First Fridays Feast of Art

It is that time of month again...First Friday! 

This Friday, December 1 from 6-9PM there are 11 art openings and two bands participating in the festivities.  You can get a flyer with a map of all the galleries involved by Clicking Here. 

The Times Union has an article about the First Fridays series of art openings featuring interviews with people from the galleries involved in the events.  

"First Fridays is modeled after a program used in a number of cities throughout the country. Galleries in the Center Square area, along with a handful of others in the city, all hold their openings on the first Friday of each month, from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. It allows visitors to stroll from one opening to the next, soaking up art, conversation and munchies."

The article also goes on to talk about similar First Fridays events going on in other parts of the area, like Troy, Hudson, and Ballston Spa.  Click the link below to read the story.

Link to First Fridays feast of art --Times Union

Bringing Poetry to Life

The Journal Star in Lincoln Nebraska has an article about a high school students journey into the world poetry.  What got her started and where has she gone since first jumping into the art.

"Maybe, says Shuqiao Song, it was a T.S. Eliot poem. Maybe it was her English teacher. Maybe it was the competition. Whatever it was, Song, now a Lincoln East High School senior, discovered poetry...Maybe, says Shuqiao Song, it was T.S. Eliot, that first line of his “The Waste Land” so powerful she had to put the book down, only to come back later and consume the whole poem, word by word."

So far she has won local and state poetry competitions and last spring went to Washington, D.C. to take part in the national “Poetry Out Loud” contest, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Poetry Foundation, with other students from all over the country.

Link to JournalStar.com

UAG Upcoming Submissions

The Upstate Artists Guild has two exciting events coming up with submission deadlines which are quickly approaching:

Small Works Show
December 1st through December 22nd
All work must be no larger than 14" x 14", less than $200, and completed within the last year.
Submissions are due this Friday (11/17).
Download the call for art here

UAG Cinema
This January, the UAG kicks off with a new program, UAG Cinema, dedicated to developing a local network of artists working with film and video.
Submissions are due December 1st.
Download our call for art here

For a full list of upcoming UAG shows, including the newly announced 2007 show schedule, visit the UAG upcoming shows page at http://www.upstateartistsguild.org/exhibit/upcoming.php

For more information on the Upstate Artists Guild, you can drop by the gallery at 247 Lark Street, Albany NY 12210 or visit their website, www.upstateartistsguild.org

First Annual Airing of Grievances

Bring your poems! Bring your rants! Bring your friends!

With the holiday season (and all of its related stresses) creeping up on us, Albany Poets would like to give poets, musicians, spoken word artists, and everyone else an opportunity to clear the air and vent some steam with the First Annual Airing of Grievances at Valentines on Tuesday, December 5, starting at 8:00PM.

Whatever is on your mind is fair game. Politics, love, money, family, that guy at the other end of the bar that has been giving you a "look" since you walked in...you get the idea.

Join us for this "first of it's kind" event in Albany and hopefully you will be able to deal with the next month a little easier.

For more information go to www.albanypoets.com/presents

Busiest Host in the Hudson Valley

Robert Milby will be reading at the Lark Tavern on November 27th, though how he finds the time to do any readings himself, considering his schedule as a poetry host, is a wonder.

He's the host at the Noble Coffee Roasters, in Campbell Hall, NY, on the lst Thursday; the host at the Morning Brew Cafe & Coffeehouse, in High Falls, NY, on the 2nd Friday; the host at Joey's Cafe, in Washingtonville, NY, on the 3rd Friday; and the host at the Mudd Puddle Cafe, in New Paltz, NY, on the 3rd Saturday. And tomorrow, at the Muddy Cup Coffeehouse, in Beacon, NY, he'll be subbing for the usual host, Jim Eve.

On December 6th, you'll also find him featuring at Carol Graser's poetry event at the Caffe Lena, in Saratoga Springs.

Anybody looking for someone to host at another poetry venue? I know just the person to call.

'Factotum' is true to the grit, poetry of Charles Bukowski

There is an article on the Macon Telegraph website about the new movie based on the Charles Bukowski book, "Factotum". 

"...based on a 1975 Bukowski novel, is actually a delicate melding of a trio of sensibilities that don't naturally cohere. It gracefully combines the bleak world of the despairing poet and novelist with the droll point of view of Norwegian director Bent Hamer and the distinctly American independent acting sensibility of stars Matt Dillon and Lili Taylor"

Here is the plot summary according to IMDB:

This drama centers on Hank Chinaski, the fictional alter-ego of "Factotum" author Charles Bukowski, who wanders around Los Angeles, CA trying to live off jobs which don't interfere with his primary interest, which is writing. Along the way, he fends off the distractions offered by women, drinking and gambling.

This is not the first movie based on Buk's work.  Back in 1987, Mickey Rourke played "Henry Chinaski" in "Barfly".  If you get a chance to see either of these movies, be sure to check them out.

Link to Macon Telegraph - 'Factotum' is true to the grit, poetry of Charles Bukowski

Art spaces cozy up to poetry readings

Three art galleries are opening their doors to poetry readings this weekend in Ulster County to combine spoken word and poetry with visual art.  Kingston Museum of Contemporary Arts, Center for Photography at Woodstock, and R&F Handmade Paints are all participating this is unique approach to combining the arts.  

"I thought the writing would enhance the photographic artworks and the themes that were distilled from looking at them," said curator Elizabeth Line.

Valerie Linet, Coleen Murphy Alexander and Dorothy Albertini read at 8 tonight at KMOCA, 105 Abeel St., Kingston. For more information, visit www.kmoca.org.

Maryrose Larkin will read on Saturday at 2 p.m. at R&F Handmade Paints, 84 Ten Broeck Ave., Kingston. For more information, visit www.rfpaints.com.

Writing by Noel Jones and Laura Ej Moran will be read on Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the center, 59 Tinker St., Woodstock. For more information, visit www.cpw.org.

Link to PoughkeepsieJournal.com - Art spaces cozy up to poetry readings

Live From The Living Room Tonight with Josh McIntyre

Live From The Living Room, a featured reading series with an open mic afterwards is back this month, held on the 2nd Wednesday of every month at the Capital District Gay & Lesbian Community Center (332 Hudson Avenue, Albany).  The next reading will be tonight, Wednesday November 8th with Josh McIntyre. 

Josh has been published in Metroland, Screed and Modern Drunkard Magazine.  He has been a featured poet at the Poets Speak Loud open mic at Tess’ Lark Tavern and at Caffe Lena in Saratoga. 

Sign up is at 7pm with 7:30 start time. Hosted by Don Levy with a $2.00 suggested donation..   For more info please call (518) 462-6138. This is another straight-friendly reading.

Tom McWatters, Ashley Pond, Poetry, Music, and Other All Tonight At Valentines

Music and poetry open mic this month with special musical guests Tom McWatters and Ashley Pond. We will also be releasing the brand-new issue of Other:____ tonight at Valentines.

Tom McWatters is a local singer/songwriter whose band, the Sense Offenders, are preparing to release their debut album. Tom's solo performances are a stirring testament to his peerless songwriting and command of the stage.

For more information go to www.myspace.com/tommcwatters

Ashley Pond is a gifted singer/songwriter whose songwriting prowess suggest a performer far beyond her years. Her soulful voice is the most immediate indicator, until you notice her haunting guitar work and eloquent lyricism.

For more information go to www.myspace.com/ashleypond

Open Mic sign up begins at 7:00PM, The show starts at 8:00PM. There is a $3.00 suggested donation for this event.

The new issue of Other:____ is packed with new poets from all over the area, plus photos from from LARKfest, an interview with Caffe Lena Open Mic host Carol Graser, a new pull-out poetry events listing, a fancy color cover, and so much more. 

Brammaged Goods, ON TOUR!

I am going on tour! Ok, so I am making more of it than I should, it is only one show, but it is in Lexington SC! My brotha-from-anotha-motha, Maximus Parthas, is hosting a new event down their called the Prysmatic Dreams Spoken Word Showcase. Not an open mic, a showcase of talented writer/performers and he ask me to come down and help him kick off the first show.

Also on the bill is Nyne Elementz, Tribal Raine and Breeze. So the people down there are in for one hell of a show!

I’ve been working with Max for a year or two longer than I have been working with Thom at Albany Poets. Together with Max and other unnamed players (for brevity) we have created ground breaking opportunities for poet/spoken word artists. PD (Prysmatic Dreams) has served as a home base for the launching of the Net Slam, The New Word Order, The Session, and most importantly, Whispered Words Poetry Mixed Tapes.

At PD we have tried to stay true to the philosophy that as you grab a hand ahead of you, and pull yourself up to the next level of expertise or opportunity in the Spoken Word World, you reach back with the other and pull someone up from the place you are stepping up from. We seem to have been doing a good job with that. The Real Ms Jones, soon-to-be-former administrator for PD, is training Hanna and Wise to take that job over, freeing her to become a producer and MP3J for Whispered Words. What can I say, that’s how we roll at PD.

We have been taking our time and trying our best to do it right. That way when we launch something new, it is revolutionary. A little secret here, we are trying to get things set up to video web cast this show, but details are not available yet. Though the venue, the Three Bean Net Café says they have the capability, and Max has the cameras. So with a little luck, some research, and hard word, the Prysmatic Dreams Spoken Word Showcase may be video web cast live! See what I mean…revolutionary.

I will pop back when I have more info on the web cast. Till then…

Dain Brammage

Poetry Workshop For Teens at Caffe Lena

Poetry Workshop For Teens at Caffe Lena with Carol Graser
Tuesdays, November 14, 21, and 28 from 4 to 6pm
Free

For these workshops, for ages 14 and up, I try to find appealing poetry that we can read together. Sometimes we comment on the poetry, sometimes we just read and listen. The writing exercises that we do during the workshop will be aimed at encouraging confidence and creativity. If some students are interested in practicing performing their work, we'll have the perfect setting. I try to be responsive to the particular needs of the students in each class and shape the workshops around them.

For more information or to sign up you can e-mail me at cgraser@nycap.rr.net or call Caffe Lena at 583-0022. Caffe Lena is located at 47 Phila St,. Saratoga Springs.  Go to www.caffelena.org for directions.

This program is funded in part by the Decentralization Program, a grant program of the New York State Council on the Arts, administered by the Saratoga County Arts Council.

Carol Graser lives in the Adirondacks of upstate New York. She has read her poetry at many community events including fund-raisers, anti-war rallies and as a featured reader at poetry readings around the state. She hosts a monthly poetry reading series at Saratoga’s historic Caffe Lena that happens on the first Wednesday of every month. Her poetry has appeared in regional journals such as Screed, Salvage and Metroland as well as in numerous national publications like Lullwater Review, Berkeley Poetry Review, The Worcester Review,  The MacGuffin and Eureka Literary Magazine.

Albany Poet Breaking Out

Albany Poets’ very own Dain Brammage is hitting road. He will be performing in Lexington, South Carolina at the Prysmatic Dreams Spoken Word Showcase. A new event hosted by Maximus Parthas held at the Three Bean Net Café. Also appearing will be Nyne Elementz, Prysmatic Dreams Poet of the Year, 2006, Tribal Raine, International Library of Poetry Poet of the Year Nominee in both 2000 and 2004, and Breeze, Internationally touring poet and song writer.

The event will be held on Thursday, November 9, 2006 starting at 8:00p.m. During a conversation with Max, he stated that there is “promise of this being a standing room only event.” This event it will become a monthly series held on the second Thursday of every month.

Our best wishes go out to Dain Brammage as he stretches his legs beyond the capital region.

WIRED! in Schenectady on Saturday

From our friend Deb Bump:

Greetings From The Electric City!

WIRED!, Schenectady's open mike reading for poetry and the spoken word, was happy to have been personally contacted by this months' featured poet, expressing interest in reading at our venue!

The SPOTLIGHT POET for Nov.is (drum roll, please!) … ROBERT MILBY

Saturday, Nov. 4th, at THE MOON AND RIVER CAFE, 115 S. Ferry Street, in
Schenectady's lovely historic Stockade District.

Please note that Mr. Milby is actually from Florida, N.Y., not Woodstock, as inadvertedly listed on our promo fliers. He has read his work in numerous areas of the region, and is a noted open mike impressario, as well.  

Sponsored by ELECTRIC CITY POETRY PRODUCTIONS. Hosted by Schenectady poet Debora Bump 

Sign-up for the event is at 5:00 p.m. Showtime will commence at 5:30. There is no specified suggested donation; however, a basket pass will help assure gas $$ for our fine featured performer (and promo/flyer costs for your host). Thank you in advance.

For more information, contact Deb Bump at debbump@yahoo.com or 518-374-5127.  

Hope to see as many of you there as possible! 

Albany Poets Presents... Tuesday, November 7

Music and poetry open mic this month with special musical guests Tom McWatters and Ashley Pond. We will also be releasing the brand-new issue of Other:____ on the 7th at Valentines.

Tom McWatters is a local singer/songwriter whose band, the Sense Offenders, are preparing to release their debut album. Tom's solo performances are a stirring testament to his peerless songwriting and command of the stage.

For more information go to www.myspace.com/tommcwatters

Ashley Pond is a gifted singer/songwriter whose songwriting prowess suggest a performer far beyond her years. Her soulful voice is the most immediate indicator, until you notice her haunting guitar work and eloquent lyricism.

For more information go to www.myspace.com/ashleypond

Open Mic sign up begins at 7:00PM. There is a $3.00 suggested donation for this event. 

For more information on this and other events by Albany Poets, email events@albanypoets.com