Invocation!, March 19

Invocation, which had been at a couple other venues in town over the last few years, had its first open mic last month here at Ophelia’s on Broadway in Albany -- the slow gathering of poets, folks ordering food, drinks, taking their seats, nodding their pleasantries to fellow poets, etc. It is organized & hosted by poet R.M. Engelhardt, who introduced the night with a excerpt from the epic poem Pharsalia by the Roman poet Lucan (Marcus Annaeus Lucanus, AD 39 - AD 65), who was forced to commit suicide by the Emperor Nero. 

Lee Martin read poems by the absent Charles Lapinsky, “Behold the Twisted Cross,” & “Corinthians” (as in the New Testament texts). Nancy Klepsch read “Children Too” an outcry & litany of countries where children are dying of war, famine, disease; then the much lighter cry for good bagels, “Bad Bagel.” Samual Maurice read his piece “Spins on Change.”

It was about here that karaoke began blasting from the front bar area. The sound system there was better & was over-whelming the the voice of the poets, & I knew it could only get worse. What idiot would schedule both a poetry open mic & karaoke on the same night at the same time? — one who is greedy & cares neither for poetry nor karaoke, I would guess, caring only for sales by packing the house with both events at the same time.

I split, fuming the whole way home & into my (now quieter) night. I apologize to the other poets there & to our unfortunate host, R.M. Engelhardt, for my leaving so abruptly. 

Last month was his first first night at Ophelia’s & it seemed to go well but we will have to see if it will continue here on the same night of the month (3rd Wednesday) or even if it will continue here at all. Check the listings at hvwg.org & in the pages/online of Metroland Now; also Dead Man’s Press Ink Facebook page.

 Maybe I’ll see you there, maybe not.

Saratoga Senior Center Open Mic, March 14

David Graham was the substitute host this day, filling in for Rachel Baum. He began by reading a poem by William Stafford (1914 - 1993), “At the Un-national Monument at the Canadian Border.” A suggested theme for this month's open mic was “Green” — in whatever associations, connotations, symbols, etc. that the word could imply.

Photo by David Graham

At this reading the featured reader goes first & that was Me! I bookmarked my reading with “Birthday Poems,” beginning with one written by the late Pierre Joris (1946 - 2025), written as if by me for my birthday in 2006. To the green association with Ireland & St. Patrick’s Day I read “The Sheila-na-gig” then a poem from my chapbook Ireland: poems (A.P.D., 1995) “Cork City Jail Museum.” For green being synonymous with the ecological movement I read an old poem “Message From Space,” often performed by 3 Guys from Albany. And then for green being symbolic of the season Spring I read Vincent Ferrini’s little poem “The Gold” (“we are the gardeners of each other”), & a couple of Haiku printed as poem cards, “Spring Haiku” & “Lark St. Spring.” I read my frequently revised (based on news stories) “When Donald Trump Farts” which could justify as being on the theme of green by invoking the emoji  🤢. The ending bookmark poem was this year’s Birthday Poem “Self-Portrait with Cat.” 

Leslie Sittner, who also frequents the Caffè Lena Poetry Open Mic read a seasonal list poem “Critters in Residence” & their mating habits.  Marilyn McCabe’s elegy "Face" was a poem of memory & its loss, she also mixed in some humor with the seriousness. David Gonsalves read a piece titled “5 Green Lunes” — I wasn’t familiar with this modern poetic form created by poet Robert Kelly: a 3-line poem with either 3 syllables, 5 syllables, 3 syllables, or a variant created by poet Jack Collom, 3 words, 5 words, 3 words. 

Susan Kress read a poem titled “Brother” about an imaginary brother because she never had one, & the poem even had the work “green” in it. Rhonda Rosenheck read “A Red Springer” about a dog in her family when she was a child, then a poem set in the forest about pine combs & fire “Earth Watch.” David Graham finished out the afternoon with a poem that he said he wasn’t sure what it was about, “Everyone in America” — sometimes a poem just is.

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 usual host is poet Rachel Baum. Join us to read or just to listen.

2nd Sunday @ 2: Poetry + Prose, March 9

Since Collar City Mushrooms closed its Troy location we have been in transition to fine a new home. This day we met in a conference room at the offices of TAP Inc. on River St. in Troy. But writers seemed to find us, both the “regulars,” & even a new friend. The hosts are me, Dan Wilcox, & Nancy Klepsch.

I signed up first, just in case anyone was shy of going first. I began with a poem from 2006 written by the late Pierre Joris (1946 - 2025), written as if by me for my birthday, then my real birthday poem for this year titled “Self-Portrait with Cat.”

Kate Laity had been a regular at the 2nd Sunday @ 2 when were at the Arts Center of the Capital Region, but we haven’t seen her in some time; she read an Old English poem, both in O.E. & in modern English, “A Charm Against a Wen” which she described as half a charm, half a curse — seems just right for now.

Anne Hohenstein read another curse, written in response to cancer treatment, “Hero Prints Confession,” then another, older, cancer response, “Will the Earth Accept Me Gladly?”

David Gonsalves read a poem about death, “On the Couch,” which on the written page contains phrases in parenthesis so he gestured when he read those phrases; then the short poem “Short Leash.”

Sally Rhoades read from her brand new poetry collection, Taking Time (from Troy Book Makers), the poems “Girls on the Bridge” based on a poem by the late Southwest poet Dorothy Alexander, & her iconic “I Have Danced with Druids.”

Co-host Nancy Klepsch read her piece from a 2024 publication The Battle, about watching the TV news of the war in Ukraine, thinking ecstatically of an apocalyptic future — or present?

K Twigs was with us for the first, read “Crowbar” from a collection she is working on, then a sad, descriptive piece “Possum.”

Nancy pointed out that we had plenty of time left, so we went around in a quick coda — David read “Hymn;” Anne another from her cancer series “Orphans on the Atlantic;” Kate a brief piece I think was untitled; Nancy “All Birthdays Are Equal;” I read “Author Photo;” Sally “We’re Sitting with You Rilla” for writer Rilla Askew; & K Twig “Doomed Garden” also from her collection in-progress.

Look for us again on the next 2nd Sunday @ 2 when we will gather in our new home at Collar Works, 50 4th St., Troy — bring 2 poems, or 5 minutes of prose. 

Caffé Lena Poetry Open Mic Reading, March 5

Back to Saratoga to hear poet & teacher Bunkong Tuon, whose work I greatly admire & have  promoted by booking him to read at the Social Justice Center & Poets in the Park in Albany. & there was an open mic that is always interesting, sometimes even inspiring. The host is Carol Graser who began with a poem about doves by Marge Piercy.

The featured reader always goes first & is live-streamed on the Caffé Lena YouTube channel. Bunkong Tuon read largely from his “greatest hits” What Is Left (Jacar Press, 2024), beginning with the title poem, then on to “The Carrying.” He explained that he was reading poems that were central to his being, & described “Under the Tamarind Tree” as his “origin-story poem” as a refugee from Cambodia. “Debt” is about an imagined incident in his father’s life, a man BK had never know. The poem “Moon in Khmer” is for his daughter, & “Letter to My Unborn Son” is the last poem in the book. Then on to other poems not in the book, “A Hole in My Stomach” (on healing), a poem for his wife before they had children “Wanting Kids,” & he ended with a poem for his beloved grandmother, a prayer in the Cambodian language. BK is also the author of 3 other poetry collections & an autobiographical novel, Koan Khmer. You can find the recording of this moving reading on the Caffé Lena YouTube channel.  

Then right into the open mic list, with Joe Stamp up first with a chant poem on Time. 

Alyssa Starrantino said that this was her first time here to read & her piece “Looking Forward” was a letter laced with Joni Mitchell lyrics to a love interest. Effy Redman has been a frequent reader here for years, including as a featured poet; she read 2 short pieces, the first about Winter winding down, then “Beneath Bone” that was inspired by poet/activist Audre Lord.

David Graham is another frequent reader here (& elsewhere in Saratoga), he read a poem about waiting for the ghost of his mother, a World War II vet, to visit him in his dreams, “Impatient Elegy.” Leslie Sittner’s poem “The Guardian” was about her recovery after tripping over her dog & breaking her hip.

There was a short break (not the bone kind), then when we returned Carol Graser read her poem “Prayer for the Sorrowful Brain.” Pat Curtis followed with another dog poem, “A Winter Walk at Dawn.” Bob Duffy read poems he said were written by a 17-year old girl at the famous CBGB’s in NYC, the first titled “Vodka Veins,” then what sounded like a trans poem that began “I slit myself…” I read next, an older poem titled “Author Photo,” & then this year’s Birthday poem, titled “Self-Portrait with Cat.”

I haven’t seen Sue Jefts in quite sometime, but then I missed this open mic for the last half of 2024; she read a pensive poem written just after the November election, “Two Weeks Out,” then one titled “This In the Springtime” from Breathing Lessons (Shanti Arts Publishing, 2023). I recognized Debbie Miles when she came up to read as someone who once worked at the Albany Public Library; she read a poem titled “The Litany for Democracy,” a poem of history from Bob Dylan to now. Wendy Daniels read “An Understanding” in the form of a letter to her mother on bravery. Rodney Parrott read from a series of pieces he has published on his Blue Sky (bsky.social) account, “The Weapon of Compassion.” 

Alan Esperanza Lopez said he was here for the first time; I think his 2 short poems were both untitled, the first about making pottery, the second about a grey hair. Alan Catlin’s poem “The Battle of Algiers” was about the movie of the same name, then a tale “Grade School Chaperoning Field Trips.” Lee was the final reader of the night with a couple pieces in irregular rhymes, “Rock Paper Scissors” about things having been better before, then one on modern romance, so to speak.

Caffé Lena Poetry Open Mic reading takes place each month on the first Wednesday. Sign-up for the open mic starts at 6:30PM, with the featured reader live streamed at 7:00PM, followed by the open mic — $5.00. Refreshments are available for sale, including wine & beer. 

Third Thursday Poetry Night, February 20

A cold night but the poetry was hot! There was a short open mic followed our featured reader, Jill Crammond. But first I invoked the Muse, tonight the gone Albany poet Moses Kash III (1945 - 2017) by reading his poem “Black Einstein.” 

Aron Ervin was the 1st poet on the sign-up sheet, one who has not read here in a long time, pleased to see/hear him again; he read a poem he has been working on through many versions, a mix of real life & imagination & alchemy, “Philosopher’s Stone.” 

David Gonsalves read “Pitfall” a brief, intricate Valentine story of the apocalypse, or something like that.

Avery Stempel read his poem “The Leaf,” wondering about what the leaf is doing floating past our busy lives.

Carolee Bennett had been here in December for the visit from Sanity Clause; tonight she read a poem/essay “Google: Find Tacos & Dive Bars” on the vastness of the universe & billionaire astronauts.

Lady Shevoné read a poem responding to a prompt, “Self-Sacrifice,” written in the style of a letter of advice to a friend.

In honor of our featured poet’s interest in the Tarot I read my poem titled “The 9 of Cups” which I wrote some years ago about a Tarot reading that Jill did for me.

The earliest photo of this night’s featured poet, Jill Crammond, is from January, 1997 at the Border’s Bookstore on Wolf Rd.; she is a mom (& about to become a grandma), & an early-childhood teacher, with numerous publications in poetry & literary journals. She read largely from her first book of poems Handbook for Unwell Mothers (Finishing Line Press, 2023) poems about being a single-mother, starting with, “All the Pretty Mothers.” On to “Still Life: Ex-wife Washing Dishes in the Burning House,” then a true story “On Forbidding Certain Words at the Dining Table,” & “The Town Witch Tries to Make Friends” (on the suburban housewives). Next some new poems, a couple of poems about conversations with her daughter (who was in the audience) “On Learning & Disbelieving the Average Age of People When they Go Missing is 34” (on possums & superpowers), “Epistle to My Daughter Standing on the Shore of the Watery House,” then one about being a medium, “My Life As a Very Real Ghost,” & “My Mother is an Ironing Board” (on aging & grief). A poem she tried to write to be like Avery, then, since he was here, decided to ask him up to read it in his performance voice, “On Learning There is No Word Like Widow for  Daughter of a Dead Man” & indeed it sound just like something he would write, “Grief Answers Its Own Question” (an abcedarian), then to a poem about a failed relationship “On Forgetting to Invite the Groom to the Wedding,” & ended with a poem responding to a poem by Frank O’Hara, “Someday I will Love Jill Crammond.” So good to hear Jill out reading again among her poetry peeps. 

During Jill’s reading a figure that I at first thought could be the ghost of Moses wandered in to use the Social Justice Center’s bathroom & select a scarf for some warmth from the Free Store — he also took a flower from the bouquet that Sophie, Jill’s daughter, had brought, & took one of Jill’s books — before wandering back to the street. 

Many things can happen at the Third Thursday Poetry Night, not just the written & spoken work, each month at 7:30pm at the Social Justice Center, 33 Central Ave., Albany, NY — bring a poem to read, make a donation to support the featured poet, poetry readings in Albany, & the work of the Social Justice Center.

Invocation, February 19

The peripatetic/nomadic open mic host R.M. Engelhardt has found another home for his current incarnation of Invocation — at Ophelia’s, which was once Red Square, where in 2005 Engelhardt once hosted an open mic titled “Listen.” Tonight, he started off with a reading of the well-worn poem, “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas, which he read for the passing of his father.

The space had a small stage with a scattering of folding chairs, but no place to put my beer except under my chair — I was careful & didn’t kick it over. 

First up on the sign-up sheet was Ian Macks reading from a new book, Identity Crises, the first piece a rant on Kanye West, then a poem about Trump, “Quarantine” — Ian got away at the end of the night before I could buy his book, maybe next time. 

Charles Lapinsky read his poems from plastic sheets, the first titled “Little Puff of Wind,” then a youth memoir of NYC “Love is Just That,” a poem set in the morgue “Still Life.” Austin Houston began with a political piece titled “True Colors,” then one about a meeting, “The Devil is My Friend.” Samuel Maurice read an automatic writing rant titled “Open Mic Scene Set on Lark St., for Alex Stokes,” then a piece about a car crashing into a hydrant, from his book Vibrant Sounds, Colors in Motion (Deadman’s Press Ink, 2023). 

Rob took the stage next, carrying a cane, actually quoted Lord Byron about “carrying a cane,” & read Elliot Richman’s poem “Death Camp at Walden Pond, then to a couple poems, “Waiting” & “Underground” from the forthcoming from Deadman's Press Ink (but previously issued in 2020) The Bones of Our Existence: A Journal of 2046. Later, he gave me a galley proof, nicely inscribed to me. 

Pat Williams is a frequent reader at Rob’s open mics, wherever it may be; tonight he read a poem in short line rhymes, “Forest of the Trees,” then one about a beaver, “Dam It.” I followed with a poem inspired by a passage in Walt Whitman’s Specimen Days, “Here I Sit In Solitude…” & by a visit to Crystal Springs in Laurel, NJ, which had inspired Whitman, then my annual birthday poem, this year’s titled “Self-Portrait with Cat.”

Lady Shevone (that’s how she signed up here tonight) has read a few times at the Third Thursday Poetry Night at the Social Justice Center; tonight she read a couple pieces that sounded like breakup letters or notes critical of friends, “Let Me Say It Outloud” & “Sort of Out.” Elvira Horbata’s first poem was titled “Isis” & was like the Goddess of Love speaking advice to her, then read an untitled piece about trying to make a decision. Austin came to the stage again to read an untitled piece, like a prayer, from a pocket notebook.

Ophelia’s at 388 Broadway, Albany, NY is the new home to Invocation, on the third Wednesday, sign-up at 7:30PM, open mic starts at 8:00PM — bring some poems & check it out. 

Saratoga Senior Center Open Mic, February 14

We were gathered in a side room off the Lobby of the busy Senior Center, which was an improvement over the post-lunch dining room, with its noisy kitchen. Out host is Saratoga poet Rachel Baum, who started off with a poem by Elinor Wylie (1885 - 1928), “Sunset on the Spire.” There was no featured reader this month, but Rachel has suggested a theme, Love, this being Valentines Day.

When I arrived, about 4 poets had signed up for the open mic, but the #1 slot remained blank, so for the sake of order & neatness I took it; I read a love poem, “The Phrasing Must Change,” riffing off a line in a poem by Rumi, then a short little love poem, like a postcard, “Starting the Wine.” 

Rachel Baum followed with “Grief is a Person” that I recognized from other readings. Jeanne Ungar said she was here for the 1st time, having recently relocated from Brooklyn; she read “Each Night,” & a memory of being at Lake George as a youth, “Forest.” David Graham began with a poem by peace activist & poet William Stafford (1914 - 1993) “Passing Remarks,” then read “Summons” from his book The Honey of the Earth (Terrapin Books, 2019).

Leslie Sitter, who also reads at the monthly Caffè Lena Poetry Open Mic, read a memoir/history of her boyfriends/husbands. David Gonsalves read a characteristically quirky take on the theme with an unValentine, “My Allegany Valentine,” & another titled “Dog Woos Cat.” Gerry Wichrowski read Debra Spencer’s funny piece “The Discovery of Sex.” 

Elaine Handley read 2 poems on theme, “Old Love,” & the tender, domestic “In the Afternoon.” Sue Valactis’s poem “Dance of Life” was about the relationship of her aunt & uncle, while “Time Capsule” was inspired by her 50-year college reunion. Mary Abbott read a draft of a poem written just this morning, “Always My Favorite Valentine” about her “Jack of Hearts” who got his wish to for home hospice.

Last minute signup was Galen (? spelling), with a tender piece beginning “Yesterday’s socks…” — I like when an audience member is inspired to read after hearing others in the open mic. Earlier when Leslie Sittner introduced her work she said that she had another piece on the Valentines theme but it was “too long;” Rachel invited her to finish off the afternoon by reading it, a letter to her late husband, “To Jim & his F-150” — a sweet, humorous love story of a man & his truck.

This open mic for poetry, prose, story telling, etc. is held on the 2nd Friday of each month at 1:00PM at the Saratoga Senior Center, 290 West Ave., Saratoga Springs, NY — Free!