Frequency North/CLMP present CAPITAL LIT!

This weekend Albany will be rocking with poetry!  Here is the info from Daniel Nester about a great day of poetry, literature, small press, karaoke, and of course…fun!

Attention Albany Lit Lovers! Start 2010 off right with all the literary magazines and books you can carry off from CAPITAL LIT, CLMP’s first-ever Albany Lit Mag & Small Press Fair.

Hundreds of regional and national independent literary publishers will converge to sell their journals for only $2 an issue and books for $4 each. Many publishers will attend in person to meet Albany’s eager readers, so don’t miss this opportunity to discover literature you are unlikely to find in a single store, and meet the publishers and editors who do the real work of keeping American Literature vibrant and vital.

An offering of Frequency North, the aggressively eclectic visiting writers reading series at Saint Rose, and the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses, CAPITAL LIT will bring to Albany hundreds of regional and national independent literary publishers who will sell their journals for only $2 an issue and books for $4 each. The all-day festival includes a panel discussion on publishing, readings by some of the region’s most notable authors and the Albany debut of Karaoke + Poetry = Fun!

Schedule

12-6 Book fair, Saint Joseph Auditorium
1pm Potlach with Colie Collen
2pm Indie Publishing Discussion

5pm Reading and discussion with Shane Jones, Tobias Seamon and Barbara Louise Ungar

Shane Jones is a graduate of The University at Buffalo, and currently resides in Albany, New York. His poetry and short fiction have appeared in numerous literary journals, including: New York Tyrant, Unsaid, Typo, and Caketrain. His first novel, Light Boxes, will be published by Penguin Books in June, 2010. Director Spike Jonze (Where The Wild Things Are, Being John Malkovich) purchased the film option for Light Boxes in July 2009.

Tobias Seamon is author of the novel The Magician's Study and a poetry chapbook Loosestrife Along the River Styx. He also wrote and directed the short mockumentary "Amerikan Partizan," which premiered at the 2007 Edwood Filmfest. A collection of stories The Emperor's Toy Chest and a novella The Fair Grounds are both forthcoming from the UK-based press PS Publishing. A contributor with the online magazine The Morning News, he lives in Albany. 

Barbara Louise Ungar's newest book, The Origin of the Milky Way, published last year, won the Gival Press Prize for Poetry. Barbara Louise Ungar is the author of Thrift. Her poems have appeared in Salmagundi, The Minnesota Review, The Literary Review among others. She is an Associate Professor of English at The College of Saint Rose.

7pm Karaoke + Poetry = Fun at Valentine's
17 New Scotland Avenue
Featuring Eric Auld, Cara Benson, R.M. Englehardt, Geof Huth, Murrow, Tara Needham, Mary Panza, Tobias Seamon, Alifair Skebe, Dan Wilcox
Come and sign up to read and sing!

Admission is free and open to the public. This program is made possible in part through support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.

Some Tuesday Poetry News

Happy New Year!  All of us here at Albany Poets wish you the best in the new year. 

Here is some upstate New York poetry news concerning some upcoming events and other things going on the community.

TONIGHT, Tuesday, January 5, 2010, 8:00PM

Albany Poets Presents NO GIMMICK OPEN MIC
Valentines, 17 New Scotland Ave, Albany

We start off the new year with our monthly open mic for poetry, music, and spoken word.  Old school open mic.  No gimmicks, no themes.   Sign up starts at 7:00, reading starts at 8:00.

Poet Rock Ritual
The Putnam Den, 63A Putnam Street, Saratoga Springs

If you are up in the Saratoga are tonight be sure to check out what Margot Malia Lynch is doing up at the Putnam Den with her weekly open mic of words and music.

The weekly poetry open mic continues!
Please join us at The Putnam Den every Tues.
Sign up is at 8
$5 suggested donation
21+

Poetry Slam
then the Poet Rock Ritual: open mic for poets and any kind of word artist. You will be backed up by a live band:
Chris Turano on Drums
Marc Latzky on Bass
and a mystery Guitarist.

Margot is hosting.

Happy new decade

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Caffe Lena Poetry Open Mic
Caffe Lena, 47 Phila Street, Saratoga Springs

More poetry in Saratoga!  Here is the info from host Carol Graser:

the first Wednesday of every month Caffè Lena presents:

Caffè Lena Poetry Open Mic
Wednesday, January 6
7pm sign up, 7:30 readings start
Featured Poets:
Barbara Vink
$3
Hosted by Carol Graser
Caffè Lena, 47 Phila Street, Saratoga Springs
www.caffelena.org     583-0022

Barbara Vink has been coordinating the Voorheesville Public Library Every Other Thursday Night Poets since its onset in 1991. She also hosts Poetry Performance Day events, and has been in a performance trio for several years with Tom Corrado and Larry Rapant.  She has read her poetry at many local venues and was one of the editors and contributors to the anthology Poetry Don't Pump.

Friday, January 8

No Gimmick Open Mic at the UAG
UAG Gallery, 247 Lark Street, Albany

No Gimmick Open Mic at the UAG is Albany Poets’ open mic series for poetry and spoken word held at the UAG Gallery on the second Fridays of the month during the fall and spring semesters.

We return Friday, January 8 to kick off the new year with your words.

The UAG Gallery is located at 247 Lark Street, Albany NY. The readings start at 7:00PM. This is a free event.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Woodstock Poetry Society
Woodstock Town Hall, 76 Tinker Street, Woodstock

Poets Bruce Weber and Laurie Byro will be the featured readers when the Woodstock Poetry Society & Festival meets at the Woodstock Town Hall, 76 Tinker Street, on Saturday, January 9th at 2pm. The readings will be hosted by Woodstock area poet Phillip Levine. All meetings are free, open to the public, and include an open mike.

Bruce Weber - Bruce Weber is the author of five published books of poetry, "These Poems are Not Pretty", "How the Poem Died", "Poetic Justice", "The First Time I Had Sex with T. S. Eliot", and the just released "The Break-up of My  First Marriage".  Bruce’s work has appeared in numerous magazines, as well as in several anthologies including recently in Up is Up, But So Is Down: Downtown Writings, 1978-1992, and Riverine: An Anthology of Hudson Valley Writers (New Paltz, NY: Codhill Press, 2007). He has performed regularly in the tri-state area, both alone and with his performance group, Bruce Weber’s No Chance Ensemble, which has produced the CD "Let’s Dine Like Jack Johnson Tonight". He is the organizer of the Unorganicized Sunday Reading at ABC NO RIO, editor of the broadside Stained Sheets, and the producer of the long running Alternative New Year’s Day Spoken Word/Performance Extravaganza. By day, Bruce is Senior Curator at the National Academy Museum, and splits his time between his homes in New York City and Saugerties, New York.

Laurie Byro - Laurie Byro's short stories and poetry have appeared in a dozen or so small presses. Additionally, her work has been published in The Literary Review, Single Parent, Redactions, Aim, Chaminade Review, Chronogram, Grasslimb, Re:al Journal, The New Jersey Journal of Poets, Red Rock Review, The Paterson Literary Review among others. Her work can be googled in on-line e-zines and in the Guardian Unlimited on-line workshop. She was thrice nominated for “The Pushcart Prize” and has won or placed in 27 IBPC competitions.  Her work was recently published in The Poetry of Place Anthology (honoring William Carlos Williams).  Her children’s poem "A Captain's Cat" has appeared in Cricket Magazine and a textbook "Measuring up to the Illinois Learning Standards". In 2009, Mayor Barra proclaimed Laurie Byro as the “Official Poet Laureate of Allendale, NJ.”  Her work draws on myth and fairytale and her experiences of foreign places in the years she worked as a travel agent. Her poetry insists upon the continuing importance of fantasy, mystery and “the other” in our lives. Laurie is head of circulation at a library in New Jersey where she facilitates a poetry circle.

Poets Speak Loud Tonight at Tess’ Lark Tavern

Tonight we will be gathering around the fire, rather the stage, at Tess’ Lark Tavern (453 Madison Ave., Albany) for our monthly open mic for poetry and spoken word hosted by Mary Panza.  This time around we are having a straight-up, old school, no-holds-barred, in between Christmas and New Years Day open mic with no special guests or featured poets.

Come out with your poetry and family holiday stories to share!

Sign up starts at 7:00PM, the open mic begins around 7:45.

Poetry and Spoken Word in Albany This Week

Here is some information on some poetry and spoken word events and open mics coming up this week.  It appears that this month’s VoX at the Fuze Box has been moved from the last Friday to this coming Friday for the holidays…mystery. 

Third Thursday Poetry Night
Thursday, December 17, 7:00PM
Social Justice Center, 33 Central Ave., Albany

the Poetry Motel Foundation presents Third Thursday Poetry Night at the Social Justice Center, 33 Central Ave., Albany, NY

Thursday, December 17
7:00 sign up; 7:30 start
Featured Poet: Urayoán Noel

-- with an open mic for community poets before & after the feature: $3.00 donation, suggested; more if you got it, less if you can’t.

Your host: Dan Wilcox & the annual visit from Sanity Clause.

Urayoán noel is the author of Kool Logic/La Lógica Kool (bilingual press; a 2006 books of the year selection by el nuevo día) and Boringkén (ediciones callejón/la tertulia, 2008). Other works include the artist’s book Las Flores del Mall (2000) and various text-sound collaborations with composer Monxo López, some of which are featured on the dvd Kool Logic Sessions (bilingual press) and on the cd included with Boringkén.

Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, he divides his time between Albany and the Bronx, NY, and teaches literature and creative writing at the University at Albany.

v0x
Friday, December 18, 8:00PM
Fuze Box, 12 Central Ave., Albany

V O X :
ALBANY'S POETRY OPEN MIC
Special Mystery Edition

WHISKEY, RYE & POEMS .
At The Fuze Box

ON FRIDAY December 18th, 2009

Albany, NY's Open Mic For Poets
POETRY & THE WORD
*8pm Start time*
$4.00 Donation Requested

WHISKEY, RYE & POEMS ...
The Mystery "Noir" Edition. Bring your detective prose & mystery poems, even dress the part!

If you don't have any bring some excerpts by your favorite writer.

Hosted by R.M.Engelhardt
FuzeBox, 12 CENTRAL AVENUE, ALBANY, NY
Always Held On The Last Friday of Each Month.

HVWG Holiday Open Mic
Sunday, December 20, 2:00PM
Perfect Blend, 376 Delaware Ave., Delmar

The Hudson Valley Writers Guild will host "Season's Readings," an open mic for writers with a holiday theme on Sunday, December 20, at 2 p.m., at Perfect Blend in Delmar. Writers are invited to read two pieces on holiday (Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, etc.) or holiday-related themes, such as kindness or generosity: one piece from a famous or published author other than themselves, and one piece that they have written. Hot coffee and warm words: what a great way to slow down for a couple hours this season!

The Perfect Blend is located at 376 Delaware Avenue, Delmar, at the 4 Corners. Hosts are Jill Crammond Wickham and Carolee Sherwood. There is no cover charge, but please bring canned goods or other nonperishable food items for donation to the local food bank. The event is open to the public. Bring family and friends for a new holiday tradition!

Approximately 30 minutes prior to the event start time, a sign-in sheet will be available for those interested in reading. To keep the reading moving along, please select poems no longer than one page. If reading prose, please limit each piece to excerpts of 400 words per piece.

CONTACT: For more information, email hvwginfo@gmail.com.

For the complete calendar of events, go to www.albanypoets.com/events.  While you are there, be sure to subscribe to calendar so you can always know what is going on in upstate poetry and spoken community.

“Poet Rock Ritual” Coming to Saratoga Every Tuesday Starting Tuesday, Dec. 15

Just got this in from Margot Malia Lynch about a new music/poetry/spoken word series up in Saratoga.  Sounds very interesting and should be a great time, especially considering where the inspiration came from.

Margot Malia Presents: POET ROCK RITUAL
An open mic for poets backed up by live musicians.

Every Tues night
Starting December 15th

PUTNAM DEN
Saratoga Springs, NY
(where backstreet billiards used to be, an alley street between phila and caroline, walking distance from caffe lena's, the library..)
518-584-8066

Sign up @8
830 SLAM (if there's enough people...)
9pm POET ROCK RITUAL
This is going to be a very interesting and organic process. I have a clear vision of how I would like it to go but new projects like this take time to get in the groove. I hope you'll stop in a be a part of the process. I've been wanting to bring the poetry and music phenomenon to my hometown for several years and am ECSTATIC it's happening.
$3 wines
2 for one well drinks
$3 suggested donation

The Putnam Den just opened up this summer and is a FABULOUS, huge NYC warehouse like spot. There's couches, plenty of breathing space, murals.

I remember when I was going to the Poetry Jam in boston from the beginning. It feels awesome to be a part of a growing and evolving creative community. The Poetry Jam is celebrating it's 13TH YEAR. www.poetryjam.com Let's make this!

Your help in spreading the word is awesome to me.

MUSICIANS! CONTACT ME IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BEING A PART OF THIS. If you are a good listener and think you can support the mood of any kind of poem and improvise with others. Margotproductions@yahoo.com

Busy Week of Poetry in the Area

A busy week here in the upstate poetry and spoken word community.  Here is some information on two of the readings coming up.   For a complete list of events, go to the Events Calendar.

Wednesday, November 18
7:00PM
Cock N Bull Restaurant
Parkis Mills Rd, Galway, NY 12074

You very well may have heard about the Open Mic to be held at the Cock n Bull Wed., Nov. 18 at 7pm-9pm.  I am writing to ask you all to come and share in this fun event.  This isn't your usual open mic.  We are expecting a host of performing artists -- readers, singers, musicians from the community of Galway and beyond.  If you want to share your talent, sign up is at 6:30.  If you want to just enjoy the events, the fun begtins at 7.  Or you can come earlier and have a bite to eat.  The bar will be open for those who wish to have a drink.

This event is sponsored by the Galway Public Library, the biggest little library in the state.  Please come and support the library and have a good time.  It's free, though a small donation will be welcomed.  Oh, and there's free refreshments, compliments of the Cock n Bull. What more could you ask?

Thursday, November 19
7:00PM
Third Thursday Poetry Night
Social Justice Center
33 Central Ave., Albany, NY

Third Thursday Poetry Night at the Social Justice Center, 33 Central Ave., Albany, NY on Thursday, November 19 with a 7:00 sign up; 7:30 start

Featured Poet: Barbara Adams -- with an open mic for community poets before & after the feature: $3.00 donation, suggested; more if you got it, less if you can’t.

Your turkey host: Dan Wilcox

Barbara Adams is the author of two books of poems, and a book of literary criticism on Laura Riding. She is a retired Professor of English at Pace University. Born in Manhattan, she has lived in the mid-Hudson valley most of her life. Her poems appear in the two anthologies of Hudson River writers, "Riverine" and "WaterWrites."

21st Annual Day of the Poet Contest on Thanksgiving Saturday, Nov 28

After the Thanksgiving holiday and all the Black Friday madness, be sure to go over the Colonie Library and check out this great annual poetry and spoken word event.

POETS' CORNER at the COLONIE TOWN LIBRARY and the SPC present the 21st Annual DAY OF THE POET --a poetry reading contest

Saturday, November 28, 2009 at the Colonie Town Library (William K.Sanford Library), 629 Albany Shaker Road, Loundonville, NY (near the Times Union Building off the Northway)

Reading starts at 10:00AM. Entrance fee: $3.00

Day of the Poet also features open stage readings by past champions and other local poets not competing.

How it works:
Competing poets are given three rounds. Poets present their original work only. Rounds are timed at two, three and four minutes respectively.

Poets are judged based on:
1. timing( get it close to the mark.)
2. presentation
3. content( profanity is discouraged unless used well. It is a library.)

Note: No artificial timing devices (watches, timers, alarm clocks, folks in the audience waving hands) are allowed. Timing is a unique feature of this contest. Poets have to depend on their own internal clocks. Preparation ahead of time to stay close to the time targets is recommended.

Prize amounts:
$200 First Prize
$50 Second prize
Third place prize is based on Entrance fees

To register or for more information call Timothy Lake at 518-274-0131.

Past First Place Winners:
1989- J.J. Clarke
1990-Roberta Waugh
1991- Paul Genega
1992- Judith saunders
1993-Frank Murphy
1994- Kym Flemming
1995-James Patrick Casey
1996- Sylvia Barnard
1997- Laura Minita( age 8)
1998-Anne Goodwin
1999-Viktor Batorsky
2000-Edward Sherlock
2001-Margaret Black
2002-Therese Broderick
2003-Todd Broomhead
2004-Serafina Whelen
2005-Kathy O'Brien
2006-Timothy Lake
2007-Alan Casline
2008-Miriam Axel-Lute
2009- who knows? Maybe you will take this spot in an auspicious list of competitors.

Poetry at the UAG Gallery This Friday, Nov 13

Albany Poets and Jawbone are once again combining forces to bring poetry to the UAG Gallery.  This Friday Jawbone will present a reading with James Belflower and Lucyna Prostko followed by our monthly open mic for poetry and spoken word.

Here is the information from the good folks at Jawbone:

Jawbone is pleased to host a first book release party/reading this Friday, November 13th at 6:30pm in the United Artists Guild Gallery (247 Lark Street). Please come early and enjoy a refreshment/chat with the authors.

An open mic hosted by Albany Poets will follow at 8pm.

We hope that you will attend and support two very talented poets and PhD Candidates.

COMMUTER by James Belflower: Modeling the courage of the witness as a compelling poetic subjectivity, COMMUTER attempts to encourage response by negotiating notions of the self. Juliana Spahr calls COMMUTER "a painfully beautiful and transformatively aestheticized book."

James Belflower is the author of Commuter (Instance Press) and And Also a Fountain, (NeOpepper Press) a collaborative echap with Anne Heide and J. Michael Martinez. He won the 2007 Juked Magazine poetry prize and his work  appears, or is forthcoming in: Jacket, EOAGH, Denver Quarterly, Apostrophe Cast, First Intensity, Reconfigurations, Konundrum Engine and O&S, among others. He curates PotLatchpoetry.org, a website dedicated to the gifting and exchange of poetry resources.

Infinite Beginnnings—Lucyna Prostko's fierce, quiet book shines like the
wooden boat in "Homecoming" that "beckons the winds with all its power."  Prostko makes poetic speech feel somehow inevitable, yet unexpected and fresh; there is nothing self-conscious, no straining for high art, in her mastery. "The human stories in her poems haunt me. . . . Clear-eyed and steadfast in her honesty, Prostko doesn't pretend to easy understanding of the mystery she touches at the deep heart of our being, but her love for the world is palpable in every poem"--Joan Larkin, Judge, Bright Hill Poetry Book Competition.

Lucyna Prostko was born in 1971 in Poland, where she grew up in a small village of Solistowka in Mazury. From an early age, she has been immersed in the stories of her grandparents' lives who have been tragically affected by the outbreak of World War II. She came to New York City at the age of 19. She received her BA degree in English from Hunter College and MFA in poetry from New York University, where she was awarded The New York Times Fellowship. She has been writing poetry in both Polish and English, and her work has been influenced by both Polish and American poets, in particular Boleslaw Lesmian, Czeslaw Milosz, Tadeusz Rozewicz, Wislawa Szymborska as well as Emily Dickinson, T.S. Eliot, Galway Kinnell, Philip Levine, Sharon Olds, and Louise Gluck. Her poetry has appeared in The Bitter Oleander, Fugue, Washington Square, Painted Bride Quarterly, Ellipsis, Quiddity, Five Points, and other literary magazines and in her collection, Infinite Beginnings, judged winner of the Bright Hill Press Poetry Book Competition by Joan Larkin and published by Bright Hill in 2009. She has been teaching literature and creative writing for the past ten years. She currently teaches at Queensbury High School in upstate New York and pursues Ph.D. in English at SUNY Albany. She lives on Hunt Lake in the Adirondacks with her husband, Mirko.

The evening starts at 6:30PM with the “No Gimmicks Open Mic” hosted by Mary Panza will begin after the two featured poets at 8:00PM.  Sign up for the open mic will be available throughout the night. 

Spoken Word and Hip Hop at Valentines Tonight

Poetry, spoken word, music, hip hop and more is happening tonight at Valentines as The Intangible Collective is coming into town for what is sure to be a great show.  If you remember, these guys were a big part of the Psycho Cluster F*#k at the 2006 Albany Word Fest (Download Albany Poets Podcast #13 mp3).

Here is the info from Dan Stalter:

Static After The Storm
Friday 11/6 // Valentines 9PM // $5 Cover // 18+

The world ends often. Every moment offers the opportunity of new beginnings, as our past becomes engulfed in the apocalypse of our future. If you survive, the choice becomes yours: wallow in despair or effect change upon circumstance. 28 of us chose creation. This is Intangible. This is Collective. This is the Static After the Storm.

The Intangible Collective will kick off the evening with a full set of spoken word poetry at 9pm. A handful of local Albany Poets [editors note: Murrow and Dan Wilcox, among others] will also read. Following the poetry we will shift gears and bring Hip Hop to the stage. Headling the set will be Xkwisit, Killa Kev, Absolute, & DJ SG. Representing the Intangible Hip Hop faction will be Fascious, Bamboo MC, & B.Nice

For more information: http://www.intangiblecollective.com and http://www.valentinesalbany.com

Home Planet News Benefit and Reading This Sunday

The Bohemian Book Bin is proud to welcome Donald Lev, one of the founders of The Home Planet News (an Independent Literary Review that includes Poetry, Fiction, and Theater) for a gala poetry event and to celebrate the emergence of Home Planet News issue #63

The following poets will be reading their work which is featured in The Home Planet News Issue #63: Andy Clausen, Teresa Marta Costa, Justin Parrinello, Michael Platsky, Judith Saunders & R. Dionysus Whiteurs.

Suggested Donation $5.00 includes refreshments & free copy of HPN, plus face to face with Donald Lev

Donald Lev and his reclusive cat Kit Smart live in High Falls, NY, where he spends most of his time publishing the literary tabloid Home Planet News, which he and his late wife Enid Dame founded in 1979 in NYC.

Donald Lev was born in New York City in 1936. He attended Hunter College, worked in the wire rooms of the Daily News and New York Times, and drove a taxi cab for 20 years (with a 6-year hiatus in which he ran messages for, and contributed poetry to, The Village Voice and operated the Home Planet Bookshop on the Lower East Side). His earliest poems appeared in print in 1958 and he started his first small press magazine, HYN Anthology, in 1969. He has published fourteen collections of poetry, including: Yesterday's News in 2002 by Red Hill Outloudbooks in Claryville, NY. His brief underground film-acting career pinnacled with his portrayal (he
wrote his own lines) of "The Poet" in Robert Downey Sr.'s 1969 classic Putney Swope.  Don has just released a new collection: The Darkness Above.

So come by Sunday, November 8th from 4pm - 6pm, with some poems of your own to read & support an amazing publication, now in its 30th year Home Planet News at the Bohemian Book Bin, Largest Used Bookstore in Ulster County.  Now located in Lake Katrine, .02 mi North of Adams, off 9W right behind G & G Leather Sign. 85 Carle Terrace, Lake Katrine, 845-336-6450  bohemianbookbin.com

Poetry in Kingston This Saturday Featuring Alan Catlin, Dan Crocker, Tim Gager, Nathan Graziano and Rebecca Schumejda

Alan Catlin, Dan Crocker, Tim Gager, Nathan Graziano and Rebecca Schumejda will read at Half Moon Books, 35 North Front Street, Kingston, NY 6:30pm on Saturday, November 7th

Alan Catlin retired after thirty-four years of working in his unchosen profession as a barman. His latest collections include “Only the Dead Know Albany" from sunnyoutisde and a companion piece from March Street Press, “Near Death in the Afternoon on Becker Street.”

Daniel Crocker is the author of two full-length collections of poetry, a collection of short stories and the novel, The Cornstalk Man. He is the former editor of Controlled Burn and former assistant editor of Big Muddy: A Journal of the Mississippi River Valley.

Timothy Gager is the author of seven books of short fiction and poetry. The poetry chapbooks, These Poems are not Pink Clouds (Propaganda Press) and this is where you go when you are gone (Cerena Barva Press) were released in 2008. He hosts the Dire Literary Series in Cambridge, Massachusetts every month and is the co-founder of Somerville News Writers Festival. Timothy is the current Fiction Editor of The Wilderness House Literary Review, the founding co-editor of The Heat City Literary Review and has edited the book, Out of the Blue Writers Unite: A Book of Poetry and Prose from the Out of the Blue Art Gallery. He has had over 150 works of fiction and poetry published since 2007 and of which five have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize.

Nathan Graziano lives in Manchester, New Hampshire with his wife and two children. He is the author of Teaching Metaphors (sunnyoutside, 2007), Not So Profound (Green Bean Press, 2004), Frostbite (GBP, 2002) and seven chapbooks of poetry and fiction. His work has appeared in Rattle, Night Train, Freight Stories, The Coe Review, The Owen Wister Review, and others. His third book of poetry, After the Honeymoon, was published in September by sunnyoutside press. For more information, visit his website: www.nathangraziano.com

Rebecca Schumejda’s new collection, The Map of Our Garden will be release November 1st from verve bath press. Her full length collection, Falling Forward, was published by sunnyoutside press in February. They are also the publishers of her second collection, Dream Big, Work Harder, which appeared in 2006. She is a graduate of San Francisco State University, with an MA in Poetics. Schumejda currently teaches English at an alternative high school in Hudson. You can find out more at her website at www.rebeccaschumejda.com

Half Moon Books is located at 35 North Front St., in the uptown section of Kingston. Light refreshments will be served, and there is no cover charge. For more information, contact Half Moon Books at 845-331-5439, or contact Schumejda at rshume@hotmail.com.

Tribute to Poe at the Fuze Box THis Friday

This coming Friday is the “annual” Edgar Allan Poe tribute event and open mic R.M. Engelhardt’s monthly VoX series at the Fuze Box.  Local poets and musicians will be performing some of Poe’s work and there will be an open mic for poetry and spoken word. 

Here is the (slightly edited for formatting purposes) info from Rob.

ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30th, 2009 THE FUZE - BOX PRESENTS :

ALL HALLOW’S EVE, A RECKONING: 200 YEARS
A TRIBUTE TO EDGAR ALLEN POE
To Benefit THE ALBANY DAMIEN CENTER

WITH PERFORMANCES OF POE’S WORK BY:
- Murrow 
- Mary Panza 
- John Weiler 
- Terry Bat-Sonja
- AC Everson
- The Black Heart Contingency 
- R.M. Engelhardt

Many Others … Plus An Open Halloween Mic!

Come Celebrate HALLOWEEN ! Costumes Encouraged!!!

On FRIDAY, 8pm 
OCTOBER 30th 2009 
AT THE FUZE BOX
12 CENTRAL AVENUE, ALBANY, NY
(518) 432-8866

$8.00 Donation to the Damien Center

And Afterwards?
The Party Begins w/D.J. Strange & THE NECROMANCERS BALL!!!

10pm!

Come & join us for a glass of ABSINTHE!

R.M. ENGELHARDT
www.rmengelhardt.com

Nicole Peyrafitte Performing in The Capital District In November

Nicole Peyrafitte will be back in the area next month for two performances.  She will be at Caffe Lena’s Poetry Open Mic on Wednesday, November 4th and at Justin’s on Lark Street the next night.  Her performances are always a great time and not to be missed.

Here is all the info from Nicole herself.

Performance artist Nicole Peyrafitte returns to the Capital District for 2 performances.

Wednesday November 4th 7 PM
Caffè Lena
Featured reader at the Caffè Lena Monthly Poetry event
$3 at the door
http://www.caffelena.org/cal-2009-11.htm#04
Nicole will read & sing (all a capella) her recent work.

Thusday November 5th 9 PM
Justin’s
accompanied by:
Mike Bisio – Double Bass
Georges Muscatello – Electric Guitar

301 Lark Street Albany NY 12208
reservation preferred: (518) 436-7008
Cover: $3

Nicole worked for many years with both Bisio and Muscatello. With Mike Bisio they signed the CD “Whisk! Don’t Church” (Ta’wil production 2009). With Muscatello they co-wrote some of “The Bi-Continental Chowder” (Ta’wil production 2007) tunes and together toured the performance of the same name both in France and the USA.

Tonight their reunion will celebrates music, poetry and improvisation through selections of Peyrafitte’s originals texts, but also contemporary poetry by Pierre Joris, Henri Michaux, Frida Kahlo & Occitan songs.

Contact: Nicole Peyrafitte
Email: peirahitta@gmail.com
Telephone: 518.281.5407

BIO:
Pyrenean-born Nicole Peyrafitte is a performance artist who sings, paint, films, writes & cooks. She draws on her eclectic heritage to perform songs ranging from French cabaret to jazz standards and contemporary poetry. Her voice work is often integrated into multimedia stagings based on her visuals (paintings and/or videos) and writings. Her multimedia performances projects often involve the onstage preparation and cooking of a dish, shared with the audience. Her work addresses the experiences of negotiating her identity across two continents and four languages.

She performs domestically and in France. After her Capital district mini-tour she will be in Angoulême, France for a performance at the International Symposium : L'art, L'éducation & le politique. Her current projects involve the co-direction of a documentary on sculptor Augustus Saint Gaudens and she keeps a blog “Collectages: Recordings of Foods & A®titudes” (http://nicolepeyrafitte.com/blog/)

QUOTES :
"Nicole Peyrafitte is a brilliant and most original performer. Her vocalizations, her songs, her gestures are provocative: both stunningly beautiful and powerfully unnerving at times. She is the chthonic goddess come to tempt you, scare you, transform you. She is in the poetic lineage of Greek tragedy, Café Voltaire antics, of dada and surrealist play but with a post-modern, hip sensibility. I am transfixed when she's on stage." -- Poet/Performer Anne Waldman

Review of: "Whisk!Dont Churn!"
By: Greg Haymes
Music Editor at the Times Union
Parade of CDs - New music blossoms in the Capital Region
(First published: Thursday, March 12, 2009)
After hibernating through much of the long winter, Capital Region musicians are beginning to emerge from their dark recording-studio lairs with brand new CDs in their hot, little paws.
First out of the box this week is the dynamic twosome of vocalist Nicole Peyrafitte and bassist Michael Bisio, who will join forces on stage tonight at Justin's in Albany to celebrate the release of their debut live album, "Whisk! Don't Churn!" on the Ta'wil label.Both are fearlessly adventurous musicians, and the performance on this disc — recorded at Justin's in November — captures it all magnificently. Spoken-word and multilingual vocalizations engage in masterful swordplay with sonic bass explorations.
As CD producer Pierre Joris says, the two artist-musicians "have developed an ongoing and challenging conversation based on their unconditional dedication to their chosen modes of expression." Open your ears wide and if you listen close enough to the provocative sounds of Bisio and Peyrafitte, you'll hear the sound of a kitchen whisk played like a Stradivarius.

About her 2007 CD:

“…Performance artist Nicole Peyrafitte serves up some very interesting sound-scapes and emotional improvisations on her new CD entitled “La Garbure Transcontinentale / The Bi-Continental Chowder”. Alternating between French and English poetics, Peyrafitte attempts to help the listener make the connection that she has made through her heuristic research in America and in France... the Bi-Continental Chowder is a very tasty and imaginative work. With Peyrafitte’s vocal borrowings from Meredith Monk and Yoko Ono and a band that lends credence to her vocal explorations, this CD is definitely recommended for those listeners in need of an ear stretching. --Darryl Gregory - Indie-Music.com

more reviews and videos: http://www.nicolepeyrafitte.com

Third Thursday Poetry Night Featuring Bless

The Poetry Motel Foundation presents Third Thursday Poetry Night at the Social Justice Center (33 Central Ave., Albany, NY)

Thursday, October 15
7:00 sign up; 7:30 start

Featured Poet: Bless

-- with an open mic for community poets before & after the feature: $3.00 donation, suggested; more if you got it, less if you can’t.

Starting his career as one of the original slam poets of the Nyorican Poets Cafe in NYC, Bless has been performing at local poetry venues and was the host of Wize Words at Simply Fish & Jazz.

Your busy host: Dan Wilcox.

Margot Malia Lynch Featuring at Fuze Box, Sept 25

Singer/Songwriter/Poet/Artist Margot Malia Lynch (who will be also performing on the Hometown Stage at LARKfest on Saturday, September 19 with Daniel Nester and Murrow) is the featured poet this month at the Fuze Box for VoX, hosted by R.M. Engelhardt.

Here is all of the information for vOx from the host himself:

V Ω X ! @ The Fuze Box

FRIDAY, September 25th, 2009

Albany, NY's Open Mic For Poets
POETRY & THE WORD

*8pm Start time*

$4.00 Donation Requested

With this Month’s Featured Poet~
~Margot Malia Lynch~

Hosted by R.M.Engelhardt

Always Held On The Last Friday of Each Month.

Join “THE VERSUS PROJECT”
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=56748704806

And Never Bury Poetry

++++++

FUZE BOX:
12 Central Avenue
Albany,NY
(518) 432-8866
INFO: www.rmengelhardt.com

Java Poets Collective Reading, Oct 4

Definitely a reading to check out at Professor Java’s in Colonie coming on October 4.

In spring 2006, the NYS Writers Institute offered a poetry workshop conducted by Cara Benson. The group has continued to meet independently forming the Java Poets Collective.  The group is publishing Java Wednesdays, a chapbook of their work and will launch its release with this reading.

Readers include:  Deb Adler, Maria DeLucia-Evans, Gwen Gould, Scott Hicks, Nick Kling, Cecele Kraus, Suzanne Meyers, Terry Royne, Jan Marin Tramontano, Amy White, and Cara Benson.

Java Poets Collective Reading
Sunday, October 4, 2-4pm
Professor Java's Coffee Sanctuary
217 Wolf Road, Albany

Third Thursday Poetry Night With Georganna Millman

Dan Wilcox sent the announcement for this months Third Thursday Poetry Night on August 20 at the Social Justice Center.

Third Thursday Poetry Night
at the Social Justice Center
33 Central Ave., Albany, NY
Thursday, August 20
7:00 sign up; 7:30 start
Featured Poet: Georganna Millman

Georganna Millman’s poetry has been published widely in poetry journals and her poetry chapbook, “Formulary” was published this year by Astounding Beauty Ruffian Press (Stuart, VA).

-- with an open mic for community poets before & after the feature: $3.00 donation, suggested; more if you got it, less if you can’t.

Your not-yet-tan host: Dan Wilcox.

Naugatuck River Review Narrative Poetry Contest

This just in from our friend Lori Desrosiers (who will be one of the features this coming Saturday at Poets in the Park)

Contest Submission Deadline: September 1st
Judge for 2009 Contest:  Lesléa Newman

Lesléa Newman is the author of over 50 books including Heather Has Two Mommies, A Letter To Harvey Milk, Writing From The Heart, In Every Laugh a Tear, The Femme Mystique, Still Life with Buddy, Fat Chance and Out of the Closet and Nothing to Wear. She has received many literary awards including Poetry Fellowships from the Massachusetts Artists Fellowship Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Highlights for Children Fiction Writing Award, the James Baldwin Award for Cultural Achievement, and two Pushcart Prize Nominations. Nine of her books have been Lambda Literary Award finalists. She is Poet Laureate of Northampton, MA.

First prize is $1000 and publication in Naugatuck River Review
Second prize $250 and publication
Third prize of  $100 and publication

Winners will be published in the Winter 2010 Issue of Naugatuck River Review.
All entrants will receive one issue of Naugatuck River Review.

All poems will be considered for publication in the Winter 2010 Contest issue (Issue 3).

Contest deadline is September 1st, 2009.  Electronic submissions ONLY will be accepted through our Submission Manager.

Contest submission fee of $20 includes an issue of the journal.

Go to www.naugatuckriverreview.com/contest for guidelines and to access our new submission manager.

Poetry at the Bohemian Book Bin, July 9

From our friend Teresa Costa:

Poetry at the Bohemian Book Bin, July 9

Featured   poets:: Frank Boyer and Victoria Sullivan
Thursday   July 9th  7:00 PM
Open Reading/ Refreshments
$3.00- suggested donation
all at an incredibly really cool bookstore with host Teresa M. Costa at the Bohemian Book Bin,  85 Carle Terrace,  Lake  Katrine, NY ( just off route 9W, in back of G&G Leather).

Bring some poems/ bring  some friends
it's summer  & the  livin  is easy.....

Future Featured Poets:
August:  13th Cheryl A. Rice & David Kime
Sept: 10th:  - Barbara Adams & Laurence Carr

 

Tim Mason and Lisa LoBasso at Caffe Lena, July 1

This month the Caffe Lena Open Mic has two featured poets plus an open mic.  Here is the info from Carol Graser:

Timothy Mason has been actively performing poetry and promoting folk music since the 1980's. He honed is performance style in the early poetry slams and at the fabled Kerrville Folk Festival giving the songwriters a run for their money. His first book Gently, Like Water, Cracking Stone was released in April 1997. His most recent work, Feral Voices, published in February 2009, is a collection of poetry giving a non-human voice and sensibility to the 21st century experience on our shared planet. From Anchorage, Toronto and Ottawa to Boston, Austin and Oakland, festival and club appearances have solidified his place among contemporary New England artists and international audiences. "...beautiful imagery and solid structure mixed with an intense performance style...."  www.timothydmason.com

Refusing to characterize her poetic style as either academic or performance, LisaAnn LoBasso considers herself most at home among artists. With over 20 years experience, she has produced countless readings and collaborative arts events, such as the Up Close, Let Loose Traveling Poets’ Reading Series, and Operation Soapbox, while still racking  up her own credentials, including Poet Ambassador of Kern County in California, as well as appearances at venues and universities from West Coast to East. LisaAnn’s work has been lauded as both dynamic and boundary-breaking; dubbed a poetry minstrel by Las Vegas City Life Weekly, she has featured with diverse and noteworthy poets, such as Nicholas Roerich Prize winner Lee McCarthy, California Poet Laureate Al Young, and Paterson Award Winner Indran Amirthanayagam. Twice nominated for California Poet Laureate 2008, she has two poetry books in print: In the Swollen a poetry collection (2003), and Oleander Milkshake, (2008). In her spare time, LisaAnn develops creative writing programs, theatre scripts, arts-education programs, and public arts installations with artists as far as England. She travels worldwide and recently just returned from living in India for three months. LisaAnn has worked closely with Gluck Award winner Frances Mconnel, National Book Award finalist and critically acclaimed author Susan Straight, and Pulitzer Prize nominee Maurya Simon.

Poetry Open Mic
Wednesday July 1
doors open 7PM, readings start 7:30
Featured Poets: Tim Mason and Lisa LoBasso
$3
hosted by Carol Graser
Caffè Lena, 47 Phila Street, Saratoga Springs
www.caffelena.org     583-0022

Sunday Four Poetry With Frank Desiderio and Mimi Moriarty

Just wanted to pass this announcement along from the poets in Voorheesville and their monthly poetry series at the Old Songs Community Arts Center.

Old Songs Community Arts Center: Sunday Four Poetry--Frank Desiderio and Mimi Moriarty/ Voorheesville

Frank Desiderio and Mimi Moriarty with an open mike
Sunday Four Poetry Open Mike

Hosts: Dennis Sullivan, Edie Abrams, & Michael Burke

Old Songs Community Center
37 S. Main St., Voorheesville, NY
Every 4th Sunday

Third Thursday Poetry Night Featuring W.D. Clarke

This coming Thursday at the Social Justice Center on Central Ave.:

The Poetry Motel Foundation presents Third Thursday Poetry Night at the Social Justice Center, 33 Central Ave., Albany, NY on Thursday, June 18 (7:00 sign up; 7:30 start)

Featured Poet: W.D. Clarke

W.D. Clarke is the author of “Soldier Ballads and Other Tales” (Infinity Publishing). His poems are narrative rhymes done in a style of Robert Service and Rudyard Kipling. Many have a military setting, while others are based on Clarke’s wanderings and love of the Old West California’s “gold country.”

-- with an open mic for community poets before & after the feature: $3.00 donation, suggested; more if you got it, less if you can’t.

Your poetry host: Dan Wilcox.

Every Other Thursday Poets… and Artists

The Every Other Thursday Night Poets are artists as well! Or at least some of them are. They are hosting a reception on Thursday evening, June 18, from 6:00-8:00 pm at the Voorheesville Library (directions on Library web site). View art work by Tom Corrado, Barbara Vink, Mimi Moriarty, Philomena Moriarty, Alan Casline, Mark O'Brien, and others. Everything from acrylic to collage to photography and more! Everyone is invited to admire the art and its integration with the written word.

Mimi Moriarty and her brother, Frank Desiderio, will be the featured poets at the regular open mic held at the Old Songs Building, 37 S. Main Street, Voorheesville, on Sunday, June 28 at 3:00. (Old Songs is across the street from Stewart's.) They are a duet, reading companion poems, seeing the same topic through a different set of lenses. Reception will follow. Bring a poem to read, or just come and listen to the varied and talented group of poets that hang out in Voorheesville.

Judith Saunders and William Seaton at Woodstock Poetry Society and Festival, June 13

From our friend Phillip Levine, host of the Woodstock Poetry Society and the weekly poetry night at the Colony Cafe:

Poet Judith Saunders presenting her poetry and poet William Seaton presenting a talk (Winged Words: Notes on the Oral Performance of Poetry") will be the featured readers when the Woodstock Poetry Society & Festival meets at the Woodstock Town Hall, 76 Tinker Street, on Saturday, June 13 at 2pm.

The reading is usually hosted by Woodstock area poet Phillip Levine, however he will be more than capably replaced as host for this reading by Donald Lev. All meetings are free, open to the public, and include an open mike.

Judith Saunders, long-time resident of the Hudson Valley, is a professor of English at Marist College. Her poems, humor, and creative nonfiction have appeared in many literary journals and little magazines, regional and national, most recently in Home Planet News, Poet Lore, Chronogram, The Hudson River Valley Review, and The Journal of Irreproducible Results. Her chapbook collection, Check-Out Counter Suite, was a winner in the 1992 Panhandler Poetry Chapbook Competition, sponsored by the University of West Florida.

William Seaton is the author of Spoor of Desire: Selected Poems and Tourist Snapshots and the producer of the /Poetry on the Loose Reading/Performance Series/. Recipient of the Ada Louise Ballard Fellowship in the Humanities and the Helen Fairall Scholarship Award in Comparative Literature, he has published studies in learned publications such as the Iowa Journal of Literary Studies and Bruccoli Clark's Dictionary of Literary Biography series. During the last year, his reviews have appeared in Poetry Flash, Home Planet News, Chiron Review, and Chronogram. This summer he will teach a workshop series in a newly organized College of Poetry.

Winged Words: Notes on the Oral Performance of Poetry" is an investigation of orality in poetry. The essay explores the history of the oral performance of poetry from Sappho to rap as well as distinguishing the typical generic characteristics of oral and written texts. How is poetry different for a silent reader and a listener to a live performance? Is either experience better? Are today's coffee house readers the real poetic traditionalists? Part of this lecture was presented in an earlier form at the Woodstock Library in March of 2007.

This talk is made possible by The New York Council for the Humanities for support and funding of the /Speakers in the Schools /program.

Here's our upcoming 2009 schedule of featured readers:
Jul 11 - LisaAnn LoBasso, Marnie Andrews; Raphael Kosek
Aug 8 - Susan Lewis; India Radfar
Sep 12 – Gioia Timpanelli
Oct 10 – Patti Martin; Susan Hoover, Victoria Sullivan
Nov 14 – Angelo Verga; **George Wallace
Dec 12 – Open Mike & Annual Business & Planning Meeting

Also, why not become a 2009 Member of the Woodstock Poetry Society & Festival?  Membership is a nominal $15 a year. (To join, send your check to the Woodstock Poetry Society, P.O. Box 531, Woodstock, NY 12498. Include your email address as well as your mailing address and phone number.) Your membership helps pay for hall rental, post-office-box rental, the WPS website, and costs associated with publicizing the monthly events. One benefit of membership is the opportunity to have a brief biography and several of your poems appear on this website.

Upcoming Poetry Readings and Events

Busy week in poetry coming up.  Things kicked off yesterday with Dan Wilcox’s annual birthday tribute and reading of Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself”.  Here is some information on Tuesday’s Albany Poets Presents and Wednesday’s Caffe Lena Open Mic up in Saratoga. 

Albany Poets Presents, Tuesday, June 2

Albany Poets Presents, hosted by Thom Francis returns to Valentines on Tuesday, June 2 starting at 8:00PM.

Come over and join local poets and spoken word artists for an evening of conversation, cocktails, coffee, and, of course, poetry. The signup starts at 7:00PM for anyone who wants to take the stage and share their work.

Albany Poets Presents takes place at Valentines Music Hall (17 New Scotland Ave.) on the first Tuesday of each and every month.

Caffè Lena Poetry Open Mic,  Wednesday, June 3 featuring Bill Wunder

Caffè Lena Poetry Open Mic on Wednesday, June 3.  7pm sign up, 7:30 readings start with featured poet: Bill Wunder.  $3.  Hosted by Carol Graser at Caffe Lena, 47 Phila Street, Saratoga Springs.  For more information contact www.caffelena.org or call 583-0022.

This poetry month is sponsored by Joe and Carol Bruchac in memory of Kate O'Connell, a true lover and supporter of poetry.

Bill Wunder is the author of Pointing at the Moon (WordTech Editions, 2008) and a chapbook, A Season of Storms (Via Dolorosa Press, 2002). His poems have twice been nominated for The Pushcart Prize, and in 2004 he was named Poet Laureate of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Bill has been a finalist in The T. S. Eliot Prize two times, and the Allen Ginsberg Poetry Awards four times. He has read and lectured in local schools, colleges, on public television. His poems and short stories have been widely published, most recently in the Innisfree Poetry Journal, The Manhattan Review and The Paterson Literary Review. Bill serves as Poetry Editor of The Schuylkill Valley Journal, and lives with his two black labs in Bucks County.

Be sure to check the Poetry Calendar and if there are any events, readings, or open mics that we are missing, feel free to send us an email and we will add it to the calendar.

Memorial Day Open Stage at Caffe Lena

Forgot to add this to the list of upcoming poetry events.  Sunday, May 24 is Open Stage day at Caffe Lena in Saratoga.  Here is all the info:

This Sunday, May 24, 7:30 PM, is Caffe Lena's 5th annual Memorial Day Open Stage. The Saratoga Peace Alliance is co-sponsoring the event along with the Adirondack Chapter of Veterans for Peace. Join us for poetry, song, storytelling and reflection, patriotic or otherwise!   Performer sign-up goes from 7- 7:30. Caffe Lena is located at 47 Phila St. in Saratoga Springs.

Upcoming Poetry Events and Open Mics

We have some annoucenments for poetry events and open mics that are coming up.  Be sure to check these out, there is a lot of poetry going on in the area. 

And just a reminder, in observance of Memorial Day on Monday, May 25, we will not be having the Poets Speak Loud poetry reading / open mic.  We will return on Monday, June 29 at the Lark Tavern.

Third Thursday Poetry Night, Thursday, May 21

The Poetry Motel Foundation presents Third Thursday Poetry Night at the Social Justice Center (33 Central Ave., Albany, NY).

Thursday, May 21.  7:00 sign up; 7:30 start.

Featured Poet: Rebecca Schumejda

Rebecca Schumejda’s newest collection of poems “Falling Forward” was published by sunnyoutside in February. Currently, she is working on a collection of poems exploring the pool hall subulture. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband and daughter & works as a teacher at an alternative high school.

-- with open mic for community poets before & after the feature: $3.00 donation, suggested; more if you got it, less if you can’t.  Your busy host: Dan Wilcox.

Beat Poetry Night at Inquiring Minds, Sunday, May 24

BEAT POETRY NIGHT with Donald Lev, Teresa Marta Costa & Michael Platsky on Sunday, May 24 at 5 pm

Local Beat poets Teresa Marta Costa and Michael Platsky will join Donald Lev for a booksigning and reading to celebrate his recent collection, The Darkness Above. All three presenters are veteran poets who have been working in the Beat tradition for decades. Books, cds and chapbooks will be available at a discount, and refreshments will be served.

Inquiring Minds Bookstore, 6 Church Street, New Paltz, NY 12561 (845) 255-8300

Sunday Four Poetry Open Mic, Sunday, May 24

Sunday Four Poetry Open Mic (every 4th Sunday), May 24, 3PM at the Old Songs Community Arts Center, 37 S. Main Street, Voorheesville, NY

Hosts:  Dennis Sullivan, Edie Abrams, Michael Burke. 
Featured poet:  Dan Wilcox with Open Mic

For information contact: dsullivan6@nycap.rr.com

VOX, Friday, May 29

V Ω X ! @ The Fuze Box
Albany, NY's Open Mic For Poets, Poetry and the Word
8pm signup, 8:30PM Start time.  $4.00 Donation Requested.

With this Month’s Feature: MURROW (Thom Francis and Keith Spencer)

Hosted by R.M.Engelhardt w/Bruce Richardson & James Washburn- Dr.Sax

Last Friday of every month at the FUZE BOX, 12 Central Avenue, Albany,NY.  More info at www.myspace.com/theblackdooralbany

Reading for Will Christman, Monday, June 1

Rootdrinker Presents Reading for Will Christman on Monday June 1, 2009,  8 pm at Smith's Tavern, 112 Maple Ave., Voorheesville, N.Y.

With Poets from Near and Far : Dennis Sullivan, Therese Broderick, Michael Czarnacki, Tom Corrado, Alan Casline, John Roche, Mimi Moriarity, Susan Deer Cloud, Tim Lake, Paulette Swartzfager, Mike Burke, Walt Franklin & more

OPEN MIC FORMAT: All who want to read bring your poetry.  Reading in honor of famous local poet William Weaver Christman (1865– 1937)

Donald Lev and Frank Boyer Reading in Woodstock, May 9

Phillip Levine sent along the following announcement for this weekend’s Woodstock Poetry Society reading with Frank Boyer and Donald Lev.  If you are in the Woodstock area on Saturday afternoon, this would be a great reading to check out.

Poets Frank Boyer and Donald Lev will be the featured readers when the Woodstock Poetry Society & Festival returns to the Woodstock Town Hall, 76 Tinker Street, on Saturday, May 9th at 2pm. Note: WPS&F meetings are held the 2nd Saturday of every month at the Woodstock Town Hall, except during the winter months when we meet at the Woodstock Community Center (56 Rock City Road).  The readings will be hosted by Woodstock area poet Phillip Levine. All meetings are free, open to the public, and include an open mike.

Frank Boyer was born and raised in the Middle West. Throughout the 1980's, he was based in New York City, where he was active in the performance art scene and also wrote and performed poetry. He has lived upstate since 1992, and is the single parent of a teen-age son. He is glad to read and to hear poetry whenever he can.

Donald Lev was born in New York City in 1936. He attended Hunter College, worked in the wire rooms of the Daily News and New York Times, and then drove a taxi cab for 20 years (with a 6-year hiatus in which he ran messages for, and contributed poetry to, The Village Voice and operated the Home Planet Bookshop on the Lower East Side). His earliest poems appeared in print in 1958 and he started his first small press magazine, HYN Anthology, in 1969. Among his honors have been a Madeline Sadin Award from New York Quarterly in 1973 and a Life Time Achievement Award from the Catskill Reading Society/Outloudbooks in 2003. Outloudbooks has just brought out his The Darkness Above: Selected Poems 1968-2002 a sampling from the first four decades of his writing. His brief underground film-acting career pinnacled with his portrayal (he wrote his own lines) of "The Poet" in Robert Downey Sr.'s 1969 classic Putney Swope. He and his reclusive cat Kit Smart live in High Falls, NY, where he spends most of his time publishing the literary tabloid Home Planet News, which he and his late wife Enid Dame founded in 1979.

Here's our upcoming 2009 schedule of featured readers:
Jun 13 - Judith Saunders; William Seaton
Jul 11 - Marnie Andrews; Raphael Kosek
Aug 8 - Susan Lewis; India Radfar
Sep 12 – Cornelius Eady; Gioia Timpanelli
Oct 10 – Patti Martin; Susan Hoover, Victoria Sullivan
Nov 14 – George Wallace; TBA
Dec 12 – Open Mike & Annual Business & Planning Meeting

Poetry Workshop and Retreat with Bernadette Mayer

We took a week off after the Word Fest and now we are back with some news and updates for events that are coming up in the poetry and spoken word community.  Here is an email that we received about an upcoming workshop with Bernadette Mayer.

BERNADETTE MAYER & PHILIP GOOD invite you to participate in a weekend workshop on Experimental Poetics. Their home, once a synagogue in days of yore, is located in rural Upstate New York on the historic acreage between Kinderhook and Tsatsawassa creeks at the foothills of the Berkshires.

Exclusive weekend workshop sessions begin May 22 and continue throughout the summer months culminating on the weekend of Oct 10-12. The fee, which includes accommodations, as well as all meals & activities, is $400 (double reservation) or $225 (per person). Since each weekend session is limited to four participants, please RSVP well in-advance. Any inquiries may be sent to the contact information provided below. Guests arrive Friday afternoon and depart Sunday after lunch.

There will be writing assignments with plenty of time for casual conversation. Bernadette Mayer will discuss her Experiments List and encourage participants to expand their poetics to greater levels. The central focus in the workshop will be in-depth Investigations of Traditional Forms Made New. In addition, each participant will receive constructive feedback about their overall work through individual consultation; and all participants will be given an expansive list of reading recommendations. At the conclusion of the weekend the group will collate their new poems into a stapled poetry magazine.

To Reserve/Confirm availabilities, please email poetswksp@yahoo.com, or call (518) 794 - 0234.

Bernadette Mayer (born May 12, 1945 in Brooklyn , NY ) is a poet and prose writer. In 1967 she received a BA from New School for Social Research. She has since edited the journal 0 TO 9 with Vito Acconci and the United Artists Press with Lewis Warsh, and worked as Director of St. Mark¢s Poetry Project. She is also known for her wonderful dancing. 

For info on Bernadette Mayer from The Literary Encyclopedia, go here: http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5897

One Week Until The 2009 Albany Word Fest

We are one week away from the 2009 Albany Word Fest! 

The first Albany Word Fest was held in September 2001 in Thatcher Park.  It featured poets from all over the upstate area sharing their words all day and into the evening in a beautiful outdoor setting.  Through all of the Word Fest since then, we have kept the same idea in mind; invite the poets and spoken word artists from all over the capital region and beyond to share their words and show that “poetry lives in Albany”.

This year is no different as we are having a 12-hour open mic for poetry on Friday night starting at 7:00PM at the UAG Gallery (247 Lark Street, Albany).  We already have more than 25 poets signed up for this all night event.  During the open mic we will be having some special featured poets perform including poets from Voorheesville, Albany area poetry workshop participants, and all three of this years “Best Poets” from the Metroland readers poll (Mary Panza, R.M. Engelhardt, and Dan Wilcox).  The open mic will end on Saturday morning with a very special performance by A.C. Everson and Friends.

Saturday night we come back to the UAG with music and poetry from the Rambling Jug Stompers, Margot Malia Lynch, Daniel Nester, Mother Judge, and Murrow. 

Since moving the Word Fest from September to April in 2005, The Albany Word Fest has become spring time tradition here in Albany celebrating not just National Poetry Month, but celebrating the Poets and Poetry of Upstate New York.  Like Dan Wilcox says, “In Albany, everyday is Poetry Month!”

For more information, go to www.albanywordfest.com.  See everyone at the Word Fest!

Albany Poets Presents at Valentines, Tomorrow Night

Just a quick reminder that our monthly open mic for poetry and spoken word, Albany Poets Presents, will return to VAlentines tomorrow night, April 7.  Sign up will begin at 7:00 with the open mic starting at 8:00.

This will also be your last chance to sign up in person for the 12-hour 2009 Albany Word Fest Open Mic taking place on Friday, April 17 starting at 7:00PM and going all night until 7:00AM at the UAG Gallery on Lark Street.  For more information on the Albany Word Fest and to sign up online for the open mic, go to www.albanywordfest.com.

ALBANY POETS PRESENTS is Albany Poets monthly open mic for poetry, spoken word, and music. This event is hosted by Thom Francis.

When we are not having special events, such as the annual Airing of Grievances or the Johnny Cash Tribute Night, this is a No Gimmick Open Mic series. This means no features, no special theme, no mysterious name for the show… just a stage, a microphone, a sign-up sheet, and an audience.

Be sure to come and share your work and see what we are working on to make the show a little more interesting

Sign up begins at 7:00PM, open mic starts at 8:00PM. There is a $3.00 suggested donation for this event.

ALBANY POETS PRESENTS takes place at Valentines Music Hall (17 New Scotland Ave.) on the first Tuesday of each and every month.

Caffe Lena Poetry Festival, April 11

The Albany Word Fest is not the only poetry festival in the area this year celebrating National Poetry Month.  Carol Graser is putting together the Caffe Lena Poetry Festival on Saturday, April 11 (from noon to 10:00PM) with a great lineup of poets, workshops, and activities all leading up to a reading by the legendary Ed Sanders.

Here is the information from Carol:

This year Caffè Lena greets the approaching spring and the arrival of National Poetry Month with a torrent of words: an all-day festival of poetry performance and workshops.

The program will feature twenty-minute readings throughout the afternoon by twelve stylistically varied, widely read poets from NYC, Rhode Island, Maine, the Capital District and the Adirondacks. Included will be Bernadette Mayer, Joseph Bruchac, Sam White, Michael Brown, Lyn Lifshin, Alan Catlin, Steven Huff, Miriam Axel-Lute, Barbara Ungar, Nancy White, Miriam Herrera and Jordan Smith. Workshops will be offered by Joe Bruchac, Michael Brown, Barbara Ungar, Jordan Smith, Miriam Axel-Lute and Steven Huff.

Afterward, we'll Gather for conversation and a meal of appetizers, salads and main course dishes. Bring a dish for 10 people and eat for free, or pay $10 and fill your plate at the eclectic buffet.

Headlining our first Caffè Lena Poetry Festival is Ed Sanders, famed counter-culture figure of the ‘60s, who built a bridge between the Beatnik and Hippy generations.

Please check www.caffelena.org  for a full schedule of readings, workshops, and for information about the potluck dinner.

2009 Albany Word Fest

In celebration of National Poetry Month, Albany Poets is proud to present the 2009 Albany Word Fest featuring the poetry, spoken word, and music of upstate New York.  This year’s event will take place on Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18, 2009.

The 2009 Albany Word Fest will start off on Friday night with a cocktail party at Tess’ Lark Tavern (453 Madison Ave.) at 5:00PM.  This is a chance for all of the poets and performers to get together, network, and reconnect with each other before the event begins. This is open to all ages.  Must be 21 or older to drink. 

At 7:00PM, the poetry and spoken word begins at the Friday Night Open Mic at the UAG Gallery (247 Lark Street).  This years open mic will be a special 12-hour open mic.

Poets who wish to participate in the open mic can sign up online by going to the Albany Word Fest website, www.albanywordfest.com.  Performers will also have a limited opportunity to sign up at the event itself.  Each poet will have10 -15 minutes to share their work.  Featured at this open mic will be A.C. Everson, groups of poets from Woodstock, Voorheesville, and other parts of area, plus all three of this years Metrolands Best Poets (Mary Panza, Dan Wilcox, and R.M. Engelhradt) and more. The open mic is open to all poets and spoken word artists with no style or content restrictions.  Admission is based on donation.

On Saturday, day two of the 2009 Albany Word Fest brings the annual Psycho Cluster F*#k to the UAG Gallery featuring music and spoken word from The Rambling Jug Stompers, Ed RInaldi, Mother Judge, Margot Malia Lynch, Daniel Nester, Murrow, and much more. Admission for this event is $5.00.  This event is open to all ages. 

The 2009 Albany Word Fest is sponsored by Albany Poets, Tess’ Lark Tavern, UAG Gallery, and the very generous donations of supporters of the arts in upstate New York.

Be sure to check www.albanywordfest.com for more details on the 2009 ALBANY WORD FEST.

Poetry Reading and Workshop With George Wallace in Woodstock, March 17

Utilizing a teaching method he perfected in the Pacific Northwest, George Wallace will stimulate your writing through exercises based on re-discovering and using your imaginative skills. This one day, two-hour workshop encourages you to play with language and practice your skill at triggering ideas for new poems, in a friendly group setting. Imagination-based poetry moves away from critical-evaluative approaches to writing poetry, focusing instead on exercises that enhance the writer’s ability to create space for the imagination to explore, invent, discover and roam.

BIO: George Wallace (AB, MPH, MFA) is an award winning poet and journalist from New York who has performed his work across America and in Europe. Author of eighteen chapbooks of poetry, he has served as editor of Poetrybay (www.poetrybay.com), Poetryvlog (www.poetryvlog.com), Long Island Quarterly, Walt’s Corner and other electronic and hard copy publications. A university lecturer and practicing poet in performance, he has performed his own work and conducted writing workshops worldwide. Wallace's work, which has been translated into fourteen languages, may be found in the collections of the New York State Historic Preservation Office, the California State Archives and the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library; and is archived at Hofstra University's Long Island Studies Institute.

IMAGINATION-BASED POETRY READING BY GEORGE WALLACE AND WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS.  TUESDAY MARCH 17 7-9 PM.  $40 please register by March 15.  Call 845-679-3392 for more information.  9 PM Open to the Public.  6 HILLCREST AVE, WOODSTOCK NY.

Live From The Living Room With Daniel Nester

Live From The Living Room, a featured reading series with an open mic afterwards is held on the 2nd Wednesday of every month at the Capital District Gay & Lesbian Community Center, 332 Hudson Avenue, Albany, NY.  The  next reading is March 11th with Dan Nester.

Dan Nester is a journalist, essayist, poet, editor, and teacher. His first two books, God Save My Queen (Soft Skull Press, 2003) and God Save My Queen II (2004), are both collections on his obsession with the rock band Queen. His third book, The History of My World Tonight (BlazeVOX, 2006), is a collection of poems.

His next book, How to Be Inappropriate, a collection of humorous nonfiction, will be published by Soft Skull Press in 2009.

As a journalist and essayist, his work has appeared in a variety of places, such as Poets & Writers, The Morning News, The Daily Beast, Time Out New York, The Bloomsbury Review, and Bookslut.

His work has been anthologized in such collections as The Best American Poetry 2003, The Best Creative Nonfiction, Vol. 1, and Third Rail: The Poetry of Rock and Roll, Isn't It Romantic? 100 Love Poems by Younger American Poets, and Gamers: Writers, Artists, and Programmers on the Pleasure of the Pixels.

He is an assistant professor of English at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY.

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

Third Thursday Poetry Night With Jay Rogoff, Feb 19

Head on over to the Social Justice Center on Thursday for the monthly poetry reading and open mic with host Dan Wilcox.  This month the featured poet is Jay Rogoff. 

Here is the information from Dan himself:

the Poetry Motel Foundation presents Third Thursday Poetry Night at the Social Justice Center (33 Central Ave., Albany, NY)

Thursday, February 19
7:00 sign up; 7:30 start
Featured Poet: Jay Rogoff

Jay Rogoff is a lecturer in English at Skidmore College; his most recent poetry collection is “The Long Fault” (Louisiana State University Press, 2008).

-- with open mic for community poets before & after the feature: $3.00 donation, suggested; more if you got it, less if you can’t. Your photographic host: Dan Wilcox.

See you there.

Poetry Workshops? Where and When?

I recently received an email from a local poet who pointed out that with all of the attention that the local poetry and spoken word scene has been getting over the past few weeks, the main focus has been on the open mics and not much has been said about all of the poetry and writing workshops in the area. 

So, now I want to know from you, where are all of the poetry workshops in the area?  Post a comment and let us know and we will compile a list and have them as part of the Poetry Calendar on the website.

“Vox” At The Fuze Box, Feb 27

R.M. Engelhardt has just announced more details about the next Vox at the Fuze Box on Friday, February 27.

" Vo X " @ The FUZE BOX :
An Open Mic For Poets, Poetry & THE WORD!
ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27th AT 8PM !

V o X

An Open Mic For Poets, Poetry & Writers To Be Held Every *Last Friday of Each Month* At The Fuze Box, 12 Central Avenue, Albany, NY.  (518) 432-8866

***SPECIAL TIME THIS MONTH ***
Signup @ 8pm. START AT 8:30pm

Hosted By Poet R.M. Engelhardt  With The Return Of Dr. Sax (Bruce Richardson & James Washburn)
With This Month's Featured Poet : MARCUS KWAME ANDERSON

*$4.00 Donation*
See you There!

NEVER BURY POETRY.

In case you missed it, sign up starts at 8:00 with the open mic starting at 8:30.  Always great to hear Marcus at the mic.  This should be a good show especially with the return of Dr. Sax as well.

Live From The Living Room, Feb 11 with Jan Marin Tramontano

Live From The Living Room, a featured reading series with an open mic after words is held on the 2nd Wednesday of every month at the Capital District Gay & Lesbian Community Center, 332 Hudson Avenue, Albany, NY. The  next reading is February 11th with  Jan Marin Tramontano.

Jan Marin Tramontano is a poet and fiction writer living in Albany. Most recently, her poems and stories have appeared in: Poets Canvas, Women's Synergy, Byline, Knock, Chronogram, Willow Tree Poems, American Intercultural Magazine, New Verse News, and Mom's Literary Magazine.

She has published two poetry chapbooks, Floating Islands and Woman Sitting in a Cafe, her father's memoir, I am a Fortunate Man, and has just completed her first novel. She is also an occasional contributor to the Times Union's Book Section. She is a member of the International Women's Writing Guild, Poets House. and the Hudson Valley Writers Guild.

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

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.

Edward TIck at Caffe Lena, Feb 4

Poet Edward Tick will be the featured poet this month at the Caffe Lena Poetry Open Mic this coming Wednesday, February 4 in historic Saratoga Springs.  Carol Graser hosts this great open mic for poetry and spoken word.  

Edward Tick, Ph.D. is a holistic psychotherapist, writer, educator, journey guide, activist and veterans’ advocate. His poetry is featured in the publication THE GOLDEN TORTOISE: VIET NAM JOURNEYS (2005),   He has dedicated much of his life and work to veterans and survivors of war, violence and trauma since the late 1970s.  He specializes in using psycho-spiritual, cross-cultural, and international reconciliation practices to help veterans, communities and nations heal.  He is founder and Director of Soldier’s Heart: A Veterans’ Safe Return Program.  This program is of national and international scope with home offices in Troy, N.Y.  Dr. Tick is an adjunct professor in both Communication and Global Studies at the Sage Colleges.  He leads international educational, healing and reconciliation journeys to Greece, Viet Nam and other countries.  Dr. Tick has published 4 books (2 with Quest Books): SACRED MOUNTAIN, ENCOUNTERS WITH THE VIETNAM BEAST (1989), THE PRACTICE OF DREAM HEALING (2001), WAR AND THE SOUL, winner of ForeWord Magazine’s Best Psychology Book of 2005, and WILD BEASTS AND WANDERING SOULS (2007).  He is also a poet and is the author of almost 100 articles in psychology, holistic health, mythology and spirituality, literature, philosophy, culture and travel. Ed is a frequent guest lecturer at numerous institutions around the country and world, most recently including Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Sign up starts at 7:00PM, the reading starts at 7:30PM.  There is a $3.00 admission for this event.  More information at www.caffelena.org.

Poetry on the Radio?

Bob Wright sent along this announcement about a special Valentines Day poetry event brought to you by Catskill Community Radio.

Catskill  Community Radio Presents

Word Upstage!

A Valentine's Day Special Event of Regional Writers Reading Original Love Poetry Saturday, February 14, Potluck Dinner at 6 PM, Show From 7- 9; FREE

An enjoyable evening of original love poetry from both sides of the fence!  We will feature two poets from the women's writing group from Skidmore known as The Salon and two male poets as they read original works dealing with the pleasures and pitfalls of love.  Starring Georganna Millman, Therese Broderick, Will Nixon and Bob Wright.  You need not be in love to attend!  Not to be missed, but if you must miss it, tune in live at www.catskillradio.org

Poetry Open Mic at Galway Public Library

On Tuesday, January 27, the night after Poets Speak Loud, the Galway Public Library will be hosting a poetry open mic.  Here is the information from the library:

You’re invited to a Poetry Open Mic at the Galway Public Library on Tuesday, January 27^th, at 7:00 pm. Poets are urged to come share a poem or two with a friendly audience. If you're not a poet, please come and be part of the friendly audience! Light refreshments will be served.

The library is located on Rte. 147 in Galway, 882- 6385 for more information.

Check it out if you live in Saratoga County or even just passing through.

For Obama's poet, poetry 'is the human voice'

I am not sure who “W” had read a poem at his inauguration considering Dr. Suess has been dead for years, but here is an article on CNN.com about Elizabeth Alexander, the poet who will be reading a special poem written for the event after President Obama makes his speech. 

“I think that the fact that President-elect Obama has decided to have a poem in this ceremony is a wonderful affirmation to the power of language, the way in which poetry gives us distilled and mindful and careful language that can both give us a moment of pause, a moment of contemplation and that can also ... look at the world from a slightly different angle.”

It is good to see that poetry still has a place in American culture and is welcomed to document history and be a part of such a great event.  Poets such as Robert Frost and Maya Angelou have read at previous presidential inaugurations.  Congratulations to Ms. Alexander for joining such a group of talented and amazing writers.

Commentary: For Obama's poet, poetry 'is the human voice' - CNN.com

Third Thursday Poetry Night Featuring Nicole Karas

The first Third Thursday of the new year and what a way to kick things off.  The phenomenal Nicole Karas is the feature poet this month.  Here are the details from Dan Wilcox.

the Poetry Motel Foundation presents Third Thursday Poetry Night at the Social Justice Center (33 Central Ave., Albany, NY)

Thursday, January 15, 2009.  7:00 sign up; 7:30 start

Featured Poet: Nicole Karas

Nicole Karas has written poetry since she first laid her hands on a salt and pepper composition notebook in elementary school.  She is excited about the Albany poetry scene and the people involved in it.

-- with open mic for community poets before & after the feature: $3.00 donation, suggested; more if you got it, less if you can’t. Your hopeful host: Dan Wilcox.

This is one of the best open mics / poetry nights in Albany, so if you have a little extra time on a Thursday night, you would benefit from heading over to Central Ave.

Mary Cuffe Perez at Caffe Lena

The Caffe Lena Poetry Open Mic returns this Wednesday, January 7 with featured poet Mary Cuffe Perez.

Mary Cuffe Perez is a writer and amateur naturalist living in Galway, New York.  She has a poetry book, The Woman of Too Many Days, published with Calyx Press and most recently, a children’s novel  , Skylar (Philomel Books 2008). Her short fiction has appeared in New England Quarterly, Groundswell, 13^th Moon and Salvage magazines.  and her poetry has appeared in numerous literary magazines over the years, including the Washout Review, Blueline, Bitterroot, Yankee Magazine and the Seattle Review.

Caffè Lena Poetry Open Mic
Wednesday, January 7
7pm sign up, 7:30 readings start
Featured Poet: Mary Cuffe Perez
$3
Hosted by Carol Graser
Caffe Lena, 47 Phila Street, Saratoga Springs 518-583-0022

Stephen Lewandowski To Read in Voorheesville

Noted environmental leader and poet, Stephen Lewandowski will appear at the Voorheesville Public Library, 51 School Rd., Voorheesville, N.Y. on Sunday January 4, 2008 at 2 pm. He will discuss his bioregional and watershed interests as well as read a selection of his poems. An informal question and answer session will immediately follow his presentation. He is a founder of the Coalition for Hemlock and Canadice Lakes and the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Task Force and worked on the development of watershed management plans for many of the Finger Lakes and Lake Ontario. His most recent book of poems, One Life, was published by Wood Thrush Books of Vermont. He is releasing a small book of poems, Digging Wild Soils, which will be published in early 2009 by Delmar’s Benevolent Bird Press

For more information, contact Alan Casline, Rootdrinker Institute, Box 522, Delmar, NY 12054 at ACASLINE@AOL.COM or by phone at 518-475-7781

Poetry Reading at the Bohemian Book Bin

Poetry reading at the Bohemian Book Bin, 85 Carle Terrace, Lake Katrine, NY (right off route 9W, in back of G&G Leather, 1.3 miles north from Kings Mall) on Thursday, January 8, 2009 starting at 7:30PM

Featured: You!...Wide Open Reading
Theme: Winter/Change (either or both)
Time Limit: Usually five minutes, unless there’s 20 or more signed up

Host: Teresa M. Costa

Upcoming Featured Poets

February 12: Patricia Martin and D. Alex Bird
March 12: Susan Hoover and Allen C. Fischer 

For more information or bookings contact Teresa at 845-331-6713

The Capital Flip

Information on a new magazine that is launching tomorrow, January 1st and how you can submit your poetry for publication.  What a way to start the new year!

The Capital Flip (www.thecapitalflip.com) will be launching in January as a cyber-publication (a.k.a. ʽzine), and will contain a section called Vice & Verse. V&V will feature four Capital Region poets, and will include their picture, bio and one or more poems, space permitting.

Submission Guidelines:

• One picture of the poet.
• A brief (100 words or less) bio, including any up-coming events.
• 24 line limit on poetry (not including breaks)
• 300 word limit on experimental prose.

To be considered for submission, please send the following as attachments with the heading ʽV-n-V Submissionʼ to editor@thecapitalflip.com

The deadline for each publication is the 15^th of the previous month. Due to the expected volume of submissions, we cannot guarantee a spot on a given month, but we can try. We do not judge on content or style; thatʼs for our readers to judge.

Sana Shabazz to Read at Poetry on the Loose

Sana Shabazz will read her poetry at the next program in the Poetry on the Loose Reading/Performance Series.  The event will be held at Baby Grand Books at 7 West Street in Warwick at 4:00 p.m. on January 3.  Following the feature, others are welcome to read original work.  Admission is free.

Shabazz is a writer whose work delves into the “spirit of daily living.”  Her book Why Women Cry: A Compilation of Stories, Poems & Positive Responses for the Cleansing of the Eyes & the Soul appeared in 2006 and she is now in the process of writing her next book Why Men Cry: A Compilation of Stories Along With Poems, & Manly Responses for the Venting of the Heart & The Soul. She is working as well on her first children’s book and a book of stories and strategies for the Altzheimer’s caregiver.

Her spiritual and psychological focus is evident in her professional life as well as her writing.  She serves as a chaplain at the Beacon Correctional Facility and as Chairperson of the Board of Masjid Al Ikhlas in Newburgh.  In addition she co-founded P.O.P. Enterprises -- a company that aims to assist and enable women to enrich their lives through education and through spiritual, physical and intellectual edification.   While pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice, she is also a Job Coach for the Martin Luther King Cultural Center, the proud mother of two and grandmother of one.

The next reading, on February 7, will feature Alison Koffler and Dayl Koffler-Wise in a reading hosted by Robert Milby.

For further information, contact: William Seaton/ Poetry on the Loose, Inc. at (845) 294-8085 or seaton@frontiernet.net

The Literary Gazette Call For Submissions

The Literary Gazette, published annually by The River Reporter, is seeking submissions for its 2008 edition, to be published in June. The theme is "nature" and poems, short shorts and short memoir/essay pieces will be considered on topics related to nature, wilderness, weather, the seasons, wildlife, trekking, landscape and human encounters with same.

To be considered, entries must not exceed 1,000 words.   Send word documents to marygreene@riverreporter.com or via snail mail to The Literary Gazette, PO Box 150, Narrowsburg, NY 12764.

Submission deadline is Friday, May 2. Submissions cannot be returned.  Please include an email address or SASE to receive response. For more information call 845-252-7414.

John Raymond Reads Live From The Living Room

John Raymond is the featured poet this month at the Live From The Living Room reading and open mic at the Capital District Gay and Lesbian Community Center.  Host Don Levy sent the following announcement along:

Live From The Living Room, a featured reading series with an open mic afterwards is held on the 2nd Wednesday of every month at the Capital District Gay & Lesbian Community Center, 332 Hudson Avenue, Albany, NY.  The next reading is November 14th with John Raymond.  

John Raymond is a local rapscallion who is coming out of seclusion to take part in Albany's open mic poetry scene.  He enjoys music, backpacking, and smoked meats.

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

The Dan Wilcox Open Mic Commentary Round-Up

There were two open mic commentaries and one post about the difference between print poetry and performance poetry this week over at Dan Wilcox's blog.   There are some very good points about print vs. performance in the comments section from Therese Broderick and Mary Kathryn Jablonski so be sure to check those out, too.

Poets Speak Loud, October 29

So I, Dan Wilcox, ended up being #1 on The List again & read a couple new poems inspired by conversations with other poets, "Consumerism," & "Poetry Prompts." I was followed by Scott Casale, who hasn't been around for a while. Both his poems seemed based on random phrases & images, "Stop Writing a Piccolo's Refund," & "Amarillo Bleu," where the second stanza is a re-arrangement of the first stanza.

Print poems v. Perf' po

Buried in the tsunami of comments on my Blog of October 26 were some musings by Therese Broderick about performing poetry at an open mic. Therese is a thoughtful poet who likes to ponder the many & various issues of modern poetry both in & out of our community. Her comments reflect some of the issues that I have confronted over the years in practice & thought (this is not meant as a point-by-point response to Therese's comments, I'm just bouncing off them randomly).

Albany Poets Presents, November 6

As advertised, this was the challenge laid down by Mary Panza to perform the best dramatic reading of the worst song lyrics and you win a featured reading at the Poets Speak Loud open mic at the Lark Tavern in the future, even if you have already featured. So the hardcore showed up, with the best of tunes & worst of tunes.

Go to Dan's blog to read his complete commentaries and speak or mind in the comments section of the posts.

Find a Poem and Discover Poetry

The Poetry Foundation website has added a few new tools for readers to find and read poetry.  You can browse by category or by poet name.  Some of the featured categories are love, autumn, school, weddings and funerals.

They have also added the "Poetry Tool" to assist visitors in narrowing down searches for their favorite poets and poems.

As always, the Poetry Foundation website is one of the greatest resources on the Internet for poetry and spoken word.

Poetry Sharing and Critique

Local poet Barbara Garro sent this in about a great resource for poets who want to share their work and get feedback from their peers.

Attention all Poets who want 45 minutes of sharing and critique in a professional setting!

Saratoga Springs Poet, Barbara Garro, offers a monthly, Third Wednesday morning from 9 a.m. to Noon, Saratoga Poetry Focus Group for a maximum of four poets. The Group meets at Garro's studio at 205 Regent Street, Saratoga Springs, and attendees must call 518-587-9999 for their reservation. Poets are asked to bring 4 copies of each poem for critique and offer critique to other attendees.

Directions:  Those coming from the South, get off the Adirondack Northway at Exit 13N and proceed into Saratoga. When you see Saratoga's major intersection (Adirondack Trust, Post Office, City Hall), turn East onto Lake Avenue and follow Lake past the Fire House and make a Right onto Regent Street where the Lake Avenue School is located. 205 Regent is on the right in the block between Lake and Caroline. Make sure you park on the correct side of the street.

Those coming from the North, get off the Adirondack Northway at Exit 15 and follow the above directions.

Caffe Lena Poetry Open Mic Featuring Tim Verhaegen

The Caffe Lena Poetry Open Mic returns on the Wednesday, November 7 (sign-up at 7:00, reading starts at 7:30PM) with featured poet Tim Verhaegen.

Tim Verhaegen has been living in the Capital District for almost thirty years and is a regular at this and many other local poetry events. His work has been published in the anthology Poetry Don't Pump Gas. Tim’s poetry often targets the intimate stories of his own life and the stories of the people closest to him. He's a collector of toy cars, toy animals and other figurines and has been accused of being a "people collector". 

The Caffe Lena Open Mic takes place on the first Wednesday of each month hosted by Carol Graser. Admission is $2.00 . Caffe Lena is located at 47 Phila St. Saratoga Springs. For more information call 518-583-0022 or go to www.caffelena.org

Poetry Exploration Group

Deepening Our Connections Through Poetry is a new workshop series that will be taking place on Tuesday evenings from October 23 - November 20, 5:30-7:00 p.m. in Saratoga Springs led by Susan Jefts, MS and published poet.

A group for exploring, through poetry, the depth and beauty of autumn, both in the external landscape and our own internal landscapes. What do we keep returning to? What is essential in our lives? We will explore the words, rhythms and images of a new poem each week, accompanied by music, and delve into these and other questions. Appropriate for both new and experienced writers, and for poets and prose writers alike. There will be a chance to write each week.

The cost for this workshop series is $20 for each session.  Call 232-6776 to register or for questions. Also, be sure to check out www.saratogapoetryroom.com for more comments about previous workshops and other information.

How Not to Write Poetry

I came across this blog post this morning with some tips for beginning poets and how to not jump in the art.  I personally like tip number six:

"When a magazine rejects your submission, screw it. And screw the editor, too. They're out to get you, jealous freaks. Send them a piece of your mind, find other magazines, and submit to them only. Magazine editors are, after all, failed writers. They don't want to see anyone succeed where they didn't. Watch out for them."

A pretty humorous look at how to "make it" in the poetry business. 

Click here to read the article.