Cantab Recap for Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Yup, we’ve been waiting for Geoff Kagan Trenchard to come back to the Cantab for almost three years, and it was totally worth the wait. This Juris Doctor Candidate took a tiny break from his life as a student to school us on proper storytelling, fine-tuned word choice, and impeccable stage presence.

To close the night, our final speed slam in the 8×8 series only had four takers… Which meant a good chance of winning the ten bucks at the end of the night, right? Well, whatever you might have thought your chances are, you would have gotten beat by either Meaghan Ford or Emily Carroll on their way to the finals! Slamming all on page, Emily took the high cumulative score in the first two rounds and a victory in the final one-minute round, which puts her in in the sweet spot in next week’s Champion of Champions match.

That’s right: next week, we invite the past eight slam winners back to the show for an all-champs speed slam and a chance to take down reigning champ Sean Patrick Mulroy. But first, we’ll knock their confidence down a few notches by bringing an awesome published slammer to the stage. Get ready to welcome Hieu Minh Nguyen, Write Bloody author and thoughtful man of craft, on his visit to balmy Boston from chilly Minnesota.

Tips from the Bar: Why Adam Doesn’t Drive the Company Car

What is something you have stolen from work that will not get you fired?

Cantab Feature for Wednesday, April 16, 2014: Geoff Kagan Trenchard

Geoff Kagan Trenchard, Def Poet and Penmanship author.

Geoff Kagan Trenchard, Def Poet and Penmanship author.

Geoff Kagan Trenchard’s poems have been published in numerous journals including Word Riot, The Nervous Breakdown, The Worcester Review, SOFTBLOW and Pemmican. He has received endowments from the National Performance Network, Dance Theater Workshop, The Zellerbach Family Foundation and the City of Oakland to produce original theatrical work. As a mentor for Urban Word NYC, he taught weekly poetry workshops in the foster care center at Bellevue as well as in Rikers Island with Columbia University’s “Youth Voices on Lockdown” program. He is a recipient of a fellowship from the Riggio Writing and Democracy program at the New School and the first ever louderARTS Writing Fellowship.

Geoff has performed poetry on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, at universities throughout the United States, and in theaters internationally as a member of the performance poetry troupe The Suicide Kings. His first poetry collection, Murder Stay Murder, is published on Penmanship Books. He is currently a Juris Doctor Candidate for the class of 2014 at the Hofstra University School of Law. He lives in Brooklyn and can be found at his personal website.

Note that tonight’s open poetry slam is a speed slam 3-, 2-, and 1-minute rounds. Slam winners qualify for the 2014 World Qualifier.

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 speed slam in the 8×8 series will follow. The show is 18+ (ID required) and the cover charge is $3.

Cantab Recap for Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Finally, finally, finally! After a short and sweet spotlight from the much-missed April Ranger, on the just-about-one-year anniversary of the birth of the famous “Ed! Ed! Ed!” chant, the awesomely cynical and tenderly heartbreaking Ed Wilkinson took the stage for a full set of all-new work. Ed took us on an astronomical, mathematical, and (surprise!) personal journey in a set of linked poems unveiled especially for this night. What a beautiful, honest, and emotional journey; we mark ourselves lucky to call Ed our own on so many Wednesday nights.

The speed slam was short a couple of poets, with just a six-person roster competing for the ten-dollar prize, but we enjoyed some great moments throughout, including a shining introduction to long-time Mill City poet Ricky Ormg. The night’s big winner, though, was Nathan Comstock, who grabs one of the last three spots for the 2014 World Qualifier Speed Slam next month.

Coming up next week: charismatic slam veteran Geoff Kagan Trenchard returns for his first feature back since 2010! The speed slam to close the night will be the last in this 8×8 series.

Tips from the Bar: The Nermal Arbuckle Prompt

Somewhere in the world, someone is boxing up all the things in the world that annoy them, and mailing them away… To you. Now what?

Cantab Feature for Wednesday, April 9, 2014: Ed Wilkinson

Ed Wilkinson performing at Manchester's Slam Free or Die. Photo by Christopher Clauss.

Ed Wilkinson performing at Manchester’s Slam Free or Die. Photo by Christopher Clauss.

Ed Wilkinson has been writing and performing poems all over New England for years. He was a member of the 2013 Boston Poetry Slam team and is a current member of the Slam Free or Die loser’s club. He is currently working on several poetry projects that are unlikely to be completed in the near future because he has too many hobbies. These hobbies include but are not limited to: fire spinning, sadness, tabletop miniatures games, barely playing the harmonica and being easily distracted. Ed lives in Manchester New Hampshire and works at a gas station. He considers himself a better disgruntled employee than a writer.

Tonight’s show will also feature an open mic spotlight from April Ranger, beloved Cantab host and three-time Boston Poetry Slam Team member, returning for a visit from NYC. In town for just this one night, April will perform a short set during the open mic portion of the evening.

Note that tonight’s open poetry slam is a speed slam 3-, 2-, and 1-minute rounds. Slam winners qualify for the 2014 World Qualifier.

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 speed slam in the 8×8 series will follow. The show is 18+ (ID required) and the cover charge is $3.

Cantab Recap for Wednesday, April 2, 2014

National Poetry Month at the Cantab started with a bang last night, poetry fans! Or maybe we mean: a cannon boom, a wicked bass beat, and a couple of writing hands’ worth of cracking knuckles. Our open mic readers came prepared with really excellent work to celebrate the season, highlighted by Cameroon-via-D.C. poet and professional hugger Pages Matam, who dropped a short set on the open mic and shared his work from God Circus with an enthusiastic crowd.

Our feature, Khary Jackson, then took the stage for a complete and mind-blowing set: with a few songs accompanied by his own looped cello, and a few more powerful vocal solos, Khary showed off his musical, theater, and writing chops in a room hanging on his every word and note. Although he didn’t have his latest book with him to vend, you can purchase the brand-new Any Psalm You Want online at his publisher, Write Bloody.

Lastly, we had a rip-roaring six competitors for the slam, a full half of which just may have been from north of north of the border! In a statistically likely showdown, the last round came down to two rising Maine performers: Robin Merrill’s deadpan demeanor carried her all the way to the one-minute finals, but the intense (and intensely fashionable, yes, really) Ellyn Touchette took the victory and the ten dollars. What a hot night!

With spring in the air, of course, it’s only going to get hotter in our little basement. Don’t miss the show next week when our outgoing Team Selection Slam Champion and ultra-loveable cynic Ed Wilkinson takes the stage for a long-overdue feature. We’ll close the night with the penultimate slam in our 8×8 speed slam series…

And don’t forget, of course, about our first Thursdays reading, Moonlighting! Our April show features Jha-D Williams of the famous If You Can Feel It, You Can Speak It reading, kicking off at 7:00 p.m. at Fazenda Coffee Roasters in JP.

Tips from the Bar: Think About Yourself for a Minute

Write a praise poem in praise of your (own) least favorite body part.

Moonlighting: A Queer Open Mic and Reading Series Featuring Jha D Williams on Thursday, April 3, 2014

This reading is part of our monthly LGBTQ series, Moonlighting. Click here for more information about this recurring show.

The featured reader for April 3 is Jha D Williams.

Jha D Williams, founder of If You Can Feel It, You Can Speak It, performing at the Philly Dyke March.

Jha D Williams, founder of If You Can Feel It, You Can Speak It, performing at the Philly Dyke March.

Jha D is the founder of the “If You Can Feel It, You Can Speak It” open mic at Jamaica Plain’s Milky Way, as well as the dreamer of EN-ER-GY, an annual showcase of eclectic Boston talent. She has been writing and performing for over ten years, and her poetry has afforded her the opportunities to participate in documentaries as well as be featured at and MC various events such as the True Colors Conference and the Philadelphia Dyke March. Additionally, she has performed and conducted writing workshops at the University of Pennsylvania, Bucknell University, Northeastern University, Boston College, and UMass Boston. Her pieces are birthed from her experiences, and she therefore writes about self-love, identity evolution, sexuality and growth through emotions. She firmly believes in the power of expression and professes that “there is true art in spreading your own truths.”

This show in our monthly Thursday LGBTQ series takes place at Fazenda Coffee Roasters, 3710 Washington St. in the Jamaica Plain area of Boston. An open mic begins at approximately 7:00 p.m. and the headliner follows the open mic. The show is all-ages and a $3 donation is requested.

Cantab Feature for Wednesday, April 2, 2014: Khary Jackson

Khary Jackson, St. Paul poet, playwright, and Cave Canem Fellow.

Khary Jackson, St. Paul poet, playwright, and Cave Canem Fellow.

Khary Jackson is a poet, playwright, dancer and musician. He is a Cave Canem Fellow, and thus has further reason to adore black people. He has written twelve plays, one of which (Water) was produced in 2009 at Ink and Pulp Theatre in Chicago. He has been a recipient of several grants, including the 2012 Cultural Community Partnership Grant, 2010 Artist Initiative Grant for Poetry from the Minnesota State Arts Board, and the 2009 VERVE Spoken Word Grant from Intermedia Arts. As a performance poet, he has enjoyed great success in national competition, ranking nationally in 2007, 2008 and 2009, as well as winning the National Poetry Slam with the St. Paul team in 2009 and 2010. His first poetry book, Any Psalm You Want, was published with Write Bloody Publishing in the spring of 2013.

Note that tonight’s open poetry slam is a speed slam 3-, 2-, and 1-minute rounds. Slam winners qualify for the 2014 World Qualifier.

Pages Matam, spotlight feature visiting from Washington, D.C.

Pages Matam, spotlight feature visiting from Washington, D.C.

Tonight’s show will also feature a spotlight by Pages Matam, visiting from D.C.! Pages Matam is a multidimensional national touring artist, residing in the D.C. area, but originally from Cameroon, Africa. He is a Write Bloody author, playwright, and award-winning slam poet with passions in the field of youth, activism, and education. Along with his greatest accomplishment, being a father, he is also a proud gummy bear elitist, bow-tie enthusiast, professional hugger and anime fanatic. As he takes stage-– as a poet, educator, or host-– be prepared to be taken on an experience of cultural, socially conscious, and personal discovery unapologetic in its silly, yet visceral and beautifully honest in its storytelling. Be here no later than 8:30 to make sure you catch Pages’ mini-feature on the open mic! The poet will have his chapbook, God Circus, on hand for fans to purchase.

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 speed slam in the 8×8 series will follow. The show is 18+ (ID required) and the cover charge is $3.