Cloudburst Meeting & Poetry Round Robin, March 28

A bit early in the season for the Pine Hollow readings, but this was a meeting to discuss the annual Cloudburst Gathering in Western New York scheduled for May, with visiting poets Michael Czarnecki & Gwen Zimmerman — & pizza & beer. After the meeting we gathered in a poetic circle for about 3 rounds of poems.

Gwen Zimmerman’s poems were descriptive pieces, including one about mopping the kitchen floor. My pieces were a mix of old & new, one for the season “What Passover Has Taught Me.” Mark O’Brien’s poems were all childhood/family remembrances, one coming out of Bernadette Mayer’s poetry workshop. Alifair Skebe had to leave after the 2nd round; “Cantata Spring Chorus” was written, she said, in Texas, the other was “a very proper sonnet” with family memories & made up words. Michael Czarnecki is the publisher of FootHills Publishing & he read from his new book You: Spontaneous Poems #3, which had been selected from his daily output by Gwen Zimmerman.

Joe Krausman read poems on both philosophical & everyday themes, from “Bacon & Eggs” to “Reflections at the Close of Summer in the Garden of Good & Evil.” Paul Amidon read from what could be a future collection of poems about & around Lake Abenaki in the Adirondacks. Dianne Sefcik read about stars & grass & “a spontaneous poem” akin to Michael’s. Our host, Alan Casline’s poems included a Cloudburst poem & even one from Bernadette Mayer’s workshop (makes me think that poems written by local poets at Bernadette’s workshop would make a captivating anthology).

A pleasant low-key, undramatic poetry gathering where everyone read sitting down, no mic, no spotlight, just words & ears. But watch for the seasonal start of Poets of Earth, Water, Tree, & Sky soon.