Cantab Feature for Wednesday, January 7, 2015: Rachel McKibbens

Rachel McKibbens, widely published and highly acclaimed poet.

Rachel McKibbens, widely published and highly acclaimed poet.

Poet and activist Rachel McKibbens is a New York Foundation for the Arts poetry fellow and author of the critically acclaimed full-length volumes of poetry, Pink Elephant (Small Doggies Press) and Into the Dark & Emptying Field (Small Doggies Press) as well as the chapbook MAMMOTH (Organic Weapon Arts.) Regarded as one of the most dynamic poetry readers in the country, McKibbens is a nine-time National Poetry Slam team member (including a stint with the Boston Poetry Slam in 2011), the 2009 Women of the World Poetry Slam champion and the 2011 National Underground Poetry Slam individual champion.

McKibbens’ poetry has been described as “marked by an arresting sense of the human spirit as unbroken, despite incredible suffering.” The Rumpus wrote of Pink Elephant, “McKibbens awakens and haunts with selfless honesty.”

McKibbens resides in upstate New York where she teaches poetry and co-curates the monthly reading series Poetry & Pie Night. She is currently working on a memoir about growing up as a child misogynist.

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 $3.