Happy Wednesday! This week was especially chock-full of amazing material from our open mic. One highlight was a hilarious and hard-hitting piece by Frank, who may not be good at flirting but is certainly good at impeccable similes and dropping bars. Other poets brought similarly powerful pieces, commenting on gun violence, gender, and self-consciousness. During our smoking section, host Aparna delivered yet another stellar and spontaneous “after” haiku, usually written during the mic.
This week did not have particularly shenanigan-y🎙️Shenanigans✍️ but I’ll take this space to shout out the increasing number of newcomers brave enough to share some of their first EVER poems in the space! Keep it up!
Our feature was the incredible and heartwarming Karen G, who passionately performed a beautiful set of pieces about grief, love, self-expression, and truth. Learn more about them on Instagram @kgarrab.
Finally, this week’s ✏️Line of the Wednesday✏️ goes to Frank, with this second-half of a simile: “like a romantic mute version of Stephen King’s IT”. Please utilize whenever you see fit.
Coming up:
Drumroll please… this week’s feature is Patrick Roche!! This esteemed and renowned poet is coming to a Cantab basement near you this Wednesday! He is an award-winning queer poet, performer, mental health advocate, and Carly Rae Jepsen superfan. Videos of Patrick’s work have amassed over 9.5 million views on YouTube. His solo stage show was featured on BroadwayWorld and was selected for Dixon Place’s HOT! Festival celebrating LGBTQIA+ theater and art. Patrick has shared stages with Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of RUN DMC, Pitch Perfect star Brittany Snow, and Abbott Elementary star Tyler James Williams.
Patrick is the author of A Socially Acceptable Breakdown (Button Poetry, 2021), which was named a Finalist for the Eric Hoffer Award for Excellence in Independent Publishing. His work has appeared in or been published by Button Poetry, UpWorthy, Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post, NBC LX, MSN, Freezeray Press, Voicemail Poems, and his mom’s fridge. Stop by this week to snag a seat to see this great poet!
Last but not least, we also want to wish a very happy birthday to our beloved March Penn, a very remarkable and consistent poet in our community.
See ya!
– Amy ✈️
Our upcoming features
Our community survey
First timer? Looking for show info? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions
All shows take place at the Cantab Lounge, 738 Massachusetts Ave. in Cambridge, with one flight of stairs to access the basement room (click for directions and accessibility information). The show is $4 / 21+ (ID/Proof of Vaccination required) and doors for the show open at 7:15. The open mic begins at 8:00 PM and the feature begins at approximately 10:00 PM.
Boston Poetry Slam Online