Cantab Recap for Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Well, we hope Scott Woods is thankful: despite his sick-day cancellation, we did NOT have to present an impromptu Columbus poet roast in lieu of his feature last night. Instead, local favorite and BPS staff mainstay Tom Slavin took the stage for a lovingly crafted, entirely off-the-dome selection of his greatest hits from 2015. Some of us wish we could put together such a cohesive and beautifully performed show given months of practice– never mind the couple of hours’ notice we were able to give Tom. If you were there, you were lucky enough to catch one more great example of how proud we are to see our poetry staff really walk the walk. If you weren’t there: well, you’re pretty lucky anyway, because in addition to hearing Tom weekly on our mic, you can also watch his Old Dog Poems website for the recorded version of last night’s feature.

Our slam last night was also one of the finest of the new season, welcoming a really exciting mix of regulars, occasionals, and new-poets-to-us to the stage. The devastating final round came down to 2016 teammates Zeke Russell and Neiel Israel: Neiel took the win, having shown off her 1-, 2-, and 4-minute poems (maybe?) for her upcoming Individual World Poetry Slam appearance. Both of those two have features coming up, so if you enjoyed the slam, mark your calendars for an excellent October.

Next week: the hits keep coming! Catherine Martin was a regular you could set your watch by on our open mic… Until coordinating a full season of the Encyclopedia Show: Somerville took her artist’s time away from us for almost a year. Come join us for her triumphant return to the poetry stage next Wednesday; if you’re looking to make your own return for the fall, we’ll have an open slam for you, too.