Cantab Recap For Wednesday, January 22th, 2025

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Hi Cantab! Reporting to you live from… a Wednesday! Last week’s show was thrilling, both in the fresh poems on the open mic as well as the powerful last chance slam. On the open, Cam S did a beautiful poem about dragons that put a smile on everyone’s faces. Loc came back to the mic to do an insightful poem on what it means to rewrite history. Mary F did a series of short work with “no endings.” Maura wowed the crowd with her oxymorons poem, commenting on her experience viewing houses on the Cape. Hallie, the great writer that she is, wove humanity, Whole Foods, and aliens into one amazing poem. Erica did a BEAUTIFUL piece about a past love, and to close out the mic, newcomer Rafi hit us with a unique and expertly written dog poem. The words “dragon,” “beat/beet,” and “history” were curiously prevalent during the mic.

The ✏️Line of the Wednesday✏️ is a TIE between Erica and Cam S.

Cam: “There were never dragons, just beasts our mind couldn’t keep”

Erica: “A certain forever started that day”

Then came our LAST CHANCE SLAM where a final 8 poets competed for the last two spots to qualify to try out for the 2025 slam team. Those poets were Tru Kwene, TJ Jones, Katya Zinn, Jarvis, Kai, Mugs Myers, Jack Chasse, and Edie. TJ Jones hit the audience in the heart with a contemplative performance, Jack Chasse characteristically captivated the audience with the speed and agility of his words, Edie called us all to action and pushed us forward with their poetry, Kai brought us to tears with their God/Father poem, Mugs returned to slam after years away, and Tru Kwene (of Lizard Lounge and National Poety Slam fame) showed us what it truly means to perform with confidence, to say every word with distinction and weight, and, of course, what it means to FIGHT.

At the end of the evening, it was down to two. Jarvis hit us with “Stay with Me” in the second round – an incredible piece that famously scored a 30 at NorthBeast in 2024. Katya also pulled out an old reliable – a gut-wrenching, beautifully written poem about speaking directly to those who’ve harmed you, which won her an award at CUPSI years ago. It came down to the wire, but Katya Zinn (a member of our 2024 team) secured the victory!! Stay tuned for our epic team selection slams that are starting next month.

Before team selection though, we do have a Wednesday… TONIGHT! And we have a feature. Caleb “The Negro Artist” Rainey is an author, performer, and event producer. He has published two books, “Look, Black Boy” and “Heart Notes,” released two albums, produced a short film with The Brucemore titled “Willing to Grow,” and starred in a documentary titled “The Negro Artist.” In 2024 he was the recipient of the Iowa Author Award for Poetry. He is the winner of several slams across the United States, placed 7th in the 2023 UNESCO Slam-0-Vision global poetry slam, and curates a community of spoken word in Iowa City through his high school program, IC Speaks, and producing events like the Mic Check Poetry Fest.

See you then!

– Amy ✈️

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