Third Thursday Poetry Night, October 17

As the Irish would say, it was fine night for poetry, with Kathleen McCoy the featured poet & the fine community poets listed on the sign-up sheet. The Muse tonight was Ursula LeGuin (1929 - 2018) who is best know for her prose, particularly her speculative fiction, but she also wrote poetry; I read a poem written in 1991, “When the Soviet Union Was Disintegrating” which can be found here, with a recording of the poet reading.

First up for the open mic was D. Alexander Holiday with a performance of the dialogue “Booker T. and W.E.B.” by the American poet Dudley Randall, a debate between Booker T. Washington & W.E.B. DuBois, which he dedicated to the memory of member of Congress the late Elijah Cummings. Tom Bonville’s poem was a grim description titled “Lost Faith,” the homeless & lost camped out now outside the church. Joe Krausman read about the limitations of this but not that, “Limits.”

Tonight’s featured poet Kathleen McCoy read mostly from her new book Ringing the Changes (Finishing Line Press), but started with a couple from her first book Green and Burning (WordTech Editions, 2016), “Two Spirit-Woman,” in memory of the poet Adrienne Rich, & “To Be.” Then from Ringing the Changes, one of my favorites, “In dreams’ liminal land” (a haunting by a gone friend). Many of her poems in the book are based on Bible stories, such as “Nicodemus,” then one for her cousin “Elegy for a St. Louis Lineman,” & the title poem, a poem of bells, & ended with “praying in the dark.”

After a short break we returned to the open mic & I read a poem from a writing workshop at the Kateri Peace Conference in Fonda in August “The Meadow.” Don Levy said he has been writing a lot lately & read about a recent outing, “At a Church Fair.” Anthony Bernini read a richly descriptive poem titled (& about) “Turtle Eggs.” The final poet for the night was Kristen Day, making a rare appearance to read a list poem “Everyday” (the common phrases we hear, & use).

As happened this night, there is an open mic with a featured poet at the Social Justice Center, 33 Central Ave., Albany, NY on the third Thursday of the month, starting at 7:30PM — your donation supports poetry events in the community & the work of the Social Justice Center. Please join us.