International Women’s Day Reading, March 6

I had responded to a call for entries from the Moonstone Arts Center in Philadelphia for poems for an anthology to be published for International Women’s Day & my poem “Waiting for Jacqueline Robinson” was published in the 2-volume anthology. There was also a Zoom reading by the contributors, hosted by Larry Robin, director of the Moonstone Arts Center that I attended & read. Others from our local scene also reading were Naomi Bindman & Nancy Klepsch, & Julie Lomoe also has work in the anthology but was not on the Zoom reading. The Moonstone Arts Center sponsors in-person poetry readings in Philadelphia, online readings, & publishes individual chapbooks & anthologies. Visit their website for more information & their bookstore.

The readers mostly read their work that was published in the anthology, proceeding, mostly in alphabetical order, while a few of us "guys" read, most were women. The readers were Madeline Artenberg (“At the Butterfly Conservatory” in the persona of a butterfly”); Naomi Bindman (“Tea Ceremony”); Sylvia Beverly (“Our Best is High-Ranking”); Zechariah Butler-Stevenson (“I Could Never Be a Woman,” said it was his 1st time); Oksana N. Mauricio.

Lynda Crawford (dialing in from California, “Women talking, and then she said”); David Eberhardt (“To a Woman” for Anne Frank, not in the anthology); Bryan Franco (“My Mother the Picture Frame Model”); Phillip Giambri (“Queen Beebe” (his mother in a nursing home); Linda Goss “(Women of Mother Earth” with singing & bells); Joanne Grumet (“The Dinner Party” about the Judy Chicago exhibit); Maurice Henderson (“a  multi-language, tribute poem, not in book); Beejay Grob (“Palmyra Station, 1971”). 

Nikole Hood [2.41.16] (“never tell a goddess”); Jacqueline Jewell (“Suhaila” “…a little palestinian girl…”); Irving Jones aka, Karamo Sulieman (“for The Liberation of Women”); Chris Kaiser (“Menstruating Women are Unclean & other lies intending to subjugate them”); Rachel Kiskaddon (“I, Woman”); Linda Kleinbub (“The World is on Lockdown/ We are Sheltering in Place”); Nancy Klepsch (“Shopping for a Goddess”); Josephine LoRe (“Mother’s Hands”); Deirdre Maher (“Sisters”).

Sara McAulay (“*glorious* *glo*" descriptive tribute of a friend with wild typography & the best teeshirt of the afternoon;)  [2.58.30] Aniqua McHardy (“I Love that We Are Different”); L. Anne Molin (“Mayfly” with seqoia); Hermond Palmer “Organs of Obligation”); Faith Paulsen (“She/Her”); Kay Peters (“Miscarriage”); Linda Romanowski (“New Beginnings”); Renée Szostek (“Fighting for my right to learn, achieve, and succeed”, a tanka). Diane Murray Ward (“The Pieta Beheld Her Twice”); Me (“Waiting for Jacqueline Robinson (“Women & the Liberation of Humanity”). Samantha Wright ("In Praise of Women"); Steven Halpern ("Women and the Liberation of Humanity").

Last year I was also included in an anthology put out by the Moonstone Arts Center Protest 2021: Celebrating 100 Thousand Poets for Change. Look for more poetry & social justice action from this group out of Philadelphia.

Caffè Lena Poetry Night, March 2

This long on-going series managed to continue during the pandemic with just featured readers, & is now back to its past format of a featured reader & an open mic, with the featured reader being live-streamed. The host who holds this event together is poet Carol Graser. She began the night by reading Ilya Kaminsky’s oft-posted poem “We Lived Happily During the War” from his 2019 book from Graywolf Press, Deaf Republic.

Tonight’s feature poet was Lance Le Grys, who recently made the trip from Vermont to the Albany Social Justice Center to read in the open mic, & was in the open mic here at  Caffè Lena back in January. He read mostly from his book Views from an Outbuilding (Clare Songbirds Publishing House, 2019). It is a series of loosely connected poems, short meditations about the outer (& inner) landscape of his writing-shed in the woods. As such it is hard to tell at a reading where one poem ends & another begins — & perhaps they don’t. He also read a poem about the squirrels in a park in Warsaw, Poland, & a tongue is cheek piece, “Living Among Cannibals.” He concluded with a song he wrote in college “The Lemon Fair” which can be found on Bandcamp. 

Then on to the open mic with Rachel Baum the first poet up, a “new” poet who has become a regular here, she read a poem inspired by the image of a car seat left at the Ukraine border “What We Do With Our Days,” & the sad portrait of a young boy “Clean Laundry.” Before she read she gave a shout out to her Librarian friends, which became a minor theme of the night as other readers referenced Librarians in their remarks. She was followed by Aiden Teevan (?), who announced it was his first time here, which became yet another theme; he read a poem inspired by Anglo-Saxon poetry & monsters & which he said was written in class “Winter Breath.” This was perhaps the 1st time in 2 years that I saw Kate McNairy here, who read from her book My Wolf (Finishing Line Press, 2021) “Pink Flamingos” & “The Pageant” about a dog all dressed up.

Marcella Hammer began with a poem inspired by kids talking “Can We Go?” then one from a poetry workshop she runs, “You Have No Business Being Here” on the invasion of Ukraine. Alyvia read a poem, like a letter addressed to a “you,” titled “Doors,” then one about feeling like she is not enough then proving everyone wrong. Debbie Colera (?) was also here for the 1st time & I think was one of Rachel’s Librarian friends, read about grief & missing her parents. I read my poem titled “Kerouac” for the 100th anniversary of his birth this month, then one about the music repair shop downstairs on Phila St., “Cole’s Woodwind & Brass Repair Shop.” Lucyna Prostko has been a featured poet here, at the Third Thursday Poetry Night in Albany, & elsewhere; here, in the open mic, tonight she read about memories of those who endured World War II, a grandmother she never met, & the infant children who died, with the recurring word “maybe …”

Victoria Twomey was here for the 1st time (having moved here recently from Northport, NY where Jack Kerouac lived briefly), read a descriptive piece full of wonder “White Dress on a Clothesline,” then a poem about the death of her father “Candy Hearts.” Becca Haberman was also here for the 1st time, she read poems about a love that she said may not be healthy. Carol Graser read a moving poem I’ve heard her read previously, one she wrote for her son’s wedding “Dissolving the Distance Between You.” Michael Carroll read a couple poems from his recently published book of poems Storms of Summer and Other Poems, one about a muse or lover “Earworm,” the other titled “The Animals are Behaving Badly” about squirrels; you can find his book on Amazon.com. 

Alex Bell read his poems of angst from small sheets of paper, one about dating a writer “One Long Struggle in the Dark,” the other about love/sex in an art gallery “The Mask is Torn Away.” Kersten (?) read a piece that was tour of her mind with a title from a character in the cartoon Sponge Bob Square Pants “The Itterations of my Mind are an Enigma.”

Crystal Horn’s 1st poem was titled with a line that got repeated throughout the poem, “Words to Keep the Meek as Such,” while her 2nd poem, “Fuck You Fortune,” stood in opposition to a sentiment in a prediction on her computer. Melissa Anderson said she was last here when she was 15, which couldn’t have been that long ago, read “A Heart is the Size of a Small Fat Bird,” then a poem titled “March 2020” which looked ahead to a better future. Rodney Parrott read a funny, philosophical pondering of his avatar, also named “Rodney,” titled “Metaverse.” He is habitually the last poet to read, but Ishan Summer slipped in behind him with a poem about people watching in the laundry room, then one about seeing his own breath & that of others, “Cold Mornings Re: COVID.

This event takes place each month on the 1st Wednesday with a featured poet who goes on at 7:00 PM (& is live-streamed on the Caffè Lena website), followed by an open mic, which as you can see from this night’s program is wonderfully varied. Get there (it’s at 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, NY) about 6:30, climb the long stairs or take the elevator, $5.00. Bring a couple poems to read.

[I apologize to those mentioned in this Blog whose name is not accurately reported. It is difficult sometimes to get a person’s name correct when it is announced from the stage. At the end of the event I try to take a picture of the open mic list in order to see how the poet signed up, what is the spelling of their name. However, this night when I asked Carol if I could see the list she said the list was “up front;” when I asked the man at the counter up front to see the list he said “Carol has it.” If I did not include your name accurately you may email me at dwlcx46@gmail.com & I will correct it.]

Third Thursday Poetry Night, February 17

So good to be back here again, tonight’s featured poet was the steadfast Therese Broderick, & of course we had the open mic with, you guessed it, One Poem! I have a long list of poets who have left us since we were last here in early 2020, but each night there can only be 1 Muse — tonight it was the great American poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1919 - 2021), who visited Albany in September 1994, a hero-poet & inspiration to many of us, tonight I read his poem “Baseball Canto.”

Speaking of steadfast, Sylvia Barnard made it over from Willett Street (wisely via Uber) to read a descripitive piece about the tall black trees in Washington Park, a memory of a gone friend. Equally steadfast in the poetry scene Joe Krausman read “Feedback” about how we judge ourselves, & how others do it too. 

Tim Verhaegen read an intense tribute to an emotional friendship with a woman “Saturdays With Angie, 1984 - 1993” contrasting it with his relationships with men. Frank Robinson’s new poem was specially written for this night, “The Subway Couple,” a memory from years ago of a couple quietly, gently holding hands, that still affects him to this day, a true Valentine poem to my thinking.

Therese Broderick was this night’s featured poet. She said that she has been doing poetry for 22 years & talked about how her poetry has changed over the years. She read from her new self-published, hand-sewn chapbook Crosswinds, beginning with “Backyard Crows” written last year, imitating the conversations of the birds, then on to poems about pencils, tropical storm Henri, trees, working in her yard, a trucker exercising at a Thruway rest stop, dropping off a student at college during the pandemic, & one, Buddhist-inspired, about a cat. For the poem “Ghazal” she invited her husband Frank Robinson to join in, then finished with “Sapphics after the Winds of Mars” inspired by the recorded sounds of the wind on the planet Mars. You can arrange to obtain a copy of Crosswinds by emailing Therese at brdrck@gmail.com

After a short break, during which many copies of Therese's book were scarfed up, we continued with the rest of the open mic poets. I read this year’s poem written on my birthday, “The Gifts.” Tom Bonville was back out to read a tender poem, “Welcome Old Age,” an aged couple showering each other. Edie Abrams was also back out, talked about reading several newspapers online, getting ads from Wirecutter, that inspired her hilarious poem “Get a Good Ice-cube Tray it Will Change Your Life” juxtaposed with headlines from the New York Times & thoughts of her mother.

Melissa Anderson was here for the 1st time looking for poetry, & it turns out her grandmother was the poet Catherine Anderson, who many of us in the room knew, then read a tender tribute “In Memory of Catherine Anderson with Thanks to Billy Collins,” written 3 years after her grandmother died. Joan Geitz decided at the last minute to read a poem on death by Anne Alexander Bingham titled “It is Enough.” 

We are back, in-person, on the third Thursday of the month, 7:00PM sign-up/7:30PM start, at the Social Justice Center, 33 Central Ave., Albany, NY, with a featured poet & an open mic before & after the feature — $5 donation supports poetry events in Albany & the work of the Social Justice Center. Join us!

Next Year’s Words: A New Paltz Reading Forum, February 16

Susan Chute is the host of this ongoing series, this being the 4th program in the series 8th year, with featured poets interspersed with open mic poets. Tonight there were upwards of 52 folks in attendance on Zoom. She began tonight reading from Marie Howe on journeys & erasing boundaries. Then on to the first of the 3 featured readers.

Mary Newell is co-editor of the anthology Poetics for the More-than-Human World (Spuyten Duyvil, 2020), & as expected read eco-poems, others with strong connections to the natural world. From her chapbook TILT/HOVER/VEER (Codhill Press) she read poems exploring the use of the word "pith" (e.g., “in the pith of murmurations” of birds), & the Japanese kintsugi technique for repairing cracks in pottery with gold. & from her chapbook Re-SURGE (Trainwreck Press) a couple of poems about hummingbirds.

The first open mic poet was LaToiya Whipple who read a poem with the word “time” repeated as a rhythmic device.

Although Marge Boyle was an English teacher for 40 years & has lead writing workshops, this was her first featured reading. She read a series of short prose memoirs, “Would Rather Be Home” about of a dentist & a pediatrician in North Philadelphia; “Leaving School” about teaching & going to Europe; “Spanish Lessons;” & “Beaches” about her father & in Northern Ireland.

Back to the open mic, Ken Holland read “The Poetry of Lunacy.” I read this year’s  “Birthday Poem.”

The final feature was Kateri Kosek, who read a mix of unpublished eco-poems & relationship poems (described by Susan in her “glorious introduction” as the “ecology of human relationships”). “The Colonization of Mars” was a found poem from a student’s paper; “Astrological” combined ecology & astrology in talking about water. The poem titled “The Night Before the Capitol is Stormed” used a bear at her bird feeder as metaphor; “Luck” was a Winter poem combining butterflies & black birds & a relationship. & others.

On to the rest of the open mic poets. Raphael Kosek read about her mother, her daughter & birds in “Pine Wind.” Ken Chute read about the bombing of Al Mutannabbi Street book market in Baghdad in March 2007 during the invasion by the US (for more on that topic I highly recommend the anthology Al-Mutannabbi Street Starts Here, PM Press, 2012). 

Claudia Forest read a memoir piece beginning with the line “I gather sea eggs with my eyes…” Linda Freeman’s piece “Pajama” was also a funny memory piece citing a poem by Thomas Lux. Amanda Russell finished off the open mic with a descriptive piece out West again titled “Picture on the Book Cover.”

For more about the series & to get a link for the next reading you can find Next Year’s Words on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/NPNextYearsWords/

2nd Sunday @ 2: Poetry + Prose, February 13

We (your hosts Nancy Klepsch, me, & the poets who showed “up” - wherever that might be) - were back on Zoom (temporarily) again. Nancy handled the Zoom gateway & I took control of the signup sheet.

The first poet up was Bridgit Milman with an old poem I think she said was titled “Onus Americana” then one titled “Seaweed Tinsel” which played on words, “mer” (as in mermaid) & nipples.

Bob Sharkey read a descriptive piece about taking a train in Ireland, “The Iron Road to Dublin.”

Naomi Bindman read 2 new poems, “In the Sky with Diamonds” about a recent snow event, then one about an attack on fawns in her yard “Lament” (a prelude to which she read last Tuesday at the Zoom Open Mic out of Bennington hosted by Charlie Rossiter).

My first poem was this year’s “Birthday Poem” written at the end of January, then a very old poem for tomorrow’s “holiday,” a sexually explicit “Valentine.”

Laura Ellzey read an autobiographical poem from when she was 17 about drinking in a car & responding to a song by “Carlito” an Argentinian singer, then, to my delight, read her Spanish version.

Elaina Coe Barrett has been popping up at Zoom open mics & today read an older piece about a bracelet with repeating lines &, to my ears, a sexual sub-text, “Everybody Wants to Touch It,” then an all-too-familiar problem, “Where are the Pens?” (perhaps they have gone to Sockland?).

Nancy Klepsch said she has read her poem “A Dozen Blue Eggs for Bernadette” previously but has recently tweeked it, then an “experimental” piece in many parts that she was proud of being accepted by Fence magazine “Step to I Go All Rhythm.” 

Rhonda Rosenheck read a poem about being  at a retreat, “Whoever Heard of a Thunder Storm on Thursday Morning,” then a string of 3 related Haiku titled “Oasis.”

Joel Best’s 1st poem was titled, I think, “Divots” with the image of the Moon, then for  his 2nd poem he wondered why he titled it “Shutter House,” no one else had an answer either.

Julie Lomoe, the last reader, got in late, read the memoir she had read at the Bennington Zoom, “Bela & the Rats,” about living in Soho in NYC in the 1960s, the rats both 4-legged & 2-legged varieties.

After this brief hiatus back to Zoom the 2nd Sunday @ 2 Open Mic will return to an in-person reading at Collar City Mushrooms, 333 2nd Ave. Troy in March — no need for a link, just show up.

poetic injustice, February 11

There should be no need to wait to February, i.e. “Black History Month,” to bring an array like this of local spoken word & Slam artists & poets together. In fact, the host of this event held at the Troy Music Hall, D. Colin, presents open mics & readings & performances throughout the year at her regular venue, Poetic Vibe (find it on Facebook), as well as other community artistic projects. 

D. Colin started us off with the title poem from her book Dreaming in Kreyol (Empress Bohemia Press, 2015), with the stunning opening line, “I dream in a language that fells like home…” She is an enthusiastic performer of her work with a voice that rings clear like a bell. She returned later with another poem titled “A Drop in the Ocean.”  The program was organized to have performers do a piece, then return later with another, which worked well to keep the keep the energy flowing.

Samira followed with a protest poem, then later with a tribute poem both in a Slam performance style. Mojavi is a poet who has been active in the local poetry scene since he was a student at UAlbany, later ran the open mic series “Soul Kitchen” at Clayton’s Caribbean Restaurant, & was a member of Albany’s Slam team. He did a love poem backed up by DJ T.G.I.F., & later a piece on “words.”

Jamaica Miles is a local activist who often speaks at social justice rallies & demonstrations, tonight she was a poet with 2 personal poems that delved deeply into racism. 

Poetic Visionz is another performer who has been on stage in the local open mic & Slam scene, who often plays on common phrases & words to weave complex philosophical performances. Here he also involved DJ T.G.I.F. in his performance of  “Context Champs Everything,” & later read a love poem.

Zo Zigga did a piece written for this night titled “In Darkness,” then later one titled “Namesake,” both pointedly energetic performances.

The one fly-in-the-ointment, for me, was the stand-up alleged comic whose name I, perhaps fortunately, didn’t catch. Like nearly all performers in this genre he was arrogant, self-inflated & would pick out audience members to whom he directed his remarks. Before he told one “joke” he demanded the audience to “make some noise!” I was tempted to boo but thought better of it. Fortunately the rest of the show continued without him.

Angelique recited a piece from Ntozanke Shange’s for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf, then later performed her own wonderfully affirmative love poem beginning “Here’s to the honey in you…”

Justice was introduced as a black entrepreneur, did a piece drawing the distinction between “ownership” & “being owned,” putting new words on the central issue of slavery & racism.

Rae, a muralist, spoke on a similar theme, “The Contemporary Servitude.” Also at the end of the scheduled program was Tamika with a piece written on the spot, the performers inspiring even more work. 

Apparently I slipped out before the open mic, but what I heard was a wonderful, inspiring affirmation of the power & extent of the spoken word, working to counter racism, & to change, for the better, the historical economic & political power structures.

Let’s keep this kind of energy going in every month of the year.

& you don't have to take my word for it -- you can watch it yourself at https://youtu.be/XuArTWyyWLY

Writers Mic, February 9

Poet Jackie Craven our host welcomed us back into this monthly Zoom open mic, which continues to draw a stable of regulars, & new folks dropping in from time to time.

I read an old piece I’d read recently at Caffè Lena about a tee-shirt exchange with another poet (& other things) “The Tee Shirt Poem,” always fun to stumble over a poem you forgot you had written.

Nathan Smith also returned, with a love poem, “Why Shouldn’t I be Happy?” on memories & on holding on to being alive.

David Graham read a new poem that he never read before titled with a word I haven’t heard before, “Swive,” meaning to copulate, that he introduced with a content warning - what the fuck?. 

Alan Catlin read a poem about remembering the last time he had heard Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” while listening to it while undergoing a medical procedure, then the title poem from his book Self-Portrait of the Artist Afraid of Self Portraits, & another of the same ilk, “Self-Portrait as the Devil's Disciple,” from a different book.

Scott Morehouse read us another of his humorous, satirical pieces, this one titled “Thanks for the Memories,” a tale of 2 old folks who take a memory supplement, with some unfortunate results.

Naomi Bindman was here for the first time & read 2 poems I’d heard her read last night at the Zoom open mic from Bennington hosted by Charlie Rossiter, “Tea Ceremony” & “Morning Stillness” filled with brightness & coyotes, & a brand-new poem that she had dictated into her phone, “Phuckage,”  about the annoyance of less yogurt in the smaller package, like your candy bars getting smaller.

Jackie Craven read poems from her new chapbook Cyborg Sister (Headmistress Press) “She Never Answers My Knock” & “No One Speaks of the Empty Ghosts in the Basement Closet” you can order it here. 

Susan Jewell is a persistent, frequent contributor to the Rattle Magazine ekphrastic poetry contest (& has won a few), tonight she shared an image from the December Rattle, & read 2 poems that she wrote about it, “Pro-Choice” imagining a man with a uterus, & “The Rambling Boy with Eyes Like His” about her brother, a Viet Nam war vet & his Vietnamese concubine.

Always a pleasant way to spend an hour or so on the 2nd Wednesday of each month, without having to get dressed up & driving in the dark. You can find the link on the Facebook page Writers Mic.