Caffè Lena Poetry Night, September 22

Our long-time host, Carol Graser, started off the night of poetry with a poem by a more famous poet than the rest of us, tonight the recently gone Wendell Berry, with reading his poem “The Summer Ends.” 

The night’s featured poet was Esther Cohen who was briefly the Poet Laureate of Greene County. The featured reader each month is live streamed & recorded on the Caffè Lena YouTube channel so I will just hit the high points of her reading. She began, as she often does, with her story of becoming a poet & meeting Allen Ginsberg (1926 - ), from her book, Breakfast with Allen Ginsberg (Pleasure Boat Studio, 2021). Then told the story of becoming not-the-poet-laureate of Greene County (news articles can be found from, The Overlook News, the Albany Times-Union & others), & read the poem, “Dear Whoever is Listening,” written to be read to the Greene County legislature. & at the end of each her poems she suggested the audience say, “Bingo!” She also read from her Substack posts (@overhearec), & from her collection of poems & stories about her neighbors, All of Us: Stories and Poems Along Route 17 (Saddle Road Press, 2023). But don’t take my word for it, I strongly urge you to watch her video for a very entertaining performance. 

The open mic is not recorded so, as is my habit, I will do my best to create an archive of the event here on this Blog. I was able to get a photo of the signup sheet so as best I can tell I got everyone’s name correct. But if I didn’t get something correct — a title, details, whatever — please email me & I will correct the record.

First up was Badiana Eckstrom with a couple pieces about being a writer, a prose poem, “I Wrote Myself Whole,” then one that began “I fell like a griot …” That could be a seque to David Graham with a piece based on a 2011 news story that he just finished today, “Adler’s Ashes.”

Lin Murphy introduced her piece, “Vulnerability” by apologizing for her “froggy voice & tremor” but that was not needed; the poem was about current events. Emily Rieffel said that this was her 1st open mic in 25 years(!), read 2 pieces, “Burmese Star Turtle” & “Learning to Crochet.”

Leslie Sitter is a frequent flyer here, read a memoir of “Schroon Lake,” then another memoir piece, this about her life in NYC before 9/11, “Then & Now.” Catherine Clarke read a seasonal piece about seeding a field, “August,” then “A Candle for Our Common Grief,” a meditation on the sere time.

Carol called for a brief break, then returned to read her own poem, “When Workers Decide to Unionize,” much needed these days - & always. Recognizing how many poets were still on the list to read, Carol made a plea that readers limit their time to one piece. While the next reader, Charles Lapinski, read 2 pieces, “Morning of the Appointment” & “Loving Winter,” they were both short.

Ed Valentine, by contrast, was notable by his flaunting Carol’s recommendation & by his disregard for other readers; he recited 2 pieces, neither by himself, either of which would have been too long for Carol’s recommendation — tedious & just plane hogging the mic. Fortunately, the rest of the night’s readers were more courteous (& creative). I followed with a poem for Rosh Hashanah, written in Gloucester in 2004, “Tashlich.

Marilyn McCabe read a poem of exactly 100 words, “Observer Effect.” Micaiah Pedersen’s poem was titled “Path of Power.” I’m not sure if the poem that Pat Curtis read had a title, it was a memoir of the Kennedy assassination when she was 10, black patent leather shoes & sugar cookies. Harry (no last name given) read an energetic rant about his emotions on high. Nancy White described her poem as “a downer,” a story of a death. Randee Rienzi read 2 very short letter poems, “Dear Dick” & “Dear Owner.” David Walsh was here for the 1st time & read “Preface as Ars Poetica” which he described as a “whimsical introspection” on writing a poem.

Joe Carosella will be the featured poet here on November 24, & read a piece based on John Greenleaf Whittier, about how life is like hiking, titled “Wither Now.” Melissa Anderson’s poem “On Making” was about how beauty comes from labor. Saratoga Poet Laureate, Jay Rogoff, read a political piece titled “Uprising September 11, 2026.”

Susan Kress read her poem “The Apple Speaks.” Thomas Bozzo read “Rules of Engagement.” Jake (also no last name) read “Dinosaur,” which was about a sparrow. Leslie Neustadt read a poem for her sister dying, remembering her spirituality. Peg Clark’s poem “Live Laugh Loons” was about being out on a lake. 

Ashton French who was the first of a quartet of young women poets bringing the night to a close, read 2 poems on the same theme & with the same title, “The Sky is Pink.”

Cedar Matzke & Danielle Kravetz shared a back-&-forth collaboration on hardship & the pain of being hurt. Juniper McGrath read a descriptive, nostalgic piece about a small mountain town in Spain that she misses very much. Phew! A big night of poetry.

This event takes place on the 4th Tuesday of each month at the historic Caffè Lena, 47 Phila Street, Saratoga Springs, NY, sign up starts at 6:30PM, featured reader at 7:00PM, followed by an open mic for the rest of us. $5.00 donation, free to students.

Poetry Jam, September 18

This is a regular program at the Alice Moore Black Arts Cultural Center, & this month paid tribute to Spanish Heritage Month. It was co-hosted by Mark & Shalaam, with Dr. Andrea Miranda-Pestana the Deputy Director at the Center for Law & Justice, who was the MC for the trivia part of the contest with questions relating to Hispanic culture & history.

First up for the poetry open mic was a well-known performer in the spoken word scene here, Kareem (aka, Your Favorite Underrated Poet) with a piece titled “F in Family Means Family.”

Valerie Temple performed from memory a couple pieces from her 2023 poetry collection Discovery of a Blunt Treasure (written as Bertha Blunt), both in rhyme, “Holy Wood or Bust,” & “You’re Not My Friend.”

I read 2 pieces from my informally published “poem cards,” “Content Advisory” (on the challenging nature of poetry), & the more scandalous “Patriotism.” 

Ebony Queen Freeman was so bold as to mention that she was Newburgh (for which she took a lot of kidding from Mark), responded to a racist comment that “Blacks can’t read” with the in-your-face comeback “This Black CAN Read;” then the sexy piece about being turned on by her boyfriend, “You’re Awakening the Beast.” She said one can find her books on Amazon under her name.

DJ Eddie had been spinning the music tonight & Mark took a few minutes to interview him about his background, he said that he was born in Manhattan & grew up in the Bronx. Mark also asked Kareem similar questions, said he was from Brooklyn.

Mark continued his community interviews with Denise, from Brooklyn, & Amina from Manhattan & the Bronx, bringing them unto the stage from the audience.

Mark also paid tribute to Miss V, a venerable elder in the community, also in the audience this night.

Poetry Jam takes place each third Friday of the month at the Alice Moore Black Arts Cultural Center in Albany, NY on the corner of Madison Ave. & South Pearl St. Food & soft drinks are also provided, & donations greatly appreciated.

Third Thursday Poetry Night, September 17

We had a good turnout for the open mic & for our featured poet, the venerable Dennis Sullivan. Recently the respected American poet, Wendell Berry (1934 - 2026), left us for the mythical poetry reading in the sky, so I invoked his spirit as the Muse with a reading of his poem “How to Be a Poet” (which he subtitled, “to remind myself”) (New Collected Poems, 2012) - then on to the open mic list.

First up was a regular here - & elsewhere - David Gonsalves, who read a signature short poem, a portrait that may have had a title but I missed it.

Laura Ludwig, has been getting out to the local readings since she moved here some months ago, read a descriptive poem titled “Vacation in Italy,” which drew an enthusiastic reaction from the audience.

Julie Lomoe is another writer who regularly makes the rounds of the open mics, said this may be the 1st poem she ever wrote,”In Memoriam: Windows on the World” that she dug out of her files for the recent anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center, describing her visit there. 

Stephen Piazza here for the 1st time read a poem written over the Summer “Blood Song” with classical references, an energetic performance.

Tom Corrado is up to 873 on his series of “Screen Dumps,” this on the beach & on to “whatevers.” 

Dennis Sullivan is the former host of the Sunday Four Poetry at the Old Songs Center in Voorheesville; he is also a historian & translator of ancient Roman history & poetry. He began with an informal talk about Catullus & his relationship with Julius Caesar, drawing a comparison between Caesar & Trump, which, to say the least, dis not flatter the President. He began with his translation of Catullus’ poem #99, “I stole a kiss from you…” Catullus to his boyfriend Juventius. A some point a person who had signed up on the open mic list became offended by Dennis' description of homosexual activity in ancient Rome & abruptly left the room. Then on to his own poems, he included one dedicated to me, “Running Toward the Grave.” Then to one titled “Anarchy Galore.” His poems were deeply personal, philosophical ruminations, often on death. He ended with a poetic memoir,  “Spiritual Reading for Bob Murphy,” (dedicated to Fred Boehrer of the local Catholic Worker Community), about being in a monastery in 1958, hearing children playing in a pool & wondering about the choice he had made to be there.

After a short break we were back with the rest of the open mic readers. I was impressed with the night’s turn out of poets & audience members, like a night I was born for, I said. I read one of my poem cards, “Leaving New York: September 11, 2001” to honor the anniversary that had just passed.

Thomas Bozzo read a piece titled “Measuring a Night Out,” how others might see it as not being "successful," but he has his own way to judge it a success.

Where we were this night is just up the block from a place that used to be called the QE2, a punk rock club that was the center of poetry at the time & the next reader, Mary Ann Murray, was one of the poets that helped make the scene what it was. She joined us tonight to read her poem “As Rome Burns,” on AI & Trump.

Eric Wasileski was a featured poet here back in May. He read from a new manuscript titled “Consoling the Weeping Willow,” a poem titled “Paying Dues,” recalling his time as a military veteran & homeless person, & being followed to a poetry reading by the repo man. 

Robert Zott was also someone who spent time in the QE2 in the music scene “a long time ago,” now for many years has taken photos of tombstones with a single English word that he uses to construct his poems, & read an example, “The Street Rollers of Yellow.” 

John Thomas Allen was also a former featured poet, talked about poets writing death poems, then read one of his about his father “The Moon Hosts.”

Shamyla had read in the open mic here back in February, read an untitled piece, but said it could be titled with the first line, “As gentle as a dove,” about wanting to be loved, after an assault, a brave reading.

This open mic occurs on the third Thursday of each month at the Social Justice Center, 33 Central Ave., Albany, NY 7:30PM with a featured reader — suggested donation of $5.00 which supports poetry events in Albany & the work of the Social Justice Center.

Poetry in Pursuit of Liberty, September 16

At Historic Cherry Hill, in Albany NY, this was a joint program with the Hudson Valley Writers Guild, we were welcomed by Deborah Emmons-Andarawis, the Director, & Hannah Tompkins, Education Assistant, to the outdoor gathering on a pleasant late-Summer evening. 

The MC was local poet & performer Carol Durant, the Marketing & Communications Engagement Associate here at Cherry Hill. The readers & what they read stem from a writing group that gathers regularly here at Cherry Hill & the theme was “Poetry in Pursuit of Liberty.”

The first reader was Doug Campbell whose work I’ve become familiar with from his appearances at the Third Thursday Poetry Night at the Social Justice Center in Albany. What he read here exemplified the theme of the reading, with a piece titled “For the American Revolution…” an historical poem in rhyme, or perhaps a series of short pieces read from a handful of index cards — biographical vignettes of the people who lived & worked here on this very site, many of whom were enslaved people.

Tasmia was introduced as the president of the Albany High School poetry club. She read a piece for the women of Afghanistan who don’t have the freedoms we do, are kept behind locked doors & covered in blue veils, the piece an exploration of what freedom is/could be.

Jeffrey Torres read a biographical piece in rhyme about Henry Knox & his travels from Boston to New York.

Lanie Larson’s pieces also dealt with the theme of the pursuit of Liberty head-on, one titled “Exhausted,” the other addressed to everyone here on the importance of the work of artists & journalists to maintain the pursuit of Liberty, titled “We Are the Misfits.”

Amelia Paul read a piece in rhyme, perhaps titled “For Liberty,” on the tradition of poetry here at Cherry Hill.

Adonis Richards brought the evening to a close with a couple of very powerful pieces, “Black Women Don’t Hang Themselves from Trees" (with the line, “the fruit is not strange,” alluding to a song made famous by Billie Holiday), & “We Are the Catalysts for Catalytic Change,” an energetic rant worthy of a Poet Laureate, as indeed Adonis is, of the City of Schenectady.

For more information about Historic Cherry Hill & other programs & tours that are available there visit their website  — & sign up for their newsletter.

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

Sunday on 4th Street (positively!), #50, Troy NY, the home of Collar Works which lets poets gather there each month. Both hosts, Nancy Klepsch & Me (Dan Wilcox), were there with a sampling of local poets on the sign-up sheet.

First up, for the first time, was Lkhamaa reading from her phone an untitled piece on marriage & the world. 

My co-host, Nancy Klepsch, started with a new piece written for a former student, suggestions to them on how to be different, to stand out, then a poem titled “Meanwhile,” trying to emulate Mary Oliver (why bother, just be Nancy Klepsch).

Joel Best is a regular reader here, his poems are often a stringing together of images, impressions, even wordplay to create a narrative, this day he said his poems “aren’t about anything,” & read pieces titled “Escape” & “The Mathematics of False Presence.”

Jane Greene said she was a student at Sage College & was here because of a sociology class assignment to step out of her comfort zone & write about it. Her first piece was a break up poem with a title in Italian, her 2nd piece was titled “How to Spot an Angel.”

I read the opening & closing sections of my science fiction poem Meditations of a Survivor (A.P.D., 1991), “Matins & Lauds” & “Compline.”

Thomas Bozzo, since moving to the area some months ago, has made a name for himself in the local poetry scene. The 2 poems he read reflected on his experiences in moving to a new area & trying to meet people. The first was titled “Fear of Missing Out,” the second about making choices in an overbooked calendar, “Filtering Poem.”

Writers may join us any 2nd Sunday of the month at 2PM at 50 4th Street in Troy, for this open mic, 2 poems or 5 minute max for prose. Free & open & accepting of anyone.

Saratoga Senior Center Open Mic, September 11

David Graham filled in as the MC for our usual host, Rachel Baum, who had proposed reading poems responding to the 25th anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Centers on 9/11/01. David read a poem by the recently gone poet Wendell Berry (1934 - 2026), one from Berry’s Sabbath series, “Now You Know the Worst.”

Ron Pavoldi read a poem that he said was his 1st time in print, “Fiboracci’s Number 9/11/01.”

Janice Cutbush continued the theme with a piece written about her experience as a teacher on 9/11 “Senior AP English Assignment” where the play Hamlet becomes irrelevant.

David Gonsalves’ 9/11 piece was a conversation with a neighbor’s wife, “Tom’s Wife Says,” where Tom had worked “the pile” at the WTC site.

My contribution to the theme was a piece I read out just yesterday, “Matins & Lauds,” from Meditations of a Survivor (A.P.D.), then a 2nd piece as a tribute to the memory of Dolly Parton, “Vaccine Haiku,” from 2022, when we got our COVID shots on the same day.

Leslie Sittner read memoir, not of 9/11, but from 1994, with a jump forward to Trump, perhaps titled “Patriotism Partisanship,” then a letter she had written to a prisoner who had been in her writing workshop & who, by chance, had years before met her brother.

Kathie McCoy said that she also was teaching an English class on 9/11, read “Teaching the Literature of Peace on 9/11.” 

David Graham, too, was teaching a class when the attacks took place, but he was in Wisconsin; he read a poem he wrote on the 11th anniversary, “9/11 Again.” 

Mary Lou Abbott arrived late, said she had been working on 9/11/01 for Goldman Sachs on Broad St. in NYC, only blocks from the Trade Centers, her piece was titled “Eye Witness.”

David suggested that since there was time left that we go around again, if readers wanted, with perhaps a less grim topic. Janice Cutbush read 2 pieces, one titled “Family Reunion,” then one titled “Love Affairs in Two Centuries,” with the pieces of the poem alternating back & forth over time, using the slang & jargon of the times. Ron Pavoldi said that he had similar poem in slang in pidgin, “Old Money.” Amazingly enough, Leslie Sittner also had a poem in slang & idioms, “The Co-ed.” Mary Lou Abbott read a love poem, “Always My Favorite Valentine,” composed of the list of names of other, past boy friends.

David Graham bookended the afternoon of poems with another poem by Wendell Berry, “The Wild Geese.”

This monthly, daytime, open mic takes place each 2nd Friday of the month at the Saratoga Senior Center, 290 West Ave., Saratoga Springs, NY, starting at 1:00PM. You don’t have to be a member, just tell the nice people at the desk that you are going to the poetry reading.

Poetry Open Mic at Paper Moon, September 10

Paper Moon epitomizes the axiom that if you are going to have a poetry reading have it in a small venue (i.e., so that it will look crowded). Indeed, there were only 8 chairs jammed into the tiny space surrounded, floor to ceiling & spilling over unto the floor, by books — a bibliophiles fatal overdose.

It was an open mic only, no feature, 5 of us, including the MC/host, on the list. First up was the stunningly made-up Celeste Sloane who read 2 pieces involving relationships with her family, the 1st an angry rant, perhaps titled “It’s Another One,” another, less angry “I Cannot Tell When My Grandmother Says She Loves Me.”

The date being what it was, I read 2 pieces connected to the 25th anniversary of the attach on the World Trade Center in NYC on September 11, 2001. The 1st was the opening section, “Matins & Lauds,” of a poem-long chapbook published in 1991, Meditations of a Survivor (A.P.D.), a science-fiction poem about a survivor of a nuclear war that has destroyed New York who has found shelter in the World Trade Center; my 2nd poem was a brief tale of my own experience on 9/11/01, “Leaving New York.”

The reader Gareth shared a piece from her notebook  provocatively titled “A Sex Tape for the Elderly,” but didn’t have any copies of the tape to share — I’m still wondering.

The next reader was introduced as “the Cool” Eric, described his 1st piece as “has a title but that is only a place-holder” about how he doesn’t write “poems,” the piece a bit of automatic writing narrative, then a piece with a title, “Spillage,” on writing & schedules.

The host, Mena, read a piece about an incident in middle school & a friend, her love a poem & a flower.

This open mic series continues on the 2nd & 4th Thursday of each month at 7PM, but there are other events scheduled there throughout the months at Paper Moon, 6 Brunswick Rd., Troy, NY — go there & get lost in the stacks.  

All Genre Open Mic Out of Bennington, September 8

Charlie Rossiter, he host, out of his living room in Bennington, VT, got this monthly Zoom open mic going with his signature introduction “you can rant you can chant …” & we did. We went around in 2 sections of one poem each section.

I was first up on the signup list with 2 poems related to the upcoming 25 anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2001 (where where you then?), in the 1st round with the opening segment, “Matins & Lauds,” of my older poem, subsequently published as a chapbook in 1991, Meditations of a Survivor (A.P.D.), then in round 2 one of my poem cards describing my experience on 9/11 in NYC, “Leaving New York.”

Sally Rhoades recently participated in a poetry workshop in Provincetown with Major Jackson & read this night in the 1st round a piece written there, “The sky was bright this morning…” a celebration of herself, her words, her memories; then in round 2 another new poem titled “Figures Forgotten in Porcelain” a memoir of her father, sitting, waiting for Death.

Sharon Smith began in the 1st round by reading Wallace Stevens’ famous poem “13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird,” then in her 2nd round her variation, “13 Ways of Looking at the United States,” images & history & baseball, quoting poet Claude McKay’s “America” to end the poem.

Our host, Charlie Rossiter, in his 1st round, read a new one, a memoir, “With the Radio Low” listening on a little transistor radio; then in round 2, 2 very short poems -- "Haiku Tears," maybe just notes, & “Call Me Lucky.”

In Tom Nicotera’s 1st round he read a a love poem from on a trip to Niagara Falls with Sherri, “Incongruities,” about a photo of him holding him a guitar in the Hard Rock Cafe, & list of books on his shelf. In his 2nd round, he said that our host, Charlie, was the first to publish him, a broadside of his poem “Spring Concert 4th Grade Chorus” about his daughter singing, wondering about the background of the diverse kids, wondering about the future.

Julie Lomoe used her 1st round to talk about not being able to find her poem about Windows on the World (a pre-2001 visit to the World Trade Center, & read a recent gloomy list poem. In the 2nd round she read her poem “The Terrors of Motherhood,” published by Moonstone Press in the anthology, The Weight of Motherhood, about the birth of her daughter & more.

The afore-mentioned Sherri Bedingfield read in her 1st round an older poem, “Gridlock,” set in NYC, as the subject of an attempted car-jacking; then, in the 2nd round, a poem written 

mid February in Georgia, a memoir of her father, a description of geese flying over a pond.

I prefer to spend my time at readings with in-person poets — & there are plenty where I live in Albany, NY. But I enjoy this Zoom open mic to hear poets from Connecticut & other parts of the country. It is run by poet Charlie Rossiter in Bennington, VT on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 7:00PM Eastern time; if you want to get the Zoom link (& are not already on Charlie’s list) send him an email & ask him to send you the link charlierossiter@gmail.com. Maybe I will see you “there.”

Open Mic Night at TheEleven at Lark Hall, September 3

This is a brand-new monthly open mic at TheEleven at Lark Hall for musicians & other performers, including comedians & poets, from a group called Troupe Productions with the host Shannon Tehya. In many ways a throw-back to the earlier days (pre-1988) in Albany when there were many music open mics but no open mics for poets, although the lowly poets were tolerated at the music open mics. The description online for this event states, “Participants are encouraged to prepare two songs to share, with the possibility of a third depending on the volume of attendance,” had no mention of other genres. However, there were plenty of those other performers packing the bar this night. 

Shannon Tehya started the night off with her guitar singing Dolly Parson’s “Coat of Many Colors” as a tribute the very recently gone star. She was followed by another guitar strummer who just did one song that I couldn’t hear through the conversation going around me at the bar. Same thing for poet Mizzy, a rhyming piece at the ocean. She was followed by 3 different guys doing “comedy” — or as the first one, Ryan Anderson, said, “jokes or things that sound funny to me.” The other 2 following were “Ted, an Impressionist,” & Mel Bradshaw who also did “jokes or things that sound funny to me” but not so to the audience. In some ways I was grateful for the conversations around me, but I decided to move to a table away from the bar closer to the where the performers were since there were poets I wanted to hear coming up. The 3 alleged comedians left in a group soon after. Stefan Ivanov was a performer that others in the room seemed to know & part of his performance was tuning his guitar.  

John Teevan III is a writer I’ve seen a number of times at open mic venues, more for his historical prose fiction, but tonight he did a couple pieces in rhyme, one about World War II. He was followed by 2 singers with guitars, first Will B. with a song either by Pete Seeger or Woody Guthrie & a long Dave Matthews song. Then Eric-Jon with his own rhythmic songs with clever lyrics. Then, for a break, a singer with a banjo, Carissa O., who said has just learned to play it, she did up-beat songs. Anna Boughtwood is a local poet who has been making the rounds of the open mics & reading venues for a few years now & has been instrumental in reviving the zine scene; she read her poem “Hell is House Slippers.”

I’ve also seen Lo Contompasis at poetry events in the past, but tonight sang Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love,” her voice strong & beautiful. Brendan McDonough was busy talking with his friends & didn’t realize he was up, then sang & played the guitar for a bunch of rhythmic songs that got his friends dancing. I read a couple of my poems printed on 3x5 cards, “Cafe Society” which mentions the Dunkin’ Donuts down Lark St., & an older love poem, “Decoupage Me.”

Hunter Frost was working the sound here tonight & he & Shannon both with their guitars got some of the audience dancing again with their songs. Sean Lippin was another guitar player doing his own songs, & actually arrived with a obligatory back-pack guitar case. To break things up Nick S. banged out rhythms sitting on his beat box. Then Dark Cartoon bowed a cello & sang original songs about cartoon characters (thus his “name”). 

Kennedy brought us back to poetry with a piece titled “Having a Sin with You” a takeoff from a poem by Frank O’Hara, then a longer, self-reflective “Strawberry Moon.” Areli, apparently part of the Troupe Productions group, played the keyboards that had been sitting there quietly all night. Then a poet with a very poetic name, Phoenix River Wylye, did a couple of philosophical/spiritual poems.

Shannon Tehya ended the night where it had begun with song, this time with a group of other performers, accompanied by guitar, keyboard & beatbox. This eclectic mix of performances — spoken word, stand-up comics, & music with a variety of instruments — will continue on the 1st Thursday of each month at 6PM, at The Eleven at Lark Hall, on the corner of Lark St. & Hudson Ave., hosted by Troupe Productions — drinks at the bar.