Caffè Lena Poetry Open Mic, November 3

Tonight’s featured poet, Jessica Cuello, had been a feature here before which is when I became a fan of her poetry, but I also came here tonight for the grand variety of local poets who come here to read in the open mic. It was a full sign-up sheet, over 20 open mic poets.

Our host, Carol Graser, started us off, as she is wont to do with, as they say, an OPP (i.e. other person’s poem), this by Vasko Popa, “The Admirers of Little Boxes.” Click this link to read it. 

Then on to tonight's featured poet, Jessica Cuello, who was live-streamed & captured forever on YouTube which you can watch here. She read poems from her new book from Barrow Street Press, Liar, which was the winner of the Barrow Street Poetry Book Prize. Listen to the poems then buy the book. It is this kind of thing that makes my Blog unnecessary — except that the record of the open mic exists nowhere but here (like the header says, “it ain’t the truth but it’s pretty darn close”).  Her poems were frequently persona poems in the voice of a young girl; she also read one of her poems based on mis-spellings by her students, “Hungur;” the title of the book is based on another mis-spelling poem, “Liyer.” Jessica did what all good community poets do, brought her family & friends to her reading, because after all if you don’t, who will show up? I, for one, was glad to be there & to take Liar home with me.

Carol Graser started off the open mic with her loving poem “Prayer for the Sorrowful Brain.” Rachel Baum began with a tribute to her dog, then on to the recently revised family memoir “How I Learned to Smoke.” Marilyn McCabe who has been a featured poet on this stage read a poem beginning “Some which some where…,” another about a physics course. David Graham addressed a dreaded subject in his poem “Ode to Pandemic Hair.”

Amanda Blodgett introduced herself as being in a 12-step program, & read 2 related poems, “To My Soulmate” (whom she hasn’t yet met), & “Finding a Sponsor.” Effy Redman is one of my favorite of these North Country open mic  poets, she read a piece that might have been titled “Anemone” a loving memory of being on a beach in Wales. 

Zoe Epizon’s poem “Balsam Pillow” was a letter to a memory of one she loved, from a poetry manuscript that she hopes to publish. Elaine Kenyon read a painfully descriptive piece titled “7 Teeth Out,” then one about a less painful experience in a poetry workshop “She Gave us 5 Words.” My poems were an automatic writing exercise turned into a prose poem “Ferrini Ginsberg Blake & Me,” then the much more concise text-message-poem “for Amanda.” Jeannine Laverty is a story-teller, read a piece about farming “Savory October Days.”

James Knippen was here from Utica, he read a Halloween poem that he said was based on a World War I tune “Hearse Song.” More death from Elizabeth Threadgill, but this of a house, a piece titled “Dementia.” Heidi Woolever said it was her 1st time here at Caffè Lena, her 1st poem was titled “Set it Down” & sounded like a dream poem to me, then a play on words “Bark.” 

Barbara Ungar also used word play in her poem “Self Diagnosis 2,” which she described as “a not-perfect pandemic poem.” Stu Bartow had a Halloween Haiku about a witch ringing doorbells, then read “Looking for the Leonids” which I have heard before & is in one of his recent collections. Randee Renzi began with a sexy love poem titled “Each Time He Flows” (his rap makes her “flow”), then to “Collateral Fallout” (or starving). Rodney Parrott said the poem he read about “human flying” was an “end poem,” fitting with the recurring themes tonight of death & Halloween. 

It was good to see the poet James Schlett back here, he read a cluster of Haiku about his 6 year-old daughter, a proud Papa. Jeff Stubits was another poet I hadn’t seen since even before the pandemic, he likes to season his poems with humor & tonight was true to form, “Exploring New Options” with origami boats, & “Buddha.” Ishan Sumaner read a seasonal piece “The Trees Are Blushing,” then an untitled piece about the inscriptions on our bodies of our experiences. Lâle Davidson was announced by Carol as a “future feature” & read 2 poems with Biblical connections, “Lilith Confesses” & the ekphrastic “Rodin’s ‘Eve After the Fall’.” The final poet of the night was Alex Bell with 2 poems with provocative titles “One Long Struggle in the Dark” & “Emancipated for Thought.”

The Caffè Lena Poetry Night is back with an in-person open mic & an in-person & live-streamed featured poet on the 1st Wednesday of each month, starts at 7:00PM, 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, NY.