Third Thursday Poetry Night, March 16

On the eve of St. Patrick’s Day, the featured poet was Marylou Kelly Streznewski, with also a  list of of community poets for the open mic. Our Muse tonight was a repeat Muse the great, gone Poet of All Ireland John Montague (1929 - 2016); I read his poem “Brighid O’Neill” from his book Smashing the Piano (The Gallery Press, 1999).

First, a little bit of the open mic list. The first up was Valerie Temple, who had been here a couple times in the Fall, & who read in honor of the arrival of Spring on Monday her poem in rhyme “Spring Fever” on getting rid of Winter. She was followed by Alan Catlin, one of the most published poets in America, in the tradition of St. Patrick’s Day he read a new poem that he wrote yesterday based on a dream & his years of working as a bartender in an Irish bar, “Ex-Post Facto Work Anxiety Dream.”

Catherine Dickert who has been a regular here, tonight read a story about a warm Groundhog Day at “Beverwick,” after a warm Winter, no snow, no ice skating, then Snow, what might be turned “eco-fiction.” Julie Lomoe had a green hat (but not Irish), read a narrative written in 2016 “Bela & the Rats” about living in SoHo in NYC, the rats both 4-legged & 2-legged. Joan Geitz read “I’m Out of Here” a rhyming poem by Irish poet & radio personality Tony Fallon, about waiting for his own wake.

Our featured poet was Marylou Kelly Streznewski brought with her copies of her 5 (!) books; in 2019 Kelsay Books published her latest collection Sitting in the Shade of My Own Tree. Tonight, she began with her father’s favorite Pat & Mike joke. Her reading included poems from several of her books & some poems still in manuscript. There were family poems, such as one to her son, “Anti-war Mama Learns to Keep Her Peace,” & “For my Daughter, Upon the Changing of her Name,” & a tender series on grieving the death of her husband. There were other anti-war poems, & one on the shooting in Euvaldi “Voices.” The poem “The Irish Hunger Monument, Battery Park” reflected upon her Irish heritage, & she ended with “Poet Noodling” (a phrase from poet William Stafford) about writing a poem in Spring. It was an like a retrospective of her work — she noted that this was the first time she has been paid for a reading of her poems.

We took a short break & Marylou sold some books, then on to the few remaining poets on the open mic list. But first I read one of my own poems, this for St. Patrick’s Day from my 1995 chapbook Ireland (A.P.D.) titled “Tracings.”

Melissa Anderson read a new poem-in-progress about childhood drawings & communion “God Bodies,” & her new gods of cities & Nature & memories & love. 

Gene Damm has not read his poems out in quite a long time, but tonight he showed up to read about the coming of Spring “Crocuses.” 

Alexander Perez read an intense piece titled “Festivals of Saturn” from a series about a master called Alejandro & his subjects. Ellen White Rook, the last reader this night, will be the feature here in April, gave us a sample titled “Suspended,” a poem of March (& the title poem of her forthcoming collection of poems).

We gather at the Social Justice Center in Albany each third Thursday for a reading by a local or regional poet & an open mic for anyone else, 7:30pm — your donation helps support poetry events in the area & the work of the Social Justice Center.