Word Thursday, June 10

It's been awhile since I've been to the Bright Hill Center in Treadwell, NY but I always enjoy the warmth of the people & the words out there in the hills. Tonight I was one of the featured readers, with Sherry Robbins from the Buffalo area. The series & the Center is run by Delaware County's whirling dervish of poetry, Bertha Rogers.

Among the things that happens at Bright Hill Center are poetry workshops for children. The first performers up were some of her students, starting with Shiobhan Higgins with a clear, well-spoken recitation from memory of Richard Wilbur's "The Death of a Toad." Her younger sister was supposed to follow but was struck with the characteristic shyness of the age, so her mother recited the poem that was written by her father-in-law. Quite a poetic family.

Another family affair followed with pieces about Lake Okeechobee in Florida, a poem in rhyme by Glenn Nilson, "The Regular," about a fish camp on the lake, followed by his wife, Leslie Diehl, with an excerpt from a prose murder mystery she is writing, also set at the lake. Susan Spivak's "Out of the Dark" was filled with rich images of birth (of many kinds). Ina Jones' reminiscence of her daughter in "Tea Ceremony" also managed to work in a Manhattan cocktail in addition to the tea.

Richard Average was a bit challenged by Bertha's 5-minute rule with his multi-part piece set during the Revolutionary War with soldiers, a water nymph & a troll. Time limits (in minutes) are tough for poets at open mics, unless they time the poems beforehand (few do); but Bertha kept track & maintains a strong, but gentle, hand. Melinda Sulkey said she was new to reading & read an old piece from high school about her dad. Sue King an excerpt from a prose history she is writing of the area, which seems to be a rich source for these poets.

Another rich source of poetry is reminiscence, which was the basis of "Sunday School" by Bright Hill's young intern, Clara Barnhart. Albany poet, Carolee Sherwood, who had accompanied me here, read a tender "After We Kissed for the First Time," followed by a more cynical "The Little Red Hen Has Pecked the Farmer for the Last Time," which elicited some interesting conversation later during the break. Sharon Ruchlenik was able to squeeze in 3 poems, beginning with a myth she made up, "How Flies Came into the World" then a poem about a man mourning the loss of a daughter, & followed by a poem about regaining her sense of smell, "Brave New World," interesting poems piling up vivid images from the everyday.

Graham Duncan cracked us up with a description of man-bashing & his reactions, "My Wife & I Listen to a Friend Let Fly;" then his poem squinty poem "Self-Portrait." Then Evelyn Duncan read a couple of her older poems, the first about an old-time star baseball player & singer, the second a portrait of an apartment mate she had had in her 20's, "Ethel Moore & I." Ana Roth Seavey struggled with her computer to find poems to read, a couple of what she called "Catskill Snapshots" then a short piece on her devotion to poetry, "Lover." Bertha Rogers read "Dog Girl Tells the Truth" & "Black Rock Forest" from her new collection Heart Turned Back (2010, Salmon Poetry, County Clare, Ireland).

After a short break with good snacks (even some champagne) it was time for the night's featured poets. Sherry Robbins won (or lost) the coin toss & went first. She began with a tribute to Bertha with a poem referencing the earliest English language poet, Caedmon. Her love poem to her husband, "Vow," was composed solely of one-syllable words, then a poem for her father, "Dying in Florida." The remainder of her reading consisted of her "English to English translations" of American writers, beginning with a couple of Walt Whitman's poems. These were followed by her series of poems, Or, the Whale, based on Moby Dick. A selection of the poems are in a chapbook of that title from Shuffaloff Books (1963), but the complete series will be available soon from Blazevox Books. Each of the poems is titled with the Chapter title from Melville's novel, while the poems react, respond, sometimes directly, mostly obliquely (or not) to the text, the chapters acting as prompts. Interestingly enough hearing her poems & reading the chapbooks has awakened my interest in re-reading Moby Dick once again.

How do I write about my own reading, how brilliant or silly I was? I did try to blow bubbles, but they evaporated too quick. My reading was a mix of old & new pieces, beginning with the invocation of my heros in "The Communion of Saints." Then the anti-dream piece, "This Dream is Not About You," followed by "Baghdad/Albany," then the palate-cleanser "Dot Dot Dot." "My Sather Gate Illumination" was followed by the recent "On a Poem by ee cummings" then the Lark Tavern tribute poem. I ended with the ringing of a bell & "On Reading the Tibetan Book of the Dead." A distinct pleasure to read here with such a good audience of poets; I had fun.

This is a regular monthly schedule which you can find at the Bright Hills website, the readings start at 7PM. An hour & a half from Albany, but worth the trip for the fine local poets & the interesting featured poets that Bertha brings in.

Walt Whitman Birthday Celebration, May 31

Once again we, poets & other citizens, gathered at the Robert Burns' statue in Washington Park in Albany, NY to read "Song of Myself" on Uncle Walt's birthday. We started this tradition in 2005 & tonight's weather was warm, clear, but windy.

A big thanks to those who read: D. Alexander Holiday, Alan Casline, Joe Krausman, Lorre Smith, Sylvia Barnard, David Stasenko, Cheryl A. Rice, Tess Lecuyer, Sally Rhoades, Avery Stempel, JJ Johnson, Matt Galletta, Linda Bick, Jason Crane, Carolee Sherwood, Anthony Bernini, Bob Sharkey, Jill Wickham, Sue Cerniglia, & Kathy Sheppard (who had brought her children to listen). Most readers took more than one section. & it was dazzling!

Also, thanks to the co-sponsors, the Poetry Motel Foundation, the Hudson Valley Writers Guild & Capital Pride 2010 (a project of the Capital District Gay & Lesbian Community Center).

GROWN FOLK MUSIC presents RAUNCHY THURSDAY's weekly open mic nite!, May 27

A Thursday nite of raunchy, male bashing, woman bashing, battle of the sexes, spoiled relationships, exotic and erotic poetry, accompanied with suitable music to fit your mood. It goes downs when the Grown Folks get to talking mess. You know the old saying "this grown folk business!" At least that's how it's described on Facebook. It sounded right up my alley so I finally checked it out & had a good time.

The hostess/MC was Tanesha (who had come to the benefit for the Lark Tavern at Valentine's), sexy & poetic tonight. I ended up first once again so did my old poem "Phone Sex." Tanesha followed me wondering "Where My Sisters At?" Then she started the next poet off (Poetic Vision) by declaring "Men Ain't Shit" which became PV's poem, taking it as a compliment, turning the phrase around then into a free-style rant, ending with the comparison that "men's minds are like waffles, women's like spaghetti."

Bless jumped in with an incendiary piece that was looking for sympathy for the men, & upping the gender-war ante. I started to look around... Tanesha came back with with a celebration of herself in which she proudly said, "I Declare Myself a Single woman..." The last poet before the break (whose name I didn't catch, if it was even mentioned) did a story from memory about a relationship that fit into the night's theme.

Inpite of all the shouting & lining up on either side of the man/woman split, it was all good fun & smiles & teasing at the break -- phew!, since I knew the price we men pay during gender wars. I'm sure the night went on but I had to get these old bones back home. This takes place every Thursday, about 10PM, at Tandoor Palace on the corner of Lark & Madison. Steel jock-straps recommended.

Poets Speak Loud! -- Benefit for Tess' Lark Tavern, May 24

We were supposed to have the monthly open mic at the Lark Tavern, but it had the audacity to burn down, so we were upstairs in Valentines with good sound, Howie at the upstairs bar, & Mary Panza the host. Lots of folks turned out, including some new faces/voices in the open mic.

Michael Purcell was first up, & he quoted Oscar Wilde & Buddha before his poems, the anthropological "Labels" & the meditation on death, "Your Reward." Alan Catlin did a couple of poems from his past life as a bartender, "A Different Planet for Bartenders" & "A Black Widow" (a drink recipe poem from his Killer Cocktails book). Sylvia Barnard ascended the stage (with gentle help from RM Engelhardt, generating more rumors about their pending engagement) to read her tribute, "To Tess' Lark Tavern," which if Sylvia's apartment building had a backyard, the Lark Tavern would be in it.

Rob was also there to help Don Levy get on stage, generating even more romantic rumors -- lucky Rob! Don read a cartoon rant, "Ziggy Family Peanuts" then the exciting "Adventures of Jason's Bag as Told by his Publicist" (which one can find in the Notes section on Don's Facebook page -- what do you mean you're not his Facebook friend yet?!). The "other" Tess, Tess Lecuyer, continued the themes of the night with the sonnet "On Jason's Bag" & the nod to Wallace Stevens, "13 Ways of Looking at the Lark." RM Engelhardt, an "incessant promoter" per Mary Panza, read "The Night at the Lark" then the philosophical lecture, "No Surrender."

Jason Crane's poem was about a female poet at the mic, "The Last Siren" followed by the tribute, "Lark Definitions." The first of the night's new faces/new voices was Leslie with 2 relationship poems, "It's Been a Year" & "Why Can't You?." Another new face, "Quick" tried out a recent poem only 2 hours old, then an untitled piece about the beauty of women. I followed with a summer, hot weather piece, "Park Fantasy," then a my new tribute, "The Lark Tavern Poem."

We almost had the fire department in when Thom Francis brought out a birthday cake for Mary Panza, candles a-blazin' but the cake was delicious. Carolee Sherwood began with her tribute, "Ode to Tess' Lark Tavern," then dazzled the audience with her little porn-pizza-poet theater piece she first did at the Lark Tavern a few months ago, tonight the lines acted by me as the pizza-boy & Nicole Kearby in the role of the seductive housewife (I had wanted a couple hours rehearsal time but Nicole declined & Carolee said it wasn't necessary). Jill Wickham followed with a couple of her signature suburban housewife poems, the first in her June Cleaver mode, "Watching a Funeral Procession..." (it was dark & her titles are very long so I didn't get it all, sorry), & love alone in "Mother Walking."

Carol Graser made the trip down to Albany; she read 2 "quick poems," both untitled, the first a dream with a golden eagle, the second about the colors of the sky. Bob Sharkey also had a dream poem about sex & being in a dress (poetry, it's cheaper than a psychiatrist), & then a fine political/jazz poem, "Meditation in Orange, In Indigo, Letters to Abbey Lincoln & Stan Getz." Daniel Nester read false translations of Erasmus from "The Adagia Project" then an old NYC piece, "Mott St. Pastoral" (which I'm sure I've heard before). It turns out that the birthday cake would serve double duty, as Avery Stempel said yesterday was his birthday as well as Mary's; while he read his beer poem, "Bottled Labled & Ready for Distribution," I kept trying to make out the drawings on the reverse of the pages.

AC Everson said that she has lots of pieces she has read at the Lark Tavern & shared a couple, including "Echoes & Traces" about "re-cycled places," e.g., Arthur's Market in Schenectady. "Poetic Vision" recited a couple poems that I think I heard him do at the Albany WordFest, his "upside down/inside out" poem & another were God gives him a pen. Then Mojavi did a couple of his relationship poems, showing 2 sides, one the heat & violence, the other trying to love in the right way. D. Alexander Holiday repeated the poem by Susan Griffin, "I Like to Think of Harriet Tubman," he had read last Thursday night & his own poem about about finding out that the records of his life had been lost, "Death by Fire."

The last reader was Tanesha, another new face & voice, with a compelling piece on urban decay, "What Became of Eden" (observing that there are "no black angels here"), & the self-assertive, "Letter to the Brother who Tried to Get At Me at the Corner Store."

Quite a night at the Lark Tavern, I mean Valentines standing in for the (recovering) Lark Tavern, & a testiment to the dear place that the Lark has in our arts community. Until it does reopen the series held there on the last Monday of each month, "Poets Speak Loud," will not be held. For more information about other poetry events in the meantime, check out the calendar at the AlbanyPoets website. Also, there are tons of pictures from the event at Keith Spencer's Flickr site http://www.flickr.com/photos/kjspencer/

Third Thursday Poetry Night at the Social Justice Center, May 20

Another wonderful evening of poetry at the SJC (of course I would say that, I'm the host), with 14 poets in the open mic, including some new to this series, some strangers in the audience, Colie Collen the fabulous featured poet. While we were waiting to begin someone from the street staggered in to recite a poem, a very short love poem he did twice, as if it were a haiku (sometimes they just want to use the bathroom).

My Muse for the night was the poet & biographer of H.D., Barbara Guest, a couple of her poems to inspire us. When we started reading only about half of the eventual open mic poets were there so I rewarded those present by letting them read 2 poems, while the late sign-ups were limited to the usual 1 poem rule.

Once again Alan Catlin was #1 on the list & began with a "true" story from his bartender days, "A Moveable Honeymoon Suite," then from a series of poems using animals as metaphors in surreal places, "White Whales in Fields of Wildflowers." Bob Sharkey's poems tonight were the first two in a long series of prose poems, "The Body" a mystery story, continued in "The Tokens."

Jason Crane read a poem about fixing up his truck, "Red Truck Elegy" then a poem for the jazz piano man Hank Jones, "91." Tedi Toca was back again, 2nd month in a row, with an old heavy-metal & lost love inspired poem, "Smudged." This was Anna Eyre's first time reading at the Third Thursday, with a chant piling up images & celebrating "Me" (I mean, her).

Colie Collen is the coordinator of the Yes, a Reading series, often held right here at the SJC, & an editor at Fence magazine. She began with an "erasure" of a sermon titled "Ships & Havens" by the American author & clergyman, Henry van Dyke, turning van Dyke's text into something other than it was when published in 1897; still, the sense of mortality runs through this re-cycled text as, I'm guessing, was a theme of the original text. Her other work, having some of the same fractured rhythm & syntax of the erasure/cut-up, was saved from just textual games by their everyday images of "thing-ness" as in "Not Night As in Fully" (in a cabin) or the poem following it (containing the image of "a blister inside a blister"). The poems "I Couldn't Explain & Can't & Yet" & "August" were shaped in alternating long & short centered lines in which the alternating shorter lines made a poem of its own. An untitled poem combined a school setting & Bloggers, & she ended with a meditation on touching, "A Gorilla Suit Extends Its Hand," generated by a Flannery O'Connor story (& which reminded me of the movie Morgan -- Netflix it).

After the break we returned to the open mic & I read a new poem from a notebook entry from last year, "Berkeley Morning." Then another SJC virgin, Raurri Jennings, who was encouraged to attend by the featured poet, did "a live cut-up" of 2 letter/poems he has been writing lately, then read the sources, which kind of took the thrill away. W.D. Clarke read "The Outsider" (from his book Soldier Ballads & Other Tales), & a Canadian story his Dad used to tell, "The Pumpkin Pie."

Ellen Finn (an "Albany virgin") is a regular at Caffe Lena, & read "To my Parents this Poem is my Therapy" (as so many are). Moses Kash III's poem read one of his latest poems, "America 2" about the country's racism & decline & it's false dreams of celebrity.

Anthony Bernini's poem was titled "Held in Place" & seemed to combine the wind, a hawk & a "2-ton pickup."

Traffic-girl Carolee Sherwood read "Placing My Head in the Mouth of a Lion" which she said, to taunt me, was a cat poem, but I beg to differ. D. Alexander Holiday plugged his new book, a memoir, In the Care of Strangers: The Autobiography of a Foster Child; the poem he read was "I LIke to Think of Harriet Taubman" by Susan Griffin. The night's last poet, Jill Wickham, read a poem based on a wordle, "Behind the Scene at Dick & Jane's" another of her commentaries on suburban life.

Every third Thursday, the Social Justice Center, 33 Central Ave., 7:30PM (sign-up at 7:00PM), $3.00 donation, featured poet & open mic.

Live from the Living Room, May 12

A wonderful gathering of poets from far & wide in the living room of the Capital District Gay & Lesbian Community Center, with Matt Spireng as the featured poet. But first our host, Don Levy, started us off with Kenneth Koch's funny "Variations on a Theme by William Carlos Williams."

Matt Spireng structured his reading around his travels, from a couple poems about New Orleans, to "Sunset Cadillac Mountain" (Maine), to poems about whales on Cape Cod, to a series in Montana (including good advice about bears: "Whistle, Sing, Talk"), then NYC & "Crossing Central Park," more whales & a speeding pick-up truck in Virginia, to finally the comforting obvious "You Are Here." A nicely put-together reading; he has a number of books out there & they are worth looking for.

Jill Crammond Wickham was the first on the open mic sign-up list & read a poem to an old boyfriend she found on Facebook, then the gossip column post "Here's Something You Might Not Know About Elvis" (hint: he was knitting briefs & listening to Santana). I read "Springtime Maggie" & repeated "44,000" (the Kent State/Jackson State poem).

Carolee Sherwood's "Have You Ever Told Anyone Everything You Need?" is a poem filled with memory & fantasy (perhaps), then she read a poem about Iceland's dueling volcanos, like girls fucking. Alan Catlin read a couple poems from his latest collection Near Death in the Afternoon on Becker Street (March Street Press), his Schenectady poems, with a blurb on the back from Me.

Charlie Rossiter was passing through Albany from his home in Chicago & it was a pleasure to have him here with us tonight.  He read poems from his collection All Over America: Road Poems (FootHills Publishing, 2009), "The Giggling Teenage Girls of Wallace Lake, MO" & "It Was a Damn Fine Alabama River Wedding."

Richard Morell read another of his Dream Sonnets, this #5, & "Spiritual Queen, Not Musical Theater Diva Grande Alcoholica" (which can be found on his Facebook Notes). Don introduced the next open mic poet as "Jason Crane & His Bag," a bag that has been getting as much cyberspace face-time as the poet his-self. "Convenient Store Sushi" was followed by a deletion poem using as a text Martin Luther King's speech "Why I Am Against the Viet Nam War."

Sylvia Barnard has been reading lately her recent poems, "The Belle Heure Exhibit" & the Nazi nightmare, "The Locked Door" -- thankfully, since I can't go to the library & take out her Collected Poems, yet. Bob Sharkey's poem "Act 23," written after hearing the young jazz singer Esperanza Spalding with a fireman's death & his & his family's personal "23"s; he ended with "Legacy" by an Irish poet, about, of course, a bar.

Don Levy likes to read last at his event & began with the multiple parts of "Pretty City Poem" with tulips the color of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese (I kid you not!), then the hilarity of "The Adventures of Jason's Bag as Told by His Publicist" (which can be found on Don's Facebook Notes).

This "straight-friendly reading" is held each 2nd Wednesday, 7:30 PM at 332 Hudson Ave., Albany, NY.

Woodstock Poetry Society, May 8

The WPS meets on the 2nd Saturday of each month at the Woodstock Town Hall on Tinker St. This was a lovely day to be walking around & to be reading & listening to poets, the host, Phillip Levine. I hadn't been there in quite a while, but made sure to rearrange my schedule to catch my dear friend Alison Koffler as one of the 2 featured poets.

As so often happens, even when I get there after the sign-up sheet has been out a while, I ended up as the first poet to read, the somewhat out-of-season "Planting Tulips" & the very current "44,000 (May 4, 2010)." Following me, Trina Porte's 3 poems were short & printed out as half pages the long way. Daphna Rosenbloom in an early tan did a couple from memory. Phillip Levine jumped in with just his "Heels." Donald Lev said his 3 poems were his "last 3 poems, at least so far…" & also read Enid Dame's "Inheritance" for Mother's Day. Dayl Wise read "2 new poems," one about being on the rifle range in the Army when the moon landing took place, the other a marvelous poem to his wife Alison about making a garden, "A Relationship."

As many of my regular Blog readers know, I'm not a big fan of animal poems but Alison Koffler's animal poems are of a different breed. In "For Atha, Wolf Ambassador" & "Zoological Society Meeting" she ponders the confrontation of the captive wild with their captors, while "The Animals of Blazing Stars" are imaginary, poetic creatures. The Bronx was the setting for "The Cyclist," "First Apartment" & "Walking Back thru the Bronx," while "Unmeasurable by Standardized Testing" was about being a teacher. Dayl's earlier poem about her was filled with sweet peas, Alison's poem for him was "Zucchini." She remembered a Grateful Dead concert with a friend, then ended with a poem back in Woodstock, "In the Garden Cafe."

Barry Wallenstein loves to incorporate jazz into his readings & today his accompanist was Gus Machini on alto sax. Some folks in the audience complained that the sax was too loud at one point but I think such performances are collaborations in which it is not necessary to hear every word of the poem, just like we don't always hear every note of the music. In addition, some musician once told me that the saxophone is pitched like the human voice so that it tends to cancel out the vocalist. I thought it worked well here today. Barry began with a couple pieces ("Big & Little" & "Paranoia" -- as in something will get you someday), then on to a big middle section of his "Tony poems" in the voice of a NYC street person, running the gamut from Tony's personal musings, to politics, to even a bit of the poet's autobiog ("Tony's Dad") -- gritty, urban & tenderly human. He ended with a villanelle ("Inside Our Heads Devil Designs") & the marvelous prayer "Great God Nature."

Both of these featured poets put on thoughtfully prepared readings that they had obviously planned & rehearsed, no confused flipping of pages or checking on timing with the host, veritable models of how to do a featured reading.

I can always get the titles correct for Ron Whiteurs' poems because he puts them up on a music stand, like an old vaudeville show, & I always laugh at his outrageous sexual humor, like today's "Don't Let Him in Your Underwear" (was he pointing at Phillip Levine?), & "What Jeffrey Dahmer Said to Me As They Dragged Him Off to Prison." Phil Sullivan followed with a couple of Spring poems & a political piece. Susan Sindall read poems from her new poetry collection What's Left from, as she said, "younger times."

Jay Wenk read a seasonal poem, & one on the big questions of God & youth, then "5 Borough Bicycle Ride" (with wounds of a recent bicycle accident on his legs), the second bike poem of the day! Bruce Weber read "Love Falling In" from Will Nixon's new book Love in the City of Grudges, then Will Nixon was up & sandwiched his poem "The Night I Saw the Clash" from his new book between a piece by Denis Johnson & one by Bruce Weber from his book "Blue Flower."

Berel Berko's pieces were notebook entries playing with word sounds, other journal entries & clever sayings he's very pleased with from his yellow pad. Phillip Levine ended the day with yet another Spring poem, "No Use."

The Woodstock Poetry Society meets every 2nd Saturday at the Woodstock Town Hall (at least for now) at 2PM.