Caffè Lena Poetry Open Mic, February 5

It’s been many months since I’ve been able to get to this long-running poetry open mic, held together by the host, Carol Graser. She began by reading a poem by Albany-born poet Gregory Orr, “Being Alive” (beats the alternative). 

The night here always starts with a featured reader whose performance is live-streamed on the Caffè Lena YouTube channel. Tonight’s featured poet was Schenectady poet Adonis Richards. He began with a tribute to his grandmother, playing off a quote from Robert Frost, “Stay Golden.” He went on to a variety of other poems, including the intense piece tiled “Sometimes” with the refrain of “9 1/2 minutes,” on the murder of George Floyd; “Self-love” was an anguished poem about his father leaving, with a related piece “Pokemon.” A new poem just written was titled “I’ve Been Secretly Finding My Meaning in Life,” & ended with an ekphrastic love poem, based on a painting. You can find the video of his performance here.

Then on to the full, eclectic open mic list, starting with Darcy with 2 pieces, the first about seeing James Taylor perform in person, the 2nd a portrait of an non-conformist, “Differences of Life.” I was next, my 1st piece was an eco-poem commissioned last year by my friend, Mark Tremont, who recently died suddenly, “2 Dreams,” the 2nd was my annual Birthday Poem, this year titled “Self-Portrait with Cat.” I hadn’t seen Effy Redman read in quite a while, I missed her when she was featured here last year, this night she read a poem about insomnia, “Hope Stolen Moonlight.” 

Matthew Jones said this was his first time reading here, read a poem titled “Dope Sick,” then one about an encounter with girls in a bookstore, with the title “Should I Join the Army?” (NO!)  Jeaninne Laverty read a piece titled “After Finishing Reading Eric Gansworth” (a Haudenosaunee novelist & poet) which became a memoir of her mother killing chickens. Melissa Anderson said that she had just edited right here tonight the 2 poems she was reading, “Winter Cry,” & a dream poem, “The House is Not a Metaphor.” Harry said his piece was not meant to be political, just some thoughts from his life experiences, in irregular rhymes. 

Manny was a most enthusiastic audience member, then reader, beginning with the piece “Why Ghetto Birds Don’t Fly,” then a meditation on being alone, “The Forgotten Wolf.” Steve Van Pelt said that he had last read here 10 years ago (!), his pieces tonight were serious, sonorous memories, “The Bowl” (as in a Buddhist’s begging bowl) & “Amherst & Them” (being back again).

Evie said that this was her first time reading, ever, did quite well with a descriptive memoir “Mulberry,” & “Little Blues.” Autumn said that this was her first time reading here (implying that she has read her work elsewhere), & read 2 untitled pieces, the first a dreamy fantasy, the other about waking in the dark after a nightmare. Elaine Kenyon has read many times, in many places around here, she hosts a monthly open mic at the Schuylerville Public Library & read a poem by one of its participants, Ian McCray, about a typewriter, then one from her exercise of writing a poem about the word-of-the-day, this one from October, “Strife.”

Rodney Parrott read a fistful of his 3 line poems, including some about Donald Trump. Our host, Carol Graser, said she has a new collection of poems about to be released & read one titled “At Winter” from that book. Joe was yet another virgin reader this night, managed to squeeze in 4 poems, mostly short, “December Elegy,” a short piece on pets, “Emergence” (Monarch butterflies at the beach), & “Poem for the Dawn.” Lee brought the evening to a close with a pizza poem titled “A Life Dilemma,” then an untitled piece on a relationship.

As always, this rare open mic in the North Country represents the variety of the community writers here. There is always a local, regional, even national, featured poet & an open mic for the rest of us. Caffè Lena Poetry Open Mic happens each first Wednesday of the month at historical Caffè Lena at 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, NY, a featured reader at 7:00PM, followed by an open mic, $5.00 — bring your poems.

All-Genre Open Mic Out of Bennington, January 14

A popular open mic thriving on Zoom, with our host Charlie Rossiter, who introduced the night with his “the mic is open” rant. Charlie likes to do 2 rounds, 1 poem each round.

I was first up, read the poem “2 dreams” commissioned by fellow Army veteran Mark Tremont for Earth Day last year; Mark was the proprietor of I Fill Inkjets in Delmar, NY until his sudden death earlier this month. In the 2nd round I read a poem inspired by a 1997 exhibit of Stieglitz’s portraits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art “Georgia O’Keefe’s Hands.”

Sharon Smith began with an ekphrastic poem, “The Ohio Day,” based on a painting that invoked memories of her childhood in Ohio; in the 2nd round she paid tribute to the late President Carter, “Dear Jimmy” like a list of accomplishments, “100 years of…” 

Kate McNairy writes very short poems, like gems, & so she read each twice, in the first round “Once,” wistful, at a lake, under stars & a blue Moon; in her 2nd round, a poem about disappearing snow flakes, “Lost.” 

Our host, Charlie Rossiter, read a memoir of returning to his college days, musing on his life, 

“After Reading a Friends Recollection;” for the 2nd round he read from his chapbook, Lakeside Poems, selection of short poems about Lake Michigan (that I seem not to have). 

Julie Lomoe read poems from her recently self-published collection of poems, in the first round a rambling memoir of 1962 in Wisconsin, “Red Alert;” in her 2nd round a dead cat poem, “Lunesta Craves My Breath,” in which the cat teaches her how to die.

In the 1st round Bill Thwing read from The Selected Poems of Ai Qing 20th century Chinese poet (1919 - 1996), the poem “Sea & Tears,” then some Haiku (“because that’s what I do” he said); & in the 2nd round he brought out his guitar to sing a song written last year, based on a prompt of AI generated words, about going to Canada to heal after his service in Viet Nam, “there is no future when there’s war.” 

This open mic on Zoom happens on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 7:00PM Eastern time. If you would like to join in, & you are not already on Charlie’s list, send him an email, charliemrossiter@gmail.com, & ask to join the list. 

2nd Sunday @ 2: Poetry + Prose, January 12

After 3 years at the rich space that was Collar City Mushrooms, & before that limping through the pandemic, & more years before that at the Arts Center of the Capital Region where we were first given the space to create this opportunity for our local writers, we, me & Nancy Klepsch, have found a new home at Alias Coffee on 4th Street in Troy. And there was full house to start us off, some inadvertent audience members who had just come in for coffee & conversation, but many of our regular 2nd Sunday poets, such as Rhonda Rosenheck who was first on the list; she read a poem titled “The Clark” that was like a poetic walk thru that esteemed museum, then a new poem whose title I missed. Anne R. read a memoir piece about a best friend, “Nadine’s Toad.” 

Mary Panza’s 2 poems were both about walking barefoot, the first, “Muscle Memories,” was about how walking barefoot brought back a memory of walking barefoot in Troy, & then another Troy poem, a memory of her father ("that bastard") & responding to her daughter’s question, “how do you walk in high heals.”

I read an eco-poem commissioned last Earth Day by Mark Tremont (who left us last week), “2 Dreams,” then a bit of automatic writing “The Moon is a Damp Alley.” David Gonsalves read 2 different poems, “Flute Song,” & “Elephants” (they leave the room). Joel Best is another regular at this monthly open mic, read a poem titled “Eldridge” in which an old relationship comes back to him in a poem. 

Our co-host, Nancy Klepsch, read a poem for her friends in Los Angeles as the fires raged, then, the hysterically funny “The Women from Long Island (The Queer Version)” performed in authentic Longisland dialect. Kim Henry made a rare open mic appearance to read a couple untitled pieces, the first an emotionally heavy conversation over dinner about her father, the second set on a plane to Rome addressed to her daughter? or to an early version of herself? Rachel Baum, who hosts the open mic at the Saratoga Senior Center, read a poem about a dysfunctional family “Dracula Jesus Christ Super Star.” 

Avery Stempel had made his space at Collar City Mushrooms on 2nd Ave. available to us for this open mic since August 2021 until his landlord sold the building; but as a poet, he was back to join his fellow poets, he talked about the move of his mushroom farm up to Indian Ladder Farms in Altamont, like exchanging animals, space, the kind of changes that we — & the natural world — does all the time. Julie Lomoe read from her new book a poem written 8 years ago, “Red Alert,” a memoir of 1962 & the fear of dying in a nuclear holocaust while fucking her boyfriend, the another a rambling memoir triggered by Charles Mingus’ “Eclipse” [I try to include links to the poets’ work online but when I went to Julie’s website to get a link to her self-published book of poems I got this response, “This site can’t be reached: www.creativecrone.net took too long to respond.” — maybe she fell asleep).

The final poet for this afternoon, Ash, said it was her 1st time in Troy & I suspect she & her companion had shown up for some coffee & conversation, then found themselves in a poetry reading! She recited 2 pieces from memory, one about warm hands in a cold bed, the other about a snake in a garden about death, both rich in vivid, bright images that great poetry requires.

Well, one never knows who might show up, do one? We hope we can continue on here at Alias Coffee Bar, 219 4th St., Troy, NY — like the title says, every 2nd Sunday @ 2: Poetry + Prose — bring your best — & your worst.

Saratoga Senior Center Open Mic, January 10

Back to this daytime open mic, with our host, Rachel Baum, who began with a poem titled “Grace” by someone else.

The day’s featured poet, Kathleen McCoy, led off the reading with a poem titled “The Burning Garden,” then “Green and Burning Oak” for her mother after death, both from Kathleen’s book Green and Burning: Glad Agus a Dhó (WordTech Editions, 2016). Then a couple poems from More Water Than Words (Finishing Line Press, 2017), “The Island of Black & White,” & “Multi-Lingual” (for her mother-in-law) with hard-to-pronounce Hungarian words. From Ringing the Changes (Finishing Line Press, 2019), “Larval Dream” (on miracles), “Dreaming of Jesus,” “The Sixth Sign” (from John, chapter 11), ending with a 9/11 poems, “Praying in the Dark” that ends with “… that each breath might be a prayer.” I was pleased to once-again hear Kathleen’s poems in her own breath.

Rachel Baum led off the open mic list with a poem titled “Like Beatniks,” portraits of her parents at a family dinner in a NYC bistro. David Graham read his poem “The Dogs in Dutch Paintings” (the 1st poem he ever read at Caffè Lena) from a recent Caffè Lena collection Table Top Poems, then a poem titled “Love” playing off a famous William Carlos Williams poem. 

Both of the poems that David Gonsalves read contained images of fire, “Evening on Mt. Epilogue”  was a string of random images, while his 2nd poem was about wild fires in Hawaii. Jay Rogoff read one poem, “Over the Underworld,” on the death of a poet/friend. Barbara Ungar’s poem, “Knocked Back,” on grief, sounded like automatic writing, but she said it was a “collage” poem, published in River Harbor Review.

Mary Abbott said this was her first time reading; recently widowed, she has moved here from NYC; she read a few short poems written in the ’90s, many with rhymes: “Happiness 2,” “Just Another Broken Dream,” & “Heat Wave for NYC in July.” Marilyn McCabe read an eco-poem on the death of a baobab tree “Subtraction & Addition.”

Gerry Wichrowski read what we call in the open mic biz OPP (other people’s poetry), nothing wrong with that, ”The Three Kings” by Muriel Spark, & “The Future” by Leslie McNair (watching afternoon TV talk shows). My poem, “2 Dreams,” was commissioned by my late friend Mark Tremont, a community & environmental activist. Rhonda Rosenheck brought the afternoon of poetry to a close with 2 pieces, “One Poet,” written this morning, & a Haiku on the loss of a friend.

This open mic is held on the 2nd Friday of each month at the Saratoga Senior Center, 290 West Ave., Saratoga Springs, NY at 1:00 PM — a featured reader & an open mic, the host is poet Rachel Baum.

Brushes & Pens, January 3

This is a new reading series (started last month) run by folks from Hell Yeah Lit & held at Stacks Espresso Bar in Troy. It was billed as “a mixed media word showcase” due to an informal group of musicians who jammed after the poets were done reading. The MC/host was apparently named Eric.

Poet Anna Boughtwood was first to read; I’d seen her read last year at the Word Fest Open Mic held at the Sand Lake Center for the Arts. She started with “Have You Tried Yoga?” (a poem of pain), “Hunger,” “Good Veins” (having one), a love poem “The Press of the Compass,” then a couple about real estate, one a dream of house as a hell house for revenge. I liked her edgy, quirky poems.

The second reader was introduced by simply the letter “L” who said she had not read any of these poems out before tonight, beginning with one on procrastination. Her poem “Chunky” was about a character in the video game Minecraft (she said); then a memory of a meeting in a dive bar years ago; one titled “Life & Death by Popcorn;” the short poem in rhyme “Canine Dreaming;” & one about her complicated love of Winter.

In contrast to L, the next poet, Michelle Améliore Polacinski, had the longest name on the program, which was too much for the host who introduced her just by her first name. She read her poems from her phone, said many were “unhinged,” beginning with “Somebody Loves the Culligan Water Man,” then to a love poem of sorts, “Follow Me on Social.” “Poem About My Neighbor” was about a well-known Troy street cat; “Climate in September” was in the category of eco-poems. Set in the Mall “100 Fucking Dollars” was a commentary on consumerism, then she ended with what she said was her most “unhinged” poem, the ironic “Everything is Fine.” 

The last 2 readers, Ian Ross Singleton & Natalya Sukhonos, were actually given top-billing on the program so I guess one could say that they were the "featured readers." 

Ian read from his translation-in-progress from a novel by an early 20th Century Ukrainian poet & novelist, Yuri Ivanovych Yanovksy (1914 - 1961), about the sea & hanging out in Odessa. Ian is hoping to have the novel translated & published in English in 2026. Ian’s published novel, Two Big Differences (2021) is also set in Odessa (as well as in Detroit), a gritty, urban, “punk” tale set against the Maidan uprising in 2014 in Ukraine. It’s a work I’ve enjoyed very tremendously, as much about language as it is about the main characters, Valentine from Detroit & Zina, an Odessitka. Tonight he read the roiling section from the end of the novel where Zina drowns in the Black Sea (which is very much a character as well). 

I have heard Natalya read her fine poetry a few times in recent years, including when we read together at the behest of the NYS Writers Institute during last year's solar eclipse. She is author of A Stranger Home (Moon Pie Press, 2020). This night she read unpublished poems, starting with one titled “Ars Poetica with Spider & Keychain” the prefatory poem to a new collection she is working on, then a poem about her great grandmother from Odessa, a dream of apples; on to a piece from a translation project of stories/testimony by Ukrainians. “The Beast” was a poem for her mother, the “beast” is cancer; then a poem about migrants dying in the desert trying to get to a safer, better place, “Over the Border & Then Nowhere.” Her next poem, “Ode to Guatemala” was a happier piece, from a family trip; she ended with a seasonal poem, a reaction to the Winter, “Dear January.”

Although the flyer had advertised “The Musical Stylings of The Freedom Jazz Dancers,” the musicians that were individually introduced were a more informal group that provided an eclectic backdrop to the scattered discussions about the poems we had heard.

All in all, a stimulating variety of poets & poems, in a pleasant cafe setting, not just coffee, but also local & New York State spirits; Stacks Espresso Bar in Troy is at 13 3rd St.

Third Thursday Poetry Night, December 19

The annual Winter holiday version of this monthly event, had as its host the holiday Sanity Clause. Tonight’s feature poet was Barbara Ungar, but first the traditional invocation of the holiday Muse, the poet Enid Dame (1943 - 2003) with a reading of her poem from December 1996, “Holiday Poem.” Each reader was given a gift of poetry from Sanity Clause’s wealth of poetry zines.

The first of the night’s reader was Sylvia Barnard, who read a true story of her aide, Sheila, finding Sylvia’s mother’s crêche. It was a wonderful, unexpected present to have Doug Holiday join us tonight, to read a poem by the recently gone Nikki Giovanni (1943 - 2024) “We Are Virginia Tech,” then he talked about researching his family history, & his new flip book, & the genocide of the Palestinians (books available at the Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza). Kate McNairy was another poet who returned tonight, with a poem about memory sounding like saxophone jazz. 

Former feature Bunkong Tuon, known to us as BK, came to hear Barbara Ungar & for Sanity Clause, read “How to Defeat Pol Pot” a lesson for his elders from What Is Left (Jacar Press, 2024). Tom Bonville said that the piece he was reading was just finished yesterday & apologized that it was “more prose than poetry” (but then we don’t know where the line breaks are, do we?) “Three Days Before Xmas,” on a train from NYC to Hudson, a chance encounter with a fellow traveler.

Barbara Ungar, author of a number poetry books, after retiring from teaching & raising her son, can now be a full-time writer, read mostly from her new book, but started with some new poems, beginning with “Curriculum Vitae” for her students, a dream poem about teaching; then 2 poems for her late partner, poet Stuart Bartow, “The Triangle Diner,” then an abecedarian poem “After-Life Invitation” a letter to Stu in the beyond. Then on to her new book After Naming the Animals (The Word Works, 2024), poems about the 6th Extinction (which we are currently undergoing), beginning with “Wild Life” (dreaming of polar bears), “How to Age Gracefully” (with more polar bears), & “Weight.” From Part II, “Call Me Eve” the opening poem, & one of the animal poems “Blue Dragon,” & one on her name “Santa Barbara.” On to the last section, about what we are going to do about all this, “Resolutions for 2024,” then ends with yet another dream poem, “Dream Voice.” A wide-ranging, often humorous (or ironic) exploration of the ecological mess we are all in.

After a break we continued on with the open mic, & I read my one of my poem cards “Starting the Wine.” Sally Rhoades read a poem about her grand children (4) “I Am Their History,” celebrating being a grandmother & remembering her own grandmother. David Gonsalves read the light-hearted “Still Life with Half-Eaten Apple” traveling the World. Carolee Bennett was back at the open mic “All I Know About Intimacy Is How We Fail It,” mixing the environment & the weight of the ex. Jill Crammond's “Things I Need to Confess” was a list poem of sorts, self-reflexive, serious & silly too. The poet who signed up as JAC (pronounced “Jack”) performed from memory a love poem, perhaps to himself. 

The last signed-up reader, Shevoné, had been here last month & I guess we didn’t frighten her away; she read a piece she wrote late at night, “FWH,” working through a relationship with advice on how to behave. Nike did not sign up but got courage at the last minute to make something up to recite in rhyme & was urged to come up to the mic to put a fitting cap on the night.

We will continue on into the New Year to meet on the third Thursday of each month at the Social Justice Center, 33 Central Ave., Albany to share our written & spoken words, with an open mic & a featured reader — start time is 7:30PM. I want to thank all those who have helped us over the year (& years) with your words & generous contributions to keep this event going, to support poetry events in Albany & the work of the Social Justice Center.

2nd Sunday @ 2: Poetry + Prose, December 15

Photo by Sally Rhoades

Sadly, this was the last 2nd Sunday open mic at Collar City Mushrooms in Troy — the building they have been renting has been sold & the mushroom farm must move. And indeed they are, they have found a new home at Indian Ladder Farms in Altamont, NY. This series originated at the Arts Center of the Capital Region in November 2010, & it has always had a Troy identity, with Troy resident, Nancy Klepsch, & me (Albany) as co-hosts. The COVID pandemic shut us down from March, 2020 to May 2021when we did a few seasons on Zoom. Later in the 2021 when the Arts Center reopened they did not have funding to support being open on Sundays but Nancy & I agreed that Sunday, like Troy, was part of our identity. Avery Stempel had recently opened Collar City Mushrooms on 2nd Avenue, & he welcomed us into his space in August 2021, &, with the exception of a few months in early 2022 back on Zoom, we continued to hold this open mic for poetry & prose each 2nd Sunday of each month.

This Sunday we had an overflow crowd (& an overflowed signup sheet) for our final session here.

First up was Gary, who joined us for the first time last month; he read 2 pieces in funny rhymes, the first a humorous take on filmmaker Michael Moore, “Roger, You, and Me,” then the astronomical “Who Mourns Pluto?” Wayne read a poem that he had read at a 50th year reunion at Vassar College, “Field Studies Benediction,” then a meditation on the existence of God, “How Can There Be Nothing?” Julie Lomoe sang (sort of) 2 pieces, “The Old Crone Blues,” & “It’s the Most Over-Hyped Time of the Year.”

Rhonda Rosenheck read “After the Writing Retreat” about after swimming in the Kinderhook Creek, a funny piece about how her thinking & even her speech changed to match the style of the poems, then a peaceful piece about being in the forest, “Earth’s Watch.” David Gonsalves confessed that he doesn’t like to work from prompts, but tonight read 2 poems from prompts, “Burnt Offering” & “Aardvark.” Tom Bonville read a tender, moving poem, “Christmas Morning” about his mother dying, remembering her life in Europe before the war.

Sally Rhoades read her short memoir “Summertime” about her youth in Westville, NY, recently published in True North: Words and Images from New York’s North Country, an anthology published by the Clinton-Essex-Franklin Library System. Tom Corrado read another poem from his ongoing series of “Screen Dumps,” this #797. 

Photo by Sally Rhoades

I read a couple poems I'd read at a previous 2nd Sunday some years ago, "Arts Festival Delray Beach," channeling Alan Catlin's poetry, & "Southwest Flight 2095," the hot-pants poem. Co-host Nancy Klepsch read a poem, in accent, “The Woman from Long Island: the Queer Version” then a poem about a friend who died of AIDS years ago, apparently in a drug trial but on the placebo. Kurt talked about the history of Haiku, then read a couple of his own, one on the New Moon, another his “mushroom haiku.” Rita read a poem in rhyme, “Hear the Call of the Wild,” then one titled “Many Moons.”

Maria Diotte read at the first open mic in August 2021 here at Collar City Mushrooms, & returned today to read a poem titled “Clairvoyance.” Erica’s first poem was titled “The Fox & the Burn,” then an emotional piece about the mass shooting in Buffalo in 2022, “Goodbye to Springville.”

It was fitting that the final reader of the final 2nd Sunday at Collar City Mushrooms was Avery Stempel. He announced that his article, “Treating Cluster Headaches with Psilocybin-Containing Mushrooms” was recently published in the recent issue issue of The Mycophile Quarterly (can be found on page 25) a publication of The North American Mycological Association. In addition to farming mushrooms, he has been doing advocacy work promoting the medical benefits of psilocybin. Then he launched into a couple poems responding/commenting on the closing of his storefront in Troy & moving up to Altamont to the Indian Ladder Farms. “I’m Feeling” was what the title says, a litany & performance of his feelings, often loud & dramatic, while “Amongst the Mushrooms” was quieter, a tribute poem community, & his friends & supporters in Troy. As they say, a bitter sweet moment.

2nd Sunday @ 2: Poetry + Prose will continue on at Alias Coffee, 219 4th Street, Troy at, well as is says, the 2nd Sunday of each month at 2:00PM. We’d be glad to see you there.