All-Genre Open Mic Out of Bennington, March 14

Back in Bennington — well, not really, this event is on Zoom & on this particular night it was a good thing because it had snowed most of the day & I wouldn’t have made the attempt to drive the hour if it was an in-person event. Our host Charlie Rossiter does the 2-round thing, one piece each round.

I got into the Zoom room on time & was signed up 1st; my 1st round piece was a tribute to the poet (& my friend) Tamara Gabbard, titled “Tapestry;” in the 2nd round I read another piece about the witches in my attic “The Witch’s Necklace.”

Bill Thwing also writes & performs songs, said he wrote 30 songs in last month & read one based on Kenn Ash’s humorous Brooklyn songs,”I’m gonna miss me when I’m gone;” then on the next round performed one based on a poem by Naomi Bindman (see below) “The Shape of Wind.”

Cheryl Rice has been writing poems about the Zeigfield Follies for years, & reading them out at open mics or at her featured readings, tonight she read a descriptive, back-stage look, “College,” at star Eddie Cantor in black face, & Burt Williams; her 2nd piece was her prize-winning poem from the Stephan A. DiBiase contest “Jed Clampit is a Happy Man” with a summary of all the characters from that iconic TV show, you know the one.

Naomi Bindman was a finalist in the afore mentioned Stephan A. DiBiase contest with her poem about an ice storm  “Blown Glass;” then on the 2nd time around the poem “No Small Thing” a gift of tulips from a friend, written last year, neither the tulips nor the poem no small thing.

Charlie Rossiter, in the 1st round, read a college memoir about Bar City Grill in College Park, MD; his 2nd round piece was from a dream talking with his Dad titled “Sometimes It’s Good to Sit in a Car & Have a Beer.” 

Alexander Perez read from his mss. “Drama Queen” what he described as “a weird fucked up poem" about his corpse in a magician’s lab that was like a morgue; for round 2 he read an untitled piece put together today about recovering what is lost.

Tom Nicotera tried to join us earlier, eventually got connected, with a new poem about aging “I Have Learned How to Slow Down Time” then got cut off again — nothing’s perfect, I guess.

So if you want to join this gathering of poets on the 2nd Tuesday on Zoom, & you’re not already on Charlie’s list, send him an email request at charliemrossiter@gmail.com — tell him I sent you.