2nd Tuesday All-Genre Open Mic Out of Bennington, August 13

Via Zoom with our host Charlie Rossiter, who got us started with his introductory rant: “… the mic is now open!” In 2 rounds, 1 poem each round.

I started us off with reading Tom Nattell’s poem, “Hiroshima,” to remind us of the 79th anniversary last of the bombing of that Japanese city by the United States. In the 2nd round I read a new piece, “Here I Sit in Solitude,” responding to a passage Walt Whitman wrote in Specimen Days about Chrystal Springs, in Laurel, New Jersey.

Sally Rhoades read “Almost Midnight” about awaiting the birth of her 4th grandchild’s birth, Avia. In her 2nd round she read a memoir, 1st time reading it out, “Stopping by for the Eclipse” about driving North, returning home to Malone to dance for the eclipse.

Sharon Smith read an ekphrastic piece in her 1st round, “Secret Boxes,” the art sparking memories of things she had as a child. In her 2nd round she read a poem for her husband Mark, “Jigsaw” about their differences, fitting together.  

Ginny Folger’s 1st round poem, “Storm,” was a memoir inspired by a photo of her mother. Later she read the just published “The Dead Come to Me in Dreams,”  her ex husband, her Aunt Edna, her 2 grandmothers talking, a cousin.

Charlie Rossiter read a poem he would have read for a Poets for Harris event, “Remember Katrina” but didn’t get in,  Then in the 2nd round another political poem, about his Trump-loving brother, “On Reading the Most Outrageous Facebook Post my Brother ever posted” on trying to figure out the Trump supporter mentality.

Bridget Elder read the very short “After the Eclipse.” In the 2nd round she moved up to read after Sally “Near the Sky” written in Tuscany,

Tom Nicotera got in to the reading reading late so read 2 poems to make up for it, the 1st written in 2014 “I Am Not Google-able,” a rant about the prices of houses, hedge fund managers (what the hell do they do anyways?), the cost of his rent; then a new one, “Striking Spider,” a large, rabid-wolf spider, a web on his screen door bell then gone & missed.

This Zoom open mic takes place on the 2nd Tuesday of the month. If you are not on Charlie's email list for the Zoom link & you would like to join us, email him at charliemrossiter@gmail.com & ask for the link.

NYS Writers Institute: Stephanie Pacheco, July 29

This reading was the culmination of a day that Stephanie Pacheco, the National Youth Poet Laureate, spent in Albany, that included a poetry workshop with local youth. It was held at the Alice Moore Black Arts & Cultural Center, 135 South Pearl St. Local activist Alice Green, whose grandmother was Alice Moore, gave the opening remarks. 

Adonis Richards, from Lucid Voices, performed “9 1/2 minutes,” a piece about the police killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in 2020 that inspired world-wide protests.

Stephanie Pacheco grew up in the Bronx & began with an long, energetic rambling auto-biography, how she discovered poetry, her first poem (“Where I’m From”) that she has re-written, how she became the National Youth Poet Laureate. 

She read her poem “My President” which was inspired by Danez Smith’s poem of the same title, then a celebration, “Sisterhood,” how “in the hood I became a sister…,” then her “grown-up” version of her first poem, “Where I’m From,” about her neighborhood, & a field trip to the Bronx Zoo. A great evening of the joy of words & of the magic it can bring.

Thanks to the NYS Writers Institute & the Alice Moore Black Arts & Cultural Center for bringing this event to us.

 

Third Thursday Poetry Night, July 18

Poets (& friends) Charlie Rossiter & Tom Nicotera had been threatening to come over to Albany to attend this open mic for some time, & when months ago they decided July would be good, I hadn’t yet booked a featured reader for that month. Whom do I pick? Charlie or Tom? Whose feelings would be hurt if not picked? So I scheduled both to share the feature spot, the first time ever for me to have 2 featured readers on the same night. 

But before we could get to them I needed to invoke the Muse — tonight the great, gone poet, anthropologist, anthologist Jerome Rothenberg (1931 - 2024). He had come to Albany 2 times that I know of, the most recent in 2006 when he gave a reading at the former UAG Gallery on Lark St., then a grand gathering of poets, academic & community, in the upstairs of DeJohn’s restaurant down the street from the Gallery. Tonight, I read his poem “Improvisation No. 6: First Song” from a signed, framed broadside that originally belonged to gone Albany poet Tom Nattell.

First up on the sign-up sheet (& one of the last to arrive) was Elaine Kenyon, with a poem based on the “word-of-the-day” “Marmoreal,” a poem for her brother, describing him in terms of the characteristics of marble. Joe Krausman was eagerly waiting at the door when I arrived to open up the SJC for the reading; he read his classic poem about accounting, “The Passionate Accountant to His Love.” 

Anthony Bernini was back this night with a poem about horse racing, “First Saturday in May,” about the death of a horse on the race track (an all too-frequent occurrence). Tom Bonville read a poem about a single mother, “Her Turn,” looking to when it is her turn. Tom Corrado read “Screen Dump 768” (!), adding to his massive, ongoing project, this including references to the films of Burt Lancaster.

The first of the night’s 2 featured poets was Tom Nicotera. Tom was a longtime friend of Charlie’s & I met him as we were bouncing around the Northeast doing poetry events with 3 Guys from Albany. He began with a poem about aging, “I Have Learned How to Slow Down Time,” as a technique for living longer. The on to poems about visiting Charlie: “Alternate I-80” a descriptive, philosophical poem about driving to Chicago; “Drinking Bourbon with a Chicago Poet (After Li Po)” &; “Reading In the Spirit of T’ao Ch’ien,” Tom reading Charlie’s book (FootHills Publishing, 2012) in his breezeway. His poem “But Do I Need to Buy a Gun?” was written in response to the January 6 attack on the Capitol by Donald Trump & his supporters, then a poem from 2000 alarmed by the frequency of gun deaths “The Gun is a Shaman,” a chant & invocation with his Bodhran. He ended with “Twilight Prayer,” a calming, descriptive poem, a perfect way to end his set.

Charlie Rossiter is the founding-host of the Poetry Motel cable-TV series from the 1990’s, a host at readings & other poetry events in Chicago/Oak Park, IL & currently hosts the ongoing monthly Zoom event All-Genre Open Mic out of Bennington, VT, as well as a member of the poetry performance group 3 Guys from Albany. He began with a performance piece with claves “Reading Snake Black Solo while Listening to Hayden” on the oneness of poetry & music. “What Men Talk About,” is the title poem of his chapbook (Pudding House Publications, 2000), about sitting around in a cheap motel, reading poetry, drinking bourbon, beer with Tom Nicotera & Robert; “Tom’s Pad” was also about Nicotera after he was divorced, with a cooler for a coffee table. “Who We Are & What We Want” was an  expansive piece in the spirit of freedom, working class hope & dreams. “After The Early Morning Drop-off at the Airport” was a quietly philosophical, even whimsical piece. “Poetry Chicago Style” told the story of a wild night at a poetry night at Weeds, a bar in Chicago, with the 3 Guys from Albany. He ended with a pandemic/mortality poem, “The Sudden Urge to Do Push-ups.” 

After a short break, we continued on with the open mic. I led off by bringing back a poem from a previous Presidential era, “When Donald Trump Farts.” Mark O’Brien followed with a piece from his historical project of poems culled from the pages of old newspapers, this one a sonnet “Dunbar Hollow” about a murder mystery. David Gonsalves read “Third Coast Confidential, or Jack & Jill in Freedom Land” not a true story, he said.

Frank S. Robinson said the real poet in his family is his wife (Therese Broderick), but he read anyways, a love poem to her, describing her “in the Cosmic sense ... one of Plato’s forms …” Melissa Anderson said she is performing with the Capital Region Slam Team & gave us a sample, titled “You Ask Me About Love.”

Julie Lomoe is working on putting together a print collection of her poems that will include “Hope Dawns in a Grungy Gun Club” where she voted for Hillary Clinton, & was later interviewed by a New York Times reporter. Maria Sohn looked reluctant but read anyways, a gentle, peaceful piece “Middle of a Lake Feeling.” John Thomas Allen was the final reader, read a piece titled “Lunar Bequest” in which a haunted house reminds him of a woman he once dated, memories haunting mammaries.

 

Please join us each third Thursday of the month at the Social Justice Center, 33 Central Ave., Albany, NY, 7:30PM, for a featured poet & an open mic for the rest of us --  your $5.00 donation supports poetry events in the area & the work of the Social Justice Center.

Poets in the Park, July 2024

This ongoing annual series has its origin in 1988 with a series of poetry readings in Albany’s parks organized by Tom Nattell, poet & social justice/environmental activist, with regular scheduled programs in July/August sine 1990. With Tom’s passing in 2005, & at his request, I have carried on the programs. This year there were 3 evenings in the Park.

July 13

When I asked Joseph Bruchac to be one of the featured poets in Poets in the Park, I knew he would be the person to also deliver the Land Acknowledgment honoring the native people who lived on this land before the European settlers arrived. Joe is the Poet Laureate of Saratoga Springs, & has written extensively on the culture & language of native peoples. He delivered the greeting & played the wooden flute.

For the last few years I’ve invited the winners of the Tom Nattell Peace Poetry Prize from Albany High School to read their winning poem. There were 2 winners this year & one of them Rose Madden was able to attend. She read her winning poem “The Whispering Wind,” as well as another written recently, “Heart Untouched.” The other winner, Kaylah Richards, could not attend so I read her winning poem “If My Joy Could Persist.”

I had just seen Joe Bruchac read his work the day before at the poetry/story telling open mic at the Saratoga Senior Center, & today he read from the same books he had read from yesterday, but different poems. He started with a traditional greeting for the day, again with the sound of the flute, which he explained had been give to us by the trees. From a book he did with his son Jesse, Nisnol Siboal/2 Rivers, he read a poem first in the Abenaki language, then in English, & read from an anthology, The Wonder of Small Things: Poems of Peace and Renewal, edited by James Crews. Then from his own books, From Above the Line (West End Press), a poem about the flute; from From Four Directions (Mongrel Empire Press), 2 poems based on stories from Elders; & from Ndakinna (Our Land) (West End Press), “Digging,” & a narrative poem that ended up as a sonnet. He ended with “The Mayor & the Mohican,” about Albany’s first mayor, Peter Schuyler. A good start for the 2004 Poets in the Park.

July 20

The reading this reading included 2 poets who are both military veterans. Richard Levine served in the Army in Viet Nam, Gail Nixon in more recent time spent 4 years in the Air Force.

I first heard Gail Nixon read at Caffe Lena last September (“first time on stage,” she said), & since then have seen her read at other open mic venues, including at the Social Justice Center. She has only come to writing poetry since the COVID pandemic, through writing programs at the Veterans Administration facilities. She read a selection of poems that in effect introduced her to the audience, including the pandemic poem “Chaos,” “The Recipe for Diversity” which described a “stew,” & “Who Am I?”

Richard Levine & I have read a few times together, often with other poets who are military veterans. He read a representative selection from his latest book, Now in Contest (Fernwood Press, 2003). The title of the book comes from the opening “Cover Letter” addressed to “Dear Reader: … trying to tell some small self-evident truths about what is now in contest.” There are poems that reflect upon his experience in Viet Nam, such as “Memorial Day 2021,” but his thoughts probe far & deep, with a cluster of pandemic poems, poems to his children, his wife, even one on holding his granddaughter for the first time, playing on “Light.” It was touching to know his family was there in the Park to hear these poems.

July 27

The final reading in the 2024 Poets in the Park included local poets Tom Bonville & Jackie Craven, a pairing that contrasted 2 very different approaches to writing poetry. 

For about 10 years now Tom Bonville has been writing poems, attending poetry peer groups, & reading his work at open mics. His poems are richly descriptive pieces of the everyday, the mundane, often tinged with humor, on being old, or imagining being young again, many are philosophical musings, sometimes humorous, sometimes about death, with simple titles (“Together,” “Walmart,” “What Matters,” etc.). He read an amusing narrative set in a doctor’s office during the pandemic “Getting a Shot.” His concluding piece, titled “Fish, River, Troy 1959,” was a glorious rhapsodic memoir of his grandparents, & of catching, cooking & eating fish.

Jackie Craven’s poems took us to an entirely different place, although set not far from Troy, in Schenectady, NY. Most of what she read were from Whish (Press 53, 2024), although not entirely. She described the poems as “Time goes amok, where seconds, minutes, hours become characters who mess with our lives.” Reading her book later I realized that indeed the poet “messes with our lives” with poems with similar — even the same — 1st lines (which are the titles of the poems) occurring in the book. She also said that the poems in the book are “made up” except for “I escape to Captiva Island…” which is about hearing from the woman who stole her husband years ago, & wants to apologize. She also read poems from Secret Formulas & Techniques of the Masters (Brick Road Poetry Press, 2018), poems based on her mother’s paintings. Check her website for more information (jackiecraven.com).

Poets in the Park is supported by the Hudson Valley Writers Guild & the Poetry Motel Foundation, which are both supported by the generosity of our great community of writers here in New York's Capital District.

2nd Sunday @ 2: Poetry + Prose, July 14

Once again I was the solo host as my co-host was busy with a reading by the winner of the Troy Pride Poetry contest. For me personally this was the 4th poetry event I was at in the last 3 days: 2 on Friday, 1 yesterday, & this one this day (David Gonsalves was also at all 4 events).

The first name on the sign-up sheet was a first-timer here, Wayne Cochran who read a piece that has been published in Reformed Jewish Quarterly, the Psalm-like “Oh Let Me Behold Your Presence,” then one about things to do in Nature “Springtime.”

Avery Stempel is the proprietor of Collar City Mushrooms & makes this space not only available for this open mic every month, but for other poetry, art & gastronomic events at other times. He read from his series “From Here to There” about things he sees while driving, this a portrait of a bike rider “Watervliet 19th Street Afternoon.”

I read a single, long poem, a political rant from years past, “Richard Nixon Must Die.”

Joel Best’s poem “Travelers” was a list, or string, of connected, perhaps spontaneous images.

The afore-mentioned David Gonsalves read a couple of equally strangely compelling pieces, “Altar Calling” which was like a tin can telephone with no-one at the other end, while “Lover Man” invoked other places, other worlds.

2nd Sunday @ 2: Poetry + Prose is a monthly open mic held at Collar City Mushrooms, 333 2nd Ave., Troy on the, that’s right, 2nd Sunday of the month at 2:00PM — 2 poems, a maximum of 5 minutes of prose — & you can buy & take home mushrooms for the family.

Pine Hollow Arboretum Open Mic, July 12

It’s back! & a tribute to this series' past popularity was the number of folks signed up on the open mic list, most of whom have read here previously. Of course, another factor was that the featured poet was Bob Sharkey, a popular figure on the open mic scene, who hasn’t been a featured reader anywhere in quite some time.

Mark O’Brien was first on the list & he read a couple poems from his series on local history based on old newspaper reports, “Delmar” (in 1892?), & “New Salem.” I was next with one of the poems published recently in The Illegalist (from Dogtown Books, Gloucester, MA), “Last Weekend in Gloucester” & a recent observation of the bird bath in my yard, “A True Story.”

Frank Robinson read a characteristic political piece inspired by recent news stories, & tinged with references to the work of William Shakespeare, “To Quit or Not to Quit.” Our host, Alan Casline, read from something call “Blue Experiment” 2 pieces “17th Course” & “18th Course,” from which I guess we will hear more in the future.

Bob Sharkey is not only an imaginative, innovative poet but also a great supporter of poets local & world-wide, through his role on the board of the Hudson Valley Writers Guild as well as sponsoring & coordinating the annual Stephen A. DiBiase Poetry Contest. He read a sample selection of poems from his varied work, personal reflections, memoirs & “experimental.” There were poems about Maine, where he grew up & returns to from time to time, “The Gail Anne” (a meditation on the passage of Time), “Into the Forest;” a poem composed of lines from some of this year’s entry to the DiBiase Contest, “Cento Thank Can’t Avoid the War;” poems inspired by observing the world around him: “An American Day,” “Dream Land” (old TV shows), “Poem for 9/19/2022,” “The Fourth Fairy” (Irish apparitions on a train). One of his most amusing projects is writing poems from imagined Chinese fortune cookies, such as “We Have Married Our Fortunes Together” & “Puppies & Babies Not Included.” He ended with a poem inspired by being in one of the late Bernadette Mayer’s legendary poetry workshops, “Birds, Beasts & Seas.” One might call it a retrospective reading in-progress.

During the break Alan passed the hat for donations to help support the work & the programs of the Arboretum, then on to the rest of the open mic. Julie Lomoe read a poem written in November 2016 about the threat of Donald Trump, “Red Alert,” what’s old is new again. Tom Bonville read a quartet of poems, “Just Wait & See,” “A Good Pencil,” “A Morning Conversation,” & “Good Talk” (with his son). I haven’t seen Jaime Stevenson at poetry events for some time & today he showed up to read a couple poems about the building of the Empire State Plaza over an old, working class neighborhood in Albany, “Egg,” & “Displacement.”

Tom Corrado read from his ongoing series of random “Screen Dumps” this number 765 (!), that included Burt Lancaster (his 1968 film “The Swimmer”), short stories & old movies. Speaking of poets who haven’t been seen at open mics in some time, Carolee Bennett showed up with a couple poems, “What Role Has the Woods Played in Raising You?” (based on the tale of Little Red Riding Hood), & a piece about ordering from Wayfair “Retail Therapy Sonnet.” Joe Krausman read what he said is to be the title poem of his (long-awaited) poetry collection, “My Heart is an Onion.” 

Therese Broderick read 2 poems about trees, appropriately enough, “After Tropical Storm Henri,” & “Grand Mother Willow.” David Gonsalves read a translation of a poem titled “Abraham & Isaac,” & a poem in which the dead poet Richard Brautigan is a character, “Crossing the Sound.”

Ginny Folger read 2 richly descriptive poems, “Summer, Maine, 1968,” & “Rose Garden” about being helped by strangers after a fall. Tim Verhaegen, who grew up by the ocean, read a long, meditative piece “The Men & the Sea,” then a portrait of a member of a poetry group, a woman that he likes to call “the Duchess.” Paul Amidon brought the long list to a close with a trio of poems, “Cancer Clinic” (on mortality), “Living Within the Law,” & “The Polls Say it is Close (after Richard Brautigan).”

It is good to have this series back again, & that it brought out not only writers who read frequently at area open mics, but others whom we haven’t heard read in a while. The schedule seems to be for 2nd Fridays, but not always, at the Pine Hollow Arboretum in Slingerlands, NY — check the Calendar of Events on the website of the Hudson Valley Writers Guild for details.

Saratoga Senior Center Poetry Open Mic, July 12

This was the start of a busy poetry weekend for me (& some others), & a busy poetry Friday with 2 events on my calendar today. 

There had been an accident & traffic backed up on the Northway so I got to the Senior Center after the event started, with the featured poet, Joseph Bruchac, Saratoga Springs’ inaugural Poet Laureate, already in the midst of his reading. He went on to selections from a string of his poetry collections. Nisnol Siboal/2 Rivers is a book done with his son Jesse poems in both the English and the Abenaki language. From Four Directions (from Mongrel Empire Press out of Norman, Oklahoma), 3  poems of walking in the mountains. From Above the Line (West End Press) “Wild Strawberries,” “Proposition 666,” “Clouds.” From Ndakinna (Our Land) (West End Press), “Song of the Stars” based on a Abenaki song; he explained that the title of the book, Ndakinna is an Abenaki word meaning "our land," not as a possessive, but a collective in a sense. “Transplanting Trees” was literally a how-to poem, & from the St. Lawrence River “Seeing the Whales.” He ended with the very short poem “Song of Falling Snow.” One always learns something new from a reading by Joe Bruchac.

For the open mic David Graham read a new poem in which he hears his mother’s voice, “Grace,” starting with a quote from Jim Harrison. David Gonsalves followed with a poem in 3 parts (short parts) “Happy Opportunities.” 

Victoria Twomey read from her book from Kelsay Books Glimpse “Candy Hearts” & “Home Again” (her father gone). Carol Shup Star read an enthusiastic, descriptive poem about the joys of Kayaking. I read a new poem from April inspired by “The Full Pink Moon,” & then the recently published “Last Weekend in Gloucester.” Barry Finley squeezed in at the end with a recitation of a piece from George Orwell’s Animal Farm.

This reading with an open mic for poets & story-tellers takes place on the 2nd Friday of the month at 1:00PM, at the Saratoga Senior Center, 290 West Ave., Saratoga Springs, suggested donation $5.00, light refreshments served.