Local Poetry On The Air

You can tell when National Poetry Month rolls around each year; the media takes the opportunity to highlight the art in the papers and on radio and television.  This week is no different with two appearances for local poetry.

On Wednesday, April 15, Thom Francis and Mary Panza will be on Channel 13 (WNYT) as part of their Midday News beginning at 11:00am.  Thom and Mary will be talking about the upcoming Albany Word Fest and read a poem or two.

Then on Friday, April 17, Joan Murray will be on the Roundtable program on WAMC (90.3FM / 1400AM) at 11:10am.  On the program Joan will be talking about a new anthology that she edited, The Pushcart Book of Poetry: the Best Poems from 30 Years of the Pushcart Prize, and her upcoming presentation of poems from that volume at The Arts Center in Troy.

Be sure to check out these programs showcasing the poetry and spoken word that lives in upstate New York.

Poetry Goes High-Tech

Vince Gallagher from Capital News 9 sat down recently with Mary Panza and Thom Francis to talk about the local poetry scene, poetry and spoken word on the web, and how everyone can now get involved. 

Poetry has always been one of the truest form of expression, whether spoken or written. There's an organization that has a mission to increase awareness and activity of poetry here in the Capital Region, and today, poets can literally be heard around the world.

"Anything that has to do with spoken word, we're trying to bring people together and we're trying to bring people out," said Albany Poets Vice President Mary Panza.

Click here to read the article and watch the video report from Capital News 9.

And while you are on there site, you can also check out the report they did for the 2006 Albany Word Fest.  The second day of the open mic took place at Valentines and Capital News 9 was there to cover the story.

Forum Follows Function

In this weeks edition of Metroland, there is an article about the local small press  poetry scene.  Thom Francis, Mary Panza, Dan Wilcox, Chris Rizzo, Rachel Zitomer, Matthew Klane and many others were interviewed for this article discussing the current Albany scene, its history, and where it may be going from here.  The article also talks about the recent small press book fair at the UAG Gallery.

Albany Poets (albanypoets.com) is as much an organizational body, networking apparatus, and community of friends as it is a poetry press. “The important thing is that we provide a microphone and a Web site because it is your right to express yourself,” Panza says. “We want to give you the forum to do that.”

Click the link below to read the entire article on the Metroland site or go out and pick up a copy for yourself.

Forum Follows Function - Metroland Online - Feature

"Krooked Change...Smeered" CD Release Show at The Bayou, Aug 13

The Poet Essence will be releasing her brand new CD, Krooked Change...Smeered, on Wednesday, August 13 at the Bayou Cafe (79 North Pearl Street, Albany).

This not-to-be-missed special event will feature poetry, music, and spoken word from Tribal Raine, Houseband of the Apocalypse, The Johnny Bravehearts, Max Parthas, THE Dubber, and, of course, THE POET ESSENCE.

And, as an added bonus, hosting this fantastic night of poetry and spoken word is none other than Big Ray from JAMZ 96.3

The show starts at 7:00PM.  Get there early to get a seat as space fills up quick for Essence's CD release shows.

You can get some more info on the show and The Poet Essence by checking out her MySpace page or her work on the Albany Poets site.

Upcoming "Special Guests" at the Colony Café - Monday Night Open Mic for June 2008

Every Monday Night "Forever". All events include an open mic of poetry/prose/performance hosted by Phillip Levine (Chronogram Poetry Editor).
Doors Open at 7pm, start time is 7:30pm. Features read for approximately 20-25mins each, beginning around 8pm. Open mic before & after the featured readers.

Upcoming "Special Guests":

Monday, June 2nd, 2008:
Northeast Center for Special Care - Resident Poets, Artists and Musicians

Monday, June 9th, 2008:
Steven Cleaver (poetry, fiction) - Steven Cleaver is a poet and fiction writer. His first novel, Saving Erasmus, was named Best of 2007 by Publishers Weekly and he was called an Original Voice by Borders Books. His poetry has won awards and has been listed on Poets Against the War. He brings a quirky sense of humor and a wry outlook on life to his writings. He is working on a book of poetry, Dear God, Or Whatever Your Name is Now and a second novel, The Gaps Between the Platforms.

Brett Bevell (poet) - Brett Bevell is the author of the illustrated poetry books America Needs a Buddhist President (White Cloud Press 2004) and America Needs a Woman President (Monkfish 2007), as well as The Reiki Magic Guide To Self Attunement (Crossing Press 2007).

Brett won the 1995 Paul Laurance Dunbar Poetry Prize, and has published his work in progressive and literary magazines around the country such as Chronogram and Earth First Journal. He lives and works at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY

Monday, June 16th, 2008:
Teresa Costa (poet) - Teresa Costa can be reached at: manxcat12491@yahoo.com

Jan Castro (poet) - I moved from St. Louis to New York City and Ulster County about a year ago, on June 22nd, 2005. Here are some of my many poetry publications, performances!  Published Poetry includes: Wax-Winged, libretto and letterpress by Eclectic Press, 2005; The Last Frontier, 2002, and poems in Eyeball No. 5,” New Letters; Memories and Memoirs… by  Missouri Authors; Poem for Julius Hemphill on WSQ CD, Justin Time Records, disk 137-2, 2000; Exquisite Corpse, Contact II, Telephone, Greenfield Review, Roof I, Weid, Abraxas; and the portfolio Thirteen Poets from Nevertheless Press.

Poetry Readings include: New Music Circle and other Jam Sessions, River Styx at Duff's, Community College, E. St. Louis; Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis Poetry Center, Chicago Public Library Cultural Center, University of Kentucky at Lexington, Cornell U., U. of Wisconsin, Edinburgh and London Arts Festivals, Washington U., Webster U., Fiske Planetarium in Boulder, St. Louis U., Laumeier Sculpture Park, U. of Louisville, Missouri Botanical Garden, Coordinating Council of Literary Magazines Conference at the University of Iowa; New College in San Francisco, U. of Missouri-St. Louis; Small Press Book Fair at New York U.; Staten Island College, Lindenwood U., and radio programs in California, Missouri, and other states. 1996 -2000: Cassis, France; Co-Host, New Music Circle on HDHX, Sept. 17;  Eugene B. Redmond Writers Club on Oct. 5; Obie's Pub: Sept. and Oct. 11;   Left Bank Books on Nov. 2; Brandt's Spoken Word Sundays on Dec. 7 ’97; Poetry for University City Municipal Commission, March 21; poetry for River Styx at Duff’s, April 19;  Day of the Dead Beats reading, Blueberry Hill, Nov. 1; Meramec Writing Festival 2000, March 31; 3rd annual “Howl” reading, April 16: biography panelist and poet, MO Center for the Book: U. of MO, Columbia, 11 Nov. 2000.  2001 - 2006: two concerts at the Galaxy club; poetry performance with Gash-Voigt Dance Theater; exhibition & reading of The Last Frontier for Special Collections Washington University, St. Louis; Southern Illinois U., E. St. Louis; Lindenwood U., St. Charles MO; “Poem for a Poet” danced at Forest Park Community College by Gash-Voigt Dance Theater; Taproots Arts Fair; and YMCA Meet the Authors at Arthur’s Picnic in the Park, St. Louis.

Author: Sonia Delaunay: La Moderne, The Art & Life of Georgia O'Keeffe, The Last Frontier (poetry); co-editor, Seeking St. Louis, Voices from a River City, 1670-2000, Margaret Atwood: Vision and Forms; Contributing Editor, Sculpture Magazine, 1996 to present; freelance writer: The Nation, American Poetry Review, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Black Renaissance Noire, belles lettres.

Curator and memberships: Midwest Sculpture (06), Sonia Delaunay: La Moderne (02); Guest Art Advisor, Sculpture Key West (06); humanities professor, guest lecturer, arts consultant at universities; Founding Executive Director and award-winning Editor for Big River Association; member of Board of National Coalition of Independent Scholars; member, New York’s PEN American Center. See Jan Garden Castro at www.google.com and www.sculpture.org

Monday, June 23rd, 2008 - 7pm:
Thom Francis (poet) - Thom Francis, an upstate New York native, has been a writer and spoken word artist since he was old enough to understand, and therefore question the nature of the world in which we all exist. His skepticism, an attribute that seems to have been instilled in Thom since birth, has only been strengthened by the struggles in which he has encountered throughout the course of his thirty years of survival. These various struggles have made Thom an extremely strong and empathetic person, as well as the perfect candidate to pursue a calling in which he exposes the peculiarity exhibited by the human race. His work, based upon personal experience as well as general observations, always reveals an outlook commonly overlooked by the average observer.

Since Thom has been involved in the Albany area poetry scene he has been featured at such open mics and events as The School of Night (Valentines), Vox (Albany Center Galleries), Web of Consciousness (C@fe Web), Live from the Living Room (Capital District Gay & Lesbian Community Center), Open Spoken (Colony Café, Woodstock), Kill Your TV, Feed Your Ears (Lark Street Bookshop), Third Thursday Poetry Open Mic (Lark Street Bookshop), Poets in the Park (Washington Park), the Albany Word Fest 2001, 2002 (Thacher Park), 2003 (Valentines), 2006 (UAG Gallery), and 2007 (Tess' Lark Tavern), and LARKfest in 2006 and 2007.

Mary Panza (poet) - Mary Panza currently serves as the Vice President of Albany Poets.  She is the host of the monthly poetry and spoken word open mic, Poets Speak Loud, held at the Lark Tavern. She has been involved in the Albany poetry community for over a decade hosting events, performing her own work, producing a local poetry CD, and editing an anthology on the local Albany scene.

Monday, June 30th, 2008 - 7pm:
Craig Hancock & The Kinderhook Group (poetry) - Craig Hancock’s poems have appeared in a number of journals and anthologies, most recently Hudson River Art and Peer Glass.  For the past twenty years, he has taught writing at UAlbany, working mainly with Educational Opportunity Program students, who help keep him honest, paid, and real. Most recently, he has been looking deep and hard into the heart of language.  One result, Meaning-Centered Grammar (Equinox, Ltd) appeared in late 2005.  He is now working on a follow-up book, a more fully integrated grammar and rhetoric.  He is a founding member and past President of the Hudson Valley Writer’s guild, founder of the Kinderhook Writer’s Group.  Most of his recent poems have come out as songs.

Planned July Schedule:
7/7 - Billy Internicola (poet); Frank LaRonca (poet)
7/14 - Allen Murphy (poet); Judy Lechner (poet)
7/21 - Joanne Pagano Weber (writer/painter); Bruce Weber (poet/art historian)
7/28 - Donald Lev & Home Planet News Benefit

Colony Café, 22 Rock City Road, Woodstock, NY
(845)679-5342 - www.colonycafe.com

Poetry in Athens

Upcoming Featured Poets at Poetry at the Hudson at the Athens Cultural Center (24 Second St., Athens, NY) every 3rd Saturday at 2 p.m. in the even-numbered months (except June this year, when it meets on the 2d Saturday).

April 19, 2008 - Bill Seaton and Susan Sindall
June 14, 2008 - Eddie Bell and Carol Graser
August 16, 2008 - T.G. Vanini and Susan Hoover
Ocotber 18, 2008 - Lei Isaacs and Phillip Levine
December 20, 2008 - Thom Francis and Bob Sharkey

For more information on this poetry and spoken word series at the Athens Cultural Center, email host Bob Wright at hudsonvalleybob@yahoo.com

Jawbone Returns This Friday with Michael Peters and Thom Francis

This coming Friday (January 25) Albany Poets and Jawbone are bringing poetry and spoken word back to the UAG Gallery on Lark Street with a new season of this long-running series featuring both local artists and visiting poets from around the country.

The doors open at 6:30PM with the poetry beginning at 7:00PM with writer, poet, and musician Michael Peters and Albany Poets own Thom Francis.

About Michael Peters

The “writing” attributable to “Michael Peters”—his poetry, his visual poetry, his fiction, his critical writing—has appeared in publications such as SleepingFish, Word for/Word, Lungfull, Xtant, Tool a Magazine, Spinning Jenny, Posted, American Weddings, and Kostelanetz’s Dictionary of the Avant-Gardes, to name a few. His visual poetry has appeared in galleries, anthologies, and exhibits, and can be found in various special collections and avant-garde libraries, among these: The Sackner Archive of Concrete and Visual Poetry. As a musician and a sound-text performer, most notably in Poem Rocket, his recordings have been released on a variety of independent labels. In 2007, Atavistic (the avant jazz and rock label based out of Chicago), released Poem Rocket’s fourth full-length recording, a double-CD titled Invasion! Vaast Bin; n Ephemerisi is his first book.

For more, go to: http://www.calamaripress.com/vaast_bin.htm

About Thom Francis

Thom Francis, an upstate New York native, has been a writer and spoken word artist since he was old enough to understand, and therefore question the nature of the world in which we all exist. His skepticism, an attribute that seems to have been instilled in Thom since birth, has only been strengthened by the struggles in which he has encountered throughout the course of his thirty years of survival. These various struggles have made Thom an extremely strong and empathetic person, as well as the perfect candidate to pursue a calling in which he exposes the peculiarity exhibited by the human race. His work, based upon personal experience as well as general observations, always reveals an outlook commonly overlooked by the average observer.

Since Thom has been involved in the Albany area poety scene he has been featured at such open mics and events as The School of Night (Valentines), Vox (Albany Center Galleries), Web of Consciousness (C@fe Web), Live from the Living Room (Capital District Gay & Lesbian Community Center), Open Spoken (Colony Café, Woodstock), Kill Your TV, Feed Your Ears (Lark Street Bookshop), Third Thursday Poetry Open Mic (Lark Street Bookshop), Poets in the Park (Washington Park), the Albany Word Fest 2001, 2002 (Thacher Park), 2003 (Valentines), 2006 (UAG Gallery), and 2007 (Tess' Lark Tavern), and LARKfest 2006 and 2007.

For more, go to: http://www.albanypoets.com/poets/francis