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.