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Open Mic Highlights
• Mary’s Heated Rivalry poem and “I have no one I can give my power to who can also protect it”
• Jennifer’s “Confession of An Emotional Intelligent Avoidant” (great title / relatable!)
• Ember wasn’t supposed to be in town but got to say goodbye for a record third time (lucky for us!) and Bailey gave us a fiery new piece after poet Richard Siken, involving an “autism-friendly desert fork”
• Kaitie D’s “Eulogy to The Daughters” (after Ben Tolkin) that sprung from a litany beginning with “I have a daughter in ______”
• Abbie’s ouroboros farewell poem as they return to Ireland, and Carson’s “Queer Inquiry To Friendship In Movies”
• An incredible staff/smoking section that had Aparna’s moving piece about a Cambridge meeting discussing a police murder, Amy’s “All poets need a poem titled ‘Inheritance'” after Catherine Weiss, Kai’s dive into romance novels, and Myles’ absolutely iconic “Defend Allston (from ICE)” poem that showcases the neighborhood in all of its glory.
Feature
We had an open qualifying poetry slam this week! First-time slammers Abigail and Winston both made it to 2nd round with solid work: Abby detailing the last words of a relationship, and Winston responding to Aparna’s classic “I Imagine My Mother On Her Deathbed And”. Our final two was a surprise–Keaton signed up on a whim but delivered strong work on their drag name (“Male Hysteria”), late night ChatGPT conversations, and their well-known poem about a Boston redditor looking for people to compete with. Even more of a surprise was getting to hear three poems from no-longer-in-Boston-but-still-in-New England Bobby Crawford, who read the humorous “The Summer All The Girlfriends Disappeared”, a solitary tale of how “The Internet Works But Maybe It Shouldn’t”, and a nearly 4 minute epic about continuing to work at the same bar where one of their late co-workers used to work, and keeping up their traditions and recipes. Keaton was the winner of the slam, but a great time was had by all!
Coming Up This Wednesday
This week we have a feature from across the country: Ally Ang!
Bio: Ally Ang is a gaysian poet & editor based in Seattle, WA. Their work has appeared in The Rumpus, Muzzle Magazine, ANMLY, and elsewhere. Ang is a 2023 National Endowment for the Arts fellow and MacDowell fellow. Their debut poetry collection, Let the Moon Wobble, is now out from Alice James Books. Find them at allysonang.com or on Twitter and Instagram @TheOceanIsGay.
See you soon!
– MFG 🚪
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