THE T STOP
NO. 2: Cantab lounge closes: A reaction to Boston Poetry Slam’s letter to their Poets
FEB. 19, 2021
The T Stop is a weekly brief covering a snippet of queer content, the perfect bite of info to get you from here to there! This week, I cover a letter written by Boston Poetry Slam Curator Simone Beaubien.
Since 1992, Boston poets have flocked to the Cantab Lounge to showcase their poetry and enjoy the work of others, surrounded by a community of artists, writers, and creatives. However, because of COVID-19 related restrictions, the home of Boston Poetry Slam (the third-longest running poetry slam in the world) has permanently closed, leaving this community of poets without a space to express themselves.
Slam Curator Simone Beaubien released a statement on July 19 recognizing what the closing of the Cantab means for the future of Boston Slam Poetry and Boston poetry in general.
“The Boston Poetry Slam (BPS) is not a place. It’s not a loss of a person…we’ll only be missing a half-dozen sticky barstools, a cold cement floor where pub glasses go to die, a certain slant of light that…shakes that fourth stanza you thought you memorized,” Beaubien writes. “Our bar is closed, and closing, but our community remains whole. So, of course, the Boston Poetry Slam is not the Cantab Lounge: and yet, you know it also always will be.”
Beaubien also announced the BPS will be going on a hiatus until further notice and, as of today, all accounts have remained inactive since July 19. This includes the accounts of Moonlighting, the BPS’ monthly queer open mic that has been running since 2014.
My analysis
I found Beaubien’s letter to be incredibly moving. I have never attended a BPS or even stepped foot in the Cantab and I’ve found myself tearing up at the idea of such an important place closing because of the pandemic.
Beaubien utilized poetic language to her advantage, evoking a feeling of nostalgia and wistfulness the reader may not even possess. The content of the letter itself ignites a spark of hope in the reader who may have just found out the news about their favorite bar— clearly a place that was much more than just drinks and small talk.
The Cantab (and Moonlighting) were both staples for Boston poets, queer creators, and young, often underrepresented people in search of a community, making this hiatus especially devastating. This wasn’t just a place for picking up dates and spending too much on a beer— it was a representation of free artistic expression.
“If you ever thought: I’ll go down there and read someday. Or: I’ll get back there and read someday. Or: I’ll take someone else who needs it there someday. I hope and wait for that wish to come true, wherever the next there happens to be,” Beaubien writes.
However, while all of this is wonderful in writing, the BPS does little to nothing to follow up with its audience after this July 19 letter. Neither BPS nor Moonlighting have posted on Facebook since July 29, though the BPS Tumblr is active with small quotes or bits of content being posted daily.
There seems to be little to no effort to engage with the community of writers of were so dedicated to BPS’ live events. These audiences, invested and dedicated to preserving whatever bits of their community they can— mostly often young— are usually willing and able to adapt to online or COVID-safe conditions. However, BPS does not offer this as an alternative.
I cannot in good faith criticize anyone for not being able to operate during a pandemic. However, if we evaluate BPS as a ‘brand’ from a values standpoint: they consider community, creativity, diversity, communication, and competition essential to their mission, according to their online statement. Their actions post-Cantab closing reflect none of those things.
If BPS hopes to continue to stand as a pillar of creativity and poetic talent in Boston (and remain a space for underrepresented people to belong) they need to consider how they can better content with their audience.
A few solutions may be: posting on more relevant platforms such as Instagram or Twitter daily, hosting monthly zoom open mics, holding writing contests for small rewards, or showcasing Boston writing talent. All of these things can keep the BPS active beyond Beaubien’s beautiful letter.