Invocation of the Muse, December 6

Still no liquor license, minimal chairs, a most-unwelcoming environment. Nick suggested getting beers from the nearby convenience stores — but he never did. But the poetry by the open mic poets made it worthwhile to stand about.

Featured reader Richard Lovrich & entourage

Our host was R.M. Engelhardt in a Western style “Duster,” read a poem titled “The Next Bohemians” by someone else, I think. The #1 slot on the sign-up sheet was blank when I arrived so I took it, read a couple poems about a brief fling shrouded in mist, “First Date” (her words), & “Glitter from the Gutter.” When I got up to read I was able to lower the mic but Rob seemed to have trouble with the mic stand & someone who seemed to be working the sound, such as it was, replaced the mic stand which solved whatever problem there was.

Maurice was next reading from a chapbook-in-progress, pieces that sounded like free-form, automatic writing. Melissa Anderson recently moved to Albany, read a piece titled “The Salt Tides, or Work Song” about the “tower of salt” next to where she works, then a piece on being a person whose job is craft work & who does craft on her own time.

Rob then introduced tonight’s featured reader, Richard Lovrich, local writer, dressed like an aging rock star or space ship commander. He read pieces from his book Have a Very Bad Day (Troy Book Makers, 2021), which he describes as “nearly 300 dark, fortuitously funny, very short stories about unfortunate events and predominately awful people.” He seemed to read for an awful long time. In my notes I describe the pieces as “very short, snarky, sociological vignettes, 2 to 3 paragraphs each … like the opening lines of stories that never get finished.” He was accompanied to the reading by a lady friend & a small dog.

Rob read after the feature, a couple of Goth poems, a new one titled “Are There Ghosts at Funerals?” then a funny vignette “Caffeinated Necromancer.”  Shannon Grant, following that theme by chance, I think, read a short ghost story. John D. read two related surrealistic fantasies, “Walking Indoors” &, with lobsters like perhaps Hans Arp or Salvador Dali, “Walking Outdoors.”

Katie Leach was the last poet to read, a piece titled “Matriarch” a memory of a birthday party for an old woman.

Invocation of the Muse takes place on the first Monday of the month at The Fuze Box, 12 Central Ave., Albany, NY, 7:30 sign-up, 8:00 start. Booze would help.