Cantab Recap for Wednesday, December 28th, 2022

The Wednesday between Christmas and New Years proved to be an end-of-the-year extravaganza at the Cantab! After getting a copy of the newly-debuted “Cantabernacle,” a newsletter curated by many wonderful Cantab folk, both regulars and first-timers took their seats. The open mic this week included some wholesome reflections on the year, some poets paying homage to other poets that inspired them, and the continuation of a chain of self-proclaimed “sad poems.” The smoking section featured the usual display of talent (as well as some dazzling new years outfits) and a short-but-sweet haiku slam, where the winner C. S. Taylor was awarded the dignified $17. The night got even sweeter as it was announced that the lovely Sam Bucci brought homemade champagne-flavored cupcakes!

To top off the night, an open slam hosted by Myles Taylor ended the year in style. Eight slammers competed for a $50 prize, two of whom were first-time readers! After several consistently great performances, Kai Wallin came out on top, narrowly beating runner-up Charlie V. with an incredible and enthusiastic love poem.

Next week: Please join us in our excitement to see a wonderful feature by John Paul Davis, and the first open mic of 2023!

– Amy ✈️

Upcoming features!

January 4th, 2023John Paul Davis
John Paul Davis’s poems have appeared in numerous journals such as RATTLE, MUZZLE, The Bennington Review, Four Way Review, Southern Humanities Review, Maine Review and many others. His first book, Crown Prince Of Rabbits was published by Great Weather For Media in 2017. He twice represented Chicago at the National Poetry Slam as part of the Mental Graffiti team. He is a former curator of Page Meets Stage and the louderARTS Project. He also composes and performs music as part of Love In The Ruins and Day Of The Mountain. You can find out more about him at johnpauldavis.org or follow him on “the gram” at john.paul.davis.

January 11th, 2023Dr. Joshua Bennett
Dr. Joshua Bennett is a Professor of English and Creative Writing at Dartmouth College. He is the author of three books of poetry and literary criticism: The Sobbing School (Penguin, 2016)—which was a National Poetry Series selection and a finalist for an NAACP Image Award—Being Property Once Myself (Harvard University Press, 2020) and Owed (Penguin, 2020). Bennett holds a Ph.D. in English from Princeton University, and an M.A. in Theatre and Performance Studies from the University of Warwick, where he was a Marshall Scholar. In 2021, he received the Whiting Award for Poetry and Nonfiction. His first work of narrative nonfiction, Spoken Word: A Cultural History, is forthcoming from Knopf.

Further down the road:
January 25thOpen Poetry Slam
February 22Chen Chen

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). Doors for the show open at 7:15. The open mic begins at 8:00 and the feature performs at approximately 10:00. The show is 21+ (ID/Proof of Vaccination required) and the cover charge is $3.