Harry Staley/George Drew, May 2

Poet Harry Staley

This was a reading & book launch for Harry Staley's long-awaited book, Truant Pastures, The Complete Poems of Harry C. Staley (SUNY Press). Harry is a UAlbany Professor Emeritus in English & a poet who has read in his heyday throughout the community, including the Readings Against the End of the World & Poets in the Park. He taught at the University from 1956 until he retired in 1993.

But first we heard from poet George Drew, reading from is introduction to Truant Pastures, some poems from his 2010 collection The View from Jackass Hill & some new poems. In addition to paying tribute to Harry Staley ("The Annexation"), George also paid tribute to other professors he studied under in such poems as "Making Up With Milton," "God in the Hands of an Angry Sinner" & "The Older I Get the More I Think of Keats." He also paid tribute to the poet/psychotherapist Paul Goodman ("Doing Dante One Better") & to the influence of Hayden Carruth on his work.

George introduced Harry by reading Harry's poem "Parakeet & Pilot." But it was Harry Staley we all came to see & hear. His poems are always touched by humor & fun with word play. "Obese as Buddha" is a meditation on the poet snorkeling, then into the stunning play on sound & meaning, "Chalk It," which he can still deliver with energy & panache. He included "Preliminary Report from Dr. Peters, Geo-therapist," then a series of the anti-war/ war poems, "Penmanship," "Argument from Design," a couple sections from "Nocturnes (from early films)." That was enough for Harry, but his fans called him back to read "Biology One," & "Take Us In Mister."

It was a thrill to see Harry Staley back out to publicize this ultimate collection of his poems. Age is taking its toll, as it does with us all, but Harry always seemed to have great fun at his readings & he glowed with that joy & energy again today.

My NaPoWriMo: Update (3)

April is the cruelest month, filling up my calendar with more poetry than I can possibly get to. But now that WordFest is done, & it is now May, I can look back to my assignment for "Poetry Month" to spend some time each day with the works of a different poet. With all the busy-ness of the month sometimes that meant just having a muse or poetic patron saint of the day.

Catherine Connolly (photo by Tom Corrado)

On April 15 the recently gone Catherine Connolly looked over my poetic shoulder as I read thru the just-published Orion's Belt: Poems (Poets' Corner Press).

I've been reading Paul Blackburn off & on almost my entire poetic life. Even his journal entries are like poems, snapshots, not quite like Frank O'Hara's first I do this then I do that. Reading him on April 16 I realize that my own city poems are closer to Blackburn's than O'Hara's.

At Split This Rock I bought Sarah Browning's book of poems Whiskey in the Garden of Eden & I used April 17 to finish reading it. I have heard Sarah read in the past but it is nice to be able to spend more time with her carefully drawn personal poems & with her confrontation with racism & other social issues. Keep at it, Sarah!

"Claire Wilks" signed my copy of Drunken Oasis (Rattapallax Press, 2011) in DC but the introduction, written by poet Susan Brennan (who in her youth read at the QE2 open mic), says she "was brutally murdered on April 16, 1974." I've enjoyed these poems paralleling my own East Village experience, but for the real thing check out Verse: a Murder Mystery at rattapallax.com.

I've been dipping in & out of Aimee Nezhukumatathill's (say that 3 time fast) book of poems, Lucky Fish, for months, so I used April 19 to get a few more pages along. A younger poet worth checking out.

I was preparing for the Page to Stage workshop I'd been doing with Mojavi & Kevin Peterson at Stage 1 by reading through Anne Waldman's poem "Fast Speaking Woman" so I made her my Poet-of-the-Day for April 20. All our students have been girls so I felt we needed a strong woman poet for them. 

April 21 was the Albany WordFest poetry marathon at the Albany Public Library, & Karaoke + Poetry = Fun at Valentines, so if that's not enough poetry in 1 day to satisfy the Poet-a-Day I don't know what is.

Although April 22 was the day of the Smith's Tavern Poet Laureate Contest up in Voorheesville  it was also the day of a screening of Voices in Wartime at the Opalka Gallery in Albany. The event also included poems read by Ed Tick & others. Plenty of poets & poetry this day.

Every figure needs a blemish, & here it is -- April 23. After 8 days of poetry events, some more than 1 a day, this is the Sabbath. Or, as Groucho Marx once said in a completely different context, "I like my cigar too, but sometimes I take it out of my mouth."

Jan Tramontano's new chapbook from Finishing Line Press, Paternal Noctures, arrived recently. Moreso, I've been listening to her read a poem here, a poem there from her collection during WordFest (& before), so of course she should be my poet for April 24.

I enjoy reading Buddhist texts, such as the Lotus Sutra & the Heart Sutra -- it is poetry, filled with numbers & illusions, so April 25 was devoted to the text & various commentaries on the Heart Sutra. OM

On April 26 I had a much delayed lunch date with the exquisite Mary Kathryn Jablonski. I published her chapbook To the Husband I Have Not Yet Met (A.P.D.) in 2008. How could I not promote her fine work as one of my Poets-of-the-day?

I was surprised & thrilled on April 27 to receive the latest copy of American Poetry Review with the work of Kenneth Patchen as a special supplement. He is one of the poets who has inspired my work, both poetical & political since high school -- RIP my fellow rebel poet Debbie Slocum from Journalism class (we should have grown old together).

The Okie poet & scholar Jeanetta Calhoun Mish was passing through Albany (aren't we all?) for a reading in Oneonta, so I organized a casual "salon" at the Poetry Motel & a stunning array of poets showed up. So I dedicate April 28 to Jeanetta & her book Work is Love Made Visible -- a fabulous title that works on many levels.

I needed space in this month to 2 of my "Shamans" (as Tom Nattell would have it), so settled in on April 29 with William Blake, the visionary poet/artist whose work is much more than "The Lamb" or "The Tiger". I can't pass a sunflower without bursting into song.

And for the last day of this most busy & poetry-filled month I embraced another of my Shamans, the birthday-boy of May (May 31), old greybeard his-self, Walt Whitman. Please join us in Washington Park (Albany, NY) at the Robert Burns statue at 6PM on May 31 for a reading of "Song of Myself" -- bring chairs, blankets & sign up to help read this quintessential American poem

This poem drooping shy and unseen that I always carry, and that all men carry …  

(Walt Whitman, "Spontaneous Me")

Poets Speak Loud!, April 30

So the center tables in the back room of McGeary's has become the place where AlbanyPoets (or Albany poets) gather with our drinks & food as we wait for the open mic to begin. There is lots of room & even if you are a poetry virgin, if there is an empty seat you can sit there. Of course there are other tables & booths to cluster at as well. I've never heard anyone say, "you can't sit here," we're just not like that. So when a couple of poetry virgins wandered in this night they joined the shenanigans at the table as if they had already been here.

Chris McGoff

With Mother Mary Panza as the host, the first of the night's virgins was Adam Gorman with a reading of "The Dr. Seuss Bible" from the Canadian sketch comedy group The Kids in the Hall. I followed with 2 "seasonal" pieces, "Crane Alley" (for May Day) & "Mothers' Day." The second of the night's virgins was Chris McGoff with the quite literary "Preposition" based on the poetry of Louis Zukofsky. Tess Lecuyer read 2 poems from her 1993 chapbook, Loping Through the Fields of Abandon, "The Woman Who Smelled Like the Flowers of Death" & "A Glove and a Glass Brick to See Through." Joe Krausman read his poem titled like breakfast "Bacon & Eggs," then another that provided the excellent advice to never wash a hedgehog.

The 3-times Slam winner Elizag (Elizabeth Gordon) was the featured poet with a selection of all new poems on a variety of themes & topics, read from her notebooks, such as poems to her students ("Advice I Can't Give My Students," etc.), & a untitled Autumn piece that included fly fishing. There was also the "Slamery" (her term) poem "Late Night Phone Call to My Ex," & a string of poems about living in Cohoes, such as "The Cats of Cohoes," "Above the Harmony Mills Condos," "I ask Questions of the One Left" (on racism) & others, ending with the poem "Scientist." Elizag is a harsh & probing critic of our political/social scene, the kind of poet who fits well in the slam scene, but can also liven up the more mundane open mics.

Emily Gonzalez is back in town with 2 "just written" poems, including one on love & loss, humbly title "Just a Poem." Avery read a Billy Collins poem, then one about camping with his son in 24 degree weather, "Camping with Fox." Poetic Visionz performed a piece about history & Time & elders passing down the stories, & another piece titled "Money." Kevin Peterson was the night's last poet, with a list poem from an old notebook, "Self-Portrait," & the 2-part "A Shitty Night's Sleep." 

Another night at McGeary's, which, if you weren't there, you missed it. Usually on the last Monday of the month, in May we will gather on May 21 (a week early) to avoid the Memorial Day holiday. Check the listings on AlbanyPoets.com.

Smith's Tavern Poet Laureate Contest, April 22

Mark O'Brien & Dennis Sullivan

Another annual poetry-rite-of-Spring & I just had to be there. This was the third year for this event, with 10 poets competing for the laurel crown. This is a very well organized & structured contest, run by Dennis Sullivan, Edie Abrams & Mike Burke, with the wonderful support of the owners & staff of Smith's Tavern up in Voorheesville, NY. This year's judges were the reigning Poet Laureate, Howard Kogan, & Greg Gross, Thom Francis & Phillip Levine. Each poet read 3 times in random order, with different maximum line-lengths for each round. The score-keeper once again was Georgia Gray.

Charles Straney's poems were centered on the natural world, exemplified by his 2nd round poem "Poetics" in which words are objects, such as birds, wind, & insects.

Mark O'Brien (aka Obeeduid) is a favorite & his poem about sending his poems out as "children" resonated against his poem about his daughter driving off.

Sue Petrie's poems were quiet, pensive, like her reading style, about relationships.

Voorheesville stalwart Catherine Anderson's poems were full of the natural wisdom of gardens, hay & chairs.

Tom Corrado's John Ashbery rip-offs are fun, but his rage against the dark, "I Continue to Get Older," bounced words against each other & made us laugh.

Therese Broderick also drew heavily from the natural world, culminating in "Cemetary Rondeau." 

Stephen W. Leslie is another poet with a quiet, meditative style, even including meditation in his poem "Ornamental Cherry Tree."

Sara Anderson

Sara Anderson's work was new to me, captivating strings of images & rhymes, a poet whose work I'd like to hear more of at area open mics. 

Jim Williams also likes to use rhyme (after all he is also a folk-singer), but I particularly enjoyed his Pantoum 1 (which apparently is his only pantoum).

Faith Green is another poet who should try out her work more at open mics, particularly since she likes to use humor, as in "Terms of Endearment" & "I Hate Mushrooms."

Tom Corrado, Therese Broderick & Charles Straney

When the dust settled & the scores were calculated, Howard crowned Therese Broderick as the new, reigning Smith's Tavern Poet Laureate. Tom Corrado was in 2nd place & Charles Straney in 3rd. & the rest of us enjoyed the poetry, the food & drinks at Voorheesville's wonderful Smith's Tavern, where there is an actual "Poet's Corner."

Albany WordFest Karaoke + Poetry = Fun, April 21

It's all over except the shenanigans (or as we used to say, the "PsychoClusterFuck"). Karaoke + Poetry = Fun was held upstairs at Valentines. Lila ran the music machine & in order to sing you had to first read a poem. There was a great variety of poets & wannabee rock stars getting more & more energetic as the night went on. Some of us even went more than once. The evening's host was the most-inappropriate professor, Daniel Nester, who kept writing things in my notebook about people taking their pants off.

Nester's poem was his ball-scratching "Mott Street Pastoral" which he teamed up with "Dirty White Boy." Later, in a weird bit of synchronicity (see previous Blog) Nester read a poem by the 20th Century poet Robert Hayden (again, see previous Blog) -- how weird is that?

Dirty Dancing

Another particular favorite was Don Levy reading his poem "Action Figure with Kung Fu Grip," then making his way through "Harper Valley PTA." It seemed a perfect fit for me to hear Avery do the suburbanite's fantasy escape, "Margaritaville," although he wasn't bad later on (more juiced) as a rapper & a couple times as a back-up singer, stripped to a soaking tee-shirt. Speaking of which Sadie had an interesting poem about working in a tee-shirt factory, as well as serving as "back-up guitar" to Josh Harkins, who also had some pretty good poems, including one titled "Critical Thinking" (a love poem).

I was up a few times with various "Coyote" poems, & performed some Karaoke favorites, "Wild Thing," "I Wanna Be Sedated," & "The End."

Another poet whose work I liked (among the many) was Marie Frankson, whose strong poems & songs belied her small stature. One poem began "I love a man who…", & another recalled a "Bad Day" & she was even joined by Kevin Peterson & Avery as sweaty back-up singers at the end. Kevin Peterson read a poem "4 syllables longer than a haiku" & channeled Janis Joplin (minus the giggle) on the Mercedes Benz song; he also popped up increasingly as a back-up singer for Carlos Garcia, Marie Frankson & Carissa's grand finale. I think he's a dead-heat with Avery about which is the gayest straight guy on stage.

Lila even read a poem, "Too Many Clothes," & another one-timer was Jill who read a poem to her finance so she could do the Stones' "In My Life." A.C. Everson also did a Stones' tune, "Mother's Little Helpers" after reading her poem about pollution. Shannon Shoemaker recited one of her sad lost love poems before channeling Joan Jett. Ed Rinaldi was up a couple times, one time cloning the Violent Femmes, as well as backing up Thom Francis whose poem was a cover of Jim Morrison's "The Movie."

Mojavi's poems were of love & sex & then backed up for his song by Nester & Ron Shaver.

The grand finale was Carissa reading a rare poem, "Used to Do," followed by a raucous (could it be otherwise?) version of Meatloaf's "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" with a motley crew of backup singers.

Oh Baby, if you weren't there you missed the end of WordFest 2012 & have to wait for it to come around again as the World turns. It was the biggest & best of the WordFests. Who'd had thought back in 2001 we'd still be doing this & making it better each time. Thanks to AlbanyPoets.com & all those whose venues made this week so powerful.  More photos can be found at my Flicker! site.

Albany WordFest Marathon Open Mic, April 21

Mary Panza keeps it moving.

One thing that has always characterized the WordFest since its inception has been the open mic. This year we were at the main auditorium of the Albany Public Library, a wonderful venue for community poetry. While certainly not of the scale/length of the old 24-hour Readings Against the End of the World, often held at this same weekend years ago, much of the day brought back memories of the rhythm & spirit of that great event. There was the languid start as the morning-eyed poets gathered, there were the no-shows & late arrivals, the just-showed up fill-ins, the hardcore poets who show up throughout the year, there were the virgins & near-virgins, & the wonderful surprise poets we had never seen before (or only at last year's WordFest). Poets read in 5-minute time slots, & with the loose schedule it hardly mattered when they went over (most of the time), Mary Panza cracking the whip as the MC & host.

Alan Casline was our good-morning poet with poems all written in the last month, including one for the late Catherine Connolly. Bob Sharkey was able to read all the parts of his wandering the city poem, "Albany." Edward Rinaldi shared some of the poems he's been writing each day (was he toasting Peeps with his kids in one of them?). Always great fun, Howard Kogan included his poem "3 Jokes of Science."

I think the award for the newbie of the week should go to Rick Harrienger, who showed up for the first time at the Slam Tuesday night, then came to the Third Thursday reading, & here he was today, with a series of poems "for the veterans," including a devastating "To the Mothers of the MIAs" about losing his buddies in a fire-fight in Viet Nam. Don Levy read some of his best, & included one of his "history of the Albany poetry scene" poems, "Tom Gogola Naked."

At this point I had to get lunch & so missed some of the poets, but there was a whole afternoon before me. When I got back there was a lull in the action, waiting for the clock to catch up to the poets.

Starting up again, the first poet up was Cheryl A. Rice with poems from chapbooks to-be, including "Moses Parts the Tulips." Frederick Glaysher  came all the way from Michigan to read an extended section from lunar epic "The Parliament of Poets," with the 20th Century Afro-American poet Robert Hayden as guide (the first of 2 references today to Hayden, a largely neglected poet). You can see the entire 15-minute performance on his website.

There was Kevin Peterson with a new piece, "Thru the Glass," followed by Albert with "a piece of rhyme" so fast I hardly caught it.  Avery appropriately enough included a poem about going to a Library, "A Trip Down Fantasy Lane," as well as the cosmic "Thanks for a Glass of Water."

Sharisse Williams was a walk-in with poems on Art & love. Tim Verhaegen cracked us up with his "obituary poem" about his brother & the whole dysfunctional family. Leo Ruiz read a poem called "Morning Announcements," followed by Michael Purcell reading from his book No Apologies Given (Xlibris, 2011).

Chad Lowther took care of the arrangements for this reading at the Library, for which I know AlbanyPoets are very grateful; his poems are experimental, misanthropic, surrealistic & read in a unique, sometimes unsettling style. Joe Krausman is always conversational & read a cluster of poems touching on Jung's "synchronicity." Another of the area's finest poets, Anthony Bernini, read some poems in manuscript. Shannon Shoemaker did all her poems from memory. Another contender for the newbie of the week award is Jay Toraty who was also at the Slam, Third Thursday, but had shown up Monday night as well; his poem today was "To the Crazy Man Preaching at the Podium." 

L-Majesty got some members of the audience excited with his gay sex poem, "Boy Pussy." Jill Crammond's poems took on love from a different point of view, as a natural disaster, as fire. Jan Tramontano read from her just-published chapbook, Paternal Nocturne (Finishing Line Press, 2012) poems based on letters written by her grandfather. Carolee Sherwood reached back a number of years to the prophetic "Godzilla Tears up Main St. Castleton to Show Me the Way Out," among others. I've heard David Wolcott before read his "Scottsdale Summer" memoir about working on a horse farm & was glad & amused again. I sandwiched a very old poem, "Mayasarah," between 2 recent ones, "For Moses Kash III" & "The Key." Steve Minchin read a bunch of quirky poems, including "A Piece of Vincent" (on VanGogh's ear).

Jacqueline Kirkpatrick's poems were tuned to the Beats, especially her lament, "I Can't Beat." Tess Lecuyer included an old Persephone poem, with "Sad Food," & the witchy "Toll." Alan Catlin closed out the day in a bit of symmetry (see first poet who read) with a couple of poems based on "Desolation Row" then the horrific experience in Samford, FL at the "Emergency Room."

We were done about 4:15, WordFest drawing to a close, but not quite yet, we still had the psycho-clusterfuck of tonight's shenanigans at Valentines. Stay tuned.

Albany WordFest, etc., April 20

The "etc." was the final event of the semester in the Yes! Poetry & Performance series at the Social Justice Center, in Albany, NY. I was just passing through on my way to Urban Guerilla Theatre but caught part of the performance. This night combined modern dance, poetry & a dance party.

The small storefront space was packed with dance fans/friends for Rachelle Smith-Stallman & Company in an piece with grim & dirty (black charcoal) abstract dancing, abstract electronic & guitar music, &, well, abstract lighting & projection to-boot. I like watching such dancing, because I like watching human bodies in motion, but don't always get what's what (like a lot of modern "experimental" poetry).

After the dancers cleared out there was more room in the place & the one poet I caught was Tim Peterson reading his chapbook Violet Speech (2nd Ave. Poetry). The text was taken from documents from his life & a discourse on contemporary queer poetics. As Tim explained, he had been (almost) evicted from his home, from his poetry & from his body.

UGT had already begun so I split & missed the rest of Yes! Hopefully there will be more when the season starts up in the Fall (but let's not wish the Summer away!).

This month's Urban Guerilla Theatre was billed as "Skit Happens," featuring short videos, "Booty Credit" Parts 1 & 2 with the very sexy Tenesha Smith using her assets to buy things in a store. There was comedy (of sorts), Jessica did a porn-poem "I Faked It", Christopher the P.O.E.T. did some of the pieces he did last night at the Social Justice Center, FLOETIK (a group from Detroit) did some rap/hip hop pieces, including the moving "Cry for Me," even some characteristically uplifting words of wisdom from Poetic Visionz. There was more that I missed on this night of half-shows as the 2012 Albany WordFest continues.

UGT is usually on the 3rd Friday of the month at the Linda Auditorium of WAMC on Central Ave., Albany, NY.