Mid-Winter Open Mic, January 31

This one-off (how many mid-Winters are there anyways?) was sponsored by the Hudson Valley Writer’s Guild & held at Mojo’s Cafe & Gallery, 147 4th St., Troy, NY. The host was the Vice President of the HVWG, Mary Panza. Mojo’s is a pleasant store front coffee house with a small stage ringed by paintings, with an eclectic variety of seating. I was able to find a comfy loveseat next to a small table on which to rest by latte, & a good angle to take photos of the readers.

First up was long-time Albany poet/artist, the Piñata Queen, A.C. Everson, who she was reading “a downer from long ago,” a piece titled “Slut,” but celebrating 40 years sober. I followed with an angry Winter poem, “Winter Argument,” then an old piece (may not have even been read out previously), variations on “YMCA.”

Isaiah Cuesta read a couple of untitled pieces, one beginning “I sleep on the deathbed of a matriarch…” a memoir, then another about being in bed, perhaps a different one. Amanda performed an intense (aren’t they all?) Slam poem about disassociated anguish. Both of the pieces Graydon read dealt with words/not words, the first sounded like an apology, “I want my words to mean something…” & contained the provocative line “… everything is true if it rhymes;” the second piece was inspired by a character in a fantasy novel series & was titled “A Good Way to Make Robots Talk.”

Melissa admitted that she had never read before at an open mic (a virgin), & showed & talked about her visual art, the first a painting titled “Embrace Tranquility,” then an abandoned table top she had painted, explaining the significance of the colors as a litany of trauma (she is a disabled veteran of the Marines), then a piece in rhyme a “Neuo-Spicey Anthem.” Carol Durant also did a piece in rhyme, “Our Ancestors,” then another that referenced her ancestors, “In My Hair.”

D. Colin’s first piece was a meditation on how many of us who have written political pieces over the years have “… already written the poem of oppression…” (or are they separate parts of the same poem written over time?), then from her one-person play Psalm 91, the final poem in the work. Sean A. said his poem was “about everyone I have ever met …” about conflicts built on repeating lines.

Rhonda Rosenheck began with what she said was an old poem, about neighbors, “Piñatas” then 2 pieces each made up of a series of Haiku, “After the Blizzard” & “Tavern Haiku.” Jeffrey was a late add to the list, I guess inspired by what he heard to read his own work, a tale someone had told him, “From Across the Room.” 

Our host, Mary Panza, read what she described as a “group poem” created from lines that she had heard at the Unspoken Word Main Showcase in October, then another from lines from the poets who read today — such a piece is also known as a Cento (from Latin for “patchwork” as in a quilt), defined as “… a poem made entirely of pieces from poems by other authors,” a practice D. Colin did regularly at the Poetic Vibe reading/open mic series she some years ago. 

Check the events listing on the website of the Hudson Valley Writers Guild for other such community events throughout the Capital District, including other events at Mojo’s Cafe & Gallery.

Writers Mic, January 14

It’s been awhile since I joined this Zoom open mic, & I was glad to be back again. The host is poet Jackie Craven.

First up was David Graham with his 1st poem for 2026, “Blind Sided,” inspired by reading the poetry of Jim Harrison who was blind in his left left eye, as is David as a result of a stroke.  

Elizabeth Lockman was a new voice to me but seems to have been at this open mic previously; she read a piece written for the Rattle magazine ekphrastic challenge, “The Day Trip to Tumulo Park, Korea,” then a piece like chatting over coffee, “My Friend Met Someone from the Secret Service at Mass.”

I was up next with “The Blue Wind” inspired by reading the new translation (by Mark Polizzotti) of Andre Breton’s surrealist novel Nadja; then a little free-form automatic writing of my own, “The Moon is a Damp Alley.”

Susan Carol Jewell also read a poem for the Rattle ekphrastic challenge, written last November, “The Red Planet & the Blue Sun.” 

Alan Catlin read what he said was the closet things to a love poem, “Epithilmiums for Marcus & Karen,” for his son & daughter-in-law, then a political poem “Dis-respective for Renee Good.” Later, in an ersatz 2rd round, another political piece, absurdist instructions to employees in a bar in case of an emergency.  

Liz Grisaru also read a recent political piece titled simply “Minneapolis,” then another recent piece with a humorous twist, “Encounter at the Supermarket;” later in the 2nd round, “Travel” like a dream of a train in Europe.

Jackie Craven read a funny period piece about her father’s bomb shelter, “In Event of Nuclear Emergency.”

Julie Lomoe read a piece from 2016 titled “Donald the Bantam Rooster Speaks His Mind” from her collection Proof of Process.

If you want to join this monthly Zoom open mic (2nd Wednesday at 7:30PM EST) one can find the link on the Writers Mic Facebook page.  

Third Thursday Poetry Night, January 15

For the start of the New Year of poetry, our featured poet, S.L. Maurice (aka Sam), was reading for the last time, at least for the fore-seeable future, here in Albany, because early the next morning he was boarding a plane to fly to the West Coast where he planned to settle. We will miss him, & so I was glad I was able to schedule him for this night.

Tonight’s Muse was the recently gone poet, Renée Nicole Good, & I read her poem “On Learning to Dissect Fetal Pigs,” published when her name was Renée Macklin.  ICE Out Now! 

First up was a writer who said he was new to the area, Isaiah Cuesta, who had been the first poet through the door tonight, read a poem of the imagining. Avery Stempel, who has been around the poetry scene for many years, read what he described as “just a generic poem,” as indeed it was.

Amanda had been here previously & she read about a near death experience as a pedestrian in Stuyvesant Plaza after CDTA changed the #10 bus route to not enter the Plaza, & on to other places where drivers seem to want to kill her. David Gonsalves read a poem about him & her doing the crossword puzzle, “One Evening at Home.”

Our featured poet, Sam Maurice, has been active in the poetry scene here for a number of years, participating in open mics, serving as a co-host for a while with R.M. Engelhardt for Rob’s monthly open mic, featured at some showcase poetry events, & serving on the Board of the Hudson Valley Writers Guild. His collection of poems, Vibrant Sounds, Colors in Motion, was published by Deadman’s Press Ink in 2023, with a 2nd edition, which is the one I have, in 2025. 

He began with the 1st poem in the book, “Spins on Change,” then on to the title poem of the book. Then one titled “Zoetic Hydrant” the 1st section of a longer poem, a bit of urban drama; then one titled “Ariadne,” from a character in Greek myth, but this poem is another urban drama of drinking, loving & leaving; he ended with “What You See,” returning to a desolate place where he had once lived. He performed his poems from memory, ending each with the tag, “Beat.” I had heard all of the poems he recited tonight previously so perhaps he just doing the ones he has committed to memory rather than sampling from the book. But he tends to recite the lines too fast, slurring & blurring the words, so I am glad I have to book to make out what he was saying & find the gems in the lines. 

After a short break giving folks a chance to buy the book, we returned to the open mic. I read my recent poem, “The Blue Wind,” reacting to a line in André Breton’s novel Nadja. 

The Poet Laureate of Schenectady, Adonis Richards, joined us this night to honor Sam, with a list poem to honor his grandmother, “Things That Say Thank You.” Sally Rhoades brought the night to a close with a poem from a new poetry collection, Like an Apricot in the Rain, that she is putting together, the poem, “On that Moon Lit Night,” about 3 poets hanging out at Caffè Lena.

Please join us at the Social Justice Center, 33 Central Ave., Albany, NY on the third Thursday of the month for a reading by a local or regional writer, with an open mic for the rest of us — start time 7:30PM, your donation supports poetry events in Albany & the work of the SJC.

2nd Tuesday All-Genre Open Mic Out of Bennington, January 13

I don’t do many Zoom open mics now, but this is one I visit regularly to stay in touch with old friends (emphasis on “old”?). This night we were certainly a senior gathering. Charlie, our host, likes to do the 2-round thing, 1 poem each round.

I started off the list with a poem a fairly recent poem in each round. In the 1st round a Frank O’Hara style piece about running errands, “The Shifting Sands of Errands,” then later one that has become a poem card from the constantly growing series of bus poems, “Bus Riders.”

Tom Nicotera read brand new poems, the first from working at the branch library, “Redtail Hawk Under the Library Window,” dead from crashing into the window; then in the 2nd round a poem based on a memory with his brother in 1957, like a dream, looking at the stars.

Sharon Smith read “13 ways of Ways of Looking at America” inspired by Claude McKay from a prompt from a workshop on “the poetry of presence;" for round 2, “Wind of Change,” waking looking at the leaves.

Sherri Bedingfield only read 1 poem, having to leave early, “Contact with my Brother,” memories of her brother, looking for reconciliation. 

Mark O’Brien read a pastiche of a famous poem by William Carlos Williams that he (Mark) apparently read last month here about a Vermont ice cream company, the poem began, “I have licked Wilcox’s stick;” then a poem about stars & missing his brother.

Ginny Folger said that in her youth she was “Brave” (the title of her poem), but now she worries about breaking the other leg; her 2nd round poem, titled “Sorting Things Out,” was about being in her new place & findings things that can be thrown out. 

Julie Lomoe read the piece she had read at the recent 2nd Sunday @ 2 in-person open mic in Troy, the introduction to her prose memoir about being a painter in the art scene in Soho in the 1960s.

Our host, Charlie Rossiter, read a Cento from a the 2014 collection Seasons of Wisconsin which was a fundraiser at the time; then a poem about a brief warm day in the midst of Winter, the hopeful “It’s Spring.”

If you’ve been to this Zoom open mic held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month it’s likely that you are on Charlie's list & he’ll send you the link when it comes time for next one. However, if you’ve never joined this open mic & think you might like to, send him an email at charlierossiter@gmail.com to ask for the link. You’ll have fun.

2nd Sunday @ 2: Poetry + Prose, January 11

On to our 16th year doing this, it was only fitting that the co-host, Nancy Klepsch, led off the signup sheet. She read the poem, “On Learning to Dissect Fetal Pigs,” written some years ago by Renée Good (her name was Macklin at the time the poem was initially published), who was murdered this week by an ICE agent in Minneapolis — I want my City neat: no ICE.

Graydon, who read here a couple times last year, read 2 untitled pieces, the first beginning “Every person has a poem …,” then a piece musing about wanting to be forgotten.

Eric Russell was new here & began with an untitled piece in one long line about a dream hotel (The Dream Hotel is a fascinating & scary novel by Laila Lalami, who read this past year at the NYS Writers Institute); Eric’s 2nd poem was titled “When You Hold On To the Egg Too Long” which was also the poem’s first line. I read my poem titled “2 Dreams,” which was commissioned & inspired by Mark Tremont, who sadly died last January, then a poem based on a sticker on my car, “Fire Elon.” David Gonsalves also read a poem inspired by Renée Good, his own titled “Last Words.” 

Anne Hohenstein returned to the dream theme with a sad, grim memory of her brother & her mother titled “Signal Dreams,” & a workplace piece titled “Confident in the Office of Zombies.” Sally Rhoades read about being in her mother’s 2nd wedding, “My Mother Used to Pray,” from a new poetry manuscript she is shopping around to publishers.

I sometimes have a hard time in understanding what Karen Fabiane says as she tends to swallow some of her words, so I may be wrong about the title of her first poem, “But” a portrait of a friend, then a second poem I’m not sure has a title about mermaids as porn stars, or the other way around. Julie Lomoe read the introduction to her prose memoir about being a painter in the art scene in Soho in the 1960s.

Nancy returned to bookend the afternoon with a poem she wrote with her wife Lauren Pinsley, “George Floyd is There to Receive Renée Good into Heaven.”

Please join us for this open mic for poetry + prose on the 2nd Sunday of the month at 2:00pm at Collar Works, an arts collective, at 50 4th St., Troy, NY — Free! & open to all.

Brushes & Pens, January 9

At Mojo’s Cafe & Gallery in Troy. As it says on their website, “Brushes n’ Pens, an evening rooted in community and creative expression. Through spoken word, music, and advocacy, we gather to listen, share, and explore the stories that connect us.”

Interestingly enough all 3 of the poets reading this night had been at the Third Thursday Poetry Night at the Social Justice Center in Albany in December & I, personally, am glad they were there.

First up was Mena Brazinski, who set the tone for her reading with her first piece, “It’s Been 3 Days Since I Thought About Having Sex,” personal, conversational pieces like telling stories over coffee. While musings about sex were a large part of what she read, there was a poem about her grandmother (“Joan”), one based on the movie “The Princess Bride,” one about a friend from school the title poem from her chapbook Other Things That Burn. Then there was the piece titled “Everyone is Fucking Each Other But Nobody Loves Me,” as well as excerpts she read from a longer ramble, “Pussy.” Very entertaining self-absorption.

Juni introduced themself as “I write poems about being queer & hating the government,” & read a string of longer, discursive pieces, but a bit more in-your-face than the first reader. The first piece they read was titled “Pomegranates Are Concrete,” which is an acrostic poem the poet announced after reading it. Other pieces were titled “Pill Bottle Pavement,” the anaphoric “Ode to Dykes,” “Parrot Among Penguins” (about living & Autistic in DC), “Sonnet for Charlie” (a rhyming piece, a screed against Charlie Kirk, “I can read this, I don’t think the FBI is in the room”), “Royalty Free” (a fascinating prompt to imagine all your past Halloween costumes as tattoos on your body), & a piece from a workshop on manifestos, another poem repeating the line “Our dreams …” Quite a tour of the life & feelings of the poet Juni.

The final poet was Mary Panza whom I’ve been listening to for as long as the poetry scene has taken over Albany, & she included some familiar favorites — she has developed “in-your-face” to a science, starting off with “Kiss My Fat White Ass.” “Fuck the Giving Tree” is a take-down of the Shel Silverstein tale. I’m never sure if this poem has a title, but it begins dramatically enough, “I am dreaming of Vim Vender's London …” stacking up images from film noir black & white, on to a portrait of a neighbor “Free-Balling in Work Pants,” & ending with a piece on the lies we were told titled “Painful Religion.” A great lineup of poets with attitude.

Wavy Cunningham rounded out the night with his rap pieces, backed by his own mix tape, I don’t think there were titles, or if there were they were imbedded in the stream of rhymes & alliterations.

Check out the website of Mojo’s Cafe & Gallery for a schedule of their events, donations accepted — at 147 4th St., Troy, NY