Caffè Lena Poetry Open Mic, December 1

It was a magical night, perhaps because the date is a palindrome — 12/1/21 — but more likely because of the reading by the featured poet Jan Tramontano, & the fabulous string of open mic poets. The host of this monthly event, Carol Graser, started us off with a poem by Tiffany Midge from Sing! Poetry from the Indigenous Americas (University of Arizona Press, 2011). Caffè Lena is live streaming the feature poets at its Poetry Open Mic, so the featured poets go first. You can find the live stream here:  https://youtu.be/JinT2is3RDk

Jan Tramontano read mostly from her recent Finishing Line Press book The Me I Was With You. She began with excerpts from the 5-part poem “The Art of Losing,” reading the sections titled “Cake Plates,” “Garage Sale,” & “Artful Losing.” Then on to a couple of poems set in a nursing home, “Solar Eclipse Totality” & “Daily Ritual.” Next she read a couple of newer poems, one about the recent birth of twin grandchildren (a boy & a girl), another from a workshop using the word “innocence” titled “Early Days.” Jan as well as writing poems writes novels & read a short passage about a suicide bomber from her novel What Love Becomes (Adelaide Books, 2019) then read the related poem, “At the Marketplace,” from her self-published Floating Island (2005). Back to her poems, she read from Paternal Nocturne (Finishing Line Press, 2012) based on letters her grandfather wrote home to his family in the mid 20th Century, then a new poem remembering a trip to Italy “Gelato,” & she ended with a poem looking forward, with hope, “The Lilac Outside My Window,” from The Me I Was With You. A wonderfully constructed reading, so glad I was there.

Since Jan got to Caffè Lena before me she signed me up for the open mic & I was on first once again, I read a couple of old poems, “Freckles” & the seasonal love poem to my mother “Christmas Eve, 1945.” Rachel Baum has recently found her poetic voice, tonight read 2 poems on leaving/saying goodbye (& both with bathrooms) in them, "Diners" & "The Destination."  Effie Redman read from a notebook a grim descriptive piece from 2015 about having graduated from college & being homeless. Amanda Blodgett began with a COVID-19 poem, “The Invisible Disease,” about craving a hug, a smile, then read one titled “Butterfly,” using the imagery to write about recovering  from an abusive relationship in college. 

Monique Hedley said it was her 1st time here at Caffè Lena & read the self-affirming “Challenge Accepted.” In her comments on her poems Jan mentioned a writers club that she has been participating in, & the next reader, Marcella Hammer, leads that group; she read an hysterical piece about running “The Fart Museum” & I laughed so hard I …. well, you know.

Leslie Sittner read the descriptive “Flits of Fancy, or Bluebirds in Paradise” eating red berries, then a heart-breaking piece, “Growing Good Roots,” originally written as “a relief poem” about her daughter’s 

success, read tonight in a different context, her daughter recently died in an accident. Mary Ann Rockwell has been described as “that poetry pusher” at the Saratoga Springs Public Library read a new poem, “Under the Sun & the Female Gaze,” that she described as “a sloppy pantoum,” then a list (poem) of advice “Instructions To …”

Jeffrey Stubits has come back to Caffè Lena (he will be the featured poet in March), he read “Beneath the Menora” quirky gifts for writers, & “6:30AM Eastern Time” when great poems are written, but perhaps someplace else. Alex Bell read the very short “Memento Mori” about the dead living in our writing, & the burning “Presence of Desire.” Kirstin read what she described as “lonely pandemic poems” titled “Slow the F Down” & “Silence.” Sophie read a poem about looking to the future “Life’s Limbo” & another about being in between love.

Sharon read a grim portrait of her joyless, fading mother ”The Demanding Woman” but that is now her license to dream. I don’t see Cecile Krause out enough at open mics, tonight she read 2 poems about traveling, “Genesis in the Holland Tunnel” & “Portland Train.” Another poet who has been long absent from the open mics, Jodi Frank, read an intriguing science poem “Bio Film.” Judith Prest was back to Caffè Lena to read a poem in homage to native people of the Pacific North West & to a deceased friend, a poem that was also a history of the abuse of these people “There’s A Poem in This Place.”

Leslie Neustadt read a letter-poem to a penpal friend in a distant land, on death & dying & then the rejoicing of Spring. A regular to this open mic Jeannine Laverty read “Vacancy” about a conversation with an old friend. Rodney Parrott is also a regular here & should know the rules by now, read 4 sections from a long poem, not sure how that fits with Carol’s rule of “2 short poems.” Ishan Sumer has read previously in this open mic, tonight his 2 poems were “Half Dog in the Blanket,” & a disgruntled poem “The Luxury of Small Miseries.” Sierra, who also is in the afore-mentioned writers club, read a piece in rhyme about the last time she saw her mother before she died. Our host, Carol Graser, noted some of the repeating themes & said she was reading “another down poem” to end the night, “That Winter.”

A long night of poetry, starting with Jan Tramontano’s work, then on through a grand parade of poets from here on the edge of the Adirondacks, & from all directions around. It happens each 1st Wednesday of the month at the historic Caffè Lena on Phila St. in Saratoga Springs, starts promptly at 7:00PM with a featured poet.