Third Thursday Poetry Night, November 20

The featured poet, Sarah Michelle Sherman, did her homework & filled the house with her family & friends — after all, if they don’t come to one’s readings, who will? Tonight’s Muse was the recently gone poet Hal Sirowitz (1949 - 2025) whom I had seen perform at the Dodge Festival in Waterloo Village, NJ, in September 1996. He became well-known with his collection, Mother Said, (Crown, 199), poems of advice from his late mother, Estelle Sirowitz. I read “Crumbs,” which begins “Don’t eat any more food in your room, Mother said…”

On to the open mic list. Elaine Kenyon, host of the Poetry Night at the Schuylerville Public Library on the 2nd Wednesday, read a poem from her project in 2024 to write a poem each day responding to the Word of the Day, this one dated July 11, the descriptive “My Grandfather’s Swank.”

Samson Dikeman was here tonight to support the featured poet; he read his poem “Don’t Blame the Messenger” in honor of the 10th anniversary of when he started working for the US Postal Service, a humorous & touching celebration of a poet/mailman.

The next 2 readers were David Gonsalves & Avery Stempel. I was recording the night’s readers but didn’t notice that the battery had run out until it was time for the featured reader, & I wasn't taking notes, so I have no idea what they read.

Tonight’s featured reader, Sarah Sherman, corrected me during my introduction by saying that indeed she had been a featured poet here previously, on February 19, 2012 & one can find my Blog entry here .

She read a couple poems & a couple longer pieces, i.e., essays, & began with the poem “The Truth is in the Ashes” a breakup piece, about burning the detritus of a relationship; then to a poem titled “I’ll Do It Myself” holding her baby son, after the break up, affirming herself into the future as a mother.  Then on to the longer pieces, “For Those in Attendance at My Funeral,” imagining asking those at her funeral what they will say about her, & again her son; she ended with another long piece, a story of consoling a suicidal friend, “A Flirtatious Interest in Tomorrow,” her intervention saves him, perhaps. Her pieces are dark, but soul-searching, & show that an examined life is indeed worth living.

After the break I read my poem “Red Boots” based on a story a friend told me.

Amanda has been here for the poetry night a couple of times in the past & tonight she read a recent poem, “This Is the Train to Ronkonkoma,” responding to a family wedding she didn’t want to attend, like a woman drinking flutes of champagne on the LIRR.

Sally Rhoades read a tribute/memoir poem, “A Thousand Little Kindnesses” about the neighbors & friends that have carried her through life, from childhood to now.

In spite of my confusion & not reading the name written on the sign up sheet, the final poet of the night was Austin Houston who read a meditative piece, “A Walk Around the Neighborhood.”

The Third Thursday Poetry Night takes place monthly at the Social Justice Center in Albany, NY, 7:30PM, with a featured reader & an open mic for community writers — your donation supports poetry events in Albany & the work of the Social Justice Center.

2nd Sunday @ 2: Poetry + Prose, November 9

On November 14, 2010 we held the very first 2nd Sunday @ 2 at the Arts Center of the Capital Region. Since then we were displaced by the COVID pandemic, then when the Arts Center didn’t have funding for Sundays so we moved on to Collar City Mushrooms, then when they had to move to Indian Ladder Farms, we couch-surfed to a couple other Troy locations until being invited by Collar Works to their space on 4th Street, where we continue on.

Rachel Baum, the host of the monthly open mic at the Saratoga Springs Senior Center, joined us for this anniversary celebration, with “Skunk Cage Haibun,” then from a children’s book in-progress titled Sit, Stay, Work, the entry “Dentist Dachshund.” 

I read my Blog post about that initial Sunday afternoon of poet + prose, which one can find here.

David Gonsalves reprised his piece he read a week or so ago “Dave’s Dybbuk,” then a rant “Large Language Golems.” 

My co-host oh these 15 years, Nancy Klepsch, also reprised poems she read at La Perla, the poem-on-a-bowl “Eat” & an elegy she co-wrote with her wife Lauren Pinsley, “Pierre Joris Talks with Jane Goodall in Heaven.”

Sally Rhoades who was also with us at the Arts Center 15 years ago, read an excerpt from her prose memoir, about the custody battle between her parents when she was a child.

Julie Lomoe began with a piece about her Toyota, “Me & My Sion,” then a sang a ditty she sang at the recent bra extravaganza Brava, “I Can Be Braless Now.”

Karen Fabiane began with a new bit of automatic writing titled “Many Voices One Word,” then a poetic portrait of a girl she knew, “Plays Around Guitar.”

Tim Verhaegen is another writer who was there 15 years ago; today he read a piece inspired by seeing billboards including one about the suicide hotline, “Signs & Sayings.”

Graydon had been here a few months ago, he returned to recite a piece from memory, a monologue about a visit to a doctor’s office & of a contemporary Sisyphus.

Robb Smith read an untitled, meditative piece about thresholds, beginning “I am a lover of liminal spaces …”

The afternoon came to a close with the afore-mentioned Lauren Pinsley, who is frequently here but rarely reads, with a prayer & song “It is a City,” then a funny piece of an experiment on ChatGPT “Who Is Nancy Klepsch?” — a fitting end to our anniversary of 15 years of 2nd Sunday @ 2 — on to another 15 years.

2nd Sunday @ 2: Poetry + Prose is now at Collar Works, 50 4th St., Troy, NY — read 2 poems or 5 minutes of prose — Free!

Poetic License Reading, November 7

Mabel Lucia Smith

This was the 2nd of 2 readings by poets whose work inspired a visual artist(s) to create a piece on display along with the poem. The first reading was held in September when the exhibit was at the Fish Market Gallery in Troy; this November reading was held at the Honest Weight Food Co-op in Albany while the exhibit was on display there. Other poets who did not have a poem in the exhibit also read their poems. A gathering of poets among the painters, as someone once wrote — or perhaps painters among the poets.

I served as MC/host of the reading & was ably introduced by artist Mabel Lucia Smith, who has a piece of visual art in the show, as “the man, the myth, the mustache.”

Pam Jacobson

The poets with poems in the show who read were Sylvia Barnard (“Stonehenge”), Pam Jacobson (“Tree Snag”), David Gonsalves (“page 22”), Mimi Moriarty (“Empty,” & also read “To My Father”), Jil Hanifan (“Mad Lark Laundry,” also read “Last Bright Day Before the Dark: Ode to November”), Rhonda Rosenheck (“All the Wonders,” also read “Earth’s Watch”), & Will Nixon (“Dancing Tulips,” also “Inquiring Minds”).

Will Nixon

The poets who read but did not have a poem in the show were Carlton Wells (a word-play sonnet, & “Wino in the Garden”), Marea Gordett (“Awaiting the Inauguration of a President”), & Frank Robinson (“Chicken,” & one beginning “Woke up this morning …”).

Visit the Poetic License website to find all the poems & the artwork the poems inspired.

Marathon Reading of Legs by William Kennedy, November 5

For the third year, a marathon reading of one of the novels from Kennedy’s Albany cycle at Albany Distilling on Livingston Ave., in Albany, NY, sponsored by the NYS Writers Institute. 

I was signed up for 3:00 but got well before to sit & listen. They were behind schedule, as always happens with readings like this. I had missed the beginning, had my copy of Legs, saw that they were somewhere in the section titled “Jack, Out of Doors.” My friend Roger Green from the Book Talk at the Albany Public Library was reading.

 

The lighting in the cavernous room was bad but I resisted using my flash until later in the day. I would sit & listen, sometimes just find where we were in my copy, take a photo. In the course of the next 3 to 4 hours I heard about 21 local folk read.

I was pleased to read 2 sections, a pretty hot & steamy in section “Playing the Jack.” After me, Wanda Fisher, who has hosted a radio program for years year read a section with multiple “fucks,” something she doesn’t get to say ever on the radio.

It was late afternoon, Happy Hour. My back & ass were sore from the metal folding chair, so I went up to the bar for a drink. I got a bourbon & soda, Ironweed, the title of the book we read in another marathon 2 years ago. Talked with lots of folks I knew, some had just read, others waiting to go on later. 

Bill Kennedy arrived with his entourage & was greeted heartily by a roomful of fans, as well he should be. He read later, towards the end. It was time for me to go, hoping to return later for the finale but didn’t make it. I had taken photos of those I had heard read, not always getting the name correct. I have the printout of the signup sheet but there are always substitutions & no-shows so I can’t entirely match up my shots with the list, or my notes for that matter. Lots of others have shared their photos on Facebook so there certainly is an archive.

I finished reading the rest of Legs that weekend, enjoying the play of language & the vitality of the characters in Kennedy’s inventive prose. Eventually I will post what I have on my Flickr site. One can find the shots from the marathon reading of Billy Phelan’s Greatest Game in November 2024 here.

Stage & Stanza, October 30

C. Durant, M. Panza, D. Camp, D. Baecker

This is an ongoing series held at the Opalka Gallery on the campus of Russell Sage College in Albany, NY. This night the interviewees were with poet Mary Panza & radio/media creator Darrell Camp. The host/moderator was poet Carol Durant & Professor David Baecker of the Theater Institute at Russell Sage College.

Mary Panza, proud of her South Troy upbringing, described her early years in the Albany poetry scene, her class in poetry at Hudson Valley Community College, then on to the formation of Albany Poets & its eventual merger with the Hudson Valley Writers Guild. Apparently one of the regular features of this format is to ask the honorees about their favorite song; Carol read the lyrics of “When You Are Mine” by Prince that had been Mary’s pick. On being asked by Prof. Baker about her varied roles as a bartender, masseuse, mother, poet, Mary replied, “I did a bunch of stuff, then I did other stuff.”

Darrell Camp also grew up in Troy & spent many years in local radio. He proposed that the Beach Boys were a better band than the Beatles, citing “Barbara Anne” as an example. HIs favorite song is “What You Will Do for Love” by Bobby Caldwell, which he sang. To Prof. Baker’s question he said he was "intermittently adapting in order to survive," currently learning about the uses for AI & being part of a “Nerd Fitness Cult,” as he called it.

Check your local & social media sources for future events of Stage & Stanza.

Poetry at La Perla, October 29

This night I drove to the La Perla Restaurant in Averill Park with Mary Panza, poet & Vice-President of the Hudson Valley Writers Guild — not to mention that she is a long-time friend from the earliest days of the Albany poetry scene & we had a pleasant dinner in a side room the staff called "The Library," appropriate place for poets to eat. The open mic was in a parlor room off the bar & main dining room & is hosted by local poet Rhonda Rosenheck.

The first reader was Karl Michael who said he has been writing stories about things that actually happened & read an example, a piece about touring the United States -- the Washington Monument, Winslow Arizona, etc. -- with an exchange student, titled “To Connect with Kia.”

Nancy Klepsch is the co-host (with me) of the monthly open mic for writers, 2nd Sunday @ 2 at Collar Works in Troy; she read a moving elegy written with her wife, Lauren Pinsley, “Pierre Joris Talks with Jane Goodall in Heaven,” then a celebration of food that she wrote around the rim of a bowl, “Eat.”

I followed with a Haibun quoting from the band The Monkees “Last Train to Clarksville,” then a birthday poem that I read to honor the upcoming 15th anniversary of 2nd Sunday @ 2, "This Birthday is not Divisible by 10." (I don't usually post pictures of myself in these Blogs but I particularly like this shot by Rhonda).

The first poem that David Gonsalves read tonight was titled “Incomplete,” not sure if that described the poem, or something else; the second poem he read had a similar ambiguity - it was titled “Dave’s Dybbuk“ & was about a poetry manuscript clinging to the “Dave” (not sure if that was the poet himself or another Dave); a dybbuk is a malicious, possessing spirit in Jewish folklore believed to be the dislocated soul of the dead.

Mary Panza was here for the first time (although a veteran of many readings) & read what sounded like instructions, “Tales from the Pelvic Floor,” then somewhat related, “Thoughts on a Belly.”

Edie Abrams said the word wyeht means ghost & the poem she read was titled “The White Wyeht,”  the poem was filled with magical images of ghosts binding this world to the next; her second poem was not as scary, about 2 trees whose limbs intertwined, “Secret Love.”

Our host, Rhonda Rosenheck, read some recent short poems, “Republic,” “Later” (a poem about poetry), “Redemption” (for Yom Kippur, perhaps a confession), & “New Car Haiku.”

The final reader for the night was Mark Edsan who read an excerpt from “Open Face,” a longer manuscript, about a young woman in South Africa having a conversation with a teacher about herself & democracy - I am interested in reading the entire work someday.

Poetry at La Perla takes place on the last Wednesday of the month at La Perla Restaurant at Gregory House Country Inn, 3016 NY-43, Averill Park, NY, in a pleasant room off to the side of the dining area. While you can get food & beverage service in the room where the reading is held, the seating is scattered & informal with limited places to put your drink & food. I recommend one arrive earlier enough for dinner at the bar or the dining room. The food is excellent.

Unspoken Word - Main Showcase, October 25

This was a weekend (October 24 - 26) of workshops, poetry performances, & shared community space, including writing workshops, even yoga — & food! — in downtown Troy, NY. It was co-curated by poet-educator D. Colin & creative strategist Patrick Harris Jr., & sponsored by an interlocking connection of community activist/poets & organizations — Mary Panza, Hudson Valley Writers Guild, Poetry Motel Foundation, United Way of the Greater Capital Region, Connect Center for Youth, Capital Region Chamber of Commerce, and the New York State Writers Institute. There was an overwhelming schedule of events throughout the weekend. 

I was only able to make it to the Saturday night Poetry Showcase. The schedule had listed the event at the Arts Center of the Capital Region, but there was a sign at the front door directing us to Lucas Confectionary, a wine bar a few blocks away on 2nd St. Uh-oh, I thought, has this become another literary cluster-fuck? Fortunately not: it was a perfect location for an urban poetry event, I breathed a sigh of relief & sipped my bourbon.

The host/MC for the reading was the Poet Laureate of Schenectady, NY, Adonis Richards (aka Sincerely Donnie), who performed his emotional piece, “Shattered Glass.”

Earlier in the day there had been the Empire State Slam & a representative from the winning team, North Star Poets from Rochester, performed a typically intense, histrionic, entertaining Slam piece.

D.Colin was one of the organizers of this weekend, as well as being a dynamo in the local poetry/art scene; she performed some of her signature poems celebrating her Haitian heritage, including the title poem from her 2019 collection, Said the Swing to the Hoop, “Painting Flowers in a Time Like This,” & sang in Creole, “the voice of Haiti in my throat…”

Jade is a local poet/performer & recently returned from Gaza where she provided aid as a nurse; she performed “Community Butterflies.” 

Lynette Johnson dedicated her first poem, "Crickets,” to poets “on this side of the mic,” followed by an audience participation piece, “’Til You Do Right,” then its flip side “How to Ruin a Good Thing in a Few Easy Steps,” & on to unnecessary apologies “Unapologetic,” & “Transference.”

I’ve enjoyed the poetry of Mahogany L. Browne & was happy to get this chance to see her read in person. She began with a poem citing poet Sister Sonia Sanchez, being inspired by her & other women, then to an intensely political piece quoting James Baldwin, “every bombed village is my home too," & a piece on patriarchy & the rich & famous doing bad. Then to poems from her book Chrome Valley (Liveright Publishing, 2023), one part of “A Chorus of Hands,” “Do Not Make Grief Your God,” & “Black Girl Magic.”

D. Colin book-ended the night with her poem “Behold” (& another quote from Sister Sonia!), that is on the wall of the Albany Institute of History & Art in the must-see exhibit For Liberation and For Life: The Legacy of Black Dimensions in Art, at the Institute through December 31.