Here in lies the (abbreviated) history of the Poets' Asylum. We started gathering this information in 2001. If you performed at the Poets' Asylum before 2001 and remember the dates then we'd love to hear from you. Just click the webmaster link to the left.
Wondering what happened further back in the past? Click a link below and find out.
Looking for info on our past events? We have lists of info going back to 2001.
| 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 |
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Click here to go to the most recent entries.
| 01/06 | Thanks to everyone who came out for the first Asylum reading of 2008. Our features this week were the touring duo of Mike McGee and Robbie Q. This pair gaves us a energetic set with stories of love, loss and the power of change. Trading off turns at the mic they demonstrated how their time together has given them an easy repertoire, allowing them to build off of each others poetry. It was a great way to start the new year at our (still fairly new to us) space. Thanks Mike and Robbie. |
| 01/13 | It was a quiet night at the Poets' Asylum this week. We held the next open qualifying slam of the 2008 Worcester Slam season with five hearty competitors - Candice, Jon, Dave, Liz and Greg. There were some tough scores, a time penalty and vigorous hosting from next weeks feature, Bill MacMillan. At the end of the night Jon and Liz won the top two spots and a place in the Spring semi-finals. Congrats to both of them. |
| 01/20 | A packed house greeted our feature Bill MacMillan this week. Bill mixed poetry with a Q&A session with the audience. Oddly one of the more popular questions was about his choice in undergarments. Luckily his poetry took center stage with a blend of older work, newer pieces and some good old W.S. Burroughs. An excellent feature from someone we never grow tired of hearing. Thanks Bill! |
| 01/27 | If you missed the Asylum this week (and a bunch of you did) missed an eclectic feature by Regie Gibson with cellist Robert Rivera. Regie performed a wild mix of spoken word, page poetry, and covers (such as Oscar Brown Jr.). His topics ranged from a hysterical political spin on the State of the Union to a remix of classic Greek myth. It was a fun night with loads of laughs. Many thanks Regie and Robert. Come again! |
| 02/03 | The Asylum this week had a quietish start with a fun open mic. A couple of new voices took to the stage (welcome) and a couple of old faces found their way to The Q for the first time (good to see you). Following the open Mr. the Klute took the stage and kicked the energy level up a few hundred percent. At times wheezingly funny, and then the next moment starkly serious, he shared his well crafted work. After the obligatory "signature" slam piece our black trenchcoat wearing feature sweated his way through poems about love, racism, fear and the power of the color black. A powerful start to kick-off his 7 feature/9 day mini-tour. Thanks Klute, glad to have you share our stage. |
| 02/10 | Poets' Asylum co-host Dave Keali'i was our feature. He read a ton of poems including a couple of covers (Robert Sullivan & Martín Espada for those playing along at home). His own work contained gems about Hawaiian creation myths, failed romance and lots of water. Those who attended heard the spectacular dual voice tale of Headshine & Multiple which Dave performed with Erin Jackson. Thanks for making it a fun night at the Asylum Dave. |
| 02/17 | This week we held an open qualifying slam for the 2008 Worcester Slam team. Thanks to Dave, Candice, Melissa, Nick, Jeff, Elyse and Artie for competing and to our brave judges for their hard work. Congratulations go to Artie Moffa and Nick Davis for winning the top two spots. They move on to the Spring Semi-finals which will take place on May 4th. |
| 02/24 | Hampshire College slammer Sean Conlon was our feature this week. His fourteen poem set consisted mainly of what Sean called his more "academic work". Sean shared work about heartbreak, Allan Seager, the Holocaust and first & last times. At times intense, Sean words seems to come from a place deep within, tumbled with lessons learned, until they shine. |
| 03/02 | This week we held an open qualifying slam for the 2008 Worcester Slam team. Thanks to Greg, Tak, Mareh, Erin and Logan for competing and to our brave judges for their hard work. Congratulations go to Erin Jackson and Tak for winning the top two spots. They move on to the Spring Semi-finals which will take place on May 4th. |
| 03/09 | Thanks to all who came out to the reading this week. Mighty Will Evans and J.W. Baz were our features. Their tag team set hit on the highs and lows of relationships, how our work changes us and the power of music as a shared language. Great stuff and an energetic feature. |
| 03/16 | Sunday night our very own Erin Jackson took the stage. She performed a wonderful mix of older and newer pieces that got the crowd laughing and contemplating. Erin reminded us why she is one of our best. |
| 03/23 | Denver slam poet Brandon Stephien was our feature this week. With youthful exuberance he shared his well practiced words. With a focus on politics his set was full of heavy meaning and with moments of levity. Thanks for joining us Brandon. |
| 03/30 | This week the Hampshire College Slam Team was our feature. Newcomers Sophia Holtz, Charley Pope and Andy Locke were joined by seasoned slammers Sean Conlon and Esme Vanndrager for a high energy set. Their well practiced set included stories of growth, growing up, missing gloves, marketing rants and the addiction of poetry. They head off to Albuquerque, NM on Wednesday to compete at the National College Poetry Slam. Thanks for sharing your talent folks. Have an amazing adventure. |
| 04/06 | It was a busy weekend for poetry and poets on Sunday. First off Bill
MacMillan completed the 24 Hour Poetry Reading he started Saturday night.
Even after 100s of poems he had the energy to jump around the room
talking about natural selection and dinosaur books. And if the feat of
reading poetry for 24 hours straight isn't enough Bill's efforts also
netted the Poets' Asylum over $700 toward the expenses of the 2008
Worcester Slam Team. Thanks Bill.
After Bill completed his mission the regular Sunday night reading was held. Following the open mic we held the final Open Qualifying Slam for the 2008 Worcester Slam Season. Six brave souls took to the stage - a around of applause for Kate, Cassandra, Cyndi, Gary, Sam and Dave K. At the end of two rounds the winners were Sam and Gary. They move on to the Spring semi-finals on May 4th. |
| 04/13 | Great show this week with a packed house and the always stellar Jack McCarthy for our feature. Jack never fails to deliver the poetic goods. He shared well loved work such as Swan on Nutting Lake and Thomas Merton along side amazing new work "just to prove he's still writing". With amusing haiku between each poem and just the right amount of information about each poem to help them shine Jack brought the crowd to a standing ovation and an encore poem from the Car Talk series. Thanks for playing a visit Jack, it's always a joy to have you in the house. |
| 04/20 | Jon Wolf was the feature this week. He kicked off his set with a longer piece that started with his amazing numerical creation piece and continued with vibrant imagery describing the world of numbers. He closed out his set with a couple of old favorites. This was excellent work. It's easy to forget what great poets are in our midst. Thanks Jon. |
| 04/27 | Amy Steinberg artfully combined spoken word, music and singing using her guitar. She involved the audience with the music and had everyone in hysterics with a story concerning a dildo. She also offered a fine cover of Ani DiFranco and reminded everyone how good it is to enjoy themselves at a performance. Thank you, Amy! |
| 05/04 | The house was packed for the Spring Semi-Final Slam. Bill MacMillan hosted the evening with his usual gruff humor. Eight slammers took the stage in the slam - Jon Wolf, Liz Heath, Nick Davis, Erin Jackson, Tak, Gary Hoare, Dave Keali'i and Kate Richardson. After the smoke cleared and the math was double-checked we found Nick, Erin, Gary and Dave had earned to top four spots. They move on to the 2008 Worcester Slam Team Final on May 25th. Thanks to all the competitors, judges and audience members for making this a great night. |
| 05/11 | It was a fairly quiet night at the Asylum this week - folks must have been off celebrating with their mothers. Those who attended witnessed the debut of our new co-host, Liz Heath, at the mic. She did a great job. Thanks to the four competitors who took part in the Cash Slam and congratulations to Joe for winning. He went home with 60% of the bucket based on his lucky card draw. |
| 05/18 | It was a hot night at the Poets' Asylum this week with a packed open mic and a killer feature by Logan Phillips. With a mix of well practiced work and newer pieces he worked the mic and carried the audience with him. Moving from heavier material to lighter fare and back with ease he kept those who gathered to hear him waiting for the next sentence, the next phrase. His tales of teaching English in Mexico were especially captivating. Thanks Logan! |
| 05/25 | Well that was fun!!! The 2008 Worcester Slam Team Finals were
held tonight. A packed house witnessed a kickin' open mic followed by
8 of the area's best performance poets. If you were there you know who
won. If you weren't you missed laughter, open emotion, blazing acts of
poetry and the best the performers had to give. Thanks to Adam Stone,
Bobby Gibbs, Dave Keali'i, Erin Jackson, Gary Hoare, Nick Davis, Ryk
McIntyre and Trevor Byrne-Smith for their amazing efforts tonight.
Thanks also to the judges, Alex (our sacrifice poet), hosts Bill
MacMillan and Liz O, and the audience, we couldn't do this thing
without you.
So who won... congratulations to Bobby Gibbs, Adam Stone, Ryk McIntyre, Trevor Byrne-Smith and alternate Erin Jackson. They will represent Worcester at the 2008 National Poetry Slam in Madison, WI. |
| 06/01 | Simone Beaubien was the feature at the Poets' Asylum this week. She brought the great poetry and a fabulous, infectious energy that helps explain why she is so well respected in poetry circles. She mixed up mostly newer work with a couple of older pieces. It was fun stuff. Thanks for the words Simone. |
| 06/08 | Due to unforeseen circumstances the Poets' Asylum was note able to meet this week. |
| 06/15 | Thanks to those who came out to support the 2008 Worcester Slam Team during our annual Asylum Auction. We raised a bit over $150 before we decided there just wasn't the right mood or mass of participants to continue the auction. A couple of generous friends of the Asylum pushed the total over $300 with cash donations. We really appreciate the support. |
| 06/22 | Due to ongoing issues with the entertainment license at The Q Cafe we decided to cancel the reading this week. |