Third Thursday Poetry Night, January 17

[Our featured poet, Candice's, favorite photo, taken by "a graying Beat poet" at Valentines in December, 2006.]


Off to a good start this new year, the Social Justice Center has lights in the windows, the doors operate easily, but, hey, they still could always use a few extra bucks -- it's not corporate America you know. I (Dan Wilcox) was your irrepressible host & I enjoyed every minute of it.

The first poet up (in the #2 slot, since some joker had signed me up first) was Matt Galletta, who reprised (that's a funny music-scene word) "Restoring Order." Alan Catlin, via the #55 Bus, had his New Year's resolutions, the kind of thing I avoid. Don Levy also repeated his angry left ear's rejection of tapestry. & once again, to repeat myself, Shaun Baxter once again related getting our balls cut off to "Global Warming" -- a lesson in metaphor that bears repetition well.

"At the Marketplace" is in Jan Tramontano's chapbook Floating Island but tonight she added a real-life post-script from the news -- glad to have her back here after a few months absence (& she missed sitting on Sanity Claus's lap).

The first of the night's 2 (count 'em) virgins was Barry Goldman (who was here in the audience last month), with a "Dirge for Curry the Cat."

The featured poet, from Bennington, Candice Chouinard, began with Allen Ginsberg's "America" from memory. Her reading/performance was what is best about slam poets, where it still connects to its Beat roots in the hydrogen jukebox, & she put it together varying short & long pieces & just having fun doing it. The short "When We Were In Bloom," on the flowering of youth & sex, followed by a new piece for her grandmother, "Orchard," ("the last tree of my favorite fruit" to spirit her away & plant her to bloom again). "My Heart Pounds Like Air Brakes" which wasn't much longer than that, then the slam "Callous," done from memory, about a long, long walk to the Grand Ole Opry. A short "Saturday Morning," then a poem about when she read "Callous" at the Airing of the Grievances at Valentines & I took her picture, her favorite she said. & ended with her family drinking & gambling, "Long Shot." Then Candice shared cookies, like poems, during the break.

W.D. Clarke returned with another narrative about miners, the title says it all: "Phartz Louder." After that, I tried to give enough "palate cleanser" time for Therese Broderick to read about her "Color Blind" painter father. Mary Panza finally got a Thursday night baby-sitter, read a new episode in the Johnny Braveheart saga, "The Revolution Doesn't Pay Shit."

The night's second virgin, Bryan Clogg, was here & gone with "Caffeinated City" with barely enough time for me to snap the shutter. Actually, Bryan was brought here by Joe Hollander, a former (long-time ago) host of readings at the Hollywood, & who tonight did a short notebook piece, "The Fallen Tree."

Tom Molinaro (finally got his last name) was back with a hip-hop tribute to Hunter Thompson Jr. Moses Kash III finished out the night, bending over the music stand with a political/racial stream-of-conciousness, "The Sea The Ocean The Pond."

Every Third Thursday, sign-up starts at 7:00PM, open mic/reading starts at 7:30. If you can remember Third you can remember Thursday; if you can remember Thursday you can remember Third.