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.

 

Second-Friday Veteran Reading Series & Open Mic, December 13

This fairly new reading series is held at The Hudson Valley National Center for Veteran Reintegration in Saugerties, NY & is hosted by poet & US Army Viet Nam veteran Dayl Wise. Dayl is also the publisher/editor of Post-Traumatic Press out of Woodstock, NY; over the years he has published my work in anthologies & collections of poems. I was honored to be invited to be the featured poet on this night. He dedicated tonight’s event to the memory of Jim Fallon, a recently deceased buddy.Wayne started us off with a couple songs on his guitar, a Xmas standard “Have Yourself a Merry Xmas,” & a song by Pete Seeger.

I started off my reading with a peace poem from Oil War I “Peace Marchers at the Viet Nam Memorial" then into a variety of other pieces: 2 related pieces, “Tourism” (about the fire at Nortre Dame in Paris) & an older piece, “Church Burner.” Then on to a couple poems each from my chapbooks, Baseball Poems (2019) & Poeming the Prompt (2011), & ended with another, albeit lighter, than what I stared off with, “Buttons Not Bombs.” 

Then on to the open mic, with Cheryl A. Rice leading off with a poem about Long Island, “Oysters Learn to Keep Their Mouths Shut.”  Bruce Weber followed with a poem about his cats, then one about a woman living alone by the sea, & some reflections on the 1950s titled “While Waiting.” 

Joanne Pagano Weber read a short story titled “Nova” a somewhat magical piece about a character taking a cab to Brooklyn looking for blue lights & a green door. Our host, Dayl, read a poem about his experience in Viet Nam & memories of his childhood.

Next was more music by Karen Beth on guitar, a fun song about late night radio & “Taking My Baby Back Home.” Richard Comerford read an alphabet poem I think was titled "Sugar Bush aka Maple Tree.” Alison Koffler read a memoir piece about shopping with her parents & about Green Stamps, then another about her deceased mother, “Calling Mom.” 

Marianna Boncek read a poem from a news story of an young girl in Central America & dedicated it to Leslie Gerber (coming up) who had also written about the same story, then a poem about her deceased father inspired by a slow driver, “My Father on Xenia Road.” Dave Kime read about an incident in the Mojave from his time in the Army, “Tank Trap.” The aforementioned Leslie Gerber did a “mini-feature,” with “Buddha Walk” (micro-fiction), “Outdoor Music,” “Breakfast Mozart on the $19 Boom Box,” “The Trees Sing,” & a love story “Her.”

Judith Kerman read from a new book of poems, like a dictionary, “Xylophone” & “Zenophia,” then a Xmas song, “The Cherry Tree Carol.” Dayl was back with another poem from his combat experience beginning “I was a dancer once…” Guy Reed paid tribute to the late poet/publisher Donald Lev (1936 - 2018) by reading Donald’s poems, “The Workshop,” “The Not-So Great,” “Number 1,” & “I Have Vision.”

This reading series with an open mic takes place on the 2nd Friday of the month at The Hudson Valley National Center for Veteran Reintegration building located at 24 Twin Maples Plaza, Saugerties NY. The building is a bit hard to find, off to the left after one enters the Plaza, but be patient & bold, it will be worth it.

Writer’s Mic, December 11

This Zoom open mic takes place each month on the 2nd Wednesday & the host is poet Jackie Craven, sometimes in Schenectady, sometimes in Florida, & always a fascinating mix of poets dial in.

Susan Oringel read 2 “alphabet poems,” the 1st from when she was 17 years old, “ABCD Elegy”, a bit of silliness; then from a prompt in a writing group, “An Abecedarian of Plenty,” longer, more like a dictionary poem.

David Graham read just one poem, “Donuts,” his latest poem about a young neighbor’s driving patterns (i.e., doing donuts late at night).

I read the same poems I read last night on the Bennington Zoom, inspired by the burning of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris 5 years ago, the direct response, “Tourism,” & an earlier, more generic poem “Church Burner.” 

Alan Catlin read from his, what must be, considerable archives, “The Hieronymus Bosch Sequence,” in 6 short parts, images from the paintings; then an old bar poem, about a revamped neighborhood bar, a found old poem “The Young & the Feckless.”  

Judith Prest read an intense poem in reaction to the Dobbs Supreme Court decision, “Under the Sign of the Rusty Coat Hanger” a reminder of the horrors of years before Roe v. Wade, tragically back again.

Ellen White Rook dialed in from Maine with what she called,  poems “leftover from the Fall, “Where the Road Was,” reflective & descriptive & “Triptych” with flowers, colors, & the Moon. 

Susan carol Jewell read about being confused by the games that the kids today seem to know so well, “At the Gaming Expo.”

Brooke Joosten was here for her first time open mic, read a short piece without a title, from a prompt about food (making paella), coming back to the suburbs during COVID & walking by the beach. 

Julie Lomoe also began with the same piece she read on another Zoom open mic last night, “Driving in the Darkness” on the anniversary of John Lennon’s death, then on to her favorite holiday parody sings “It’s the Most Over-hyped Time of the Year.” 

Jackie Craven read a couple of absurdist prose poems, linked pieces read together, the main character a the chief officer of the community association, dream-like images of a domestic dispute.

Writers Mic is a Zoom open mic held each 2nd Wednesday of the month at 7:30PM Eastern Time; one can find the link on the Writes Mic Facebook page — join us.

All Genre Open Mic Out of Bennington, December 10

The host is poet Charlie Rossiter who likes to do 2 rounds of 1 poem per round, & it works quite well. But first, his traditional “Open Mic Invitation/Introduction,” which I reference each time I write about this event. Here it is, courtesy of Charlie:

you can rant/you can chant/you can shout/get it out/get it down/get it off/off your chest/off the page // share your mission/share your glory/share your vision/tell your story/take a moment in the sun/the mic is open!

Charlie put me first on the sign-up sheet & I began in the 1st round with a poem I wrote about 5 years ago after the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, “Tourism,” later I read a related poem, “Church Burner,” written many years ago, well before the Notre Dame fire.

Cheryl A. Rice was back & in the first round read a memoir piece about her father, Long Island horses, & hay runs upstate, “Truck on Fire;” in the 2nd round she read “Subway Swans,” riffing on an image from a poem by Tina Barry.

Julie Lomoe’s 1st round poem was titled “Driving in the Darkness,” a rambling piece about driving to Schenectady to meet with other crones; later she repeated her poem from last month, “November the End of the Movie” a free-flow on the remnants of Halloween & the wild fires. 

For his 1st round poem our host, Charlie Rossiter, was accompanied on guitar by his son, Jack Rossiter-Munley, for “Stuff it Xmas Style;” in the 2nd round, his poem, “Drive Like Tollson,”was a descriptive recollection of an undertaker neighbor who drove real slow. 

Bridget Elder’s pieces where short, & shorter; in her 1st round, one written today on the colors of Winter; in the 2nd round, on the local (Bennington) politicians.

Kate McNairy joined us; she too writes short, enigmatic poems, one with snow titled “Loss” in the 1st round, then one titled “Memory” words & a saxophone.

Sharon Smith read in the 1st round about the grandmothers she never met, based on a simple pen & ink drawing, “Before I Was Born.” In the 2nd round she read “Word Tribe” a poem in her 2022 book Reflection, funny rhymes on the open mic community. 

Mark O’Brien read 2 recent pieces from his ongoing project of poems based on old newspaper articles. In the 1st round, one based on story in the Albany Argus in 1877 about riots to stop trains from going through Jerusalem (now Feura Bush) New York; then from July 1899 a story about a man trying to prevent workers from digging a hole for a telephone pole on Albany’s Maiden Lane (where there are now many such poles).

Sherri Bedingfield read poems about 2 very diverse (& distant places); the 1st round poem was a descriptive piece about a visit to New Mexico, “Coyote Chaco Canyon;” in the 2nd round a piece about visiting the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, “Standing Stones at Calanais” on the Isle of Lewis.

Tom Nicotera’s 1st round poem, “Coyote God,” was about a sick & dying coyote on Sherri’s Connecticut suburb front porch (& references her 1st round poem). Then, at the end of the 2nd round, a short December poem, “The Gift” crows like black bows.

This Zoom open mic is held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month, starts at 7:00PM, Eastern Time. If you would like to join it & are not already on Charlie’s list, send him an email at 

charliemrossiter@gmail.com & maybe I’ll see you there (wherever "there" is).

Third Thursday Poetry Night, November 21

It is getting dark & cold earlier here in Albany, NY, but still the bravest of the brave poets show up, including a couple of new voices. In honor of the surrealistic bent of our our featured reader tonight, John Thomas Allen, I invoked the Muse of the French poet Paul Eluard (1895 - 1952) by reading selections from his poem “Liberté,” which was once once dropped as a leaflet in World War II over Nazi occupied France; I also acknowledged the 100th anniversary of the publication of the first Surrealist Manifesto by André Breton in October 1924.

Leading off the open mic was the host of the monthly poetry open mic (2nd Wednesday) at the Schuylerville Public Library, Elaine Kenyon; her poem was based on “the word of the day” from Dictionary.com in November, “Ab Initio” a sexy, humorous tale from chemistry class. 

David Gonsalves read “Elegy Shot List for an Art House Obsessive” a string of phrases, list of images, as the title says — hearing it once is not enough.

Melissa Anderson, a Future-Feature here at the Social Justice Center, read for the first time from her just published book, Dog Star Poems, “Time Which Has Not Drowned Me Yet” a poem for the darkness of seasonal depression.

Our featured poet, John Thomas Allen, began with a poem from Cemetery Tour (mOnocle-Lash Anti-Press, 2023), “The Polite Bride” based on the movie The Haunting of Hill House & the character of Nell, showing his surrealist chops; then to a couple of poems read from a notebook which he had a difficult time reading his own hand-writing, one about exploring the atmosphere of the liminal space of an abandoned bank building, another written in the Halloween spirit after the recent election. One can sometimes catch John reading at open mics at other venues in Albany; his poetry book Rolling in the Third Eye (2010) is available from SurVision Books.

After a break I read a Thanksgiving poem, from a prompt, “The Bird’s Thanksgiving,” with an oblique reference to poet Billy Collins. 

Tom Bonville brought a seasonal poem, “Thanksgiving Dinner,” turkey, gravy, stuffing, potatoes, etc., the same every year, now his honor as the oldest to carve the turkey, deliciously descriptive. 

One of the great pleasures of being a host at such an event is when there is a new name on the sign-up sheet — this night there were 2(!) such readers, who arrived together. The first of the 2 was Shevoné M. who read a poem titled “No Time to Lose at 2:32AM” in pain over the loss of men in her family, longing for sunshine to come.

Next reader was her friend Nia Know, who was our last reader for the night, she read “Love Held Right,” a philosophical pondering, trying to understand what love means.

We gather each third Thursday of the month at 7:30PM at the Social Justice Center, 33 Central Ave., Albany, NY for a local or regional featured poet & an open mic for community writers — your $5.00 (more or less) donation supports poetry events in Albany & the work of the SJC.

Invocation — , November 20

This series, formerly at Lark Hall & coordinated by Albany poetry impresario R.M. Engelhardt, moved last month to the Bull and Bee Meadery & Tasting Room; I’d missed it then so wanted to make sure I got there this month. It is located on lower Hamilton St., tucked into the shadow of the MVP arena where this night the Trans-Siberian Orchestra was playing so parking was at a premium. The venue itself is tight, a short bar & a small cafe area with tables & chairs, just right for a poetry open mic. For the record, I had a glass of the Genesis mead, too sweet for me, which was a good thing, I drank it slow & only had one.

Rob began the night with, what else? an invocation of the Muse, a philosophical piece by Ikkyū Sōjun, a 15th Century Japanese Zen monk & poet.

Sometimes when a poetry series changes venues poets whom we had not see before show up & that was true this night. First up to read (there was no mic or sound equipment, & none was needed) was Charlie Lapinski with a poem titled “Then” trying to keep the memory alive of a Palestinian woman who fell through the ice in Vermont, then another poem, “It Isn’t Always Life.”

I read an older poem, “Water Planet,” that had just been published in Water: Life & Death in the Poetics series anthology from Bainbridge Island Press, then a street-observation poem from earlier this year, “Lark St. Jesus.”

Pat Williams had been a regular reader, once even a featured reader, when Invocation was at Lark Hall; he read 2 pieces with rhyme, “Repugnant Revelry,” & “Perseverance” a villanelle. 

I’d seen Harry last month at the Third Thursday Poetry Night; tonight he read a piece titled “Let Go” about the craziness in his head, & “Now” about online shopping, in pressured speech.

Cassius did his poems from memory, both untitled, in intermittent hip-hop rhymes & rhythms, with this quote somewhere along the line, “you may think you chose the Matrix but the Matrix chose you.”

Jeff read an intense, somewhat disjointed, love poem, emotions turned inside out.

Rob read a couple of old poems, what he characterized as “greatest hits,” beginning with “Alchemy” which has been included in a few of his collections, such as Alchemy, The Last Cigarette, & most recently in The Resurrection Waltz; his 2nd poem was titled, I think, “Mythic,” but I’m not sure if I got it correct.

Invocation is now at the Bull & Bee Meadery at 140 Hamilton St., Albany, NY, on the 3rd Wednesday of the month, signup 7:30PM, 8PM start — check the the events listing on the website of the Hudson Valley Writers Guild, or on the Dead Man’s Press Ink Facebook page.