Poets in the Park, July 9

The first of the 2016 Poets in the Park was, alas, not in the Park, but in the Social Justice Center due to rain & predictions of thunderstorms. But even without the statue of Robert Burns looming behind us, it was a most poetic event.

Catherine Arra is author of 2 chapbooks of poetry, Slamming & Splitting (Red Ochre Press, 2014) and Loving from the Backbone (Flutter Press, 2015), & she read from both, as well as more recently written poems.

She started with a selection from Slamming & Splitting, the poem “She Says” where the conflict starts, then a clever bit of metaphor, “Traffic,” about exiting a tight parking space & a marriage, then the title poem mixing science with poetry, & “Married but Separated Prayer” on the death of her mother, her mother’s ashes & trees. As a transition she read an amusing poem from her first year of teaching 7th grade “Transparent Pants” about responding to a student's boner & learning how to teach.

 Then on to some love poems from Loving from the Backbones. “Sustenance” was filled with images from the stuff of daily living, while “When He Comes” was a wonderfully explicit erotic poem, as was the title poem in a more subtle, reptilian way. Her newer poems included observations about Florida such as the poem in character “God’s Waiting Room” & the descriptive “Water Aerobics.” She ended with her most recent poem “From the Bowl Like Mercy Itself” a meditation on the small & large disasters of life.  Catherine's poems are sexy, filled with images from the life we know &, did I say sexy?

Jan Barry began by talking about some of his ongoing projects working with veterans, such as Warrior Writers, & Combat Papers, describing the work of Eli Wright making art with barbed wire & with masks. Back in 1972 he co-edited with W.D. Ehrhart Winning Hearts & Minds: War Poems by Vietnam Veterans, the title ironic because that was the U.S. government’s term for the campaign in Vietnam.  It was the earliest collection of such writing by veterans of that war.

He began his reading with a song lyric/poem by Darden Smith from a song-writing workshop that Jay said had inspired him to think about a new book of poems. His own poems began with a series on holidays, “Memorial Day” thinking of parades & gardening, “Memorial holidays,”&  “Commemorating Peace” on Armistice Day & Arbor Day. “Saving Art” was set at a “monsoon” at the Clearwater Festival, & “Early Warning” was about another storm, this an October snow storm. He often travels across country & read a series of short descriptive pieces poems from that: “California Traffic,” “Wild Life Signs” (set in Arizona), “Route 50 Across Nevada”, “Home on the Range” (about his Aunt in West Texas now in a nursing home), “Grand Lands” pondering landscapes of America ruined by industry, & the last poem in the planned book “Utah” about it’s beauty. A book I already want to buy before it is even done.

It is Summer in the great Northeast so we are never certain what the weather will be. Poets in the Park has 2 more events, July 16 with Mary Crane & Victorio Reyes, & July 30 with Sarah Browning & Bunkong Tuon. The readings are planned to be at the Robert Burns statue in Albany’s Washington Park at 7:00PM on each of those dates, & you will need to bring a chair or blanket to sit on. But if it is raining we will be at the Social Justice Center at 33 Central Ave. instead. It’s free, brought to you by the Poetry Motel Foundation & the Hudson Valley Writers Guild.

Caffè Lena Poetry Open Mic, July 6

The historic Caffè Lena building on Phila St. is undergoing renovations this Summer so the reading & open mic series has moved to Northshire Bookstore on Broadway in Saratoga Springs. I got there a little late, missed the first reader or so, & didn’t get to sign up. But there were lots of folks filling the 2nd floor children’s book section & reading space, many of whom I’d not seen over on Phila St. As always, Carol Graser was our host as usual.

I arrived as Suzanne Rancourt was introduced & she read the richly descriptive memoir “Pastries on Lark St.” & a poem titled “When She Sings Birds Fly.” Dawn Marar made a rare appearance at an open mic with 2 poems about dancers, one about childhood dance lessons. Philomena Moriarty read 2 piece not in her recent book, one a memoir of a family house in Kerry “On Being Irish,” & “Starships” (on great minds).

The first of the night’s 2 featured poets was Marilyn McCabe, who has a new collection of poetry, Glass Factory from The Word Works press. She read mostly short poems on the human condition & about connecting with others, with titles like “Thoughts on System Theory,” “Self-Sight,” & poems on loss & love. She also read from a series based on the site-specific and land art sculptor Andy Goldsworthy (“Goldsworthy Variations”), a poem, “Mercy: Bird in Hand”, based on art based on her poems, others on mortality, on recovery from loss, & ended with “Eden, An Alternate Version.” It was a thoughtfully arranged, well-planned reading.

Cheryl Clarke also has a new book out from The Work Works, By My Precise Haircut. She began with “Reprise (for Allen Ginsberg)” a meditation on sex & America that just sort of faded out.  The poem “Body Double” was an AIDS project poem, while “Capitol Car Chase” was about the unfortunate U-turn Miriam Carey took at the White House in 2013 that got her killed. She also read from a series of poems based on slave narratives, then a poem for a jazz singer “19 Lines for Easter,” then returned to sex, & writing, with her last poem. When she began to read I thought she looked familiar so when I spoke to her after the open mic I asked if she had read at Split This Rock. She said she was there, ran a panel discussion on the poet/activist Pat Parker that I had attended.

Wanda Birch said this was her first open mic, & read from a series of poems based on letters written during the Civil War. Tim Snider, who usually reads rhyming pieces, read a prose piece on hate, titled “And More.”

I hadn’t seen Nancy Denofio read in many, many months but tonight she was back with a prosaic political conversation. Bob Sharkey began with his touching piece about reading to his granddaughter “Scarrey People,” then a poem on innocence “I, Dash Man.” Carol Graser read “Book Donation” about her work at East Line Books. My co-host at the Arts Center, Nancy Klepsch, also made a rare appearance reading a poem on gratitude then her funny, tough poem “The Invisible Lesbian.” Rodney Parrott is a regular, read a long narrative poem about a trip to the laundromat, rewarded with a woman’s panties.

W.D. Clarke stayed on theme with “The Collector” a piece in rhyme about the theft of woman’s “bloomers.” Jeanine Lafferty read 2 poems about working on a CSA farm. Another regular, Barbara Garro, read a poem about one of her paintings, then a piece titled “Memento Mori” (which reminded me of Patti Smith’s line, “Jesus died for somebody’s sins, but not mine”). Jan Tramontano made a surprise appearance in the Northeast & got away with reading 3 poems, all about waiting for her new grandson — such a proud grandma!

The Caffè Lena Poetry Open Mic continues for the Summer, at least, at Northshire Bookstore, 424 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY still on the 1st Wednesday of the month — note the earlier start time: 6:30PM signup, 7:00PM start, no cover while at the bookstore, but donations for the cafe gratefully accepted.

Nitty Gritty Slam, July 5

Well, Nitty Gritty anyways, an open mic night on the theme of “independence” in all its aspects, at The Low Beat, hosted by Amani & Jay — even an exquisite corpse poem for the audience to create. There was a sign-up sheet, some got added, & some of us who hung around went around twice.

Amani did a mix of her own pieces, some read, some recited, & a skit with Jay about a phone call from a school about a child who is rebellious, just like his mom raised him. Early on I did my “love version” of “Labels & Names”, & “Going Postal;” later, did “One Poem.”

Liv (or Olivia) was a bit closer to the theme with piece about being in Palestine & Israel, thinking of the Palestinians & the connection of their suppression to white supremacy; later performed a piece titled “The Ice Poem” about attempting to make peace with her mother. Both were delivered in a Slam style, both too long, seeking that 3 minute finish line. Perhaps “long” is a matter of perception. Ramon said he had “3 short pieces” but the first one was longer than, say, my 3 pieces put together; in half-rhymes he explored the frustrations of a black PhD student, of wet sex/love, &, later, a narrative piece in rhyme titled “The Preacher & the Un-Preached.” I really need to hear what he would call a “long” piece for comparison.

A couple of young women did single pieces from memory. Esha (? spelling) did a song/poem, linking images & rhyme, either from memory or free form, a good performance nonetheless.

Cleo also gave a good, energetic performance, also involving song, “to the kings of algorithm.”

At one point Jay & Amani read the audience-composed poem, the exquisite corpse — hope they saved the copy. As at other events where such works are created I wish the organizers would post the results somewhere online — here, perhaps?

Amani & Jay ended the night with another audience participation piece, this a reading of quotes from Frederick Douglass, followed by the call-&-response, “Freedom — Now!” Now this is the way to celebrate “Independence Day.”

Nitty Gritty Slam is held each 1st & 3rd Tuesday, open mic, sometimes a Slam, sometimes a featured poet, at The Low Beat, 335 Central Ave., Albany, NY, $3/$5, starts about 7:30. Have a beer & read some poetry.

An Evening of Poetry & Prose, June 30

This was the latest of the quarterly(?) readings coordinated & hosted by Harvey Havel at the Hudson River Coffee House. Tonight there were 4 readers, in addition to Harvey himself, a variety of prose fiction, essays, poetry, both rhymed & unrhymed.

Harvey Havel read first, a short story titled “The Sleeper Cell,” a story of a pre-9/11 terrorist underground in New Jersey, waiting for the day of the mission.

Thérèse Broderick read from a new series of poems, “Idylls on Cutting the Grass with Scissors” (I’m not kidding about the scissor landscaping!), descriptive, even conversational (with the plants she is cutting), & a haiku. She also read from Albany-born poet Gregory Orr (check out his poems in the latest issue of American Poetry Review).

Joe Krausman described the poems he read tonight as mostly about desire, with a bit of aging thrown in. His poems ranged from being turned on by young beauties, to Mary Baker Eddy, to Hollywood script writers, & the women’s magazines at the supermarket. All told with humor & the occasional rhyme.

Brian Dorn, who has been a regular fixture in this series, read from his collection of poems From My Poems to Yours: the Live Version. His poems are rhymed expressions of love & a positive outlook on life, & like Joe, knows the value of a little humor in rhymes & to how write positive poems without being preachy or maudlin.

Mary Panza gave a rare public reading of some of her Housewife Tuesday Blogs from the AlbanyPoets.com website. She began with an early one, “Doomed,” on the pajancho, then one about her daughter, another about aging & choosing to spend more time on her face than trying to get skinny, & one on (of course) PMS. They are funny online, even funnier with Mary strutting her stuff.

You just have to stay tuned to messages from the poetry world to find out when the next reading in this series will take place, & who will be reading, but it will most likely take place at the Hudson River Coffee House on Quail Street in Albany, NY.

Poets Speak Loud!, June 27

On the last Monday of the month, after the weekly peace vigil in Delmar, I like to drive back into Albany to McGeary’s, have a drink & dinner at the bar, then head to the back room for the monthly reading & open mic. Tonight’s featured poet was the ever-more-lovely Carrie Czawkiel. But first, the open mic, hosted by Mary Panza.

Sylvia Barnard was the first reader with a memory piece, slightly revised, “Travel,” then a new piece for the assassinated British member of Parliament, “Tribute to Jo Cox.” I was next with an older poem about an experience in an airport “Southwest Flight 2095, Seat 8A” (Hot pants!) & poem about writing a poem on my break at work (from back in the day), “Those Big APR Poems.” Annie Sauter read “Cable Fever Word Fail,” then a fantasy ramble “Sleeping with Spider Man’s Flannel Sheets.”

The open mic here a McGeary’s seems to be a favorite of Carrie Czwakiel, & one of the earliest places she has read her poems so it was a pleasure to hear her as a featured poet reading more than 1 or 2 poems. She said that her reading tonight was a series of poems that she wrote about getting away from her abusive ex-husband, beginning with a piece from memory, “No More.” The poem “Reflections in the Mirror” was about quieting the voices of self-doubt, while “Poison” was about removing the toxin of her ex. She included a raw version of a piece based on “Five” by the band Machine Head. Perhaps the best of her pieces was what she called “a forgiveness poem” with contrasting images of good & bad, about how “a drunk killed the man I loved.” She ended with a poem titled “Life is Beautiful,” a nice arc to the reading. While these poems could be classed as “therapy poems,” her use of language & images suggest that if she broadens her themes as she continues to write we should expect some engaging poetry from Carrie in the future.

Back to the open mic, Randee Renzi (in fabulous shoes) continued Carrie’s main theme with “Stronger Than Your Fists,” then an old poem, seeking poems “to take you down a road of dreams.” Duke$ (that’s how he signed up) tells a story with a moral about a bird, a cat & pile of shit. Tom Riley read a couple of poems from a series he is writing about where he lives, the first, “A Body in Motion,” portraits of friends, then a similar, but longer piece about a lesson learned from a friend. Karen Fabiane read a new piece she had read at her recent feature at the Social Justice Center, “The Best Thing You Said Was I Am Really Tired of It Now,” then, as requested by Carrie, “I Fucked St. Joan.” Karen will be the featured poet here next month.

Poets Speak Loud! happens on the last Monday of the month at McGeary’s on Clinton Square, 7:30PM (or thereabouts), with a featured poet & an open mic for the rest of us, sponsored by AlbanyPoets.com. See you there.

Third Thursday Poetry Night, June 16

Tonight’s featured poet was Karen Fabiane. & because today is the international festival of “Bloomsday” our muse for the night was James Joyce, a bit of Molly Bloom’s soliloquy from Ulysses. & as the mythical tour-bus was still circling the mythical streets looking for that mythical parking spot, tonight’s open mic poets had the option of reading 2 — count ‘em! — 2 poems in the open mic.

First up was Richard Propp reading poems from the Spanish Jewish physician, poet & philosopher Judah Halevi (1075 - 1141). Alan Catlin read a memoir poem inspired by a reading of a book on the killings at Kent State in 1970 “After Reading 67 Shots, the Killings at Kent State,” then from his recent book American Odyssey “Our Lady of the Sub-Basement.” Annie read, with her dark glasses on, a piece exploring love “Narcissus eats Goldmun & Spits Him Out,” then “10 of Cups” beginning with a quote from Jimi Hendrix. Philomena read from her recent chapbook of poems, My Moon Self, first the poem about a blackout, “Inadequacies,” then the last poem in the book “Benefaction,” a bus poem on gratitude.

Bob Sharkey, who of course knew today was Bloomsday, read a new poem, “Pulse of My Heart,” a meditation on gender-identity, on Orlando, all in the context of Ulysses & Bloomsday. Kaly had shown up early, signed up, then cut out for a while, but was back in time to perform a free-form sermon on love & victims. I ended the open mic with the poem “Beach” from my chapbook Gloucester Notes.

Karen Fabiane has been doing a number of featured readings in the last few months & is a frequent reader at open mics around town. Tonight she was the featured poet here.  She began with a new poem about miscommunication, “Was That You?” Then from her first book, Dancing Bears (Bright Hill Press, 2011) she read “There Was a Very Smooth Aspect to Her,” “Slay Me,” & “Rain Today.” From the anthology from 2nd Sunday @ 2, 2, she read both her entries, “This Hardship of Loving” & “Noticeably Difficult.” On to poems from Seeing You Again (Grey Book Press, 2014), including “I Fucked St. Joan,” “Begone,” & the title poem. She then shifted to a poem written today “The Best Thing You Said Was I Am Really Tired of it Now,” another phone conversation like her first poem, this with a woman going through a break-up, even referencing the very reading she is given now. She ended with a brief “The Rest of Us.”

Join us with a poem each third Thursday at the Social Justice Center (33 Central Ave., Albany) for a featured poet & an open mic, 7:30PM. Your donation of $3.00, or as generous as you want to be, helps pay the featured poet & supports the Social Justice Center.

Albany Poets Presents: Mary Panza, June 15

This is a bi-monthly continuing series held since last December at Restaurant Navrona in Albany (NY). Tonight’s presentee was Albany poet, vice-(emphasis on vice) president of Albany Poets, bar-tender, masseuse, mother & bitch-on-wheels Mary Panza. El presidente Thom Francis began by talking about the first open mic he ever attended at Borders with Mary as host, & how terrified he was. He then turned the mic over to Mary for a reading of her poems, including recent ones, & a couple of her “Housewife Tuesday” Blogs from AlbanyPoets.com.

Mary began with a poem about her daughter, “The Little Blond,” then on to a funny (as she often is) Housewife Tuesday about family & grocery shopping. A poem for poet Chris Rizzo was based on Charles Olson’s famous statement from his essay Projective Verse, “Form is never more than an extension of content.” She wrote about hope in “Prisoners of a Cardboard Story,” & about herself & self-realization in a piece set in a club “I Want You To Know.” She ended with a Housewife Tuesday piece from a recent trip to Hawaii that brought her back to forgiveness & her roots as a Catholic through a Buddhist monk’s chanting.

The reading was followed by a series of questions, from host Thom Francis & various audience members. “You are so creepy,” was Mary’s response to Thom’s questions about favorite/least-favorite words & what turns her on (vodka, by the way), but she did admit that Nick Bisanz was her favorite harmonica player, & that she regretted being “mean.” She said what got her started was soap opera, the QE2 & the open mic she ran at Borders on Wolf Rd. Now, she finds the poetry scene different, the “family” spread apart, but that it keeps on going. As for herself, she likes reading other people’s stuff, appreciates their sensibility, & has grown to like editing.

I have seen Mary Panza grow & mature from her (& my own) tentative early days at the QE2 open mics, to become the confident, hard-working writer & Mom who is one of the Elders of the Albany poetry scene. & it is a credit to Thom Francis for presenting this series every-other month about & for the poets who keep active in the area writing & spoken-word scene.