Poetic License Reading & Open Mic, October 14

This reading/open mic was held in the Community Room of the Honest Weight Food Co-op in Albany, NY in conjunction with the exhibit of visual art & the poems that inspired it, Poetic License, a joint project of the Upstate Artists Guild & the Hudson Valley Writers Guild. I served as MC/host & had served as coordinator for the poetry part of the project.

Rachel Baum runs a monthly open mic at the Saratoga Springs Senior Center. She read her poem about her father (a musician) that is in the exhibit “White Dinner Jackets, Black Bow Ties” which inspired a photograph by Timothy Reidy; she also read a companion piece “My Father’s Ghost is Mustard Stained.”

Jackie Craven’s poem, “As the last egg in the carton, I should tell you about the others,” which is in the exhibit & inspired a mixed media piece by Lucia Mabel Smith, is from her fascinating collection of poems, Whish (Press 53, 2024); she also read a poem titled “Missing from the Box” (about crayons) from her earlier collection, Secret Formulas & Techniques of the Masters (Brick Road Poetry Press, 2018).

Don Maurer has had a poem in a previous Poetic License; tonight he read this year’s entry, “Ancient Wisdom” (about a bristle cone pine) that inspired 2 artists to submit work, a piece in silk & dyes by Tina Johnston & a mixed media & pencil by Toni Hewitt; then he read a humorous piece “Long Johns on the Line” written on a bet to use the “skivvies” in a poem.

Alexander Perez’s poem in the exhibit is entitled “A beyond empire amidst empire” inspired an acrylic painting on canvas by Sven Willets; he also read 2 other poems, the love poem “Awake to the Night…” & the end of season “Kiss Me Summer Some Goodbye.”

Brian Liston has had his poems included in each of the previous Poetic License exhibits, this year his poem “Paddle” inspired Ginger LaFreniere to paint a watercolor on the same theme; he also read 2 other poems, “Lash” (a critic) & “Rebound” (about turning down the light.

Two other poems who did not have have work in the show turned up to read in the open mic. Joan Goodman, who has read at other open mics in town, read 2 pieces relating to the war in Palestine, “We Are Not Knowers” & “Casualties.” The last poet, Shawda, was a stranger to me & said she hadn’t read at an open mic previously; she read 2 poems about relationships, “My Prayer” (asking for “a man of God”) & an untitled piece about a former boyfriend, wondering what is in his mind. 

We hope to continue this project again next year, but until then you can images of the visual art at https://www.poeticlicensealbany.com/ & stay tuned to the Call for Entries on the website of the Hudson Valley Writers Guild.

2nd Sunday @ 2: Poetry + Prose, October 13

Finally back together with my co-host, Nancy Klepsch, as we each had taken 2nd Sundays off for a variety of reasons, back among the mushrooms.

First up on the sign-up sheet was Rachel Baum who read 2 poems from her chapbook How to Rob a Convenience Store (Cowboy Jamboree Press, 2014), “Mall massacre, any town,” & “in loving grace, this day.” (Note: each of the poems in this collection are linked by a word, a line, or a phrase in the last line of the poem with the first line of the following poem). David Gonsalves read 2 very short poems, “All’s That’s Left,” & “Ghost Story” -- he's never been know to go over a time limit, he has a special place reserved in Poetry Heaven.

Co-host Nancy Klepsch shared 2 poems she had written for an application for a residency, “General Averill” about the land & air in the country, & one titled appropriately enough “Deep in the Kinderhook Preserve.” Avery Stempel, the Mushroom Man, read from his manuscript in progress “Here to There” the piece titled “The Corner of 5th & Washington,” & one about a stalled car, “Just a Push.”

I was surprised to hear that this was the first time Elizag (the Poet of Cohoes) was here for the open mic & then pleased to hear her performance about a flock of geese, “Looking Up.” My 2 poems were seasonal pieces, “A Ghost” about the gone poet Wendy Battin, & one titled “Yom Kippur.”

Another writer who was here for the first time (but unknown to me) went by the letter Z (was also the last one to read today) & stunned us with a graphic piece of richly imaginative writing that they described as “a prose poem” about an autopsy titled “Of Fish & Woman.”

You too can join us to share your writing on the 2nd Sunday @ 2 at Collar City Mushrooms, 333 2nd Ave., Troy, NY — 2 poems or a short piece of prose no longer than 5 minutes.

Senior Center Open Mic, October 11

This open mic, held at the Saratoga Springs Senior Center, has become a regular event for me. Always an excellent local or regional poet as the feature & a stimulating array of poem mic poets.

On this day, our host, poet Rachel Baum, started us off by reading a poem for a dead pet by the equally dead poet Jim Harrison, “Missy 1966 - 1971.” Then on to today’s featured poet.

Judith Prest is a poet, photographer, mixed media artist who has about half a dozen books to her credit, & continues as a co-host of the monthly Poetry Circle at the Schenectady Public Library. She read selections from 5 of her books as well as a bouquet of recent poems. The books were the self-published poetry/photo book Elemental Connections; Late Day Light (Spirit Wind Books, 2011); After (Finishing Line Press, 2019); Geography of Loss (Finishing Line Press, 2021); & Grafted Tree: Family Poems (Kelsay Books, 2023). The new poems included a couple from a poetry workshop with June Gould, the strident piece of history “Under the Sign of the Rusty Coat Hanger,” & “When an Old Woman Dies;” as well as a piece written at a retreat at Pyramid Lake this July “Lake Magic.” A retrospective reading bringing us right up to date with this active local poet.

Then on to the open mic, with our host, Rachel Baum, taking us back to the Jim Harrison poem that she opened with, her own piece for a gone pet, “The Last Adirondack Fire Tower.” Lin Murphy followed with a bold, risky list of things to do “Dance Me to the End of Time.” David Graham read “My Father Put Out” about his father’s dementia.

Marilyn McCabe read a poem from her 1st chapbook, the poem titled “The Leaf Girl’s Song.” I read a couple of seasonal poems, the Halloween bar poem “Zombie Gourd,” & “Baseball October.” Pat Curtis read an effusive celebratory poem “Wildflowers.”

Leslie Neustadt read a poem from her recent book The Sustenance of Stars (Kelsay Books, 2024), “Self as Teeming Mass,” & a recent poem “Elegy” mixing memory, Hebrew, & the concept of eretz Israel. David Gonsalves also had a poem on a Hebrew language theme, “Homeless Mishpacha” about a wedding photo & what happened to each of the family members in the photo. Janice continued the cultural theme with “Buba Wurlitzer 1953” inspired by the jukebox in her father’s bar that she sang with, on the changes in music over time up to the 1980s. That kind of linked themes of these last 3 poets could not have been planned except in the mind of a Jungian poetry Muse schooled in the principles of Synchronicity.

The open mic at the Saratoga Senior Center takes place on the 2nd Friday of each month, 1:00PM, with a featured poet & an up to 2 poems per open mic reader. The Saratoga Senior Center is located at 290 West Ave., Saratoga Springs, NY. 

2nd Tuesday All Genre Open Mic Out Of Bennington, October 8

With our Zoom host, Charlie Rossiter — this open mic is run in 2 rounds, 1 piece each round.

I was first up, & in both of the rounds I read “seasonal pieces,” in the 1st round a mashup of Halloween & Election day, “This is Not Trick or Treat;” in the 2nd round a baseball-themed poem, “Dusty Baker.” 

Bridget Elder read a cluster of Haiku, with a crow, rain; then in the 2nd round after hearing Bill Thwing read she read a poem that mentions Li Po.

Mark O’Brien read from from his project based on old newspaper articles, “Ancillary Brevities,” snippets of pieces about death & dying; in round 2 a funny piece from a strange article he has tried to about.

Ginny Folger’s poem “Eternal City” about Rome, of course, about watching the clouds & a woman doing laundry; then in the next round a descriptive piece about being on a train to New York City — both pieces have been published. 

Our host, Charlies Rossiter read a descriptive piece from the past, “The Worst Bar Ever” (in Wisconsin); his 2nd round piece was about the greed of the haves & that of the gun industry, titled “Amateur.” 

Julie Lomoe read yet again from her new self-published chapbook in both rounds, a couple poems she has been reading out at local open mics, in the 1st round, “Donald the Bantam Rooster Speaks His Mind,” in the 2nd round, a poem about voting back in 2016 & being interviewed by a reporter from The New York Times. 

Sharon Smith read a poem written yesterday “134 Miles” about how a family visit engenders memories of the past; then in round 2 a poem about her uncle, “Hobos, Mystics & Poets.”

I think Kate McNairy joined this Zoom for the first time tonight & she read her characteristically very short poems, each poem read twice, in the 1st round the memoir “Neil Armstrong, July 21, 1969,” & a piece about aging “Sweet & Sour.”  

Bill Thwing read “At Golden Ridge” about doing renga with Li Bai, Bill’s response & his 2 Haiku; in his 2nd round he performed a song written by him & his wife, “I Went Out to Alberta,” then running back to Montana, & elsewhere.  

Tom Nicotera had shown up early but in his 1st round as he tried to read his poem his phone rang, then his screen froze & he lost his Internet connection; he returned to the Zoom at the end to read his 2 pieces, back to back; in the 1st round, with his harmonica, he performed  “Blues for America,” set at a Motel 6 & a Taco Bell; then a new poem, a nostalgic description of the Mohawk Trail along  Route 2 in Massachusetts. 

& then that was it for this month. If you want to join this Zoom open mic held on the 2nd Tuesday of the month, email Charlie at charlierossiter@gmail.com & ask for the link, then join us. 

VSG First Thursday’s Open Mic Night, October 3

VSG (Vincinanza Studios & Gallery) is a fairly new gallery located in Southbury, CT. The owner, Faith Vincinanza, invited 3 Guys from Albany (Charlie Rossiter & Dan Wilcox) to perform for the open mic night held on the 1st Thursday of the month. To my recollection we met Faith at the Connecticut Poetry Festival in 2001, although perhaps it was at the National Slam Championship in Middletown, CT in 1997. In other words, she has been involved in the Connecticut poetry scene for a long time, & now involved in a labor of love with the VSG. She is the inaugural Poet Laureate for Southbury, CT.

Charlie & I drove down from Bennington, VT, picked up Tom Nicotera in Bloomfield, CT then drove another hour or so to Southbury to perform. The night’s MC/host was Kate who started with some open mic poets, Faith Vincinanza herself led off, first with a poem titled “Unsung” from her book Arturo (Hanover Press, 2022), then from Shall We Dance? (Hanover Press, 2024) “In case of emergency, grab me.”

Victor Walton read a humorous piece, in rhyme, titled “There Goes the Neighborhood, Car.” Bill Morehead read a cluster of poems, the quasi-Biblical “The Parable of the Few,” “Isolation of Fielding” (baseball), a tale of love among spies in Russia, & “The List” about the things he has missed in life.

Then it was the time for us featured poets, & I went first to talk a bit about the history of the 3 Guys from Albany & to read a collaborative poem that was written with Charlie Rossiter that had been commissioned by the NYS Writers Institute for the 20th anniversary celebration of the Opalka Gallery at Sage College in Albany, NY. Then on to a poem performed across the country “I Thought I Saw Elvis…” The other poems were more recent pieces, such as “Tashlich” for Rosh Hashana, & a pastiche on the poems of William Carlos Williams.

Charlie Rossiter began with performance piece “On Reading Snake Back Solo…”, then a piece from his days in Chicago “Night Life,” “The Music of the Universe,” & one written for a Day of the Dead event, about dead poets “At the Poetry Party.” He ended with a newer piece, an hysterically funny ode to a church supply catalog.

After a break to sell books, etc., the open mic continued with Irene Sherlock, who introduced herself as a psychotherapist, & read a fascinating poem titled “Rorschach” about the reactions of her clients to the art in her office. Clare Warner read “What We Lost” about a conversation with her sister about their family.  Sherry Bedingfield read a poem on a related theme, “Without Carlene,” about a deceased cousin; then a speculative vision titled “Under a Blue August Moon.” Sharon Smith followed with a piece in rhyme — good, not forced — “My Ghosts,” & then a creation myth, “to repair the broken world,” “Tikkun Olam.” 

Tom Nicotera began with a humorous piece in rhyme “Why I Keep My Mullein,” then a poem from a prompt, “Trading Places with Donald Trump.” Pamela Cleary’s poem “Collateral Damage” was about the effects of human existence on Mother Earth; her poem “Urban Lonely” contrasted the trendy “tiny houses” with a homeless person living in a box; she was more hopeful in the poem titled “It’s Catching On” about the spread of communal kindness.

Chris Gaffney said that he wrote poems to his children before they were born & read an example, a mix of rhymes & song lyrics, titled “Family Formed.” Our MC Kate read a poem about “Time Lapse” through the figure of a porch glider.

To bring the evening to a close, Charlie, Dan & Tom performed a multi-voice piece that often concluded performances of 3 Guys from Albany, about a grand boulevard in Albany, NY “O Central Ave.” written by Tom Nattell, Charlie Rossiter & Dan Wilcox.

Vicinanza Studios & Gallery is located at 493 Heritage Road, Suite 4C, Southbury, CT. Visit the website  for a calendar of events, including the monthly open mic, & other information about this wonderfully eclectic gallery. 

Albany Book Festival, September 21

This annual event at the University at Albany is an exercise in decision-making, with as many as 4 panels/readings going on at once, not to mention the massed book-sellers. My decisions were made a bit easier by being a moderator for one of the late sessions, & being scheduled in the Hudson Valley Writers Guild Reading.

I managed to catch a few readers in the Open Mic Reading hosted by Arch Magazine (the undergraduate literary zine), featuring the Young Writers project, friends & contributors, held at the Orb Stage in Campus Center West. What I caught was 3 readers, a variety of styles, formats, from traditional poems with a good use of rhyme & vivid images; a long personal ramble about campus life; & a well-performed piece in Slam style. The woman who did the poems in rhyme was actually a graduate student in physics. Long-time Albany poet Jil Hanifan is the advisor/mentor for Arch Magazine so as far as I’m concerned those students are in good hands.

The Hudson Valley Writers Guild Open Mic had its sign-up prior to the Festival online, & the host was HVWG Vice-President Mary Panza. The sign-up had been online at the Guild website. While I hadn’t signed up to be first, that’s where I was & since this date is International Peace Day I read a selection of my peace poems, including the 2003 “Albany/Baghdad.”

Jackie Craven who hosts the Writers Mic open mic on Zoom on the 2nd Wednesday of the month read “Clocks can’t be trusted in the electric city” from her collection of poems Whish (Press 53, 2024).

Susan Rancourt read a mix of poems from her poetry collections & newer poems, including “Thurnderbeings,” “Archilochus Comes to Shore,” “Ordinarily She Marched,” & “Bad Girls Speak.” 

Rhonda Rosenheck is the co-host (with Judith Prest) of Poetry Circle on 2nd Mondays at the Schenectady County Public Library. The poems she read included a Tanka (“Crack”), an Haiku on the end of Autumn, & poems titled “Past Tense,” “Light Sneaks Past,” a re-worked piece “Raproachment 1983,” & “I Will.”

Adonis Richards is the founder of Lucid Voices out of Schenectady which one can find on Facebook. He started off with a poem from a poetry & sculpture workshop about an owl “Nighttime Visitor,” then a sad piece about missing a father’s love while growing up a “cool nerd” fan of Pokemon, & a piece titled “To Kill a Kitten” (not as cruel as it sounds).

There were more, but I had to leave for a session I moderated titled Discovering New Narratives, a reading & discussion with author Joachim Frank about his auto-biographical novel Ierapetra, or His Sister’s Keeper. Frank is a 2017 winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry & a former president of the Hudson Valley Writers Guild.

The Albany Book Festival has become an annual event here so I think we can expect it to be back in September 2025 — check the New York State Writers Institute website & the events page of the website of the Hudson Valley Writers Guild for information.

Third Thursday Poetry Night, September 19

There is usually a featured reader to go along with the open mic, but unfortunately Karen Elizabeth Sharpe had to cancel; I will try to reschedule her for sometime in 2025. But there was plenty of poetry to be heard this night, with 13 poets on the sign-up sheet. 

The first reader up was Sylvia Barnard, just where she wanted to be on the list; she read a piece from one of Ellen White Rook’s workshops, a poem titled “Granny’s Cottage” about her mother’s house outside of Greenfield, MA. Julie Lomoe read a poem from 2016, “Hope Dawns in a Grungy Gun Club,” about being interviewed by a reporter from the New York Times when she was voting. I read from my Poem Cards a revision of another Poem Card “Books Not Bombs,” then a poem card about the recent Lunar eclipse, “Eclipse Haiku.” 

Don Levy hasn’t been here in quite some time, & we were glad he was back; he read 2 poems from his favorite (old) anthologies, Contemporary American Poets, Frank O’Hara’s “To the Harbor Master,” then “Her Kind” by Anne Sexton. Kim Henry returned to read an untitled piece about the death of her mother, then a lighter piece describing an outfit she wore (& her daughter as fashion police) “Mismatched.” Kristen Day also has not been here in a while, read some older poems, beginning with  “Personal Question,” then one of my favorite poems about 9/11 “The 6:20 & the 2:45.” 

David Gonsalves attends many of the open mics in the area; tonight he read a poem titled “Under the Weather” a list of disasters, then “On the Couch” in, apparently, a form he created, or at least temporary restrictions for the life of the poem. Also getting through the seasons of no baseball, Tom Bonville read a very short descriptive piece, “My Old Man,” then the nostalgic, almost bitter “Love.” Maria Sohn read a short poem titled “Role Reversal” about a turbulent plane ride with her daughter, followed by a song co-written with a friend about the effort to pass the ERA in the perspectives of a young girl, a middle-age woman, & an old woman. 

Francesca Sidoti is a “future featured reader” here — very soon! — & she read a piece she hadn’t read out before, “Wives,” on War & its aftermath, then a poem on the solar eclipse, “The Eyes of Time.” Tom Corrado was the night's closer (as they say in baseball) with another of his “Screen Dumps,” this number 781, with its characteristic pile up of images & phrases.

Join us any third Thursday of the month at 7:30PM at the Social Justice Center, 33 Central Ave., Albany, NY — $5.00 suggested donation, more or less — a featured reader (usually) & an open mic (always).

Pine Hollow Arboretum Open Mic, September 13

The 2nd of the day’s open mics was right next door to Albany in Slingerlands at the Pine Hollow Arboretum. There was a featured reader tonight, Carolee Bennett, whom hasn’t been seen reading her work out in quite some time — but she continues to write poems. The host is poet of the watershed, Alan Casline. But first, a little bit of the open mic.

I was up first leading off with my poem “The Witches Necklace,” followed by an older piece, “Star Maps,” pondering the meaning of the constellations. Mark O’Brien read a poem about family members dying, “Last Man Standing,” then one for Alan Casline, “My Life as Seen as a Series of Snap-Neck Moments” a list of falls. Tim Verhaegen also read a poem about deaths, combining his family’s genealogy with the story of the indigenous Mohawks. Edie Abrams read a poem about aging, then one written today, “Activation,” about her cats growing their claws to defend themselves.  

Mark O’Brien did the honors of the introduction of the night’s featured poet, his neighbor in Clarksville, Carolee Bennett. She began with poems from a book manuscript currently circulating looking for a publisher, a poem from during Hurricane Irene in 2011, “The Water Rising We Stay at the Bar,” others, including “Fragments for Girls who Grew Up in the ’80s…,” one addressed to a dog (?) Gertie, poems confronting cultural misogyny. She shared some newer work from a manuscript of “micro-fiction or prose poems,” eco-poems based in a post-apocalyptic world, a favorite setting with poets these days. She ended with a love/sex poem “Don’t Forget your Booties It’s Cold Out There.” It was good to hear new work from this fine, local poet who has been hiding out in Clarksville.

David Gonsalves began with a descriptive poem (titled “Breeze”?) of birds at the beach, then on to one titled “Cindy’s Birthday.” Tom Bonville squeezed in 4 short poems, “Love,” “Pleasure,” “Paint,” & “Real Estate Sale.”

Our host Alan Casline, read “Last Days,” about a captain captured by the British in the colony's war for independence, an exploration of the horrors of war, a mix of imagination & history, then “How Nature Heals” or mends. Francesca Sidoti read a poem from the April Poem-a-Day project “January Trees,” then one written for her husband, “Anniversary.” Tom Corrado closed out the night with yet another from his monstrous “Screen Dump” series, this numbered 781 (!),

This series continues, at least until the snow starts to fall, at the Pine Hollow Arboretum, 2nd Fridays, always an open mic, often a featured poet — check out the Events section of the website of the Hudson Valley Writers Guild. Donations support the Arboretum.