All-Genre Open Mic out of Bennington, March 12

A good turnout on Zoom, better than some nights in-person, pre-pandemic, when Charlie Rossiter hosted this event at the Tap House in Bennington, now just a short stroll to my computer in the other room. We went around twice, 1 poem each round.

& so once again I was first on the sign-up list, to read from a mini-chapbook, Behind the Barn, I published  some years back, after a 3 Guys from Albany trip to Kentucky, containing the found poems of Jodi BlowJob. In the 1st round I read the introduction, then in the 2nd round “After What You Said.”

Francesca Sidoti began with a “trigger warning” for “Cathead 2, The Year of the Tiger,” about 1974 & the rock’n’roll music of the time. In her 2nd round she read a memoir about herself, having different lives at different times. 

Cheryl Rice read a poem about a party at her hometown of Freeport, Long Island, “Bird Out of Nest” both real & figuratively; in the 2nd round read one titled “3 Bottles” about feeding her lover, & always having enough of Japanese mayonnaise on hand.

Our host, Charlie Rossiter, read “How We Live,” a poem from his Milwaukee days, and getting a used refrigerator they named “George the Norge.” His 2nd round poem was from a road trip years ago, passing through “Carhenge” Nebraska where old car bodies are stacked to represent Stonehenge.

Sharon Smith is relatively new to this group, in the 1st round she read a memoir of her parents after the rhythm method of birth control failed, “Their Best Mistake.” Her 2nd-round poem was an elegy for Rusty Young of the rock band Poco, who was a friend of hers, he died in April, 2021; the band’s biggest hit was “Crazy Love” in 1979.

Sherri Bedingfield is a regular here, read an older poem, written in Galway Scotland about birds “At a Window;” then in the 2nd round another bird poem about geese flying, a memoir of her father.

Naomi Bindman began with 2 short chapters from a memoir-in-progress, titled, “In Which Mom Talks to Us about God,” the first about sex, then one about her new baby brother. In her 2nd round she read a piece titled “Tree Heart,” Winter walk of a teacher & her class measuring an ancient tree. 

Julie Lomoe reprised 2 poems I have happened to hear her read in the last week, “Bela & the Rats” which she read this past Friday at the Saratoga Senior Center Poetry/Storytelling Open mic, then on the 2nd time around a piece she read this past Sunday at Collar City Mushrooms “Excess Baggage” a paean to Cadbury Eggs, proclaiming “what good is life without chocolate?” 

Tom Nicotera read 2 poems with light playing a role; in the 1st round “The Dance of Light,” a meditation & description of the rising Sun, in the 2nd round “Shadow,” from a series of “breezeway poems” about seeing a fox, & glad not to be his victim.

Mark W. O’Brien said he has written a lot of Elvis poems recently, tonight read “Elvis Lives,” explaining that Elvis followed the St. Louis Cardinals, & once had a conversation with the great sports announcer Harry Carey; then a piece about Elvis getting telepathic messages from aliens & thus the origin of his white suit. Many of us have our Elvis poems.

If you want to join this friendly group of poems each month on the 2nd Tuesday on Zoom, but you are not on Charlie’s email list, send him an email at charliemrossiter@gmail.com & ask to join the list.