Massachusetts Statewide Poetry Calendar 2

Join a slam as a speaker or listener, savoring the richness of language, imagery, and thought in this eternal art form with friends. Founded and led by New Bedford-based queer/latinx healing artist, poet, and Museum Education & Audience Engagement Manager Marisol Rosa.

Poets have long understood the connection between, in the words of Robert Frost, “inner and outer weather.” Today, as human activity is changing the climate and our earth at an unprecedented rate, poetry helps us find our grounding and gives us tools for greater connection, voice, and vision.
In this interactive reading and workshop, poet, teacher, and activist Nadia Colburn will read from her poetry book I Say the Sky and lead participants in meditations, prompts, and discussion around our own inner and outer weathers. How do we stay grounded in this time of crisis? How do we cultivate and nourish a vision of connection and belonging? And how can we find our own voice amidst both the clamoring noise of our public, busy world, and the many forces of silence around us?
Nadia will share her own poems and her personal journey behind them; she’ll also share her unique method of coupling mediation and writing so that participants can experience for themselves the power of listening and writing from a more integrated place. There will be time for writing and discussion, and we’ll explore ways to create bridges between poetry and environmental and social engagement.
The workshop is designed to be both restorative and energizing, and is appropriate for people with any level of writing and environmental experience. Take home resources to deepen your connection to poetry as well as new ways to get involved in environmental action.

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.