It was another full night at the Cantab this past Wednesday, with an open mic that had so many highlights to keep up with it! There was “Love Island Starring Jennifer Martinez”, Cameron’s “A Note About The Dress Code At My Wedding”, Jay’s defiant take on “No Gays in the BSA”, Zack’s scrabble-themed poem that tackled immigration and fleeing with only 7 letters to your name, Will’s cleansing ritual poem followed by Alex Kist’s response to it, Zeke’s spirited tribute to Massholes™, and Kat Anderson’s dental-aftermath poem where the poet finds themself surprised-but-up-for-the-fight with their body’s reactions. This isn’t even mentioning what was likely the most stunning moment of the open mic: Maura’s “Rejection Letter From My Dream Journal,” which took its inventive premise of rejected dreams down an unexpectedly dark and winding road, transfixing the entire audience and staff!
The ✏️Line of the Wednesday✏️ is by Nick Roberts, with the relatable query “What complaint today, my heart?”
Our very entertaining and heart-tugging feature was Liv Mammone, who read a wide range of work that built eager anticipation for their debut collection coming out in 2025! There was an unforgettable first date horror story, a memorable piece in the voice of their grandmother from Flushing (full disclosure: this recapper grew up in Flushing), formal work that ranged from a golden shovel to the lost art of the “tumblr response poem”, and a sneak behind with the curtain with a poem that Liv’s manuscript editor has currently deemed too spicy to publish! Thank you Liv!
This week, it’s Allston Christmas! Come celebrate the local holiday with us for our annual found poem slam: bring any piece of text under 3 minutes that was found out on the streets (or the internet) and would not typically be considered a poem. Competitors will be paired up and the winners of each found poem pair will win a prize from the Allston Christmas Sidewalk (a collection of items Myles has scrounged in Allston Christmases past).
There will also be an early-bird workshop starting at 6:30 by Elana Lev Friedland, entitled “The Performance of Everyday Life”. In this generative workshop, we’ll explore and create works that live at the intersection of poetry and performance art. We’ll focus on the ways the body and everyday objects can reframe the mundane. Readings will include works by Yoko Ono, CAConrad, and Gabrielle Civil. Time permitting, work may be shared with the group (though sharing is not required). The workshop cost is $10-$20 sliding scale, and workshoppers will have early access to the open mic list.
See you soon!
– MFG 🚪
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