Team, this time in the top three and with a self-imposed goal of using only formal and humorous work. AND THEN THE CAPPER: he won the six-rounds of speed and long-form work required to become our one and only Individual World Poetry Slam representative, earning himself a trip to Phoenix, Arizona this October to slam solo for the first time under the banner of his home venue.

Between all that, Sean has been hosting the open mic and slam both in the Cantab and across the river at Moonlighting, not to mention co-coaching the 2014 Boston Poetry Slam Team. After all that, we might as well give him one night to be an artist: Sean will have an extended feature time (which means no poetry slam!) just before we send him off to IWPS. We’ll be charging a $5 cover that night to help make the last few dollars for his travel and lodging to the tournament. Come out for what’s sure to be an extra-special night.

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. Due to extended feature time, there is no poetry slam tonight. The show is 18+ (ID required) and the cover charge is $5.

Cantab Recap for Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Running a slam in Boston has always meant a lot of transition for the Cantab; poets come to the city for two, or four, or five years, make their mark on the community, and then depart for the next phase of their lives. It can be easy to focus most on the voices we miss, and the new voices we hope to make their mark… But there are plenty of folks whose constant presence help bolter our reading and make the greater community what it is. One of those NorthBEAST favorites featured for us last night: Slam Free or Die native and two-time Boston Poetry Slam Team member Mckendy Fils-Aimé. True to form, Mckendy showed off his performance chops and his famed penchant for short and formal work, reading from a so-limited-it’s-already-gone chapbook he produced just for this show. Best of all, you can catch Mckendy at our show on the open mic in coming weeks, as well as weekly at the Manchester slam, where he hosts, books, and runs a Saturday workshop at UNH. Lucky us!

Trying their luck in the slam after Mckendy’s feature were six poets, all hot for the ten-dollar prize and a shot at the upcoming Champion of Champions slam at the end of October. A hotly contested finals came down to Lesley poet Maps for Teeth editor Jess Riz versus another of New Hampshire’s vital organizer poets, Emily Eastman! Emily took the win and the super-lucrative cash prize, and earns a welcome back later in the fall.

Next week: World Qualifier Champion and Individual World Poetry Slam rep for the BPS Sean Patrick Mulroy will be our feature. Sean’s got extra time to stretch out an extended feature, so there’s no slam; cover charge will be $5 to help send Sean to Phoenix for the October 8 IWPS comp, plus you might want to pack a few extra bucks to pick up his newest chapbook. See you there!

Tips from the Bar: The Lenny Kravitz Prompt

You have comprehensive knowledge of something, but you do not know how this came to be. Explain why.