Massachusetts Statewide Poetry Calendar 2

Join us this Wednesday for our online poetry series featuring Holly Iglesias and Landon Godfrey.

Holly Iglesias is the author of three collections of poetry— Sleeping Things; Angles of Approach; and Souvenirs of a Shrunken World—as well as a critical work, Boxing Inside the Box: Women’s Prose Poetry. Her most recent publication is a collaborative chapbook, Myth America (Anhinga Press), co-written with Maureen Seaton, Carolina Hospital and Nicole Hospital-Medina.  Holly has been awarded fellowships by the National Endowment for the Arts, the North Carolina Arts Council, the Edward Albee Foundation, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and teaches in the MFA Program in Creative Writing at the University of Miami, with a focus on archival and documentary poetry. Her current project is an intergenerational memoir in prose fragments with the working title Theories of Flight.

Landon Godfrey’s collection of poems, Inventory of Doubts, was selected by Dana Levin for the Tupelo Press Dorset Prize. She is also the author of Second-Skin Rhinestone-Spangled Nude Soufflé Chiffon Gown (Cider Press Review), chosen by David St. John for the Cider Press Review Book Award, and two limited-edition letterpress chapbooks, In the Stone (funded by a Regional Artist Project Grant) and Spaceship (Somnambulist Tango Press). Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in The American Poetry Review, New England Review, Copper Nickel, Slice, Studium in Polish translation, Best New Poets, Verse Daily, and other places. She has received fellowships from the NEA, North Carolina Arts Council, and Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts and Sciences. Also an artist, her current studio work includes drawing, painting, and printmaking. Born and raised in Washington, DC, she now lives in Northampton, MA.

The slam season is blooming in full flower with another qualifier for our 2024 (yes, it’s coming!) Mill City Slam Team. Poets compete with original works for a chance to win not only a space in our Mill City Slam Finals but also the $70 Grand Prize!

The Untitled Open Mic is hosted at Coffee and Cotton at Mill No. 5. Located in a historic downtown textile building, Mill No. 5 is a destination into what Lowell is; home to independent shops, The Luna Theatre, the Farm Market, and Coffee and Cotton. Coffee and Cotton is the heart of the building, serving up coffee, espresso, and lattes, wine, local craft beer, delicious, made to order, locally sourced options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It is also a venue for live music, game nights, community events, and now our Untitled Open Mic.

/// About the Slam ///
This is the second qualifying slam for the Mill City Speaks 2024 Poetry Slam Team. Poets will go three rounds, leaving only the best of the best for the final MONEY round. Winner gets $70, and runner-up gets $30 (Real Cash! American Dollars!).

The Poets should sign up in advance because there is no guarantee (but maybe a chance) to have a space open on the night of the event. Contact lowellpoetry@gmail.com if you’re interested in competing.
However, judges will be chosen on the night itself! No particular qualification except wanting to participate in the fun. Anyone willing to put numbers to poetry is eligible. For more info, as we said, contact lowellpoetry@gmail.com.

/// Format ///
Sign-Ups Open @ 6pm
Open Mic Starts @ 6:30 pm
Poetry Slam begins after the open reading.
All Done @ 9:00pm
/// Details ///
Free Admission
Food, Drink, and Merch for Sale
@ Coffee & Cotton
250 Jackson St. No. 401
Lowell, Mass. 01852
https://millno5.com/directions/

Also streaming online
ZOOM Info
Mill City Speaks is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Untitled Mill City Speaks Qualifier Time: Nov 1, 2023 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86401480425
Meeting ID: 864 0148 0425 Passcode available on request;
email to lowellpoetry@gmail.com.

/// Safer Space & Community Guidelines ///
We strive to foster a space of inclusivity and respect. We ask everyone to not bring (in no particular order) ableist, ageist, body shaming, classist, homophobic, misogynist, misandrist, racist, transphobic, oppressive language, attitudes, and actions at the space. We look to hold ourselves and one another accountable to creating a culture in which we treat each other with consent and respect. This includes but is not limited to respecting people's physical and emotional boundaries and receiving explicit verbal consent before touching someone or crossing other personal boundaries. If you are disrupting our safer space we will ask you to leave.
/// Zoom Guidelines /// (Online)

1. Some best practices suggest being somewhere with minimal background noise and good lighting, use headphones if possible, and close any applications not being used on your device to improve Zoom quality.

2.) It is best to have your display on “Speaker View” to see the host and performer. “Gallery View” will allow you to see all guests at once.
3.) Feel free to add a name and pronoun into your display so we can say hello and know who is joining us. Keep in mind that this event is streaming publicly so take any precautions about sharing your identity.
4.) Guests could also have “Video” on or off, as that is optional.5.) During performances/readings the host will “Mute” all other guests.
6.) Guests are encouraged to show love and gratitude visually on screen or in the chat window.
7.) Please be respectful on screen and in the chat window - and acknowledge the space you can take up in this digital communal platform.
8.) Host will allow guests to un-mute after performances if they choose and able to out loud affirmations or gratitudes.
9.) Any conflicts to the safer space / community guidelines the host may remove you from the Zoom call. If you feel like you have been accidentally or wrongfully removed, please reach out to the organizers.
Please reach out to here with questions regarding the open mic or slam.
“This program is supported in part by a grant from the Lowell Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.”

• Posted in Untitled Open Mic, Mill City Speaks

Join us for a night of community, food, and poetry at the @bostonliberationcenter.

We’ll be raising funds for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund and busses from Boston to DC for the National March on Washington Nov 4 for a free Palestine!

The Boston Poetry Slam holds a weekly show every Wednesday downstairs at the Cantab Lounge. This is the flagship show of the Boston Poetry Slam and the entire night is devoted to the craft, performance, and enjoyment of poetry.

The cover charge is $4, cash or credit. No tickets are sold in advance. The poetry show is 21+, with a photo ID and Vaccination Card required to enter the venue. No outside drink is allowed— please patronize the bar— but you may bring food and eat it in the venue. Regrettably, the basement of the Cantab is not wheelchair-accessible; please email us to learn more about the space and to discuss accessibility options.

Doors open at approximately 7:15 for an 8:00 poetry-only open mic. The venue has a capacity of 75 persons with seating for approximately 60; if you want to sit down for the first part of the show, you will need to arrive before 8:00 PM. Large parties are strongly advised to arrive in a timely manner, as the show frequently sells out.

There is a short break after the open mic at approximately 9:45, during which some seats usually free up for incoming crowd. (If the feature is popular, do not expect seats to become available.) After the break, the featured poet or event begins. Standard features last for 30 minutes and featured slams last about 60 minutes, after which our featured poets vend their product and chat with fans. As of 2023, the full show is usually over by 11:00.