Poetry Open Mic at Pine Hollow, August 16

This open mic, often with a featured poet, is usually held on the 2nd Friday of the month at the Pine Hollow Arboretum in Slingerlands, NY, but was rescheduled to this day from last week due to heavy rain. There was no featured poet, instead a marvelous coterie of local poets who read in a round-robin style, which I won’t try to replicate in this narrative.

The poems I read included 2 poems both titled “Joe Krausman;” a poem inspired by Uncle Walt, “Here I Sit in Solitude;” & one inspired by a recent encounter with “Lark St. Jesus.” 

Edie Abrams read about trying to think good thoughts after the death of her mother & after the Biden/Trump debate; another about her mother, “Comfort Cat & Peck Peck Peck;” a descriptive piece about an old teacher, that she began with a quote from the Talmud; a poem about walking with her father in a snow storm in New York City “Questions Unasked;” & one about the experience of “Zooming.”

David Gonsalves read a piece about being in Heaven, “Last Thursday;” one from his obsession with the history of World War I “No Man’s Land;” “Landscapes in 12 Colors;” & “Skyway.”

The aforementioned Joe Krausman read a poem about me (!) titled “Guess Who?” then “Weather Report,” a forecast of life-expectancy; another on mortality, “Weird Musings at Whole Foods;” & a funny tale of a 2-headed person, “Going to a Double-Header Ending in a Tie Game.”

Our host at this series is Alan Casline. Tonight he read “Contemplation of the Season;” a poem written some time ago describing an old man on the subway; one titled “Pile On” (written 10/26/2019); & another seasonal piece, “Song of the Red Tea Flowers.”

Tim Verhaegen read the nostalgic “Summer Sounds in Amagansett;” a poem about going through a box of “Letters;” & a recently written memoir about his youthful days at a 2-year college.

Paul Amidon’s piece “Half-Truth” was about trying to figure out what that means; a poem titled “No Poem;” & one titled “Icebergs.”

The turned out to be quite a varied & fascinating anthology of poems by local poets.

Check out the events listings on the website of the Hudson Valley Writers Guild for information about future open mics at the Pine Hollow Arboretum, as well as other literary events in the Capital District.

 

Third Thursday Poetry Night, August 15

It’s always nice to see a poet friend I hadn’t seen in awhile, & there were a couple of those here tonight, as well the hardcore regulars & even a new voice, to see & hear our featured poet, Bunkong Tuon (aka “BK”). & since BK was the feature & I knew how formative for him was the work of Charles Bukowski (1920 - 1994) I decided to invoke Bukowski’s long gone voice as tonight’s Muse; I read an early poem of his, “to the whore who took my poems,” collected in the 1974 Black Sparrow Press Burning in Water Drowning in Flame. Then on to the open mic, or at least the first half.

First up, as she prefers to be, was Sylvia Barnard, with a poem from a trip to England talking about descendants of those from the ancient time, & her own mortality. Alan Catlin followed with a poem from his book Beautiful Mutants (NightBallet Press, 2015) “Hell in a Very Small Place” in the words of a veteran in a bar, on war & killing.

Julie Lomoe was next to read, again from her new book, & read a quote Therese Broderick promoting her work, a series of Haiku titled “Walking my Dog by the Lake in May,” the title of which is a half-Haiku itself. Tom Bonville read a piece about seeing Leonard Bernstein crossing a street, titled “Lenny.” 

BK (Bunkong Tuon) is a poet, professor at Union College, & author of the just-released auto-biographical novel Koan Khmer (Curbstone Books, 20240. Tonight he read from his “Greatest Hits” chapbook What Is Left (Jacar Press, 2024). I have BK’s earlier collections of poems & so was pleased to hear these poems once again. 

He began by talking about discovering poetry through the accessible work of Charles Bukowski, & started off reading a poem about the refuge of the Library, “The Rescue,” from What Is Left, then on to the title poem, reflecting on his life as a refugee & his life beyond. His poem “The Carrying” was about his family escaping, his grandmother carrying him as a very young boy, from the death & destruction in Cambodia. “Debt” was a poem about his father, who BK did not know, then an “origin poem” about the only memory he has of his mother, at her funeral, “Under the Tamarind Tree.” “The Mercy of Memory” was about not having memories about the atrocities that he saw, that other family members remember; “Moon in Khmer” is a poem to his daughter, her existence as resistance, similarly, “How to Defeat Pol Pot” was a poem to children. He ended with the book’s concluding poem “Letter to My Unborn Son” how the future is in the children.

After a break & a chance to buy BK’s books we were back to the open mic. This was Joe Krausman’s XXX birthday but unfortunately he was not here tonight as I read the first of 2 poems I’ve written with the title “Joe Krausman,” 1st published in the 1994 collection of poems & photos, Open Mic: the Albany Anthology (Hudson Valley Writers Guild).

Malcolm Willison was back after a long hiatus to support his friend BK; he read a short seasonal meditation of mortality. David Gonsalves is also a master of short poems, he read the descriptive “Late Afternoon at Sparrow’s Point.” The last poet up was a new here, signed up Peter Ans~h (aka Sensation), & performed an ironic piece about how far we’ve come, on war & peace, the ongoing work, actually tying together many of these themes we had heard this night.

We have been gathering here at the Social Justice Center to read & listen to local & regional poets on the third Thursday since 2006. The open mic starts at 7:30PM, with a featured poet in the midst of the open mic; your donation of $5.00 (more or less) supports local poetry events & the work of the SJC. Please join us -- 33 Central Ave., Albany, NY.

Writers Mic, August 14

This was a stimulating gathering of regular readers here & new faces/voices — always a good mix. The host each month is Jackie Craven.

First up was Susan Oringel with 2 poems from a recent stay at a writers retreat on Pyramid Lake, both poems with “the same woman” (herself) with a poem titled “Simple Joy,” then one titled “6 Years And” grieving her lost bladder (to cancer) & the graphic process of dealing with it  — quite frankly, TMI. 

David Graham described his poem “This is Called Grace” as a “gift” inspired by a  passage from poem by the late Jim Harrison. 

Alan Catlin read a poem he found in  his papers, published 20 years ago, “Displaced Diva in 2nd Hand Salvation Army Gown,” then a new poem inspired by reading Nelson Algren writing about Chicago, a true story from Alan’s years of tending bar, “After Last Call.” 

Julie Lomoe read from her revised book of poems, Proof of Process, a poem titled “Eclipse,” same title as a tune by jazz musician Charles Mingus, a memoir of Julie making the rounds of famous jazz musicians.

This was the first time I’d seen Marilyn McCabe at this monthly Zoom event; she read “Ugly Old Vase I Can’t Throw Away” about the things & the folks we’ve lost over time, then “Aubade” reflecting on the scattering the light by a pine tree.

This may have been Ray Drumsta’s first time here also; he read “Another Plane,” a dark portrait of an older Air Force veteran, then “Of Us, An Ode” a descriptive piece about a handmade bowl, the potter’s name stirring a memory of an ex-.

Scott Morehouse read an hysterical political satire set in 2027, the story of a couple taking a cruise to support Trump’s 2028 candidacy. 

I read 2 recent poems, “The Pink Moon” from April, a new addition to my series of “Witch poems,” then a new piece inspired by a passage from Walt Whitman’s Specimen Days (“A Sun Bath — Nakedness,” dated 8/27/1877) my poem titled “Days Here I Sit in Solitude.”

Jackie Craven said that she has had 52 rejections from publications for this poem, the story of her submissions effort, like fishing with her father (“throw my line reel it in…”).

At this point Jackie said there was time left if anyone wanted to read another poem, & Julie Lomoe availed herself of the opportunity to read from her book again, this poem in the persona of Donald Trump getting his Chinese astrological sign wrong, “Donald the Bantam Roosters Speak His Mind.” 

Kim had been a quiet audience member throughout the reading but at this point had Ray Drumsta read a gentle love poem she had written.

Alan Catlin read from his book Beautiful Mutants (Night Ballet Press, 2015) the “The Singers” about a bad cover band’s gig in a bar.

David Graham read a 2nd time also, a piece titled “Ghost Creek,” thinking of walks he took when he lived in Wisconsin.  

Susan Oringel read “Allies of Foes,” a poem inspired by a workshop prompt.

Ray Drumsta was the final reader with reflections on the deaths of his mother & of his grandmother, “A Tiny Dying.” 

Jackie Craven hosts this Zoom open mic on the 2nd Wednesday of the month, at 7:30PM Eastern Time. One can find the Zoom link on the Facebook page Writers Mic.

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.