2nd Sunday @ 2: Poetry + Prose, July 14

Once again I was the solo host as my co-host was busy with a reading by the winner of the Troy Pride Poetry contest. For me personally this was the 4th poetry event I was at in the last 3 days: 2 on Friday, 1 yesterday, & this one this day (David Gonsalves was also at all 4 events).

The first name on the sign-up sheet was a first-timer here, Wayne Cochran who read a piece that has been published in Reformed Jewish Quarterly, the Psalm-like “Oh Let Me Behold Your Presence,” then one about things to do in Nature “Springtime.”

Avery Stempel is the proprietor of Collar City Mushrooms & makes this space not only available for this open mic every month, but for other poetry, art & gastronomic events at other times. He read from his series “From Here to There” about things he sees while driving, this a portrait of a bike rider “Watervliet 19th Street Afternoon.”

I read a single, long poem, a political rant from years past, “Richard Nixon Must Die.”

Joel Best’s poem “Travelers” was a list, or string, of connected, perhaps spontaneous images.

The afore-mentioned David Gonsalves read a couple of equally strangely compelling pieces, “Altar Calling” which was like a tin can telephone with no-one at the other end, while “Lover Man” invoked other places, other worlds.

2nd Sunday @ 2: Poetry + Prose is a monthly open mic held at Collar City Mushrooms, 333 2nd Ave., Troy on the, that’s right, 2nd Sunday of the month at 2:00PM — 2 poems, a maximum of 5 minutes of prose — & you can buy & take home mushrooms for the family.

Pine Hollow Arboretum Open Mic, July 12

It’s back! & a tribute to this series' past popularity was the number of folks signed up on the open mic list, most of whom have read here previously. Of course, another factor was that the featured poet was Bob Sharkey, a popular figure on the open mic scene, who hasn’t been a featured reader anywhere in quite some time.

Mark O’Brien was first on the list & he read a couple poems from his series on local history based on old newspaper reports, “Delmar” (in 1892?), & “New Salem.” I was next with one of the poems published recently in The Illegalist (from Dogtown Books, Gloucester, MA), “Last Weekend in Gloucester” & a recent observation of the bird bath in my yard, “A True Story.”

Frank Robinson read a characteristic political piece inspired by recent news stories, & tinged with references to the work of William Shakespeare, “To Quit or Not to Quit.” Our host, Alan Casline, read from something call “Blue Experiment” 2 pieces “17th Course” & “18th Course,” from which I guess we will hear more in the future.

Bob Sharkey is not only an imaginative, innovative poet but also a great supporter of poets local & world-wide, through his role on the board of the Hudson Valley Writers Guild as well as sponsoring & coordinating the annual Stephen A. DiBiase Poetry Contest. He read a sample selection of poems from his varied work, personal reflections, memoirs & “experimental.” There were poems about Maine, where he grew up & returns to from time to time, “The Gail Anne” (a meditation on the passage of Time), “Into the Forest;” a poem composed of lines from some of this year’s entry to the DiBiase Contest, “Cento Thank Can’t Avoid the War;” poems inspired by observing the world around him: “An American Day,” “Dream Land” (old TV shows), “Poem for 9/19/2022,” “The Fourth Fairy” (Irish apparitions on a train). One of his most amusing projects is writing poems from imagined Chinese fortune cookies, such as “We Have Married Our Fortunes Together” & “Puppies & Babies Not Included.” He ended with a poem inspired by being in one of the late Bernadette Mayer’s legendary poetry workshops, “Birds, Beasts & Seas.” One might call it a retrospective reading in-progress.

During the break Alan passed the hat for donations to help support the work & the programs of the Arboretum, then on to the rest of the open mic. Julie Lomoe read a poem written in November 2016 about the threat of Donald Trump, “Red Alert,” what’s old is new again. Tom Bonville read a quartet of poems, “Just Wait & See,” “A Good Pencil,” “A Morning Conversation,” & “Good Talk” (with his son). I haven’t seen Jaime Stevenson at poetry events for some time & today he showed up to read a couple poems about the building of the Empire State Plaza over an old, working class neighborhood in Albany, “Egg,” & “Displacement.”

Tom Corrado read from his ongoing series of random “Screen Dumps” this number 765 (!), that included Burt Lancaster (his 1968 film “The Swimmer”), short stories & old movies. Speaking of poets who haven’t been seen at open mics in some time, Carolee Bennett showed up with a couple poems, “What Role Has the Woods Played in Raising You?” (based on the tale of Little Red Riding Hood), & a piece about ordering from Wayfair “Retail Therapy Sonnet.” Joe Krausman read what he said is to be the title poem of his (long-awaited) poetry collection, “My Heart is an Onion.” 

Therese Broderick read 2 poems about trees, appropriately enough, “After Tropical Storm Henri,” & “Grand Mother Willow.” David Gonsalves read a translation of a poem titled “Abraham & Isaac,” & a poem in which the dead poet Richard Brautigan is a character, “Crossing the Sound.”

Ginny Folger read 2 richly descriptive poems, “Summer, Maine, 1968,” & “Rose Garden” about being helped by strangers after a fall. Tim Verhaegen, who grew up by the ocean, read a long, meditative piece “The Men & the Sea,” then a portrait of a member of a poetry group, a woman that he likes to call “the Duchess.” Paul Amidon brought the long list to a close with a trio of poems, “Cancer Clinic” (on mortality), “Living Within the Law,” & “The Polls Say it is Close (after Richard Brautigan).”

It is good to have this series back again, & that it brought out not only writers who read frequently at area open mics, but others whom we haven’t heard read in a while. The schedule seems to be for 2nd Fridays, but not always, at the Pine Hollow Arboretum in Slingerlands, NY — check the Calendar of Events on the website of the Hudson Valley Writers Guild for details.

Saratoga Senior Center Poetry Open Mic, July 12

This was the start of a busy poetry weekend for me (& some others), & a busy poetry Friday with 2 events on my calendar today. 

There had been an accident & traffic backed up on the Northway so I got to the Senior Center after the event started, with the featured poet, Joseph Bruchac, Saratoga Springs’ inaugural Poet Laureate, already in the midst of his reading. He went on to selections from a string of his poetry collections. Nisnol Siboal/2 Rivers is a book done with his son Jesse poems in both the English and the Abenaki language. From Four Directions (from Mongrel Empire Press out of Norman, Oklahoma), 3  poems of walking in the mountains. From Above the Line (West End Press) “Wild Strawberries,” “Proposition 666,” “Clouds.” From Ndakinna (Our Land) (West End Press), “Song of the Stars” based on a Abenaki song; he explained that the title of the book, Ndakinna is an Abenaki word meaning "our land," not as a possessive, but a collective in a sense. “Transplanting Trees” was literally a how-to poem, & from the St. Lawrence River “Seeing the Whales.” He ended with the very short poem “Song of Falling Snow.” One always learns something new from a reading by Joe Bruchac.

For the open mic David Graham read a new poem in which he hears his mother’s voice, “Grace,” starting with a quote from Jim Harrison. David Gonsalves followed with a poem in 3 parts (short parts) “Happy Opportunities.” 

Victoria Twomey read from her book from Kelsay Books Glimpse “Candy Hearts” & “Home Again” (her father gone). Carol Shup Star read an enthusiastic, descriptive poem about the joys of Kayaking. I read a new poem from April inspired by “The Full Pink Moon,” & then the recently published “Last Weekend in Gloucester.” Barry Finley squeezed in at the end with a recitation of a piece from George Orwell’s Animal Farm.

This reading with an open mic for poets & story-tellers takes place on the 2nd Friday of the month at 1:00PM, at the Saratoga Senior Center, 290 West Ave., Saratoga Springs, suggested donation $5.00, light refreshments served. 

Writers Mic, July 10

Back again after a brief hiatus, with our host Jackie Craven. One can join the group &/or get the link for the monthly Zoom from the Facebook site.

First up on the sign-up sheet was Alan Catlin with a couple pieces from a series of food poems, “Our Lady of the Kitchen Appliances” & “Grandmother Morehead’s Aromatic Kitchen.”  

I was next & read my (rejected) entry to the Writers Read event “My Summer Camp,“ then a more recent piece, an observation of an encounter at my birdbath, “A True Story.”

Julie Lomoe reprised the piece she “sang” last Thursday, “Old Crone Blues,”  then a piece I saw her do on the Bennington Zoom open mic last night, “My Last Rock Festival?”

One can always count on Scott Morehouse to provide a dose of irreverent & naughty humor; tonight a tale about Lloyd & Flo getting a new refrigerator in 1937, “The Iceman Cometh & Goeth.”  

Susan Carroll Jewell said that she has been trying to write happier poems; tonight she read another of her rejections from Rattle, this a Haibun titled “The Greatest Story Ever Told” was a true tale about her parents turning their house into a restaurant.

Our host, Jackie Craven, read a poem titled “Black Hole” from what she described as her “home repair dilemma poems”.

With a little time left Jackie asked if anyone had another poem to share & Alan Catlin stepped up with “Found Poem in the Twilight Zone (of Nona Fernandez),” a political poem using lines from Fernandez’s novel, The Twilight Zone (2021).   

This is another of the charming Zoom open mics that seem to be thriving with a hard-core of regular readers, but is open to other writers who want to try out their work. It takes place on the 2nd Wednesday of each month, start time 7:30PM EDT — one can find the link at the Writers Mic Facebook Group page. 

2nd Tuesday All-Genre Open Mic Out of Bennington, July 9

Getting crowded here on Zoom — our host, Charlie Rossiter. After his signature introductory rant — “The Mic is Now Open!”  — 2 rounds, 1 poem each round.

I was “there” early & was 1st on the list. I read 2 of the 3 poems that have just been published in the inaugural issue of The Illegalist published by Dogtown Books in Gloucester, MA. In the 1st round I read about an encounter with a gull, “Hey!” in the 2nd round a piece titled “Last Weekend In Gloucester” which incorporates lines from the poetry of Gerrit Lansing, Vincent Ferrini, Charles Olson, & Tom Nattell.

Tim Verhaegen in his 1st round read a tender, loving tribute poem for “James” a friend for years & shared a screen shot of the poem; later, “Flash Friction” inspired by real events, at the Schenectady rose garden & a photography shoot in the park, with poet Ginny Folger.

Naomi Bindman read a short piece of prose memoir, half in each round, “Coming Back to Center” about doing yoga, potting, & joining her daughter Ellen at yoga.

Julie Lomoe read from the new version of her self-published chapbook of poems, Proof of Process, in the 1st round “My Last Rock Festival?” contrasting descriptions of a recent MassMOCA concert & memories of being at Woodstock in 1969; in the 2nd round, more memories, “Long Ago & Far Away,” a rambling memoir of Milwaukee & her fantasy of fucking famous jazz musicians. 

Ginny Folger began with a funny piece about choosing to be a cat in her next life, “You Can’t Leave Out the Difficult Parts;” then in the next round a portrait of a character titled “Sunday Mornings Sleeping In.” 

Mark O’Brien has been writing versions of stories he has found in old, local newspapers using lines from the original reporting; in the 1st round a piece titled “Knowersville,” the old name for Altamont, NY; in the 2nd round, from old police blotter items, “State News.”

Charlie Rossiter has been going through his archives & read, in the 1st round, a memoir from his Milwaukee days “Good Times Back in the Day;” then, later, an old road poem, of which he has many, “On the High Road to Taos.” 

In the 1st round, Cheryl A. Rice read from a series of poems based on photos by Jason Baldinger, a descriptive piece titled “Boudoir Mirror,” the poem stands on its own without seeing the photo that inspired it; her 2nd round poem was not part of that series, but about dinner at a local restaurant “Shrimp Stuffed Jalapeños.”  

Sharon Smith read a piece titled “Elmer” (the name of a childhood pet) in the first round, imagining her next life as a turtle; her 2nd round piece was about rebuilding a house & her body, both “built in the 1940s", “Structural Integrity.”

In both rounds Francesca Sidoti read from a memoir of 1974/1975, “Anatomy of a Thoroughbred,” being a tall girl, buying big clothes, family conflicts; then, continues, about working at the track, learning how to bet, finding confidence in herself, & herself now. 

Zosia Kessel joined us for the 1st time, & was clearly the youngest reader; she is an intern at the Hudson Valley Writers Guild assigned to write about poetry events, a little healthy competition going on here? She gamely joined in for both rounds, with descriptive pieces; round 1 was titled “Excavators” a description of new construction; her piece in round 2 was titled “After Bernadette Mayer“ one thing after another like one of Bernadette’s associative rambles.

Charlie hosts this Zoom open mic on the 2nd Tuesday of each month, starting at 7:00PM; if you are on his list he will send you the link, but if you are not on the list, send him an email & ask for the link & join us — charliemrossiter@gmail.com 

Writers Read: Summer Camp, June 30

Anyone who has read more than one of these Blogs will note that this is what my site is: it’s about writers reading their works in public — which there is a lot of here in Albany. But not nearly as structured as Writers Read — as it says on it’s website, “We’re a high-quality platform for true, personal stories—650 words, five minutes long—read aloud before an audience by the writer in our highly popular live shows at City Winery New York.” This reading was held in Albany, NY at The Linda, WAMC’s performance space.

The host was Edward McCann, founder & executive editor, with 16 readers of, as far as I could tell without knowing where the line breaks were, prose memoirs on the topic of Summer Camp experiences (or lack there-of). Many of the stories were tinged with humor, sometimes emotionally wrought, sometimes ironic. 

I was surprised by the variety of Summer Camps:

a camp with horses (Wanda Fischer, “Living Camp Through Brochures”); Catholic camps (Susan Toohey, “Ah, Summer Camp, 1968”; Mara Lefebvre, “Misfit Camper”); a camp for the visually impaired (Robert Gumson, “Lighthouse Camp”); gender-segregated camp (Joseph Di Bari, ”The Unenlightened Voyeur”); camp for kids with asthma (Louis Wittig, “Gulag”); Scout camp (Peter Finn, “Unnamed Summit”); a daycare day camp (Casey Vincelettes, “Mulberry”); & then the no-camp/family camp (Carol Fitzgibbons, “Summers on Tully Lake”; Barbara Chepaitis, “Camp Can-You-Dig-It?”).

Then there were the experiences of counselors, either being one (Paul Grondahl, “A Magical Canoe Adventure”), or cruel punishment (Emily Rubin, “Latrine Days”); or trying to pass a swimming test (Kim van Alkemade, “Deep Water Test”).

And sometimes a memory of a specific event, (Stephen Madarazs, “Night March at Camp Wauwepex”); Margaret Reynolds, “Black Tag on Cass Road”); (Anthony Cresswell, “Sentry at the Swamp”).

It all sounded like fun — most of the time. Good writing anyways, whether one went to summer camp, or not. 

There are photos of each of the readers in the album “Writers Read: Summer Camp” at my Flickr site. And visit the Writers Read website for information & for their Call for Entries.

Third Thursday Poetry Night, June 20

Once again a nearly full house, poets supporting their comrade poet, tonight’s featured reader, Susan Oringel. But first I invoked the night’s Muse, the gone poet Kelly Cherry (1940 - 2022), by reading her poem “Prayer for a Future Beyond Ideology and War,” from Natural Theology (Louisiana State University Press, 1988). Then on to some of the open mic poets who had signed up.

Philomena Moriarty was first on the list with a brand-new piece “Two Views About the Same Scene” as a woman takes out the garbage. Joe Krausman is a longtime regular here on the Third Thursday, tonight read a piece titled “Sins of Place,” pondering mortality. Marea Gordett read a sad poem, an elegy for her son’s fiancée who died of COVID, “Elegy in the Nodding Onions.”

Katrinka Moore actually recognized the Muse, Kelly Cherry, then read a Cento titled “A Chance to See What Comes.” Tom Corrado is up to (at least) #764 in his series of "Screen Dumps," this one set in Provincetown, mentioning famous poets & loggers & diesels. Sylvia Barnard read a poem titled “Tulips in the Desert” inspired by a former student living in Arizona, a metaphor for what poets do.

Our featured reader, Susan Oringel, has been busy promoting her new book, Carnevale (David Roberts Books), including a reading at her book launch in March, at Unity Church in Albany. She started with a poem that took place on this block in Albany, “Middle Aged in Spring,” a broken sonnet. She read a generous selection of poems from the section of the book exploring her relationship with her parents, beginning with a couple of poems on Jewish food, “Song of Coney Island” & “Chopped Chicken Livers.” Other poems looked back to her childhood (“My Father’s Workshop,” “November 1963”, & poems about her mother, “Struck,” & “La Vie en Gris.” The poem “House” celebrated being in her parents house after they were gone.

Both of her parents & her partner died within a short time of each other, Carnevale combines poems in a mosaic of meditations on the way relationships continue. She concluded with poems about her deceased partner, “Sunday Ride” with vignettes of her partner’s parents, “Solstice,” the villanelle “Autumn in Montclair,” then ended, appropriately enough with another meditation on mortality, “Carnival.” 

After a short break for Sue to sell books & me to collect donations, we returned to the open mic list, with me reading “Kesha-Undaka” (the Sanscript word for floaters) based on the Lankavantara Sutra. Ellen Rook, sweating a poem, read a portrait “Still Life With Bachelor Uncle…” on his death. John Thomas Allen read an “experimental poem” about the nature of ideology, titled “Star Burst,” inspired by a woman he dated. Tom Bonville was not "experimental" in his poem “Sat Right” about a crooked picture on his wall (& about his friends).

Lance LeGrys read a piece from a new poetry manuscript, “Pilate Suite” (as in Pontius Pilate), “Pilate Poeticizes,” a dramatic monologue. Alex LeGrys followed (yes, they are related) with a piece titled “The Tannery,” a break-up in the midst of the failure of labor unions. David Gonsalves’ read a 3-part poem with a subtitle “Happy Opportunities: Saturday, 18 May, 2024,” 3 brief vignettes. 

Ba Kaiser read “Snapshot 1947,” as she said, “a captured moment of perfect happiness.” Julie Lomoe “sang” a commentary on aging “Old Crone Blues.” As they say in the Blues world, Elaine Kenyon brought it on home & read a short piece inspired by watching National Grid cut down trees, “If Animals Were.” 

Join us each third Thursday of the month at the Social Justice Center, 33 Central Ave., Albany, NY at 7:30PM for a reading by a local, regional or national writer, & an open mic for community poets — $5.00 suggested donation supports poetry events in Albany & the work of the Social Justice Center.