Hello Poet!

Even though it did snow last night in Boston, we are wishing everyone a happy beginning of Spring🌷! And as the flowers are beginning to bloom, our team selection season is coming to a close, but not before a HUGE grand finale, of course! Read below for information on this week’s show (‼️OUR MOST EXCITING SHOW OF THE YEAR‼️), as well as some other exciting updates.

THIS WEDNESDAY: 🏆TEAM SELECTION FINALS!🏆

This Wednesday (aka TOMORROW) is the culmination of months of hard work for eight members of the community, and it is guaranteed to be the most exciting, heartfelt, and powerful Wednesday of the year.

If you are unfamiliar, this week’s show is our Team Selection Finals, where our eight top slammers this year compete in a three-round slam, showcasing their talents and dazzling the audience. In the end, the top five poets from this slam will represent Boston at regionals near and far for the 2026 season!

You won’t want to miss this one — GET HERE EARLY⏰! And please note the changes in start times for the show (open mic begins as usual at 8, but the slam begins at 9:30) and the cost of the show ($6 at the door instead of $4) — extra funds from finals will go toward our team’s travel costs.

Lastly, if you are not friends with/kvery familiar with the work of any of the names listed below, then you’re qualified to ⚖️JUDGE⚖️ this slam! We cannot have a slam without judges, so we highly encourage you to state your interest in judging at the door when you arrive.

YOUR 2026 COMPETITORS ARE:
- Aparna Paul
- Will Leonard
- Mugs Myers
- Bobby Crawford
- Logan Lopez
- Jarvis Subia
- Edie Churchill
- Kai Wallin

16-HOUR REQUEST: Re-opening anniversary this week!

It's been FOUR YEARS since Boston Poetry Slam re-opened for a poetry show every Wednesday ("re-opened" because this show began all the way back in 1992, and shut down only for the pandemic). 

To celebrate this 🍾anniversary🍾, THIS WEDNESDAY, we will be decorating the Cantab Lounge basement with lines from poets' ✍️FIRST WORDS✍️ that they've read on this mic. Specifically, we will be taking submitted lines from the community and putting them up all over the stage. It’s a celebration, so of course we will also have cake, festivities, etc.🎂

They will be default anonymous, but if you're here on Wednesday, you can "sign" your name on the paper with your poem on it so people know it's yours.

YOU HAVE 16 HOURS! SEND US YOUR FIRST WORDS HERE BY TOMORROW MORNING (3/25, 8AM EST)

Miss the deadline? Don’t worry! Show up on Wednesday and write your line on a slip of paper at the door.

NOTE: "FIRST WORDS" is up for interpretation. It does not need to be from the very first poem you read here. Basically, if you would say "old shit" if you read that poem today, then it counts.

Sign up to volunteer for NORTHBEAST!

This year’s NorthBeast Regional Poetry Slam & Festival will take place in August 2026. It is a multi-day festival that brings together slam communities from across the country to slam, learn, and grow as artists. It’s quite the undertaking, and we need your help to put it on!

Please fill out THIS FORM to apply for several opportunities for NorthBeast. It’s a fun and unforgettable way to develop skills, witness an incredible show, and volunteer for a great cause.

Every Wednesday, we set up and break down a ton of 🪑folding chairs…🪑

and it’s a great way to get more involved with Boston Poetry Slam! We are always looking for volunteers to help in these two small ways, as the show is put on entirely by a small and mighty crew of unpaid staff. Every Wednesday before the show, we would love your help setting up folding chairs, and every Wednesday as the show ends, we need help putting them away.

It’s a simple task, but it’s invaluable, and it’s a great way to meet people and get more involved.

Especially if you’re newer to the community, we highly recommend signing up to set up and/or break down the room HERE!

Coming up at Boston Poetry Slam

See our full Spring calendar below (and here at this link)

We want your feedback and ideas! Take our community survey now!📋

CALLING ALL BOSTON POETRY SLAM ATTENDEES! Do you have suggestions to improve the show? Features you’d like to see? Themed slam ideas? Perhaps something you’d been looking to share with our staff? We heavily encourage you to participate in our COMMUNITY SURVEY! We want to hear from you to help our show be the best it can be, and who better to provide that feedback than our community? The form can be found HERE or our website bostonpoetryslam.com. Still unsure? Talk to a staff member at our Wednesday night shows for more details.

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. Boston Poetry Slam Inc is a registered 501c3 non-profit organization in the United States. Donations (https://bostonpoetryslam.com/donate) are tax deductible to the full extent provided by the law.

Website: https://bostonpoetryslam.com/
Instagram: @bostonpoetryslam
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bostonpoetryslam

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? Fill out our anonymous feedback form and/or contact questions@bostonpoetryslam.com

Newsletter Credits: Written by Amy Argentar, edited by Michael F. Gill