Live from the Living Room, October 8

With our host, Don Levy, in the straight-friendly space of the Capital District Gay & Lesbian Community Center.


The featured poet was Erik Sweet, editor of toolamagazine.com (check it out). Erik mostly read pieces that were based on other texts, such as "Madame Bovary Anew," based on one of Bernadette Mayer's experiments, "Today Again," & a sestina, "Migrations." He also read "Contains No Juice," "The Rest of Everything," also a philosophical poem with a quote from Philip Whalen, & "The Littlest Scissors."


Since there were only a few of us there (& no one needed a cigarette) we continued on without a break, so I read an old prose piece published over 20 years ago in The Albany Review, "God on Alto." Matt Galletta read his meditation on pregnant women, "Luggage."

Don read from an old collection, The American Poetry Anthology, a poem each by Phillip Dacey, James Reiss & Susan Feldman.

Cozy conversation & poetry every 2nd Wednesday at 7:30PM, at the GLCC, 332 Hudson Ave., Albany, NY.

New York State Writers' Institute, October 8

The New York State Writers Institute hasn't been bringing in a lot of poets of late but this semester there are a few on the roster worth seeing.

I caught the late afternoon reading by Brazilian poet Astrid Cabral with her translator Alexis Levitin. Cabral's reading was from her new book Cage (Host Publications, Austin TX) in the original Portuguese with Alexis Levitin reading the English first. Their technique was for Levitin to read a sentence, or a discrete phrase, & then for the poet to read the original, then back to the the translation. Her poems are generally short anyway, but this method was effective in linking the English translation to the Portuguese original, much better than reading the complete poem in one language then hearing it read again.

Cage is a stunning little book in which the poet restores her fellowship to the animal world, the snakes, oxen, turtle, gecko, even ants & fossils of fish, sometimes real & sometimes springing from the poet's imagination; & if you were lucky enough to be there that day you got the book at a discount. She/they read almost half of it with a discussion of some of the issues of translation. At one point Levitin admitted to a "mistake" in the translation of a word in the poem "River Dolphin in the Body."

After the reading I mentioned to Alexis Levitin that I had heard him read here with the late (European) Portuguese poet Eugenio de Andrade, & he pointed out that that reading was nearly 20 years ago. I went back to my photo file & found the pictures from that day -- check them out on http://www.flickr.com/people/dwlcx/.

& check out the Writers Institute schedule at www.albany.edu/writers-inst

Albany Poets Presents!, October 7

At Valentines' with our host, el presidente Thom Francis.

At the start of the open mic I took advantage of the short sign-up list to read 3 (albeit short) poems, "Vowels" (poetry & gas), "Zombie Gourd" (a la Alan Catlin's Bar Poems) & the American haiku, "Yom Kippur 2004." Moses Kash III followed me with a long introductory rant on Hillary Rodham Clinton then a shorter poem on black men & Abraham & Moses (either him or the Biblical one). Then a brief musical interlude by Nick DiPirro on guitar.

At this point Matthew Klane took over, first as featured poet, then to introduce the second featured reader, Vanessa Place. Matthew read from a new series he has been writing, "Sons & Followers," about John Brown, and in which he only uses words, phrases from Russell Bank's novel Cloudsplitter. A powerful piece in Klane's characteristic fractured manner.

Vanessa Place has been traveling around from Los Angeles "performing this book," her novel La Medusa (the University of Alabama Press). At 488 pages (an inch & a quarter thick), pound for pound word for word, the best buy of the night at $20. Her performance included tearing out random pages called out by number from the audience then have those folks read their pages. Thom Francis got page 22 & Douglas Rothchild read page 52 -- backwards. The author read the copyright page then read a section (which I haven't found yet in my copy) that was a list of classic & freshly made-up names for a woman's pudenda (which was not one of the terms included, to my recollection).

Back to the open mic, new voice Tessa Nguyen read a poem about a relationship, then "an American haiku" (didn't I say that too?), "Identity." Thom introduced RM Engelhardt as "the man of a 1000 jackets"; Rob read "If You Ponder It" from a collection of Sikh poems, then his own "After Myth," (which I think was chemistry when I was in high school). Another new voice, Adam Hoyt, read a series of "I-focused" short poems, like notebook ponderings. Finally, el presidente his-self read an untitled piece he does with his group "The House Band of the Apocalypse", what we know as "the trucker poem."

First Tuesdays, Valentines' near where New Scotland Ave. begins at Madison (in Albany, NY), 8:00 PM, some sort of donation, sometimes a feature, always beer.

at the Perfect Blend Coffeehouse, October 1

This is one of a random, continuing series organized by Alan Casline out of his Rootdrinker Institute (see my Blog of September 22). This is also the first reading documented with my new digital camera, which means that instead of getting old pictures of the poets from my archives, I should be able to include photos from the events as they happen, once I work out all the details. This was an open mic with a featured poet, Michael Czarnecki from FootHills Publishing, but more on him later.

Our host, Alan Casline, began with his poem from The Annals of Perious Frink, "At Severson's Tavern on the Schoharry Road," & one about a historian walking the land, "The Mystery of the Ghost Haunted Hill." Paul Amidon also read his piece from the Perious Frink collection, "Fate Taps Mr. Perious Frink," then the prosy joke, "Thoughts at the Auction." Mimi Moriarty likes to link her poems & tonight she read about the funerals of 2 dead soldiers, one about a recent photo of a general presenting a medal to the family of a dead soldier, the other about the internment of her father's ashes at Arlington National Cemetery.

Mark O'Brien (also known as "Obeedude") said he had never read this poem, "Home" written during the presidential primary races earlier in the year. Tim Lake brought up his folder of random scraps, but each poem was carefully dated: "New Day Dawning" about a July 2007 storm, "Stones & Tea" sitting by a pond in April, 2008, & "Morning Journey," going to work on a cold morning in 2007. I had signed up late, read "Rain" for the day's weather, & "Reading Chinese Poetry" for our out-of-town featured poet.

Before our featured poet's reading, Alan Casline presented him with a certificate "For Best Small Press Work Rootdrinker Institute Presents The Apex Grand Exultancy Award to Michael Czarnecki." Michael is the publisher of FootHills Publishing, who has published such locally known poets as Carol Graser, Robert Milby & Charlie Rossiter, among many, many others. Although Alan & Michael have "known" each other through their work over the years, this is the first time they had actually met. Michael read from his recently published selected works, Never Stop Asking for Poems, & from other works. But he started off with a poem to his mother on her 70th birthday, 12 years ago & referencing one of his favorite Chinese poets, T'ao Ch'ien (to use the old spelling). He included a couple of dream poems & poems about poetry, the intricate weave of the 5 parts of "Seeing Across the Chasm," even "Political Talk." He included 2 sections from his book about traveling Route 20 across America (through 2 Albanys), then, as the coffeehouse was closing, he returned to his home & to his beloved Chinese poets with "As Autumn Approaches on Wheeler Hill." A most pleasant evening of poetry &, later, talk among friends & poets. Check out Michael's catalog on www.foothillspublishing.com.

Poets Speak Loud!, September 29

Thom Francis was the host until Mary Panza got there & took over, which she is good at.

I had signed up first (it was available) & began "James" with a reference to a poet & poems that only one poet (who didn't read) got & then, because it was the beginning of Rosh Hashana, "Taslich." Sylvia Barnard followed me with her bookcase poem that brings in her mother, her daughter & a life-time of classics. Todd Fabozzi read "Have a Nice Day" from his new book Umbrageous Embers (Troy Book Makers). Josh McIntyre also bracketed a day with an untitled piece on a morning street, & the "Sunset" prayers at the end of the day. Joe Hollander took the title of this series literally & read LOUD, a rant on the fall of the stock market.

The night's featured poet was one of those rare "academics" who show up at poetry readings even when he's not paid (another here tonight, of course, is Sylvia), St. Rose College's Daniel Nester. He read a combination of poems from his youth in the Philadelphia area & from his (obsessive) writing about the band, "Queen." He read about the night he got his driver's license, with a "Purple Rain" soundtrack; a girl friend's last date in Philly at Dirty Frank's; the "Poem for the Novelist I Forced to Write a Poem"; and "Rodinesque" (at the Rodin museum in Philly, perhaps?). Nester's rock geek "Queen" poems (from God Save My Queen and God Save My Queen II) take as their titles individual songs by the group. Tonight he took requests & gave us "March of the Black Queen," "Who Wants to Live Forever" (in the mime contest at a "Queen" convention) & "Prophet Song," a few others & ended with "Bohemian Rhapsody."

On with the open mic, & William Eng confessed that he didn't write a poem at the table tonight as he usually does, instead paid tribute to 4 women in his life: his mother, his sister, someone he just met, & a friend who is walking across country. Shannon Shoemake as been AWOL for a while from the open mic scene, but tonight she was back with a couple of her signature relationship angst poems, driving home remembering it was "Only a Kiss," & sex & drinking on "Columbus Day."

Chaka gave us straight talk in rhyme about "Going Back to School," then "Confrontation" like a vamp singer. NicoleK (a self-confessed "foodie") referenced drugs in both her poems, "Happy Father's Day" & the funny discourse on Twinkies & Smurfs, etc., "We Were Not High I Swear." Mary Panza introduced RM Englehardt as "pound-for-pound the most dressed poet here tonight" (don't ask), & he read one of his many poems that has as its source a conversation with a cab driver, "Mystical Fucking Poetry Shit." The last poet of the night was "that art gallery poetry guy", John Weiler who pulled an old poem from an older notebook, "...while poets drink & die I fold my laundry...", and the political "King Canute."

The last Monday of any month, at the Lark Tavern, on Madison Ave., but not far from Lark St. Check it out on www.albanypoets.com.

Jawbone, September 26

This is a long-running series of readings run by grad students at the University at Albany (SUNY) English Department. In fact, my very first featured reading many years ago, at about 40 years old, was in this Jawbone series soon after I moved back up here from NYC. At that time the readings were held up on the University campus; in recent years it has moved downtown to various venues -- the Fuze Box, Red Square. Since last year the art hotspot on Lark St., the UAG Gallery, has been the host site, the series' best location yet. And since then Albany Poets has become a partner in organizing the readings.

Tonight's host was Mary Panza, keeping order.

Cara Benson, a recent grad of Goddard College's MFA program, is the editor of http://www.necessetics.com/sousrature.html. She read a couple of very different long pieces, but started off with a poem, "What does It Mean to Say Forever?" based on a line from Neruda. "The First Person" was just that, a long automatic writing exercise (read too fast) talking about herself, everything from peeing in the shower to Mexico, to "I order out loud in restaurants" (don't we all? pee in the shower too). Her second long piece, starting with a quote from poet Brenda Hillman, was as random as the "I" poem but harder to follow, read in various voices, & she got tangled up in the pages a couple times.


Cheryl A. Rice is the poetry diva of Kingston & a recent refugee from world of Verizon. Her work is less random, about recognizable events in her life. She read from a couple early chapbooks, Egypt (Flying Monkey Press) & A Thousand Candy Vaginas (Palaver Press). She ponders such things as what a Scotsman wears under his kilt, & the cultural collapse of Whitman's America. At a poetry reading she fantasizes "Taking Off Billy Collins' Clothes." And her poem "Common Breath" (also about a poetry reading) contained my favorite line of the night: "Kingston is my Paris." I like how she writes about the work place, including "Mr. Frarely" & the sad danish of "Remembrance;" & she is the only poet I know who has written about someone's MySpace site.

The contrasting styles of the poets made for a most pleasant evening of poetry. There are more events coming up, so for a full schedule go to www.albanypoets.com, or www.albany.edu/english/jawbone.html. & free coffee from Scratch Bakery-Cafe, 452 Madison Ave.

(photo of Cara Benson at Point 5, Albany, 10/6/07; photo of Cheryl A. Rice at Cafe Web, Albany, 2/17/00)

Frequency North, September 25

Daniel Nester has been coordinating this series at the College of St. Rose for 4 years now & has brought some wonderful writers who do not appear on the NY Times bestseller lists. He gets a decent size crowd, but usually mostly students & faculty. This night the room on the second floor of the Events & Athletic Center at St. Rose was SRO -- the Times-Union had run a 2-page, centerfold spread in its Preview section this morning with an interview with David Rees, one of tonight's readers. In addition to the usual crowd, there were lots of community people -- artists, activists, & the cultured curious. What a fabulous start for this year's series.

The program was a study in humor, the personal & the political. Rachel Shukert's schtick is that she is a not-so-nice Jewish girl from Nebraska. What she read (&, by the way, read much too fast) was from her memoir Have You No Shame?, sections about looking for work in NYC & an attempted seduction, with cookies, by a Hasidim baker.

David Rees is a political cartoonist who modifies clip art as he trashes the Bush administration; he has published 3 volumes of his Get Your War On strip. He showed & read samples using an overhead projector. Check out the interview by Amy Halloran in the Preview section (Sept. 25 - Oct. 1) of the Times-Union.

For a schedule of upcoming Frequency North readings check out www.strose.edu/visitors/frequencynorth/frequencynorth.asp.