March 5, 2009

Albany Poets Present!, March 3

El Presidente was our host on what is always an uncertain night, but despite the cold there were poets gathered at the bar to read poems, no gimmicks.

I went first (again) with the version of "27 Things to Do with an MFA" I'd read at Vox, then, for no particular reason other than the venue cries for raunch, read "The Lady Bishop."

R.M. Engelhardt followed with his QE2 tribute poem, "In the Place of Sound & Light" (you can read it on his blog), then 2 from the same page of his new chapbook, "It Was Her Voice" & "Truth" (one of a half dozen or so poems with that name).

NicoleK was into snakes, one poem actually with that title, the other a list poem beginning "I am a well-rounded idiot savant...", then her Rachael Ray hate poem (& I didn't check the spelling of her name).

Thom Francis decided it was "a new day, a blank slate ... time to write the next chapter..." We'll be waiting, Sr. Presidente.

Dominick Rizzo began with a poem written 9 years ago about his alter-ego, Chris Keller, then another about hiding oneself, "Only Anyone to Be;" & finished with "Surgery."

The last poet was Thom's "cousin Matt," Matt Walsh, with a piece about being outdoors, hunting trees -- so not Valentines.

Check the AlbanyPoets website for their other events.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

From Therese L. Broderick----Hmmm...I wonder what those 27 things are, and where the poem's title came from? Are any one of those 27 things "support your local Third Thursday open mic for years and years by attending and by donating funds to the passing hat"? Are any one of them "support a local holiday party by attending and donating some food for everyone there to enjoy"? Are any one of them "buy copies of almost every single book ever published by APD?" Are any one of them "attend Poets in the Park (even in the rain and lightening) and donate funds to the passing hat"? Are any one of them "congratulate a father on the fact that his daughter is pursuing her PhD"? Are any one of them "linking to the blog of a poet who makes fun of the MFA"?

Dan, I just don't feel welcome anymore at your events.

DWx said...

Hey, I guess the point of your comment is "You can do all those things without an MFA."

As my mother would say, "Don't bite off your nose to spite your face."