Boston Poetry Slam March Newsletter
Hello Poet!
Welcome to the March installment of the Boston Poetry Slam's monthly newsletter! We had an exciting month here at the Cantab, with the start of our slam season and impressive features. March also marks our 2-year anniversary of re-opening our doors after the pandemic forced them to close, so there is even more reason to celebrate!
Read below for what occurred, a look ahead, and other important updates.
Features and Monthly Recap:
Since the last newsletter, we featured three incredible poets. 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.
Hailey Tran's work was cutting, and it led you to the thesis of her poem like a hand guiding you through a dark forest. She touched upon her namesake, sibling relationships, and being the oldest child. This former Youth Poetry Slam champion really took our breath away! Check out her full feature on our Instagram. See recap from that night here.
Partridge Boswell brought Irish folk and his guitar to the stage, serenading us with a series of acoustic songs and a few poems. We always appreciate when someone brings their unique flare to the Cantab, and Partridge’s cadence and passion for the arts was clear and had the audience mesmerized! See recap from that night here.
The great Amanda Shea provided us with an astounding, entirely off-book feature. Her emotive pieces on love, loss, and how to find the most genuine parts of yourself and society, left the audience dazzled. This hard-working poet deserves all your praises. See recap from that night here.
This past month also featured our 2 preliminary slam rounds AND our Team Selection Finals! See more in our Event Spotlight Section.
Coming up at the Cantab:
4/03 – Brian S. Ellis
4/10 – Greg Smith (book release show!)
4/17 – Lynne Schmidt
4/24 – Fresh Ink Slam
Happy National Poetry Writing Month!
April is National Poetry Writing Month (or NaPoWriMo for short) and to celebrate, we are having a prompt series!
Have you ever had a prompt in your head but think it could be written in another voice? We'll trade you! Take a prompt, leave a prompt every Wednesday this April during NaPoWriMo. Find/leave prompts at the door.
Can't make it? We'll be posting daily prompts on our Instagram story @bostonpoetryslam.
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!
NEW SLAM SERIES ALERT: Slam Adams!
Looking for another poetry show? Looking to try out slamming in a low-stakes, highly-supportive environment? Do you like beer of the alcoholic or non-alcoholic varieties? Is "every Wednesday" simply not enough for you? Behold! Boston Poetry Slam is starting a monthly slam series at the Sam Adams Brewery in Jamaica Plain, and we have appropriately named the series "Slam Adams."
Slam Adams is every first Monday of the month, from 6-8pm. It is slam-only, meaning no open mic. Cover is $4, but if you volunteer to judge you may get in free! Sign ups for the slam take place IN ADVANCE - if you would like to sign up, email myles@bostonpoetryslam.com.
The first Slam Adams on April 1st was a success (full recap in the next newsletter), and the second Slam Adams will take place on MONDAY, MAY 6TH! We hope to see you then.
Event Spotlight: SLAM TEAM SELECTION
This month was the month of nerves, hours of hard work, amazing performances, and, of course, several outbursts of "HIGHER!" from the audience. Yes, this month we had our two preliminary rounds that led to our Team Selection Finals on the 27th. The energy going into the team selection process was truly something we haven't seen in years. Every round was full of grit, dedication, emotion, mutual support from the competitors, and, of course, INCREDIBLE INCREDIBLE WORK. I can't even scratch the surface of the different styles, topics, tones, and voices that graced the Cantab stage, but feel free to peruse the recaps of those nights (below). Of course, after all the excitement, our 2024 Slam Team was selected. Congratulations to our wonderful team!!
Aparna Paul
Katya Zinn
Brynna Boyd
Jennifer Martinez
Mary Schwabenland
These poets will be competing in the 2024 NorthBeast Regional slam as well as several others throughout this spring and summer. Come to these events to see this team shine!
Regular Interview: Otto Vock
Otto Vock is a regular, GrubStreet educator, food service worker, and workshop host extraordinaire. They have graciously hosted a workshop for us recently, for which we are so grateful. Also, Otto is part of a new slam team representing New England at the Midwest Mashup National slam in April in Minneapolis! The team is called "Team Unpublished" and consists of Otto, Alex Aimee Kist, Meaghan Ford, and McKendy Fils-Aime. The team has a house show coming up on 4/14 - email msg.otto.vock@gmail.com for the info!
What first brought you to the Cantab?
"My friend Eben invited me to come along one night! The feature didn’t end up making it, so the staff threw an impromptu slam. My dear friend Logan won, and Eben slammed for the first time! It was so energizing to celebrate their work, and hear from new poets. It was also the first time since the pandemic I had come across a poetry scene that felt like the ones I grew up around. I’ve been coming by creating/growing there ever since!"
What is your favorite Cantab memory?
"I have many, many, good memories, though one of my recent favorites was everyone wearing cowboy hats at the Odeo! It was a perfect amount of silliness wrapped up in a wild slam. Another highlight was teaching a Persona Poem workshop right before one of the open mics (P.S. Go to Nayeli’s workshop on April 3rd!!!) and then having so many amazing folks read poems from the workshop at the open mic. There’s so much beauty to me in how wildly different responses can be to the same workshop prompt."
Do you have a favorite topic to write about or form to write in? If so what is it?
"I tend to write about difficult intersections between my identity and my life, and in what ways I feel implicated in the issues around me / the wider historical moment. I try to write poems on things I know don’t have a single right answer, and I try to embrace the fact that I’m an unreliable narrator. Not out of deception, but out of knowing there is only so much I can witness and capture from my scope or perspective. The attempt at a makeshift answer or clarity through observation is often where beauty and empowerment lie in poetry for me."
What do you like to do outside of poetry?
"There’s life outside of poetry? Well, I also teach… Poetry… Btw, if you’re looking for 1-on-1, sliding-scale/pay-what-you-can poetry lessons, feel free to drop me a line at msg.otto.vock@gmail.com!
Oh, I play an unhealthy amount of videogames as well :)"
What’s your go-to order at the bar?
"Moscow Mule, sub the vodka for tequila B-)"
Drop some music/book/poem recs!
"Pig by Sam Sax; Soft Science by Franny Choi; Rose by Li-Young Lee"
Do you have a memorable poem you’ve either read or heard at the Cantab? If so, what was memorable about it?
"Hearing Logan Lopez’s persona poem from the perspective of the Logan Airport for the first time. Jaw-dropping moment. It’s one of the best persona poems out there. Especially for picking up on the particularities of being non-binary. You can fight me on that."
What would you tell someone coming to the Cantab for the first time?
"Don’t forget to bring your heart! But if you do, don’t worry, there’s extra to go around."
Photo Gallery:
Feature Link Corner:
Hailey Tran: Check out her website and publications at www.haileymtran.com.
Partridge Boswell: Buy his book Some Far Country here.
Amanda Shea: Check out her website here and follow her on Instagram @amandasheaallday
Poetry Around the Country - New Jersey:
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 Jersey! Fun Fact: New Jersey is the hometown of our Curator, Myles Taylor!
– NJ Poetry Calendar (Various) - This handy calendar has a convenient list of all poetry events throughout the entire state!
– NJ Poetry Map (Various) - NJ has proven to win so far in the state with the most poetry databases category. This map lists all poetry communities throughout the state (doing my job for me much?)
– ALSO: Follow @njpoetryrenaissance - a Working Class Literary Movement founded by Damian Rucci - on Instagram to stay up to date on local shows (and the world of Damian Rucci).
Staff Picks:
Myles: Braiding Sweetgrass - Robin Wall Kimmerer
Kat: When the Smoke Cleared: Attica Prison Poems and Journal - Celes Tisdale
Zeke: Drunks And Other Poems of Recovery - Jack McCarthy
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