Boston Poetry Slam February Newsletter
Hello Poet!
Welcome to the February installment of the Boston Poetry Slam's monthly newsletter! We had a lovely, fantastic month here at the Cantab, featuring several poets, first chances, last chances, odes, elegies, you name it. Read below for what occurred, a look ahead, and other important updates.
Note: If the newsletter looks a little different, that's because we changed mass email providers from TinyLetter to Buttondown :)
Features and Monthly Recap:
Since the last newsletter, we featured one incredible poet. See below for details, and be sure to check out the Feature Link Corner at the end of the newsletter for details on their work.
- Mica Rich read a curated (and completely memorized!) set of poems guaranteed to tug on your heartstrings (or even maybe rip them out). Mica drew from their personal experience for several of their poems, and their raw vulnerability was comforting, emotional, and inspiring. A poet with a real gift for talking to you directly, they stepped back from the mic to deliver a truly powerful poem that my words won’t do justice. I encourage you to watch the saved livestream on our Instagram @bostonpoetryslam. See recap from that night here.
This past month also featured SEVERAL slams, three to be exact! The Speed Slam on 1/17 was certified "Oops! All Bangers" and resulted in a Kelsey Kessler victory (recap here). Then, we had slams for two weeks in a row, serving as mad dashes to qualify to try out for our 2024 slam team. The recaps from those nights are here and here. As a result, we have 15 poets qualified to try out for the team this year - check out the "Coming up" section below for the preliminary round dates! The final team selection slam will be on 3/27.
Coming up at the Cantab:
2/21 – Hailey Tran
2/28 – TEAM SELECTION PRELIMINARY #1
3/06 – Partridge Boswell
3/13 – TEAM SELECTION PRELIMINARY #2
Missed Connections:
Our Missed Connections Form got... no submissions this month. But hey! I guess that means people were connecting up a storm and that's something to celebrate.
REMINDER - this form is for anyone to submit an anonymous compliment, shoutout, or even a declaration. It could be about a missed connection, a poet shoutout, a hope or dream for the show, a line from a poem you wish you could have performed, etc. Click the link here to learn about what this funky thing actually is, and keep it in the back of your mind. Filling out the form could make a poet's whole month!
Event Spotlight: The Odeo!
Valentine's day fell on a Wednesday this year, which of course called for a special themed slam. This year, we settled upon the "Odeo," or Ode Rodeo! Ironically, "Odeo" sounds quite a bit like "odio" which translates to "hate" in Spanish, and I'll just say we love some quality poetic irony around here. We highly encouraged Odeo attendees to dress up as cowboys, and we got quite the turnout (as seen in the Photos section below).
As the Odeo was a slam, we had a whopping 12 competitors go head-to-head for three rounds, performing odes to nearly anything you could think of! Highlights include the duo K&K (Kai Wallin and Kaitie Dilán) performed an Odesonnepuntal (Ode/Sonnet/Contrapuntal) telling us all to be gay and do crimes. We had great poems by recent feature Mica Rich and staff host Nayeli, while open mic regular Otto Vock tugged at our hearts with their personal experience being an educator, and then proceeded to made it all the way to the final round in their first-time slamming! At the end of it all, love was in the air, but so was $50 dollars and bragging rights; new standout regular Mary S claimed the big Odeo win!!! Thank you once again to our hosts, judges, and all slammers for a fabulous show! See the full recap from all the shenanigans from that night here.
Participants:
K & K (Kai Wallin and Kaitie Dilan)
Otto Vock
Mary
Nayeli
DECKER
Mica Rich
Daniel
Eddy Martinez
March Penn
TJ Jones
Skylar
Cameron
Regular Interview: Logan Lopez
Logan Lopez is a regular and 2023 Boston Poetry Slam Team member who is known for his storytelling, positive attitude, and poems that stay lingering in your mind well after he leaves the mic. We love our backwards-baseball-cap-wearing friend - read more about him below!
What first brought you to the Cantab?
"I don’t remember the first time, but it was the pre-pandemic era, probably 2016. Myles (your curator) and I were roommates in college, so I went with him a few times."
What is your favorite Cantab memory?
"Having Myles’ and Zeke’s books come out one after another was really special. I got both of them in the same package from Game Over Books and it was like “hey these are my coaches, here together.” I’ve been friends with Myles for so long that holding his book felt like such an important milestone."
Do you have a favorite topic to write about or form to write in? If so what is it?
"I write about gender and queerness most of the time. I also studied fiction in college, so I’m a big fan of persona poems or otherwise creating characters in my work."
What do you like to do outside of poetry?
"I like to spend time with friends and be creative in a variety of ways. I like baseball, so I watch that (the Yankees) often, and for the last two years I’ve been keeping notebooks where I record the schedule and the line up for each game. I also love cooking dinners for or with my housemates."
What’s your go-to order at the bar?
"Dark and stormy or a dirty Shirley. But my favorite night was the time I asked folks what I should drink for the night and TJ said “something green” so Adam made me a dark and stormy with Midori in it and it was disgustingly green."
Drop some music/book/poem recs!
"Already Knew You Were Coming — Nnenna Loveth Nwafor. I just saw their feature at the Boston Liberation Center and it was one of the most powerful features I’ve seen so far."
Do you have a memorable poem you’ve either read or heard at the Cantab? If so, what was memorable about it?
"The first time I read the firehouse poem was really special. I wasn’t sure about it yet and I threw it during an impromptu slam because the feature couldn't make it. There was a really big audience reaction, and that’s when I knew it was a special poem."
What would you tell someone coming to the Cantab for the first time?
"It’s worth it. It seems daunting and long, and maybe a little weird, to be spending that much time at a bar on a Wednesday night, but it’s worth it. This past week I spent Valentine’s Day at the Cantab and I was like wow, I get to spend this day with the people I care about the most."
Photo Gallery:
Feature Link Corner:
- Mica Rich: Buy their book This is How Wildflowers Grow here. Website: www.micalediting.net
Poetry Around the Country - New York:
Boston Poetry Slam is one of several poetry communities across the country, and I've begun making a list of all of them by state. This week, we are looking into the poetry scene in New York! Note: New York, specifically NYC, has countless open mics and poetry communities. There are very likely several more I did not mention below.
– The Nuyorican (NYC) - Although their doors are currently closed due to a 3-year renovation, you cannot talk about New York poetry without mentioning the Nuyorican Poets Cafe. Founded in 1973, the Nuyorican Poets Café has served as a home for groundbreaking works of poetry, music, theater and visual arts. A multicultural and multi-arts institution, the Café gives voice to a diverse group of rising poets, actors, filmmakers and musicians. Currently, their Open Mics, Poetry Slams, Grand Slams, Music Programs and Educational Programs are now taking place in various venues around the Lower East Side and NYC. Check out their Full Events Calendar for information and tickets.
– KGB Bar (NYC - East Village) - The legendary Monday night poetry reading series at the KGB Bar in the East Village was founded in 1997 by David Lehman and Star Black. The weekly series unites poets and audience from across the country in an intimate venue to hear some of the greatest poets of our time as well as exciting newer authors--all for free. The KGB Bar, a former speakeasy and Ukrainian socialist club, is often cited as one of New York City's hottest literary venues. The series is curated and hosted by poets John Deming and Matthew Yeager. Please also check out KGB Bar Lit!
– Slam Euphoria (Troy) - Slam Euphoria is a FREE Open Mic and Poetry Slam, hosted every first and third Friday, at Cafe Euphoria in Troy, NY, from 6:30pm- 9pm. They are a new venue that provides space for art and builds competitive poetry in the Captial Region (near Albany). Fun fact - it is run by previous feature and friend to the Cantab, EL Evelyn. They currently have a fundraiser going on as well to support their current and future initiatives, as a relatively newer slam!
– One Love One Mic (NYC) - One Love One Mic is a poetry series hosted by The Bee The Artist. It occurs at various spots around the city so be sure to follow their Insta to stay in the loop!
– The Harlem Bomb Shelter (NYC - Harlem) - Founded in 2012, the Harlem Bomb Shelter has provided a safe haven of creative expression for young adults in NYC to share artistry.
– Trouble Makers Open Mic (NYC) - This open mic takes place all over NYC for music and poetry!
– The Inspired Word Open Mic (NYC) - Founded by award-winning journalist Mike Geffner, this indie performance series produces open mics primarily in Brooklyn for all art forms including poetry! It began as strictly a poetry series in March 2009, on a blizzard of a Monday night at a sleepy vegan organic restaurant along Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills, and went on to expand to music and comedy. Check out this great family of artists!
Staff Picks:
Myles: NDN Coping Mechanisms by Billy-Ray Belcourt; Critical Hits: Writing Playing Video Games edited by Carmen Maria Machado
Alex: All the Blood Involved in Love by Maya Marshall
Zeke: Mad Dog Black Lady by Wanda Coleman
The 2023 Cantabulations are HERE:
This year, the wonderful Michael F. Gill compiled several stats from our 2023 shows into a sort of "Cantab Wrapped." Kat Gunther compiled all that great info into a cantabulous format, resulting in the very first edition of Boston Poetry Slam's yearly Cantabulations. View them here, or you can grab a copy of your own at our Wednesday Open Mics. It includes a list of features, start and end times for the show, and much much more. You (yes, YOU) might even be mentioned :). NOTE: If you have any suggestions for stats we should track in 2024, please let us know at questions@bostonpoetryslam.com
About Boston Poetry Slam:
The core Boston Poetry Slam show runs at the Cantab Lounge in Cambridge, Mass. every Wednesday night, giving poets a chance to share their work in the open mic or slam and featuring a headlining poet or theme slam. Doors @7:15, show starts at 8pm. 21+. $4 cover (cash preferred, Venmo available). Follow our Instagram (below) for the most up-to-date info. The show and its community are curated entirely by unpaid volunteers.
Website: https://bostonpoetryslam.com/
Instagram: @bostonpoetryslam
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bostonpoetryslam
The recently-released second issue of our official zine, The Cantabernacle, is available online and at our Wednesday night shows! Submissions are also now open for the next issue, so please send us your work at michael@bostonpoetryslam.com
Questions? Comments? Concerns? Contact questions@bostonpoetryslam.com
Newsletter Credits: Written by Amy Argentar, edited by Michael F. Gill