Write about an important haircut you have had: perhaps it was perfect, or traumatic. Think about the two different people you may have been before and after.
Cantab Feature for Wednesday, July 12, 2017: NorthBEAST Regional 4×4 Team Slam III
Boston Poetry Slam official logo, by Gary Hoare.
We come to the close of our summer of slam with the last of our three Nationals-style 4×4 matches– four teams in four rounds, the ultimate balanced format for a poetry battle of strategy, emotion, and wits. This final shot for the venue team to practice for competition at the National Poetry slam will feature three other local teams, and of course include your home team.
Our field on this night will include:
- Crosstown rivals from the Lizard Lounge Poetry Jam;
- The dangerous rookies of the Mill City Slam;
- The cold-winded hearts from the north, Slam Free or Die;
- And your own beloved home team!
This show is our last team slam of the summer and will have a slightly shortened open mic and will fill quickly, so we advise arriving for door time at 7:15 to get a seat. Cover charge is $5 to help raise funds for our team to travel to Nationals in Denver this August!
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 slam begins at approximately 10:00. The show is 18+ (ID required) and the cover charge is $5.
Cantab Recap for Wednesday, July 5, 2017
This past Wednesday, we enjoyed a many-faceted feature from local poet Marisa Glynn. Variously described as “sensitive,” “a ray of light,” and “about to destroy you,” Marisa, as usual, smashed our expectations and left us with only glittering remnants. So glad to get to continue to look forward to hearing her on the weekly open mic; if you missed this week, bring your $7 next Wednesday so you can pic up a copy of Marisa’s brand new beautiful book, If There Is a Void in Your Chest, Put This Bird in its Place.
The slam was a six-poet showdown, coming down to a final pairing between newcomer Lindsay Michelle and just new-to-the-slam Jackie. After making short work of the opponents on each side of the bracket, these two met in the last round under the watch of three teams of very opinionated judges. At the end of the round, the win went to Jackie, who reads on our open mic frequently but can count this as her first $10 slam prize!
Next week: the summer of slam returns with a vengeance as we welcome our third and final Nationals-style team bout to the stage. Poets from Slam Free or Die in Manchester, N.H., Mill City Slam in Lowell, Mass. and the Lizard Lounge Poetry Slam just down the street will take on our home team on the venue stage. Remember, it’s a $5 cover to help raise money to send our team to the 2017 National Poetry Slam in Denver, and we’ll be looking for five critical judges to take on the task of rating the poems in the slam.
Tip from the Bar: The Gabrielle Bouliane Prompt
The Gabrielle Bouliane Prompt: tip from the bar for Wednesday, July 5, 2017.
Assume some form of reincarnation is real. What would like you like to come back as? What do you think other people believe you will come back as? What will the person you most love return as? Do you feel someone you love has already returned in another form?
Cantab Feature for Wednesday, July 5, 2017: Marisa Glynn
Open mic favorite and Lesley grad Marisa Glynn. Photo courtesy of Emerson Poetry Project.
Marisa Glynn grew up behind a red door, in a tiny town in Connecticut. She recently graduated Lesley University with a Master’s degree in mental health counseling. For self care, she dances around the house in an orange tutu. Marisa was told by a close friend that sensitivity is a super power. This has proven to be true through poetry as well as in her budding career. Every day she tries to emulate the sun and the way that it loves– loudly, and all at once. Marisa’s strong can be found in a pitbull named October, who also doesn’t know what to do with her body most of the time.
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.
Cantab Recap for Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Last night, we wrapped up another fine June with a feature from Raych Jackson, making us the finale in her all-New-England early summer tour. Raych was masterfully clever, heartbreaking, and funny in her perfectly timed set; if you see someone around town sporting one of her Awkward Connoisseur stegosaurus t-shirts, we hope you’ll offer an awkward-as-you-like high-five. The night closed with a full-to-the-brim slam, featuring eight hungry poets looking for the big ten-dollar prize, a qualifying spot on the 2018 slam team, and a chance to dethrone Champion of Champions RebeccaLynn on August 9. Steamrolling over all the competition from the one-spot was Lyra, who met up with Meaghan Ford who was waiting in the eight-spot; titans clashed, and Lyra was left standing! Congrats to the first-time Cantab winner, who we hope to see back in the house for the champs slam.
Next week: we’ll feature local poet Marisa Glynn, a real firecracker! By “firecracker,” of course, we mean you’d best respect her power if you don’t want to metaphorically lose a thumb; come out and get your mind blown by this steady and sensitive thinker. For those with their own ideas to fire off, we’ll have our usual open mic to open the night and an open slam following the feature.
Tips from the Bar: And That’s Why They Call It Greenland
Tip from the bar for Wednesday, June 28, 2017.
Write about a place you’ve always wanted to go, but write as if you’ve already been there. Act as if you are an expert on this place you’ve never been.
Cantab Feature for Wednesday, June 28, 2017: Raych Jackson
Raych Jackson, Chicago educator and poet. Photo by RJ Eldridge.
Rachel “Raych” Jackson is a Chicago native who currently teaches 3rd grade in the Chicago Public School system. In addition to being an educator, Rachel is also a poet and playwright. She has competed on two national teams and recently ranked 22nd in the Women of the World Poetry Slam. Her latest play will premiere in the 7th Annual Play Festival in May of 2017. She is working on her first book and proudly loves every episode of Bob’s Burgers.
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.
Cantab Recap for Wednesday, June 21, 2017
What a night! This week, we celebrated the finest solstice of the whole dang year with some of our best pals; Nationals-bound NorthBEAST slam teams from around the region took the stage for a high-quality, high-energy team slam. Four teams entered, but only one left with the highly covetable second-slam bragging rights, good until our third and final team slam on July 12. Congrats to our big winner, and huge thank-yous to all the teams for traveling so far to slam with us:
1. House Slam 100.8
2. Boston Poetry Slam 95.5
3. Verbal Slap CT 86.0
4. Slam Free or Die NH 82.2
Absentees, will it surprise you to hear that the judges were both wildly consistent (they were) and shockingly harsh (you bet that happened)? Nah, you’ve been to a slam at the Cantab before. Big thanks to Adam Stone for withstanding the first (and far from last) 5’s of the night, James Merenda for his appreciable bout management skills, and host Kieran Collier for putting as much energy into the slam as all four teams combined. And, yes, we’ll be back with our last 4×4 of 2017 on July 12, so mark your calendars, and pack a friend to wave a whiteboard for us.
Next week: we’re taking just a tiny breather from our 2017 Nationals dreams to flash back to NPS 2016. That August, the Cantab took on not one, but two Chicago teams in our first bout at the tournament, and Raych Jackson laid down some unforgettable work against us that night. This coming Wednesday, she’ll be in town for a full feature set as we welcome one-time opponent and all-time community member and writer. See you there!
Tips from the Bar: Solstice Battle Prompt
Tip from the bar for Wednesday, June 21, 2017.
What would you most like to do with the day of the year with the most daylight What did you actually do?
If ideal-day you met actual-day you at a bar or a bookstore, what would transpire between you? Could you be friends with the version of you living your ideal day?
Boston Poetry Slam Online