Old Songs Poetry Open Mic, October 4

A new series in an old place, the home of Old Songs Inc. at 37 S Main St., Voorheesville, NY, where brother Dennis Sullivan once hosted Sunday Four Poetry for many years. This reiteration was hosted by Larry Rapant who recently came back out on the poetry scene after a long hiatus. The Old Songs space has a good, resident sound system, which a cluster of folks were trying to figure out — to use the sound or not? where to put the mic? on the stage or on the floor? how close to get to the mic? Then, how many poems to read? If Larry had been to open mics in recent year he would have had a better idea about what to do before he took to the stage. Ultimately what matters is the poets who read & what they read.

Laura Ludwig, who had moved to Guilderland last year, was quite close to home this day; she read a memoir poem “California in Moonlight” from a her self-published poetry collection.

I was one of those poets in the room who had read in this space previously in Sunday Four Poetry; I read an old poem from my days living & working in NYC, “The View from the Bellevue Bridge.”

David Gonsalves read 2 short pieces (allowed by the rules today), “Autumn Invocation” with the refrain “let those who…” then a poem like a letter to itself, “Send Me.”

Elaine Klein followed with a short poem about a forest, “Thacher Park.”

Thomas Bozzo has been writing poems about what it is like to move to a new place, the challenge of meeting new people, he read a piece titled “Capital L” about being new here, but still being what he was.

Tom Corrado has been writing, & self-publishing, his series of “Screen Dumps” for a very long time, his recent iteration was titled “Screen Dump #877” a walking poem through music, Time, gear, Kierkergard, Diogenes, & whatever I missed.

Edie Abrams read “A Finger Brushes Against Another at a Concert” that finds comparisons with the title in the stems of plants, with viruses; then “When You Leave,” scolds … don’t do it again.

Larry Rapant our host read the pensive & defiant “Not Going Gently” about the slow process of dying, but enjoying what one is doing while living.

Lady Carla finished off the afternoon with an a cappella performance of the black American anthem, “Lift Every Voice & Sing.”

Look for this open mic again on the 1st Sunday of the month at Old Songs, 37 S. Main St., Voorheesville, NY, 2:00PM — your donation supports the presence of Old Songs. 

Salon Salvage, September 26

For any number of reasons I find it difficult to get to this wonderful series on the last Saturday of each month. It is run & hosted by local poets Matthew Klane, Amie Zimmerman, & Hajar Hussaini While they often include a local or regional poet in the program, the fascinating part for me is the “out-of-town” poets they invite to read. This was #48 in the series, it keeps on chuggin'. Local poet Cara Benson was one of the readers promoting her new book; the other two poets, Jeffrey Yang & Elizabeth Willis were both out-of-towners & both had a connection to New Directions Publishing.

Amie introduced Jeffrey Yang who is an editor at New Directions & a poet & translator. He read a new poem/essay titled “The Bears,” a long mythical tale with references other myths. It is a descriptive, narrative meditation of the bears survival of an ecological disaster. It sounded both old & as current as the news of the deadly melting of the glaciers in Nepal. He concluded with a much shorter piece, the last segment from a longer work, in an edition with drawings done in tea ink, an elegy. Apparently this was from his 2022 Line and Light: Poems (Graywolf Press), the drawings by Kazumi Tanaka, which I found out from online searches. 

Matthew did the introduction to Cara Benson. I was at Cara’s launch of An Armsfull of Birds back in May at the Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, & I also saw her at the recent NYS Writers Institute Book Festival paired in a panel discussion with Virginia Eubanks (A Guide to Open Water Lifesaving: Lessons on Love, Care, and Survival) moderated by Christy O’Callaghan. Cara’s memoir is subtitled A Personal Field Guide to Love, Loss, and Commitment, an apt description, with each chapter tagged to a particular species of bird. She read from Chapter 3 ("Wild Turkeys: We engage in courtship") about how she & Jon met, & Chapter 21 ("Winter Wren:The dream that is not a dream") set after Jon’s suicide, a lyrical piece about the site (un-named) where he died.

Hajar introduced Elizabeth Willis who began with a new topical piece about the war on Iran in the Straits of Hormuz, in which the ship “Washington Bails Out Lincoln..” After paying tribute to the gone poet, Bernadette Mayer, Willis read mostly from her 2024 book, Liontaming in America (New Directions), described as “a spiraling, staggering [272 pages!] new collection of historical and mythic reinvention …” She read 6 passages, tales in which Pocahontas crossed paths with Paul Robeson, with Jim & Huckleberry from Twain’s novel, one passage a meditation on rivers, geographical, historical & fictional. I was particularly fascinated by a passage titled “Matoaka & Mrs. Rolfe” referring to the “other” names of Pocahontas. She ended with 2 newer pieces, “The Writing on the Wall” riding on MetroNorth, & a personal poem with a title from (& in the style of) the poet Charles Reznikoff, “I Didn’t Invent the World.”

This ongoing series continues on the last Saturday of each month, 7:00PM, at the Upstairs Arts Collective, 403 Fulton St., Troy, NY — sliding scale donations to support the poets. You can find it on Instagram @salonsalvagetroy & elsewhere.

Caffè Lena Poetry Night, September 22

Our long-time host, Carol Graser, started off the night of poetry with a poem by a more famous poet than the rest of us, tonight the recently gone Wendell Berry, with reading his poem “The Summer Ends.” 

The night’s featured poet was Esther Cohen who was briefly the Poet Laureate of Greene County. The featured reader each month is live streamed & recorded on the Caffè Lena YouTube channel so I will just hit the high points of her reading. She began, as she often does, with her story of becoming a poet & meeting Allen Ginsberg (1926 - ), from her book, Breakfast with Allen Ginsberg (Pleasure Boat Studio, 2021). Then told the story of becoming not-the-poet-laureate of Greene County (news articles can be found from, The Overlook News, the Albany Times-Union & others), & read the poem, “Dear Whoever is Listening,” written to be read to the Greene County legislature. & at the end of each her poems she suggested the audience say, “Bingo!” She also read from her Substack posts (@overhearec), & from her collection of poems & stories about her neighbors, All of Us: Stories and Poems Along Route 17 (Saddle Road Press, 2023). But don’t take my word for it, I strongly urge you to watch her video for a very entertaining performance. 

The open mic is not recorded so, as is my habit, I will do my best to create an archive of the event here on this Blog. I was able to get a photo of the signup sheet so as best I can tell I got everyone’s name correct. But if I didn’t get something correct — a title, details, whatever — please email me & I will correct the record.

First up was Badiana Eckstrom with a couple pieces about being a writer, a prose poem, “I Wrote Myself Whole,” then one that began “I fell like a griot …” That could be a seque to David Graham with a piece based on a 2011 news story that he just finished today, “Adler’s Ashes.”

Lin Murphy introduced her piece, “Vulnerability” by apologizing for her “froggy voice & tremor” but that was not needed; the poem was about current events. Emily Rieffel said that this was her 1st open mic in 25 years(!), read 2 pieces, “Burmese Star Turtle” & “Learning to Crochet.”

Leslie Sitter is a frequent flyer here, read a memoir of “Schroon Lake,” then another memoir piece, this about her life in NYC before 9/11, “Then & Now.” Catherine Clarke read a seasonal piece about seeding a field, “August,” then “A Candle for Our Common Grief,” a meditation on the sere time.

Carol called for a brief break, then returned to read her own poem, “When Workers Decide to Unionize,” much needed these days - & always. Recognizing how many poets were still on the list to read, Carol made a plea that readers limit their time to one piece. While the next reader, Charles Lapinski, read 2 pieces, “Morning of the Appointment” & “Loving Winter,” they were both short.

Ed Valentine, by contrast, was notable by his flaunting Carol’s recommendation & by his disregard for other readers; he recited 2 pieces, neither by himself, either of which would have been too long for Carol’s recommendation — tedious & just plane hogging the mic. Fortunately, the rest of the night’s readers were more courteous (& creative). I followed with a poem for Rosh Hashanah, written in Gloucester in 2004, “Tashlich.

Marilyn McCabe read a poem of exactly 100 words, “Observer Effect.” Micaiah Pedersen’s poem was titled “Path of Power.” I’m not sure if the poem that Pat Curtis read had a title, it was a memoir of the Kennedy assassination when she was 10, black patent leather shoes & sugar cookies. Harry (no last name given) read an energetic rant about his emotions on high. Nancy White described her poem as “a downer,” a story of a death. Randee Rienzi read 2 very short letter poems, “Dear Dick” & “Dear Owner.” David Walsh was here for the 1st time & read “Preface as Ars Poetica” which he described as a “whimsical introspection” on writing a poem.

Joe Carosella will be the featured poet here on November 24, & read a piece based on John Greenleaf Whittier, about how life is like hiking, titled “Wither Now.” Melissa Anderson’s poem “On Making” was about how beauty comes from labor. Saratoga Poet Laureate, Jay Rogoff, read a political piece titled “Uprising September 11, 2026.”

Susan Kress read her poem “The Apple Speaks.” Thomas Bozzo read “Rules of Engagement.” Jake (also no last name) read “Dinosaur,” which was about a sparrow. Leslie Neustadt read a poem for her sister dying, remembering her spirituality. Peg Clark’s poem “Live Laugh Loons” was about being out on a lake. 

Ashton French who was the first of a quartet of young women poets bringing the night to a close, read 2 poems on the same theme & with the same title, “The Sky is Pink.”

Cedar Matzke & Danielle Kravetz shared a back-&-forth collaboration on hardship & the pain of being hurt. Juniper McGrath read a descriptive, nostalgic piece about a small mountain town in Spain that she misses very much. Phew! A big night of poetry.

This event takes place on the 4th Tuesday of each month at the historic Caffè Lena, 47 Phila Street, Saratoga Springs, NY, sign up starts at 6:30PM, featured reader at 7:00PM, followed by an open mic for the rest of us. $5.00 donation, free to students.

Poetry Jam, September 18

This is a regular program at the Alice Moore Black Arts Cultural Center, & this month paid tribute to Spanish Heritage Month. It was co-hosted by Mark & Shalaam, with Dr. Andrea Miranda-Pestana the Deputy Director at the Center for Law & Justice, who was the MC for the trivia part of the contest with questions relating to Hispanic culture & history.

First up for the poetry open mic was a well-known performer in the spoken word scene here, Kareem (aka, Your Favorite Underrated Poet) with a piece titled “F in Family Means Family.”

Valerie Temple performed from memory a couple pieces from her 2023 poetry collection Discovery of a Blunt Treasure (written as Bertha Blunt), both in rhyme, “Holy Wood or Bust,” & “You’re Not My Friend.”

I read 2 pieces from my informally published “poem cards,” “Content Advisory” (on the challenging nature of poetry), & the more scandalous “Patriotism.” 

Ebony Queen Freeman was so bold as to mention that she was Newburgh (for which she took a lot of kidding from Mark), responded to a racist comment that “Blacks can’t read” with the in-your-face comeback “This Black CAN Read;” then the sexy piece about being turned on by her boyfriend, “You’re Awakening the Beast.” She said one can find her books on Amazon under her name.

DJ Eddie had been spinning the music tonight & Mark took a few minutes to interview him about his background, he said that he was born in Manhattan & grew up in the Bronx. Mark also asked Kareem similar questions, said he was from Brooklyn.

Mark continued his community interviews with Denise, from Brooklyn, & Amina from Manhattan & the Bronx, bringing them unto the stage from the audience.

Mark also paid tribute to Miss V, a venerable elder in the community, also in the audience this night.

Poetry Jam takes place each third Friday of the month at the Alice Moore Black Arts Cultural Center in Albany, NY on the corner of Madison Ave. & South Pearl St. Food & soft drinks are also provided, & donations greatly appreciated.

Third Thursday Poetry Night, September 17

We had a good turnout for the open mic & for our featured poet, the venerable Dennis Sullivan. Recently the respected American poet, Wendell Berry (1934 - 2026), left us for the mythical poetry reading in the sky, so I invoked his spirit as the Muse with a reading of his poem “How to Be a Poet” (which he subtitled, “to remind myself”) (New Collected Poems, 2012) - then on to the open mic list.

First up was a regular here - & elsewhere - David Gonsalves, who read a signature short poem, a portrait that may have had a title but I missed it.

Laura Ludwig, has been getting out to the local readings since she moved here some months ago, read a descriptive poem titled “Vacation in Italy,” which drew an enthusiastic reaction from the audience.

Julie Lomoe is another writer who regularly makes the rounds of the open mics, said this may be the 1st poem she ever wrote,”In Memoriam: Windows on the World” that she dug out of her files for the recent anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center, describing her visit there. 

Stephen Piazza here for the 1st time read a poem written over the Summer “Blood Song” with classical references, an energetic performance.

Tom Corrado is up to 873 on his series of “Screen Dumps,” this on the beach & on to “whatevers.” 

Dennis Sullivan is the former host of the Sunday Four Poetry at the Old Songs Center in Voorheesville; he is also a historian & translator of ancient Roman history & poetry. He began with an informal talk about Catullus & his relationship with Julius Caesar, drawing a comparison between Caesar & Trump, which, to say the least, dis not flatter the President. He began with his translation of Catullus’ poem #99, “I stole a kiss from you…” Catullus to his boyfriend Juventius. A some point a person who had signed up on the open mic list became offended by Dennis' description of homosexual activity in ancient Rome & abruptly left the room. Then on to his own poems, he included one dedicated to me, “Running Toward the Grave.” Then to one titled “Anarchy Galore.” His poems were deeply personal, philosophical ruminations, often on death. He ended with a poetic memoir,  “Spiritual Reading for Bob Murphy,” (dedicated to Fred Boehrer of the local Catholic Worker Community), about being in a monastery in 1958, hearing children playing in a pool & wondering about the choice he had made to be there.

After a short break we were back with the rest of the open mic readers. I was impressed with the night’s turn out of poets & audience members, like a night I was born for, I said. I read one of my poem cards, “Leaving New York: September 11, 2001” to honor the anniversary that had just passed.

Thomas Bozzo read a piece titled “Measuring a Night Out,” how others might see it as not being "successful," but he has his own way to judge it a success.

Where we were this night is just up the block from a place that used to be called the QE2, a punk rock club that was the center of poetry at the time & the next reader, Mary Ann Murray, was one of the poets that helped make the scene what it was. She joined us tonight to read her poem “As Rome Burns,” on AI & Trump.

Eric Wasileski was a featured poet here back in May. He read from a new manuscript titled “Consoling the Weeping Willow,” a poem titled “Paying Dues,” recalling his time as a military veteran & homeless person, & being followed to a poetry reading by the repo man. 

Robert Zott was also someone who spent time in the QE2 in the music scene “a long time ago,” now for many years has taken photos of tombstones with a single English word that he uses to construct his poems, & read an example, “The Street Rollers of Yellow.” 

John Thomas Allen was also a former featured poet, talked about poets writing death poems, then read one of his about his father “The Moon Hosts.”

Shamyla had read in the open mic here back in February, read an untitled piece, but said it could be titled with the first line, “As gentle as a dove,” about wanting to be loved, after an assault, a brave reading.

This open mic occurs on the third Thursday of each month at the Social Justice Center, 33 Central Ave., Albany, NY 7:30PM with a featured reader — suggested donation of $5.00 which supports poetry events in Albany & the work of the Social Justice Center.

Poetry in Pursuit of Liberty, September 16

At Historic Cherry Hill, in Albany NY, this was a joint program with the Hudson Valley Writers Guild, we were welcomed by Deborah Emmons-Andarawis, the Director, & Hannah Tompkins, Education Assistant, to the outdoor gathering on a pleasant late-Summer evening. 

The MC was local poet & performer Carol Durant, the Marketing & Communications Engagement Associate here at Cherry Hill. The readers & what they read stem from a writing group that gathers regularly here at Cherry Hill & the theme was “Poetry in Pursuit of Liberty.”

The first reader was Doug Campbell whose work I’ve become familiar with from his appearances at the Third Thursday Poetry Night at the Social Justice Center in Albany. What he read here exemplified the theme of the reading, with a piece titled “For the American Revolution…” an historical poem in rhyme, or perhaps a series of short pieces read from a handful of index cards — biographical vignettes of the people who lived & worked here on this very site, many of whom were enslaved people.

Tasmia was introduced as the president of the Albany High School poetry club. She read a piece for the women of Afghanistan who don’t have the freedoms we do, are kept behind locked doors & covered in blue veils, the piece an exploration of what freedom is/could be.

Jeffrey Torres read a biographical piece in rhyme about Henry Knox & his travels from Boston to New York.

Lanie Larson’s pieces also dealt with the theme of the pursuit of Liberty head-on, one titled “Exhausted,” the other addressed to everyone here on the importance of the work of artists & journalists to maintain the pursuit of Liberty, titled “We Are the Misfits.”

Amelia Paul read a piece in rhyme, perhaps titled “For Liberty,” on the tradition of poetry here at Cherry Hill.

Adonis Richards brought the evening to a close with a couple of very powerful pieces, “Black Women Don’t Hang Themselves from Trees" (with the line, “the fruit is not strange,” alluding to a song made famous by Billie Holiday), & “We Are the Catalysts for Catalytic Change,” an energetic rant worthy of a Poet Laureate, as indeed Adonis is, of the City of Schenectady.

For more information about Historic Cherry Hill & other programs & tours that are available there visit their website  — & sign up for their newsletter.

2nd Sunday @ 2: Poetry + Prose, September 13

Sunday on 4th Street (positively!), #50, Troy NY, the home of Collar Works which lets poets gather there each month. Both hosts, Nancy Klepsch & Me (Dan Wilcox), were there with a sampling of local poets on the sign-up sheet.

First up, for the first time, was Lkhamaa reading from her phone an untitled piece on marriage & the world. 

My co-host, Nancy Klepsch, started with a new piece written for a former student, suggestions to them on how to be different, to stand out, then a poem titled “Meanwhile,” trying to emulate Mary Oliver (why bother, just be Nancy Klepsch).

Joel Best is a regular reader here, his poems are often a stringing together of images, impressions, even wordplay to create a narrative, this day he said his poems “aren’t about anything,” & read pieces titled “Escape” & “The Mathematics of False Presence.”

Jane Greene said she was a student at Sage College & was here because of a sociology class assignment to step out of her comfort zone & write about it. Her first piece was a break up poem with a title in Italian, her 2nd piece was titled “How to Spot an Angel.”

I read the opening & closing sections of my science fiction poem Meditations of a Survivor (A.P.D., 1991), “Matins & Lauds” & “Compline.”

Thomas Bozzo, since moving to the area some months ago, has made a name for himself in the local poetry scene. The 2 poems he read reflected on his experiences in moving to a new area & trying to meet people. The first was titled “Fear of Missing Out,” the second about making choices in an overbooked calendar, “Filtering Poem.”

Writers may join us any 2nd Sunday of the month at 2PM at 50 4th Street in Troy, for this open mic, 2 poems or 5 minute max for prose. Free & open & accepting of anyone.