Monday April 8th! RICHARD FOX features! Plus IRON POET QUALIFIER!

POETRY FEATURE: RICHARD FOX dreams three-decker rainbows encircling The Woo. When not writing about rock ’n roll or youthful transgressions, his poems focus on cancer from the patient’s point of view drawing on hope, humor, and unforeseen gifts. He is the author of three poetry collections: Time Bomb (2013), wandering in puzzle boxes (2015), You’re my favorite horse (2017) and a chapbook: The Complete Uncle Louie Poems (2017). The winner of the 2017 Frank O’Hara Prize, he seconds Stanley Kunitz’ motion that people in Worcester are “provoked to poetry.” smallpoetatlarge.com

We love Richard. He’s a great community spirit and we can’t wait to feature his work on our stage! If you can’t wait, check out some work on his site, or directly here:  “It was one of us” http://www.radiuslit.org/2015/04/29/poem-by-richard-h-fox/

BONUS RUCKUS: IRON POET QUALIFIER – we’re cooking up a super challenge with super challengers to see just who has the chops to challenge long reigning champion, ASHLEY WONDER! We’ll let you know in the next couple days who we’re pitting against one another. Will it be you?

More live music and open mic (which have been packed and wonderful lately!) Shout-out to NARK LIZZARD who repped the DG’s honor at last weekend’s Midnight Cabaret Show! Word has it JOY POND will be visual art-ing again while bringing the snack time joy into our lives! Will this Monday be the first outdoor show of the year?! TOMA will be on hand to make us all youtube (in)famous!

 

Monday March 25th! JASON HENRY SIMON-BIERENBAUM from Philly! Plus Some Nick B-Day Shenanigans!

FEATURED ARTIST: JASON HENRY SIMON-BIERENBAUM first realized he could make people laugh at age 8 when his mom was upset with him and joking got him out of trouble. He tried that same material out on his classmates the next day to a unanimous response of “BeerBomb, you’re not funny.” He has since learned to broaden his target demographics beyond middle aged Jewish ladies who gave birth to him. Jason has fancy accolades and degrees in poetry that he now mainly uses as punchlines. Much to the dismay of comedy hosts everywhere, he only goes by his full obnoxiously long name. You probably didn’t seen him briefly introduce a 10am talk show one time when he was 18 and you probably didn’t see him when he was performing in Krakow Poland, please welcome….

BONUS RUCKUS: Something, something, It’s Nick’s Birthday or some day close to Nick’s Birthday Flattery Writing Challenge! Okay we get it. Nick is ten kinds of freak, but he also has his bad points and needs CONSTANT positive feedback to water his drinks with! Bring some of your kindest most generous words for the dude and you could win a drink on us to toast him with. Look, we’ve roasted the ever loving duck out of him, we gotta re-build! Also, Nick would love it if you attended his feature this SUNDAY at Listen Reading Series!

JACOB & NICHOLAS make some mean sandwiches during the day, then rock out with Mean Spirit most other times. Come get warm in their house band glow this Monday! KING OF THE WEIRD is rocking the guest visual arts! Happy Spring Ya’ll!

Monday, 3/18! Double Feature Woah! DEVINE & von RADICS at the DG! Plus! IRON POET CHAMPIONSHIPS!

POETRY DOUBLE FEATURE: CLEMENTINE von RADICS is a queer poet based in Brooklyn. They are the author of the collections Dream Girl and Mouthful of Forevers, which appeared on multiple bestseller lists and was nominated for a Goodreads choice award. Clementine has toured internationally and across the US over the past 5 years. Originally from Oregon, Clementine presented the Portland Poetry Slam 5 times at national poetry competitions. Their forthcoming collection, In a Dream You Saw a Way to Survive will be released by Andrews McMeel Universal in April 2019.

DEVIN DEVINE is a stand up comedian and writer and graduate from Gonzaga University, with two degrees in theatre performance and creative writing. She laughs and writers her way through issues of trauma, mental health, sexuality, and love. She has self-published three chapbooks, ‘Feral Empathy’, ‘Crying on the Toilet’, and ‘Domestic and Fowl’.

BONUS RUCKUS: IRON POET CHAMPIONSHIPS (for real, this time!) ASHLEY WONDER defends her long-held crown vs upstart JOY POND! What will the secret ingredient be? Mysteries of life….. NADIA @agastopia (on insta) will handle the live visual arts this week. We’ve been riding some huge momentum the past couple weeks and dare say we, this has been the best winter evah! Let’s knock another one out the park this week and let the plants, birds and artists know that we’re going SPRING FULL TILT!

 

Monday 3/11! EIREAN BRADLEY visits again! Plus

POETRY FEATURE: No stranger to our stage, EIREAN BRADLEY owns a punk rawk coffee shop in Fitchburg Mass (the bleeding edge of the dying industrial east.) He makes the best cappuccino in Central Mass. He also does poems really well. This multiple time national poetry slam veteran (Arizona, Portland OR) relocated to the Northeast some years back to bring us all better caffeine, has had a huge hand in making Drunk In a Midnight Choir a thing, and has books out on University of Hell Press! He’s loud, brash and runs a super cool reading at his coffee shop on Thursdays! Road trip!

BONUS RUCKUS: “They’re Tragically Delicious!” Limerick Challenge – A limerick is a form of verse, usually humorous and frequently rude, in five-line, predominantly anapestic^[1] meter with a strict rhyme scheme of AABBA, in which the first, second and fifth line rhyme, while the third and fourth lines are shorter and share a different rhyme. The form appeared in England in the early years of the 18th century.^[4] It was popularized by Edward Lear in the 19th century,^[5] although he did not use the term. We’re gona bring limericks AND marshmallows, cause we’re immature like that. You select a random number from our random number generator, and that’s how many marshmallows you’d gonna need to puff your cheeks with before you perform your limerick. Best performance gets something to wash those globs of sugar down with.

MEAN SPIRIT back in the house as house band! JOY POND takes her first stab at making live visual art at the show! We’ve got a youtube channel now (whaaaa?) you should like subscribe! and many thanks to TOMA for making us look better than we have any right to! Stay tuned with news about the first Dirty Gerund Zine coming soon, thanks to KING OF THE WEIRD. Is it a summer Monday yet?

Monday March 4th! LU TEED features! Plus! IRON POET CHAMPIONSHIPS!

POETRY FEATURE: LU TEED wants to be your Facebook friend, sometimes forgets adults exist, and is frequently covered in magic marker. They love being a preschool teacher, and are really tired. They got a degree, but think college is often unkind. They’re thankful for their teams, and making it to CUPSI semifinals stage twice. They’re thankful for you.

BONUS RUCKUS: IRON POET CHAMPIONSHIPS “Wonder vs. Pond” – Champion ASHLEY WONDER faces off against fresh faced newcomer JOY POND in the poetic clash where there’s new poems being cooked live right there and then! Original haiku, short freeform and incorporation rounds all based off one diabolical secret ingredient! This is going to be fun!

SAMI WISELL handles live arts, follow @Gypsysami on insta for more info! AKIBA DAVIS heads up the live house band for all your music needs! We’re on insta gram now, and even have a Youtube Channel. Come down this Monday and get youtube famous! Subscribe!

Monday Feb 25th! Boston Emcee MARQUIS FILTHY features! Plus Return of the “Prose Cuddle” Challenge!

FEATURED ARTIST: MARQUIS FILTHY, a 21 year old Boston rap artist, believes in creating authentic music that preserves the culture of hip hop and propels it into a direction that influences listeners to capture their passions. Shortly after high school, Filthy embarked on this journey to follow his passion for music, his “Plan A.” With Filthy at the lead, Plan A consists of creative individuals who share the same vision and values. Since releasing his debut project The Glo Up in October 2016, Marquis Filthy went on to launch two annual local annual concerts with Plan A and has also been nominated for 617Sessions Artist of the Year by the Boston Music Awards. Filthy is currently working on a new album to be released next year. Song Link: https://soundcloud.com/marquisfilthy/sins

BONUS RUCKUS: Return of the “PROSE CUDDLE” Challenge – No intricate rhyme schemes needed to compete in this battle. Unlike rap battles, this is a compliment challenge, where you elicit the most “awwwws” from the audience, instead of most “ohhhh!”s. Makes sense right? Well, it will. We’ll rock a few times rounds. Use your most vivid imagery and poetic artistry to make your opponent feel good. Winner of the bracket style tournament get’s a drink on us and that should make us all feel good!

MEAN SPIRIT is back as house band this Monday! Visual arts will be provided by @Jenny__ocean. Visual arts director KING OF THE WEIRD is working on a monthly zine for the Dirty Gerund. If you’ve got ideas, poem snippets, drink reviews, or fun stories about your time at the show, send along to us at TheDirtygerundPoetryShow@gmail.com. We’re also now on instagram, follow us!

Monday! Feb 18th! MYLES BULLEN from Portland! Plus! “Sweet & Sour” Valentine Challenge!

FEATURED PERFORMER: MYLES BULLEN is a Native American, Indie Rapper and Performance Poet who when not touring, is gallivanting around Portland, Maine . His music and poetry shed light on Addiction,  Depression, and the struggle of being positive and creative in a self destructive society. His art is influenced by indie rappers, singer-songwriters, and spoken word poets. Myles performs in a wide range of environments including educational spaces, community arts venues, juvenile prisons, rehabilitation centers, music festivals, poetry cafes, indie rap basement shows, backyards and house concerts. Myles’ language art has led him to travel through 45 states to Perform and lead Workshops. myles has shared stage w/: Milo, Astronautalis, Mr. Lif, MC Lars, Hopsin, Spose, PROF, Ceschi, Handmade Moments, God.Damn.Chan and Dominque Christine.

BONUS RUCKUS: The first ever “SWEET & SOUR” Post-Valentine’s Day Challenge: Eat an Umeboshi Plum, then read a valentine poem written by Esther Howland credited with being the “Mother of Valentines” who lived right here IN Worcester MA! Visual arts being handled by EMMI P! House band led by the incredible MARIKA! We’ve got an instagram now! (welcome to 2014!) “follow” us, cause that sounds so much cooler than “liking” us!

Monday! Feb 11th! WAYNE HENRY from Dallas Texas! Plus “Prompt & Circumstance” Challenge!

POETRY FEATURE: Raised in South Central Los Angeles, poet WAYNE HENRY was exposed to a melting pot of different cultures which allows for him to have a broad canvas for his work. Wayne Henry moved to Dallas TX in 2008 and has become a passionate poet who writes each line to watch it come alive through poetry. Apart from poetry, working with the youth has been what he feels is his crowning achievement. Accolades include:
Ranked 5th at Individual World Poetry Slam Finals in 2018 and two time member of the Dallas Poetry Slam team, which is currently ranked 5th at the National Poetry Slam.

BONUS RUCKUS: Return of the “Prompt & Circumstance” Writing Challenge! The random-ass object you select by chance turns into BOTH your writing prompt AND writing surface! Winner gets a drink on us! Everyone gets to keep their object! Most of us will have fun!

The boys from MEAN SPIRIT are back to shine the back up band shine! HALEY ELIZABETH LINNET is back providing the live visual arts! We’ll be back providing the sound equipment necessary for hosting such amazing work! And we might crack a few jokes and tip a few glasses while we’re at it!

Is it Monday yet?

Monday Feb 4th! EBO BARTON from Seattle Washington! Plus! Poem or Wrestling Promo? Guess Quiz Show!

POETRY FEATURE: EBO BARTON is a Black and Filipino, Transgender and Non-Binary, poet and educator. Currently residing in Seattle, Washington (by way of Los Angeles, California) wondering what the f*!# snow even is.  As a representative of Seattle, they’ve been on 4 National Slam Teams and participated at 3 Individual World Poetry Slams.  Their most notable poetry slam accolade is placing 5th in the world in 2016.  Ebo curated and directed, How to Love THIS Queer Body of Color: An Unapology and wrote and directed the award-winning play, Rising Up.  You may have seen Ebo’s work in Adrienne: A Poetry Journal by Sibling Rivalry Press, SlamFind, Write About Now, Button Poetry and All Def Poetry.  They and their work have been featured in Seattle Weekly, Seattle Gay News, Seattle Review of Books, and Crosscut. Their work touches on political issues from a personal point of view and often is birthed from the struggles of living in the identities that they are. Ebo believes in the power of language and art as a tool for revolution.

BONUS RUCKUS: Hey, is that from a poem or a wrestling promo? Guess Quiz Show Challenge! We’ll buy a drink for the Gerunder who enjoys all the meats of our cultural stew! Think you can discern the wisdom from luminaries like Langston Hughes, or Ric Flair? Was that a Sapho quote, or something the Macho Man yelled into Mean Gene’s Mic. Yeah, it might be a stretch, but what the heck!

More open mic, live music, live art from LAM NGUYEN and all the rest of the best! Dirty Gerund is trying to prepare for it’s role as being the local GOAT after the Patriots’s Super Bowl Run is over. Come be the GOAT with us!

Monday Jan 28th! Iron Poet Champ ASHLEY WONDER! Plus Iron Poet Qualifier!

POETRY FEATURE: ASHLEY WONDER has been writing for over ten years. Performing professionally for the past five with dynamic passion to give hope to her audiences. She became apart of the Slam Community in 2014. Repping Worcester her hometown, in Oakland 2015, Decatur, GA 2016. Earned Iron Poet Champion held in Worcester, MA at Ralph’s Diner. She has featured in Troy, New York at Poetic Vibe, all around MA, Boston (Hard Rock Cafe), RI including many colleges and universities such as Holy Cross, Wheelock among others. She enjoys teaching poetry workshops to youth of all ages to show how fun and interactive Spoken Word can be. She also believes in the power of tea and naps.

BONUS RUCKUS: IRON POET QUALIFIER well we’ve got to find a competitor for our champ! We’ve called on VESPER MOORE who’s returned after some time off the mic, and JOY POND, one of our hungriest poet newcomers, as they both take the Iron Poet Stage for the first time! What will the diabolical secret ingredient be? Let’s find out!

KING OF THE WEIRD is back at the paints! We’ve got some new stickers and art coming your way, designed by our new Visual Arts Director! MEAN SPIRIT is in the house as the house band! See you Monday!