Cantab Recap for Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Holy scheduling follies, BPS! After not one, but TWO last-minute cancellations, the incredibly gracious and talented Rushelle Frazier agreed to fill in our Spring Break ’16 feature slot. Rushelle brought us a mix of sass and thoughtful commentary, all wrapped up in the unexpected language and transitions we’ve come to expect from this long-beloved Worcester local. If you didn’t get a chance to pick up her book, here’s a reminder that you can order Heavy Honey straight from the publisher, Doublebunny Press… Or, if you’re itching for more live performance, you can catch her at the 7 Hill Slam in Worcester on April 3.

Our fifth speed slam of the evening began with a somewhat sparse roster, but we were lucky enough to talk two more talented folks into competing for a very solid foursome. The final one-minute round came down to open mic regular John Pinkham vs. Nashville traveler Megan Smith: what a dynamic pairing! Despite a strong and polished effort by Megan, John’s momentum was not to be stopped: congrats to John on his first slam win at the Cantab. See you at the Champion of Champions Slam!

Next week: OH BOY OH BOY OH BOY, it’s the Boston Poetry Slam Team Selection Finals, YUP. Pack a $5 bill for the door to help support the team, because you’ll be paying for THREE awesome rounds from a blisteringly hot final roster: Bobby Crawford, Meaghan Ford, Manvir Singh, Joshua Elbaum, Neiel Israel, JR Mahung, Mckendy Fils-Aimé, Simone Beaubien, and Zeke Russell will all be slamming their dank little hearts out to see which five will represent us at the National Poetry Slam this year. Get in line early, stay late, and bring a buddy to judge the show!

Tips from the Bar: No One Told You Life Was Going to Be This Way

This week's writing prompt from bartender Adam Stone.

This week’s writing prompt from bartender Adam Stone.

Focus on something you have had enough of in your life: TV shows, small talk, forks, people.

Now write about a time when that very thing brought you joy.

Encyclopedia Show: Somerville for Thursday, March 10, 2016 — S3V4: THE PERIODIC TABLE OF ELEMENTS

Encyclopedia Show: Somerville — THE PERIODIC TABLE OF ELEMENTS on March 10, 2016! Art by Melissa Newman-Evans.

Encyclopedia Show: Somerville — THE PERIODIC TABLE OF ELEMENTS on March 10, 2016! Art by Melissa Newman-Evans.

Thursday, March 10, 2016
The Davis Square Theatre
255 Elm St. in Somerville
7pm doors, 8pm-10pm show
all ages, $10/$7 sliding scale
click for Facebook event

The Boston Poetry Slam and Catherine Martin return from a frigid winter break to present the next installment in a slightly educational monthly series!

Our theme for this month’s show will be THE PERIODIC TABLE OF ELEMENTS! A satisfying number of local artists have been invited to try their hand at putting their uncategorizable work into little scientific boxes.

The Encyclopedia Show Somerville is a franchise event, wherein invited artists from a variety of performance disciplines present all-new, original works on sub-topics of a single theme. A recurring cast of hosts and characters welcomes the artists with open arms and minds, while the resident Fact Checker is charged with maintaining the integrity of the Encyclopedic Truth of the show. Presenting all-original guest performances from local artists, plus work from our recurring cast members:

  • Rob Crean and Chloé Cunha provide clever banter and funny accents appropriate for CO-HOSTING
  • The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library offers MUSICAL SUPPORT
  • Wes Hazard dispenses QUESTIONABLE EXPERTISE with panache and aplomb
  • and The Intern has offered to obtain some experiment-grade sodium.

Live Fact Checking is reluctantly provided by Jack van Sly from the Institute of Human Knowledge and Hygiene. The personal assistant to Mr. van Sly is Jade Sylvan.

This show in our monthly Encylopedia Show: Somerville series takes place at the Davis Square Theatre, 255 Elm St. in Somerville. Doors and the theatre bar open for a pre-show welcome party at 7:00. The show begins promptly at 8:00 and finishes at 10:00, including a short intermission. This is an all ages show! Admission is $10, or $7 for students, teachers, or guests in Prohibition-era dress.

Cantab Feature for Wednesday, March 9, 2016: SCHEDULE CHANGE, AGAIN: Rushelle Frazier

Due to the vagaries of life, travel, and art, our re-scheduled feature, Raven McGill, will also not be able to attend this week. In great news, the following formidable and excellent local will (definitely, definitely) fill the spot:

Rushelle Frazier, Worcester superstar.

Rushelle Frazier, Worcester superstar.

Rushelle Frazier is a queer black feminist writer, permaculture educator, urban farmer, herbalist, and organizer. She was a member of the 2002 and 2015 Worcester Slam Teams and co-coach of the 2004 Worcester Youth Slam Team and the 2010 Savannah Youth Slam Team. She has been the founder and coordinator a handful of well-loved readings, most recently the Hot Spot at Nine Dot Poetry Series. She was voted Best Female Poet at the 2006 Savannah Spoken Word Festival.

You can visit her at rushellefrazier.com, or check out recent video of her poem “Ah, Merica” on YouTube. Order her newest book, Heavy Honey, from DoubleBunny Press (or pick it up at the show)!

Note that tonight’s open poetry slam is a speed slam with 3-, 2-, and 1-minute rounds. Slam winners qualify for the 2016 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.

Bio of the canceled feature:

The dramatic and whimsical Raven Skye McGill.

The dramatic and whimsical Raven Skye McGill.

Raven McGill is a soft angel/visual artist and poet hailing from New Hampshire (currently living in Oakland, Calif.) who has somehow convinced thousands of people that she is a somewhat regularly socialized human. Raven is a visual artist and performance poet whose competition credits include the Northbeast Underground Team Slam (N.U.T.S) with The Losers Club team, the National Poetry Slam as part of the 2015 Slam Free or Die team, and the National Underground Poetry Invitational Competition, for which she was a semi-finalist in 2015.

Her poetry can be found via Radius Lit and Youtube via Slamfind and Button Poetry. Her poems have been on Everyday Feminism and Huffington Post Black Voices. Her visual works can be found on tumblr (for now). You can also find her pretty much everywhere on the internet because it’s spooky like that.

Due to circumstances of scheduling, Timothy DuWhite will not be able to feature this week; we are actively looking to re-book the poet for an August 2016 date.

Bio of the original canceled feature (we look forward to re-booking Tim for August):

Humble and mind-bending artist Timothy DuWhite.

Humble and mind-bending artist Timothy DuWhite.

Through mistakes, short-comings, and failures Timothy DuWhite has been able to fashion himself a body of work that speaks directly to the value of transparency as well as self-accountability. Timothy has dedicated his journey of both artist-hood as well as person-hood to the preservation of stories, all of our stories, and all of the purpose they bear. As a spoken word artist, Timothy enlists his audience members in arratives spanning the pain of love, the insurmountable teeth of joy, the importance of forgiveness, the realities of living with a disease, the struggles of a man of color, the struggles of a queer man, the interconnections of the human experience, and every bit of beauty that can be found in the small and seemingly insignificant.

Timothy’s work has been featured at venues such as the United Nations/UNICEF, Apollo Theater, San Diego State University, Nuyorican Poet’s cafe, La Mama Theatre and many more. Timothy believes that by sharing our individual experiences and maintaining a dialogue of honesty amongst ourselves we can better navigate this behemoth we call life.

Cantab Recap for Wednesday, March 2, 2016

It was a cozy poetry night hidden from the wind in the Cantab yesterday, where feature Janaka Stucky arrived complete with polish, drama, and a wry and loving self-awareness that no Boston Poetry Slam feature should be without. As you know, Janaka took no payment for this feature, instead choosing to donate his honorarium to Black Lives Matter Boston; you can learn more about how to support the artist at janakastucky.com.

After Janaka’s feature, the seven-poet slam breathed an air of irreverence back into the room, as some very funny work (and a few gentle heckles) hit the stage. The top spot was a tug-of-war between newly minted BPS team finalist Bobby Crawford and Women-of-the-World-Poetry-Slam-bound Jess Rizkallah: on a vector for the big slam in NYC next week, Jess took the win in the one-minute round and earned herself the ten-dollar prize.

Next week: wait, what is this? Is Raven McGill really going to make a stop to feature for us on her return visit to New Hampshire from sunny Oakland? You betcha! (No worries, we’ll be rescheduling Timothy DuWhite for later in the year.) Come see this Manchester poet you might have missed on her first return visit home from the Bay.

Tips from the Bar: Apocalypse Payday

Adam Stone's tip from the bar (standard format).

Adam Stone’s tip from the bar (standard format).

You are the last person in your industry alive and qualified to do your job. How does this affect your approach and work ethic?

Cantab Feature for March 2, 2016: Janaka Stucky

Boston poet Janaka Stucky. Photo by Adrianne Mathiowetz.

Boston poet Janaka Stucky. Photo by Adrianne Mathiowetz.

Janaka Stucky is the author of The Truth Is We Are Perfect and the publisher of Black Ocean, as well as the annual poetry journal Handsome. He is also the author of two chapbooks: Your Name Is The Only Freedom and The World Will Deny It For You. His poems have appeared in such journals as Denver Quarterly, Fence and North American Review, and his articles have been published by The Huffington Post and The Poetry Foundation. He is a two-time National Haiku Champion and in 2010 he was voted “Boston’s Best Poet” in the Boston Phoenix.

Per Janaka’s request, proceeds from his show will be donated to a local organization. Together we have decided to donate to the Boston group of Black Lives Matter, a cause close to the hearts and lives of poets in the nationwide slam community.

Note that tonight’s open poetry slam is a speed slam 3-, 2-, and 1-minute rounds. Slam winners qualify for the 2016 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, February 24, 2016

We weren’t ready! Sure, we were warned, but the Cantab was learned it is impossible to prepare for the awesome power of Siaara Freeman, mistress of craft, presence, and the very realest of all real talk. Siaara’s feature was an ideal combination of everything the room has come to love, including delicate metaphor and uncompromising narrative, all balanced out with with whip-smart banter that had audience members lining up for hugs and every last book in her suitcase. Huge thanks to Siaara for bringing her words and work to close out Black History Month at the Boston Poetry Slam, and at nearly every other slam in the NorthBEAST region!

Our third speed slam of the series saw six untentative performers take the stage to try their hand at the 3-minute, 2-minute, and 1-minute lightning format. The final sixty-second round came down to the speedy stylings of Kylie Noelle vs. Nora Meiners: WOWPS-bound Nora took the win and the ten dollars to get on the list for this year’s World Qualifier series.

Next week: it’s been a long time since we’ve seen one-time Guerrilla Poet Janaka Stucky on the Cantab stage… Long enough for the guy to rack up a fabulous set of non-slam credentials, including a bucket of publications, a national tour, two National Haiku Championship titles (yup), and a probably-new-to-you book, The Truth Is We Are Perfect. Come early to introduce yourself to this busy local; stay late to get yourself into the fourth open speed slam in this 8×8 series.

Tips from the Bar: Killing Your Darling

You may have written a poem before with a “ghost line” as a prompt: beginning with a line (perhaps from another source), then erasing it to complete your poem at the end…

This time, try editing an already complete poem of yours by removing the final lines or stanza. What now?

Cantab Feature for Wednesday, February 24, 2016: Siaara Freeman

Cleveland poet Siaara Freeman.

Cleveland poet Siaara Freeman.

Siaara Freeman was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She’s very proud of this even when others assume she’d feel otherwise. She began writing at 7 years old and actively slamming at 15 for the National Brave New Voices Competition until she was 19. She then entered the adult scene slamming for both Columbus and Cleveland. Siaara’s poems offer an actual face to the urban experience instead of a caricature, insisting that you see the people she sees, the stories she knows, whether you find them respectable or not. She has traveled the country and she does not make fans– she makes friends.

She met Maya Angelo and has a selfie for proof. She has been the grand slam champ in both cities she slammed for. (She’s never done an individual competition, but she’d like to.) Her team made it to final stage their first year at BNV in 2008, which was pretty lit. Enough about slam doe: “Siaara is attempting to grow her afro so tall, God mistakes it for a microphone and decides to speak into her.”

Note that tonight’s open poetry slam is a speed slam 3-, 2-, and 1-minute rounds. Slam winners qualify for the 2016 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.