Poetry Event Review

Caffe Lena, Saratoga Springs, Feb. 7, 2007

[From Therese Broderick]

The few hardy poets from Albany who braved the frigid weather to drive to Caffe Lena's poetry open mic on February 7th were amply rewarded. The first reward was that not a single person mentioned the Super Bowl. (Sigh of relief.) The second reward was that a reporter from the Saratoga newspaper took lots of photos for a full spread. (Better than DW's gallery? Wait and see.) The third reward was that we got to hear the featured poet Julie Lomoe. With her typical wry wit and candidness, Julie read some newer poems(about becoming a poetry "sophomore"; about her kitty named for the sleeping pill Lunestra), some old favorites (how she gets lost while driving her car; her bipolar diagnosis), and some prose (an excerpt from her mystery novel). She even let audience members vote for which poem they wanted to hear next. Although the crowd was smaller than usual (among the missing were Dan W, Don L, Mimi M, and Mary J), enough people did attend to keep the room warm and cozy--Sue J, Shaun B, Barbara G, Tim V, James S, Josh M, Therese B, and others. Which of those versifying mugs will make it onto the pages of the Saratogian? That's as hard to bet on as the Super Bowl.