Writer’s Mic, December 11

This Zoom open mic takes place each month on the 2nd Wednesday & the host is poet Jackie Craven, sometimes in Schenectady, sometimes in Florida, & always a fascinating mix of poets dial in.

Susan Oringel read 2 “alphabet poems,” the 1st from when she was 17 years old, “ABCD Elegy”, a bit of silliness; then from a prompt in a writing group, “An Abecedarian of Plenty,” longer, more like a dictionary poem.

David Graham read just one poem, “Donuts,” his latest poem about a young neighbor’s driving patterns (i.e., doing donuts late at night).

I read the same poems I read last night on the Bennington Zoom, inspired by the burning of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris 5 years ago, the direct response, “Tourism,” & an earlier, more generic poem “Church Burner.” 

Alan Catlin read from his, what must be, considerable archives, “The Hieronymus Bosch Sequence,” in 6 short parts, images from the paintings; then an old bar poem, about a revamped neighborhood bar, a found old poem “The Young & the Feckless.”  

Judith Prest read an intense poem in reaction to the Dobbs Supreme Court decision, “Under the Sign of the Rusty Coat Hanger” a reminder of the horrors of years before Roe v. Wade, tragically back again.

Ellen White Rook dialed in from Maine with what she called,  poems “leftover from the Fall, “Where the Road Was,” reflective & descriptive & “Triptych” with flowers, colors, & the Moon. 

Susan carol Jewell read about being confused by the games that the kids today seem to know so well, “At the Gaming Expo.”

Brooke Joosten was here for her first time open mic, read a short piece without a title, from a prompt about food (making paella), coming back to the suburbs during COVID & walking by the beach. 

Julie Lomoe also began with the same piece she read on another Zoom open mic last night, “Driving in the Darkness” on the anniversary of John Lennon’s death, then on to her favorite holiday parody sings “It’s the Most Over-hyped Time of the Year.” 

Jackie Craven read a couple of absurdist prose poems, linked pieces read together, the main character a the chief officer of the community association, dream-like images of a domestic dispute.

Writers Mic is a Zoom open mic held each 2nd Wednesday of the month at 7:30PM Eastern Time; one can find the link on the Writes Mic Facebook page — join us.