Nitty Gritty Slam #13, March 6

Unlucky 13, el presidente Thom Francis had to hold down the electronic duties alone & host the open mic (as Mojavi took over the duties of the Slam Bastard) -- the rest of the crew taken out & shot by competing slam venues from across the Region (at least the poets survived).

Before I get into the sad tale of the Slam, let me comment briefly on the night's open mic. D. Alexander Holiday is getting more & more Dadaist in his latest poems, tonight the purely alphabetical sounds of his "KKK Poem" (poignantly after reading Joy Harjo's poem "Strange Fruit"). There was Leslie Michelle with her poem "The Human Heart" & host/MC/el presidente Thom Francis with "Relevance Gone" & "Third Can."

But the big hit was the night's virgin, the birthday girl @ sweet 65 Deb Adler, with the snowtire poem "Going Away" & a poem to the birds, "Letter to Camp." In fact she was such a hit that she volunteered as the "Sacrifcial goat" (or lamb, to be more kind). Her poem "Overture Coda" about her parents meeting on a Pittsburg streetcar singing a song by Schubert got a very respectable 25.5 for a real poem.

OK, so how much proof do I need to proved that, like I've always said, (1) I am not a Slam poet, & (2) "real poems don't get a 10"? Since there were only 4 of us in the Slam it was a (pace Dain Bramage) 4-4-2 Slam, with Shannon Shoemaker & me in the first round going dick to dick. By the second round I knew I was done, with a combined score of (only) 54.5. All night long there had been high scoring, with a proliferation of unnecessary & un-warrented 10s (none for me, of course).

But when the dust settled at the third round, Poetyc Visionz was in third place, while Shannon (in the money) Shoemaker & Kevin Peterson (to whom I had to explain the meaning of "KP") were tied. OMG! What to Do? (WTD?) So a final (repeat) round ended up with Kevin over (hmm...) Shannon.

Hey, don't knock it. No other Slam venue in Albany has gone to 13 events -- check it out (virgins welcome) on the 1st & 3rd Tuesday of each month at Valentines on the beginning of New Scotland Ave., just off the Park, 7:30 Pm -- pay up $5.00 at the door.

ODE TO THE OREO

Happy Birthday, honkie!

I don’t know who said it first
who called the first middle-class
Black an “Oreo cookie,” which
took a while to register with me
the “Black on the outside
White on the inside” not something
I would pay attention to, but

that tough guy in a magnificent
Afro, leather jacket, beret & rifle
sure made it sound less than sweet
less than what I should have for a snack
after school, leastwise with a
glass of white milk.

Chronogram Open Word, March 3

Because in the 21st Century everything is an acronym, I suppose you could say that this reading series in Kingston (NY) is udderly mooving, & that's no bull. I've been to this reading a few months back, but tonight I was one of the featured poets. There were some old friends in the audience, & some new faces/new voices too.

Our Chronogram host, Phillip Levine, started off the night with what he identified as a slam poem, "Woman on the Subway" (about a 9.2). Tony Pena read 2 poems from his self-published collection Opening Night in Gehenna, the grim, urban "Finer Things," & the sad & tender "Head in the Clouds." Tim Dwyer read a poem from what he described as the unpublished work of Irish poet Donald Michael Furey, then his own poem on an Irish theme, "Train Boat Train."  Ron Whiteurs had to wait for the flush of a friend in the bathroom to begin his 2 pieces, one on roosters & chickens, "Pecking for Seeds & Crumbs," & the sentimental & cliched "Rogue Dogs," read from a large display type version. Donald Lev read a series of short (some very short) poems, among them a dream-like "Lost Again," & the very recent "Arizona: A Brief Visit, 1958," then ended with a poem from his very new book, A Very Funny Fellow. Jay Wenk read a moving poem on "100th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire."

I was pleased to be asked to be a feature at this series, another in a string of engaging open mics hosted by Phillip Levine. I read a poem each from my chapbooks Poeming the Prompt (A.P.D., 2011) & boundless abodes of Albany (Benevolent Bird Press, 2010), a couple of "peace poems," including "Baghdad, Kingston" by Cheryl A. Rice, then a cluster of poems written during a recent Florida vacation, ending appropriately with "At the End."

Alan Salant is an old friend of Phillip Levine's & although he has published a collection of poems, The Expedition Sets Out (The Oliver Arts and Open Press, 2011), he doesn't read his poems out & this was his first public reading. He included a few poems from his book in his reading but most were not. Interestingly enough, there were 2 poems both in 16 short parts, "Inequality is an Art," ironic & philosophical, on visiting the Occupy Wall St. site, & "Finally the Inner Revolution," musings on music in urban conversations & cats liking jazz. It was a good, straight-forward reading of thoughtful, introspective poetry, well appreciated by the audience.

Back to the open mic Andrea Stolte read an untitled piece written today, a spooky piece about getting old, merging with her mother. Jennifer Bennett sang the lyrics to Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady." Then Tim, who was locked out of the out-of-tune piano had the audience recite lines from which he picked up a phrase to riff on. & our host, Phillip Levine, read "Hooked", built on a litany of NYC coast-line names.

Chronogram Open Word happens on the first Saturday of the month at 7PM at the BEAhive, 314 Wall St., Kingston, NY. The $5.00 cover charge gets you some wine too!

Poets Speak Loud!, February 27

It has taken a while but I'm losing my nostalgia for the Lark Tavern, the grieving process is coming to an end, with the success & vibrancy of this series at McGeary's. Perhaps it is the cozy back room where poets listen to poets, where the shocked dinner patrons can eat in peace & enjoy their conversation out in the main dining area. Or it is simply that the good & snarky energy of this venue has taken root here, as it had at Tess' Lark Tavern.

Our host, Mary Panza, started us off with a poem, which she rarely, if ever, does this in memory of her mother, a paean to skills that matter, "And the Women Cooked." Sheldon Carnes made a rare appearance (with his Apache drum flute) to do a poem in the persona of a dog(?) crossing the road. Carolee Sherwood did a couple of breakup poems, an old one about a made-for-TV autopsy, & the new poem playing on the word "murder," "Crows on the First Cold Night of February."

Tess Lecuyer started with an old Spring Equinox poem (jumping the gun a little), then another old poem titled "Strays." Ed Rinaldi is working at a-poem-a-day & read one about the reasons he writes poetry, then another, "To Know What's For Dessert." We all sang "Happy Birthday" to Cheryl Rice who read a couple of horse poems, "Horseshoe" (hanging over her kitchen door), & the nostalgic, family memoir, picture-poem "Water Trough Bench."

Tenesha Smith was the featured poet, whom I've only heard at open mics so it was good to hear a big chunk of her work, including some I've heard before. She began with a piece of flash-fiction, a childhood memoir about her grandmother, "Ripening on the Vine," then on to poems with "Trail of Change." She said her favorite poem of hers (& one I've heard her do before) is "Pussy," a testament to what she (all women) are more than. There was also a chilling poem about the NYC shooting of groom-to-be Sean Bell, "Almost a Widow." In "Spider on the Ceiling" a spider in the shower shows her her own strength in surviving, & in "Terrible Stories: Why I Beat My Kids" she talked about passing that strength down to her children. Tenesha performs her poems well without theatrics, but with the strength of her words & of herself.

Shannon Shoemaker began with a poem titled "Valentines Day," then brought the house down (& started a continuing conversation) with the poem she performed so well at the last Nitty Gritty Slam, the strap-on/whip-it-out poem inspired by my old piece, "To My Penis."  I followed (as well as I could) next with a total change of pace, last year's "Winter Light" & "Not Yet Spring." Sylvia Barnard dug out an old broadside put out by the University at Albany English Department in 2005, & read her poem from it "January 2004," then my poem (!) from the broadside, "Reading Bei Dao at the Great Wall."

Avery did, in his effusive style, 2 long pieces with long titles, the first a riff on the Muppet rainbow song & other borrowed ideas, "On the Magnetism & the Oscillating Personal Relationship …" then a slam-like word flow read fast, "My Spoken Word, Can You Her What I Am Saying?" Mojavi also had a piece with a long title, "So What … & the Letter Beef," about the "poetry wars", then into the more pleasant topic of a love poem.

Leslie Michelle brought us some humor & word play telling us she is "Sick of Twitter." I think Dain Brammage is either stuck in 3rd grade, or looking to repeat it, reading us 2 recently written cinquains. Poetyc Visionz ended the night (or, as Mary said, "bring us out of this…") with a piece from his CD Poetyc Visionz Presents L.I.F.E. - The Meaning, complete with backup singers.

There are lots of reasons to come to this open mic on the last Monday of most months at McGeary's on Clinton Square, in Albany, NY: good food, friendly staff, an attentive (if rambunctious) audience & great poetry (that is, if you show up).

Yes! a Reading, February 24

A busy night of poetry, again, in Albany, but sacrifices have to be made & I opted for this reading at the Social Justice Center since Lori Anderson Moseman was one of the readers. Lori had been one of the regulars back in the early days of the Albany poetry scene & I always enjoyed her work (& her presence). In fact, in few days earlier I had found in my files an article from Metroland from 1992 in which she had been interviewed, with her picture on the cover. But first, the other writers on the program.

James Belflower, who was tag-teaming host duties with Matthew Klane, introduced Julianna Spallholz to read her "short & very-short fiction." She read a couple pieces from her debut collection The State of Kansas (GenPop Books). "The World" was short, then the longer piece, with a beginning, middle & end, the somewhat self-deprecating (but ultimately a love-poem of sorts), "The White Cat."

NF (Nancy) Huth began with summer poems from her chapbook 3 Words (Serif of Nottingham Editions) "When Space Is," "When Dot Wonder," & "When Gathered Out," playing with repetition, elaboration & different rhythms, such as short declarative statements, or falling into what she described as her "mother's rhythm." Then on to winter poems from Radiator (Laughing/Ouch/Cube, an imprint of Leafe Press), more experiments with words & all with one-word titles: "Bit," "Grain" (& it's play on words), "Dark" (a prose section), "Curb" & "Clank."

Matthew Klane took over to introduce Lori Anderson Moseman, since his flim forum press published her most recent book All Steel. So recent, that is, that when I bought a coy before the reading Matthew said I had bought the first copy! Her reading gave only a glimmer, of course, of the complexity of her textual experimentation, with layout, typography, even footnotes & 4 pages of end-notes. Each piece is titled as a diptych, for example, "Hoof Pick/Revelations" or "Labor Day Weekend/Communion," & often the pieces are laid out in 2 (or more) columns, as in "Spurs/Porn." There is frequent use of repeating lines or phrases, usually notated as symbols, such as "]". But listening to Lori read the poems what is evident is the vivid images drawn from real-life/real-work, something that has been in her poetry since I first heard it in the early 1990 & read her chapbook, Walking the Dead (Heaven Bone Press, 1991). She experiments with words, but the images are about things, not heady, academic abstractions. She ended her reading with an improvised performance of her piece "Ongoing/Gong" with Deborah Poe.

In addition to these words there were projected images of the photography of Kim Dunham. You can track her work down at http://kimberlydunham.blogspot.com/  However, the photography was not the only multi-media aspect to the night, there was also a keg of homemade Pantoum Porter which in itself made a great party.

Watch for upcoming readings in this ongoing, sporadic series at the Social Justice Center.

Nitty Gritty Slam, February 21

Tonight, much to the chagrin of the official Slam bartender Kim, we were upstairs at Valentines to make room for a band in the usual poets' spot. We were just as funky & even louder to carry our voices over the sound of electric guitars & drums.

There was a respectably outrageous selection of poets signed up for the open mic, with Jess Listen to my Words, Leslie Michelle, Bless, D. Alexander Holiday, & Mojavi (riffing off "Moody's Mood for Love").

I had taken a week off from the Slam, but decided to jump back in tonight. The late addition of Jessica, who had also read at the open mic, brought the field up to 5 (= N) so that my performance of the 3 Guys from Albany classic "Physics" put me in 5th place, beaten out (or off) by Jess's masturbation poem.

But notable performances for the night were Shannon (In the Money) Shoemaker's newest piece, her advice for Slam competitors to "Whip it out", be that a strap-on or the real thing, & later in the second round, Elizag's piece that takes a slice from her memoir of helping a family to raise triplet boys in North Philadelphia, Walk With Us.

You can check out all the all the up-to-date Slam results at AlbanyPoets.com. Anywho, it is on the 1st & 3rd Tuesdays of the month at Valentines (usually downstairs), 7:30, with an open mic, $5.00 (or less with student ID).

Third Thursday Poetry Night, February 16

Back at the Social Justice Center, a wonderful night of the voices of "regulars" & new voices too.

We began the reading invoking the night's muse, poet Bob Kaufman with a couple of his poems. Tonight's featured poet is frequently first on the sign-up sheet here, but instead in his place it was the closest possible morpheme match, Alan Casline, with a just-written poem about comparing local hotdogs, "Famous Lunch." A.C. Everson read the short poem "Wendy" from her self-published chapbook, Love A.C. Style.  Sylvia Barnard wrote about visiting a Cistercian monastery, "Execution." D. Alexander Holiday reprised his boisterous audience-participation piece, "The Poem is the Bomb" oh yes indeed!

I've been a fan of Alan Catlin's work since before I moved back here 25 or so years ago, & he has read in the Third Thursday series previously, back in 1999 during Hurricane Floyd. He is also one of the most loyal of Third Thursday open mic poets, usually signing up #1. Tonight he read from his new book Alien Nation (March Street Press, 2011), which I had read it on a recent trip to Florida & the poems in it inspired the poem I read later after the break. But first he began with some recent poems, "My Dream Date with Frida Kahlo," a recent work from a series of "dream date" poems; then "Sex with Aliens" from a suggestion at the Caffe Lena open mic, & "The Health of the Sick". Describing Alien Nation as his "Jean-Paul Sartre No Exit collection" from his career as a bar tender, he read a generous selection from the 4 sections book, grim, chilling portraits of daytime as well as nighttime denizens lurking along mahogany ridge, more than enough for a lifetime.

After the break I read my poem "Arts Festival, Delray Beach," inspired by Alan's book.

Laura Hartmark said she hadn't done this "in a long time," read a bop (cf. the work of Aafa Michael Weaver) based on the Billy Holiday song, "I Cover the Waterfront" for Valentine's Day. Another new face/voice up was Janastasia Whydra reading a poem she had workshopped for a class, a Winter blackout in Boston. Leslie Michelle has finally gotten her voice back, but instead of her own poem, read Pedro Petri's "January Hangover." Poetyc Visionz did his poem as Time & it is not on his new CD. Still another new voice was Sabrina who read an untitled piece with vivid images of a woman struggling for breath, for life. Mojavi was the last poet signed up for the night, with a love/sex & anger poem.

The Third Thursday Poetry Night at the Social Justice Center is held on the third Thursday of the month at the Social Justice Center, 33 Central Ave., Albany, NY, 7:30, for a modest (or immodest, if you prefer) donation.