Caffè Lena Poetry Night, October 7

On this first Wednesday night there was no Carol Graser, the usual host, & the woman who did the introductions did not introduce herself so I can’t tell you who she is. Tonight’s card was 3 different Regional poets, all of whom who have read here at Caffè Lena previously & at other venues in the area.

Andy Clausen, Social Justice Center, Albany, NY
October 17, 2013

If you didn’t know what the poetry of Andy Clausen is like his 1st poem would be a good place to start: long, rolling lines in rambling rants, incessant dropping of names of writers of the Beat Generation he has rubbed shoulders with, as well as other writers he has come across, including his girl-friend, with a litany of social issues as a substitute for ideas & images, in a grand, sonorous voice, ending with the inexplicable proclamation “I Am Jean Valjean.” That was pretty much it, as the half-dozen other poems he read were generally shorter & of the same ilk, including one by Pamela Twining (“In the Blood”?) which was indistinguishable from Clausen’s work.

Sarah Giragosian, Poets in the Park
July 25, 2020

Sarah Giragosian was featured this year at Albany’s Poets in the Park,  & I've heard her read elsewhere in the poetry community, but I’m always willing to hear her work again. She read primarily from her latest book The Death Spiral (Black Lawrence Press, 2020), including the stunning title poem, & a cluster of others, then from her 2017 book Queer Fish (Dream Horse Press), winner of the American Poetry Journal Book Prize, what she endearingly calls a “queer bestiary,” 3 poems of the sea & its creatures.

Jordan Smith, at Caffe Lena, June 3, 2015

Jordan Smith, who like both Sarah & Andy, has read from the stage of Caffè Lena in the past, read from his new book, Little Black Train (3 Mile Harbor Press, 2020), winner of the Three Mile Harbor Poetry Prize. The title of the book is from an American bluegrass fiddle tune & you can find versions by Woody Guthrie & the Carter Family on YouTube, & the poem of that title is from a poem about impatiently waiting at a traffic light in Waterford. His reading included the poems from the “Eight Hats” sequence in the book which is based on paintings by Walter Hatke, one of whose paintings is used as the cover art of the book. There is lots of beguiling nostalgia & memoir & story-telling, as in much of Jordan Smith’s poetry in general.

Something I noticed by the end of the hour was that while the guys, Andy Clausen & Jordan Smith, sat while they read, Sarah Giragosian stood to read. I don’t know what it means, other than that she is much younger than the guys. Also, since all 3 poets have read at other local venues, I decided to use photos from other times/other places rather than taking a screen-print from the broadcast.

Known for its well-attended monthly open mic with Carol Graser as the host, this series is surviving as a live performance from the stage of Caffè Lena with just performers & staff in attendance each 1st Wednesday of the month, just like the open mic, but with just 3 featured local & regional poets. You can find the performances available, along with the Caffè Lena folk music performances, on Caffe Lena on YourTube; you can also make a contribution to support Caffè Lena & their performers. Some day I hope to return to Caffè Lena to hear the fine, unknown (& occasionally famous) poets who read their 1 or 2 poems in the open mic each 1st Wednesday of the month.