Boston Poetry Slam

So excited!!

Congrats to our 2024 slam team!

Some wonderful pictures by Jarvis Subia of our Team Selection slam

Quick shoutout to our sacrificial poets, Kat & Keaton, and our ‘sorbet’ poet, Nayeli ❤️

Fantastic job to all our slammers this year-

Sara Hill
Mary Schwabenland
Logan Lopez
Jennifer Martinez
Kaitie Dilán
Amy Argentar
Katya Zinn
Aparna Paul
Brynna Boyd

finals stage 2024 is one for the books!

Keep an eye out as we approach our NorthBEAST regional slam with our wonderful team, which we are so excited to announce: Brynna Boyd, Jennifer Martinez, Katya Zinn, Mary Schwabenland, and Aparna Paul

The Boston Poetry Slam community was extremely saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Omoizele Okoawo (“Oz”) this week. An invaluable member of the poetry community since 1999, Oz’s writing and performance helped shaped the sound of our venue, and then pushed at those boundaries. He inspired generations of poets who either came to our Wednesday open mics, or saw him perform at the National Poetry Slam, where he was a member of (at least) 12 different teams. He was also a generous friend to so many of us.

If you can, please share or contribute to the Gofundme below to help out Oz’s family in this time of need.

My Voice Was A Fan Of Feathers, organized by Delisile Godeffroy-Taylor On the morning of Thursday October 12th, we lost one of the most amazing hum… Delisile Godeffroy-Taylor needs your support for My Voice Was A Fan Of Feathers

Coming up! (Fall events calendar, save this post!)

Due to a flood in the basement, the Boston Poetry Slam will be cancelling the show on September 6th. Our feature for the night, Phillip Hasouris, will be rebooked for later in the fall. Our show may look a little different for the next few weeks while the Cantab fixes the basement back up, including potentially earlier start times/end times, shows upstairs, or potentially even a show not on a Wednesday (whoa!), but we promise that we will keep the poetry coming after this short hiatus. Please let us know if you have questions and we hope to see you all soon.

Our curator hyping up our lovely regulars at the 🎉

Did you miss the NorthBeast regional? You can catch this poet at on Thursday nights! Mica also took part in our chapbook trade with their book This is How Wildflowers Grow.

Hi there! Boston Poetry Slam is starting up a monthly newsletter - and the June installment will be going out THIS WEEK!!! It will contain a recap of the previous month, event spotlights, interviews of regulars, photos, and more!! It is a fabulous way to stay informed on all the happenings, upcoming events/features, and everything else you can think of. SIGN UP VIA THE FOLLOWING LINK!

Monthly Newsletter by Boston Poetry Slam

Hello! Were you at the NorthBeast Regional and already want to reminisce, or even post some photos of poets doing their thing? Were you NOT at the slam but so, so curious to see a glimpse of what went down? Lucky for you, our lovely photographer Eddy Martinez took some lovely photos that capture the excitement and joy of the event. Click the link to view! drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ytAddvUYwXvZYHTLVVty-bBfpqck_o5A?usp=sharing

In a few short hours we’ll be kicking off the NorthBeast Regional Slam! See you poets there!

The NorthBeast Regional is FOUR SHORT DAYS! Get your tickets now- $25 for an all access pass, $10 for the slam finals! See the attached schedule for more info on all the fun this weekend (workshops, open mics, even ... a chapbook exchange!) https://www.eventbrite.com/e/northbeast-regional-poetry-slam-festival-tickets-623430325887

The NorthBeast regional is in ONE WEEK!!!! June 17th & 18th we’ll be hearing some of the best poets in the region, get your tickets or sign up to volunteer at

linktr.ee/northbeastregional?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=d22dc216-671c-4cda-95a6-f4a162c97896

I am so excited to announce I'm running a workshop before Boston Poetry Slam this week! Fu***ng with Words is a generative workshop dedicated to leveraging language with new and unique forms. Whether you're swapping words out for another, or putting terms in a new context, you'll go home with the start of a poem that challenges the way you think about your vocabulary. So join me on Wednesday to find joy as you f**k with words!!

When?
Wednesday, May 31 @6:30pm

Where?
The Cantab Lounge,
738 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02139

What to bring?
Bring whatever you need to write -
laptop, paper, etc.

Cost?
$10 - 20 sliding scale
Proceeds will support the NorthBeast Regional!

Can't make it or too far away?
Let me know if you want a virtual option in the future!

This Wednesday, our feature is Jeffrey McDaniel!

Jeffrey McDaniel is the author of seven books of poetry, most recently Thin Ice Olympics (Write Bloody, 2022) Other books include: Holiday in the Islands of Grief (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2020), Chapel of Inadvertent Joy (Pittsburgh, 2013), The Endarkenment (Pittsburgh, 2008), The Splinter Factory (Manic D Press, 2002), The Forgiveness Parade (Manic D, 1998), and Alibi School (Manic D, 1995). McDaniel's poems have appeared in numerous places, including The New Yorker, American Poetry Review, The New York Times, and Best American Poetry 1994, 2010, and 2019. Recipient of an NEA fellowship, he teaches at Sarah Lawrence College.

Call for volunteers! NorthBeast Slam details and ticket links coming up soon ❤️

NorthBeast Volunteer Form On June 17th-18th, representatives from poetry venues across New England will be competing in the NorthBeast Regional at the Cambridge Foundry. This two-day poetry slam and festival will feature compelling spoken word competitions, workshops, readings, and a chapbook exchange. Want to support local....

In case you haven’t been to the Cantab Lounge in the past year, our Wednesday night poetry show is back, and the room has been packed with new open mic regulars, featured performers, and slams! Besides the weekly show recaps, our website (bostonpoetryslam.com) now includes updated information about our staff and our history, including an archive listing almost all of our past shows, features, and slams from the past thirty years. We’ll be migrating our Facebook presence back here from Poetry Night at the Cantab, and posting updates about our upcoming shows and events. You can also follow us on instagram . We’d love to see you on the open mic this Wednesday if you haven’t been in awhile!

Boston Poetry Slam – bringing contemporary poetry to the greater Boston community since 1991 Amidst the cold, Cantabbers brought some spring fever energy to poetry night! The open mic had some wonderful first timers, with one poet debuting the first poem they ever wrote! We had an incredible love poem from the feature’s partner, a Weird Al-inspired poem from Skylar Sweet Cheeks, and, in a...

Real quick, poets: the Boston Poetry Slam is still on hiatus, but we’re so glad to send you to a new reading sprouting up in time for spring at the Cantab.

Did you hear? Your friend and the slam’s, Dawn Gabriel (longtime host, 2005-2006 National slam team member) will be coordinating a Wednesday poetry night at the The Cantab Lounge starting March 23, 2022. Doors will open at 7:00pm for an 8:00 open mic with Myles Taylor, Zeke Russell, and Sam Cha, followed by a featured poet. Cover is $3, show is 18+ with a government-issued photo ID and proof of vaccination required.

Looking for more info? We recommend you call the Cantab directly, or drop an email to [email protected]. Enjoy the show!