Poetry News April 7, 2008
****POETRYNEWS****
To receive Poetry News in your email write to
or check it out online at http://www.poetrynewscalendar.com/.
Here is your Poetry News for the week of April 7, 2008.
Spoken word events are blossoming like cherry in the Pioneer Valley and beyond.
Please email if you would like to be added to the mailing
or are interested in featuring at Jester's.
Peace through poetry - Lori
Word in Westfield:
Community Voices Poetry Open Mic
EVERY MONDAY NIGHT 7PM
at Jester's Cafe and Deli
124 Elm Street (route 10/202)
in Westfield, MA
Sign up is at 6:30 and open mic starts at 7:00PM
followed by a guest feature.
All are welcome.
This venue is PG 13
Upcoming Feature Poets:
Monday April 7 - Dylan Lundgren (kickass performance poet from CT)
Monday April 14 - Jack McCarthy (National level slam champion and funniest dude ever, here on tour from Seattle - don't miss this show!!)
We are now booking features for September. Jester's will close for July and August.
Please email if you haven't featured in at least 6 months and would like to return,
or if you would be interested in featuring for the first time.
***********************
Irish Poetry and Music Performance
Wednesday, April 30th
Westfield Athenaeum 7PM
Writing Group at the Athenaeum
Saturday April 12, 11AM
(2nd Saturdays)
Community Room, Westfield Athenaeum
6 Elm Street (on the corner of Court St.)
Westfield, MA
Writing group starting for poetry, memoir and
fiction, facilitated by Lori Desrosiers, local poet and
Adjunct Professor of English at WSC.
There will be prompts and exercises to inspire and
encourage all sorts of creative writing.
FREE
All styles welcome. For info call Lori at 413-250-3008
Chicopee/Holyoke/Springfield Poetry
Haiku Poet's Society of Western Massachusetts
Saturday, April 19th, at 2pm
Borders Bookstore
Holyoke Mall at Ingleside (2nd floor, formerly Lord & Taylor)
Members will be reading their original haiku
and discussing the form at this rare public event.
Free event--all are welcome.
For more information, contact Linda at
GUMBOLIVE
Has moved to Hartford, CT
See CT POETRY below for details!
SPRINGFIELD LIBRARY POETRY CONTEST
Poetry Slam at the City Library
Saturday, April 12, 1:00 pm
Central Library Community Room,
220 State Street
We need 15 participants (age 14+), and an enthusiastic audience!
If you've never slammed before, here's the perfect chance to try
it in a friendly, relaxed scene.Poems do not need to be memorized,
but that may get you extra points! There will be 3 rounds, so
contestents should prepare 3 poems (each must be under 3 minutes
long).Please reply to this email if you're interested in competing.
There are more details on the Library's Poetry Page:
http://www.springfieldlibrary.org/poetry/poetrypage.html
Regarding the 2008 Poetry Contest, all submissions are in,
and the judges will be finalizing their selections soon.
We will contact the winning poets as soon as we know!
You are all invited to the Awards Ceremony
on April 26th, at 2:00 pm, at the Central Library Rotunda.
Winter 2008 : Open Mic moves indoors for Spoken Word Saturdays.
Mark your calendars for the following date:
April 12 1:00 pm.
As always, the host is local writer/performer Crystal Senter Brown.
Open mic is open to readers of all ages, and poems
of all styles and languages.
Questions? Contact Anna at
or 263-6828 x426.
all ages - all languages - all forms of creative writing are encouraged
Springfield Library Poetry Page:
http://www.springfieldlibrary.org/poetry/poetrypage.html
Or contact Anna at
or 413.263.6828 x426.
Bookmark the Poetry Page
http://www.springfieldlibrary.org/poetry/poetrypage.html
for updated information, and to read the work of some of our poets
(anyone who's read at events here, send a poem to be posted!)
Word in the Valley and Beyond
Amherst Books hosts Live Lit,
Friday, April 11th 8PM
Readings by UMass MFA candidates
Ashwati Parameshwar,
Emily Renaud, and Janel Nockleby
Galway Kinnell at Amherst College
Sponsored by the Emily Dickinson Museum
Sunday April 6, 2008 4PM
Converse Hall
Amherst College
Galway Kinnell will read a selection of his favorite poems,
including work by Dickinson, as well as some of his own.
A reception and booksigning will follow.
Free and open to the public
info: http://www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org/
The Invisible Fountain and The Florence Poets Society
in conjunction with Arts Walk Easthampton
proudly present:
The Middle Aged Freaks of the Spoken Word,
Poetry from the Gut,
at the Invisible Fountain,
Eastworks Building,
Easthampton MA, 7-9 pm,
Saturday, April 12.
Back by popular demand, members of the Florence
Poets Society spin the light fantastic amidst the
colorful and provocative artwork of Luke Cavagnac
in this no holds barred program.
This reading is free and open to the public,
with refreshments and a book signing by the authors.
For More Information contact Tom at 584-5914,
or check our webpage at http://www.florencepoetssociety.org/ .
SMITH COLLEGE POETRY SERIES
Tuesday April 8th – Sharon Olds & High School Prize Winners
Weinstein Auditorium, Wright Hall
Sharon Olds writes stark, potent, cathartic poetry—brutally
honest and beautiful in its stripped-down artistry. One of our
most widely-read poets, Olds’s poems have appeared in over
100 anthologies. David Leavitt praised her “lyrical acuity which is
both purifying and redemptive.” Writing on such subjects as family,
alcoholism, sex, mothering, and the horrors of violence and war, her
dazzling and harrowing voice haunts and surprises and pleases.
Michael Ondaatje has called her poems “pure fire in the hands.”
Recipient of many honors, Olds teaches at NYU and served as
New York State Poet Laureate. She is this year’s judge for the
Smith College Poetry Prize for High School Girls in Massachusetts.
The Blue Guitar Gallery
is starting a new monthly event on the heels of
Art Walk Easthampton:
The After Party....an invitation
for folks to come back to the Blue Guitar at 8 pm when
Art Walk ends, to meet friends, have a glass of wine,
and listen to some beautiful music, followed by Open Mike.
It's $5 (to help keep The Blue Guitar open!)
Every Second Saturday, after Art Walk.
Blue Guitar is at
186 Northampton St. (route 10)
Easthampton, MA
A NIGHT OF SPOKEN WORD
ALL SMALL CAPS
Last Monday of each month at
Déjà Brew Pub,
57 Locke's Village Rd.
Wendell MA
Doors open 7:00 p.m.
Open Mic signup: 7:15
Open Mic: 7:15-8
Featured readers 8:15 - 9:30
All comers are invited to read from their own
work or the works of others, poetry or prose
Admission sliding scale $1 -$5
Deja Brew, between the country store and
Post Office in downtown Wendell
*If you would like to be one of the two presenters
call 978-544-8784
http://www.allsmallcaps.blogspot.com/
EVOLUTION OPEN MIC
The first Thursday of the month
April 3
Open poetry night at 7pm
at
Cafe Evolution
22 Chestnut Street
Florence Mass
phone 413.586.0200
FLORENCE POETS SOCIETY .
The Florence Poets Society celebrates it's 5th year of existence
with the next meeting of the new season on
Thursday April 10 at the Lilly Library in Florence.
Our new starting time is 6:30 pm so that Society business can
be conducted prior to the poetry portion of the meeting,
which will be from 7-9 pm. Regular meetings are held the second
Thursday of every month. An annual membership fee of $15 dollars
contributes to our programs and events, however it is not necessary
to be a member to participate.
All poets are welcome to attend and share original work.
We are always looking for new poets.
Discussion and critique is offered if desired.
Look for our new writing group coming soon.
For more information:
Email us at or check out our web
page at http://www.florencepoetssociety.org/
Florence Poets Society Readings:
Listen to "Twilite's Poetry Pub"
on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Weds from 9-10 am on WXOJ-FM LP
103.3 and streaming at www.valleyfreeradio.org.
Bringing to you a variety of interesting poetry and music!
-----------------------------
All events are free and open to the public except as noted
For more information, Call Tom at (413) 584-5914
or email at: [email protected]
or: [email protected] or visit:
www.florencepoetssociety.org
or visit: http://www.tommytwilite.com/
Western New England Poetry Collection
Poets living in western New England are invited to contribute a copy
of their poetry chapbooks or other poetry publications (local periodicals,
CDs of spoken word, posters, etc.) to a permanent library collection
at the University of Massachusetts.
The Western New England Poetry Collection, established at Umass'
W.E.B. Du Bois Library with the cooperation of the Florence Poets Society,
is intended to serve as a permanent archive of the often evanescent
or self-published publications of poets in our local communities.
Anyone can access this collection at the 25th floor reading room of the library.
The collection will also provide a resource for scholars, perhaps centuries in
the future, who want to study the poetry of this time and place.
The Department of Special Collections at Umass Amherst collects
material relating to the culture and history of New England, with one
of its primary focuses being literature and the arts, and a special emphasis
collecting “whole lives and whole communities”.
You can donate poetry publications to the collection in one of three ways:
1. Mail materials to: Attn: Robert Cox Western New England Poetry Collection
Special Collections – W.E.B. Du Bois Library University of Massachusetts
154 Hicks Way Amherst, MA 01003-9275
2. Bring the materials to the Umass W.E.B. Du Bois library 25th floor
reading room. You can also access the collection there.
3. Bring the materials to any Florence Poets Society meeting
(2nd Thursdays of each month at 6:30 PM at the Florence, MA Lilly Library)
and someone there will bring them to the collection for you.
Also, Email Rich Puchalsky at if you need special help
or have other questions. Contributions to the library special collection are
tax deductable. If you wish, you can also include a biographical statement
with your donation: information that scholars have said would be helpful includes
where you live, when and where you were born, your work / occupation,
your educational background, and a statement on how you see your poetry.
Thank you for considering a donation to this special collection.
Poetry Nights in Northampton:
Writer's Group at Packard's in Northampton:
Northampton Writer's Group is an ongoing writer's group
for any kind of written word.
It meets in the library room at Packard's restaurant/bar at
14 Masonic St. in Northampton.
Participants bring copies of their work to read and have
critiqued in a supportive, gentle, constructive environment.
Admission is free, and supper and drinks are available for purchase.
The next dates -
Sunday April 13, 6-9PM
Sunday April 27, 6-9PM
POETRY A LA CARTE
on WMUA-Amherst 91.1 FM
Fridays 4:30-5:00pm
The program, hosted by Daisy Mathias,
includes reading aloud from past
and contemporary poets, and occasionally
features live interview and
poetry-reading with a local poet.
Greenfield/Shelbourne Falls Poetry
Slope Editions, with the Rendezvous in Turners Falls,
hosts poetry readings the second Monday of each month
during the school year. The remaining readings are:
April 14th
Rebecca Wolff, Alex Phillips, and Daniel Nester
May 12th
Matt Hart and Amanda Nadelberg
Both readings are at the Rendezvous bar in Turners Falls,
and both start at 7 p.m.
Collected Poets Series
Poets Alicia Ostriker and Frannie Lindsey
Saturday, May 1st
at 7:30pm. Free.
Mocha Maya’s Coffee House,
47 Bridge Street,
Shelburne Falls, MA 01370,
413-625-6292.
Wheelchair accessible.
The Collected Poets Series highlights the work of established
and emerging poets. Each event, showcasing this area’s finest poets,
features readings followed by informal discussions.
The series is held every first Thursday of the month.
Please see below.
Contact info: Lea Banks,
20 Severance St., Shelburne Falls, MA 01370,
(H) 413.625.6702
The 2008 Series
May 1 - Alicia Ostriker and Frannie Lindsey
June 5 –Chard deNiord and Susie Patlove
~ no CPS for July and August ~
Sept. 4 –Toi Derricotte and Regie O’Hare-Gibson
Oct. 2 - Michael Waters and Carol Frost
Nov. 6 – Wyn Cooper and special guest
Spoken Word Greenfield
Every Third Tuesday
Tuesday April 15th
Featured Readers:
Lea Banks, Laura Rodley, Marie Gauthier
At 9 Mill St in Greenfield
Doors open at 7:00
Open Mike at 7:30
Featured Readers - TBA
$1-5 sliding scale cover
Book signing and selling of local writers works will be available
Refreshments
Come up to read
Bring your chap books to sell
We will have tables at no cost
We hope to do Spoken Word Greenfield once a month
Open mike will be five minute slots
With 10 open slots
Have open slots for main readers
Directions
If you come up 91
Come into the center of Greenfield
At the lights of Federal and Main
Where the Common is
You take a Rt
Down the hill
Toyota will be on you left
You go under the railroad bridge
Come to a light
Take a RT
and you are there
That is Mill St
9 is on the conner
You can park in the Art Space next door
or on the street
If you are coming up 5 & 10 into Greenfield
When you come to the lights
Where you can either go left
Or Right under the Railroad bridge
You want to go Left
That is Mill St
9 is the first building
Collected Poets Series
The Collected Poets Series highlights the work of established
and emerging poets. Each event, showcasing this area’s
finest poets, features readings followed by informal discussions.
The series is held every first Thursday of the month.
Contact info: Lea Banks, 20 Severance St.,
Shelburne Falls, MA 01370, (H) 413.625.6702
Open Mic at the Arms Library
Third Friday of the Month
Open Prose & Poetry
7:00 pm
Meeting Room
Arms Library
Bridge & Main Sts. Shelburne Falls
Writers of All Ages Most Welcome!
Come and be heard, or just listen to the diverse
voices in our community.
Sign ups at beginning of program.
The Third Friday Reading Series
at the Arms Library
welcomes you
Bridge and Main Streets,
Shelburne Falls, MA
7—9pm, 3rd Friday of each month
Open reading of poetry and prose.
Come early and sign up for a 5 minute reading.
When a writing group is featured,
the 2nd half of the evening will be an open reading.
Please plan to stay for the entire event.
Refreshments will be served.
(now in its twelfth year!)
For more information, please call Arms Library 625-0306
or Lisa Merrill 625-9765
News from Mo and Ginger Cat Press
CALENDAR: Equinox will celebrate Poetry Month with open mics in
Conway (April 6, 3pm at Field Library),
Montague (April 24, 7pm in the Book Mill)
so get your acts/poems together -- and prosiacs,
don't worry, you are invited too
(why the hell dont we have a Prose Month?)
The web site can be accessed with this address:
http://www.thebooksmyth.com/ NOTE: This address redirects to the
original site name www. gingercatpress.net – it was easier to redirect
rather than to rename, but any computer geeks out there who can tell
me if there is a better way to handle this, feel free to send (free) advice.
hugs to all…. look forward to seeing you Mo
Equinox Poetry Journal Open Mics
EQUINOX OPEN MIC SERIES 2008, "Lend Me Your Ears"
Lend Me Your Ears!
Open Mic for Spoken Word and other creations,
Sign ups begin 6:30.
Hosted by the Equinox, a local, illustrated literary journal
Maureen at
Web site: http://www.thebooksmyth.com/ submission guidelines now available
upcoming - details soon
April 6 - Conway
(all sign-ups begin ½ hour before mic opens-in food service venues
feel free come earlier for meal/snacks)
**note corrected address for May 18 mic
APRIL
6 Conway: Sunday, tba at Field Library, Conway
? Northampton: tba at Evolution Café, Chestnut Street, Florence
? Orange: tba
MAY
4 Ashfield: Sunday, 3-5 at the Wellspring House, Main Street, Ashfield
18 Hadley: Sunday, 3-5 at Food Bank Farm, 121 Bay Road, Hadley (corrected address)
? Pittsfield tba
JUNE
? Montague tba at the Montague Book Mill,
JULY
? Charlemont tba
SEPT
21 Shelburne: Sunday 3-5 at Mocha Maya 2008 issue Release Party
25 Amherst: Thursday, 7-9 at
SUNDAY SALONS:
APR 27 from 1 to 4 pm featuring chili, chips, chatter & Thou
MAY 25 from 1 to 4 pm featuring chili, chips, chatter & Thou
JUN 29 from 1 to 4 pm featuring chili, chips, chatter & Thou
JUL 27 from 1 to 4 pm featuring hot dogs, chili dogs, etc & Thou
AUG from 1 to when at Sunburn Beach, bring your own snacks and lotions
SEP-DEC no salons,
EQUINOX DEADLINE: May 15, 2008. Submission guideline available on website
http://www.thebooksmyth.com/ or http://www.gingercatpress.net/
The Equinox is available at http://www.thebooksmyth.com/
Word in the Berkshires
Lee Writers Group
Develop and hone writing skills through constructively critiquing
others as well as receiving helpful hints and suggestions.
This forum will host a variety of short stories, poetic compilations,
insightful and original essays, and other varieties of writing similarly
tangible in length. The purpose of this group is to embody character
and narrator through obsessive directive fervor with written and
spoken words.
The group will meet once every two weeks sharing original works
via recitation and distribution and should be prepared to accept
constructive feedback and be able to, in return, deliver such
feedback in a respectable and deliberate manner.
Contact
or call 413 243-8116 for further information.
Stockbridge Booksellers Open Mic
Garfield Reed hosts our bi-monthly open mike poetry night
every other month on the third Thursday of the month.
...The Power of Words. P.O.W. is open to all poets,
writers and performance artists of all types.
We also welcome those less dramatic types who prefer
to watch from the audience. recently we have seen some
amazing young poets come out and wow their audience.
Don't miss out!!
Coming in May……HIKE AND/OR WRITE
Sunday May 4, 9am-11am
Climb Monument Mountain
Explore the unique ecology, geology and beauty
of a pale-colored quartzite mountain on a two mile
(steep) hike in Great Barrington. Our pace will be slow
to photograph and enjoy the wildflowers and the views.
Free to all. Please pre-register to 413-298-3239 x 3003.
Sunday May 4, 1pm-4pm
Write at Bartholomew’s Cobble
Enjoy a relaxing afternoon of contemplative walking,
watching and listening at a Sheffield site widely known
for the diversity of wildflowers and ferns.
Trustees of Reservations Members $8. Nonmembers $10.
Please pre-register to Tammis at 413-298-3239 x 3003
or via .
Coming in June…CANOE AND WRITE
Sunday June 8, 8:30-11:30am
Paddle the Housatonic River
Join a guided canoe trip on the winding Housatonic
to explore the rich and varied river habitats found
near Bartholomew’s Cobble in Sheffield. Bring hat,
sunscreen, water and binoculars.
All other equipment is provided.
Please pre-register to or to 413-229-8600.
Trustees of Reservations Members $15
Adults Child (10-16) $10, Nonmembers $25 Adults; Child $15.
Sunday June 8, 1-4pm
Write at Bartholomew’s Cobble
Enjoy a relaxing afternoon of contemplative walking,
watching and listening at a Sheffield site widely known
for the diversity of wildflowers and ferns.
Trustees of Reservations Members $8. Nonmembers $10.
Please pre-register to Tammis at 413-298-3239 x 3003
or via .
Tammis Coffin
Education & Outreach Coordinator, Berkshires Region
The Trustees of Reservations
P.O. Box 792
Stockbridge, MA 01262-0792
413-298-3239 x 3003
Word Street
is a youth literacy project and creative writing center located at
163 North Street in downtown Pittsfield.
Since 2003, Word Street has offered homework help, tutoring,
MCAS and SAT test prep, creative writing instruction,
mini-magazine publishing, summer camps, and much more to
Berkshire County youth ages 7-18 absolutely free of charge.
Amy Hempel & Lydia Davis
Word Street Benefit Reading
Fundraiser
Host: Word Street
Thursday, April 17 at 7:00pm
Barrington Stage Company
"Poets are the theoretical physicists of language.
Rivers of literary magma are flowing just under the
surface all over Berkshire County.
This reading is a volcano."
--Steve Dew
For more information, please contact:
Steve Dew
Development Director
Word Street
163 North Street
Pittsfield, MA 01201
( 413) 458-5171 home
(415) 407-3664 mobile
( 413) 997-3307 office
http://www.blogger.com/http://www.blogger.com/
Check out this website for information on
spoken word events in Pittsfield:
There are some great events so check it out.
http://www.wordstreet.org/
Word in Ware/Palmer:
Carpe Stylum! (Latin for Seize the pen!)
meets every Wednesday 6-8pm, usually at the Ware Library
but some meetings are held elsewhere.
This group includes poets, short story writers, novelists,
historians, political satirists, video game designer and others.
All are welcome.
Call LuWanda Cheney (413) 277-9676 for a schedule.
Word in Worcester:
Bill MacMillan will undertake a 24-hour poetry feature
starting Saturday, April 5th at 8:00 p.m. Bill will read poetry,
his own work and covers, over the following 24 hours,
wrapping up as the weekly Asylum open reading gets underway.
The Q Cafe,
362 Chandler st.
Worcester MA, has generously agreed to stay open all night long
so that Bill may undertake this endeavour.
Bill is taking part in a coordinated national movement: http://www.wideopenwest.com/~efavers0976/24n_front.htm
to have 24-hour readings across the country happening at the same time.
The Poets' Asylum will be using this as a fundraising opportunity.
Visit our Fundraising: http://poetsasylum.org/fundraising.html
page to make a donation.Make plans to come down for an hour
or two and keep Bill company as he makes his way through 24 hours of poetry.
Brad Davis Reading
Wednesday, April 23, 7:30 p.m.,
College of the Holy Cross (Rehm Library),
Worcester, MA:
Brad Davis will read from his newest book, “No Vile Thing,”
a series of meditations on the biblical psalms. As in his two
earlier volumes, “Though War Break Out” and “Song of the
Drunkards”, the poems range from the personal to the political,
from rage to joy, from melancholy to meditation. Mary Oliver
has stated that “Brad Davis’ poems are modest and intense at
the same time. His subject – all of us, and all things, considered
as they are, sorrowful and joyful, and as they might be – invites
us to remember the old irreplaceable story of our making: its
divinity, its possibility. “No Vile Thing” is in every way a comfort,
a reminder, and a prod.” Robert Siegel adds this: “Taking his cue
from short phrases in the Psalms, Brad Davis honestly probes
matters of faith, doubt, sorrow, and joy, as well as a wide range
of experiences in between. In a voice both colloquial and eloquent,
deceptively clear and direct, he describes an ecstasy that is never
sentimental and grief for a world where ‘all things tend toward
suffering and diminishment.’ There is no flinching from sorrow,
and yet hope not only endures but prevails. The poet asks,
‘If we cannot sing for joy, why sing?’ These are philosophically
sophisticated poems that have a warm and vulnerable heart. They
reach out to the reader and take him into the poet’s thoughtful and
intimate confidence.”
For more information, call 860.963.5220.
Worcester Storytellers
meets on the second Friday of each month at the
Village Arts Gallery (1 Ekman Street, Worcester).
The reading starts at 8:00 p.m.
Feature Poet: Paul Gagnon
Performance Host: Dave Macpherson
April 11 at 7:30pm
***
Shakti Women's Writing Pact
The Shakti Women's Writing Pact meets
every Saturday from 3 to 5 p.m. at
the Java Hut (1073A Main Street, Worcester).
Shakti was created with the intention of enhancing women's
sense of belonging within the poetry community through the
an unmoderated writing circle.
For more information please contact Sou MacMillan at
[email protected].
POET'S ASYLUM
Venue Update
The Poets' Asylum now meets at The Q, a cafe located at
362 Chandler Street in Worcester. The owners are excited
to have us on their schedule and are working with us to make
the transition as smooth as possible. Please help spread the word.
Sunday April 6
Head over to the Asylum this week for the final Open Qualifying
Slam for the 2008 Worcester Slam Season. The top two finishers in
tonight's slam move on to the Spring semi-final in May.
Sunday April 13
One of our favorite poets is coming to the area on tour
and he'll be our feature tonight. Jack McCarthy is a working
guy from the Boston area who's been writing poetry since
the mid-60s. He'd been averaging about a poem a year until
1992-93, when two things happened. First, his new wife,
Carol, blackmailed him into attending a workshop with
Galway Kinnell; then he brought his daughter Annie, for her
birthday, to the open mike at the Cantab Lounge in Central Square,
Cambridge, hoping she'd get excited about poetry. Jack was the
one who got hooked. He doesn't think of himself as a "performance
poet," but as a "standup poetry guy," a writer of poems
that perform themselves.
The Boston Phoenix has named him "Best Standup Poet,"
the Boston Poetry Awards "Best Love Poet," and the Cambridge Poetry
Awards "Best Spoken Word" and "Best Humorous Poet". The Boston
Globe says, "In the poetry world, he's a rock star".
The open mic sign-up list goes out around 7:00 p.m.
and the reading starts closer to 7:30 p.m.
No cover; please throw some money in the bucket to support the feature.
The Poets' Asylum -- in its fifteenth year of
bringing the best in Performance and Slam poetry
to Central Massachusetts and beyond.
http://poetsasylum.org/mailman/listinfo/
THE ECLECTIC WORD, Radio Show
Poet and journalist Victor D. Infante hosts The Eclectic Word, an
Internet radio show that will delve into literature's fringe with poets,
satirists, alternative journalists and even (gasp!) bloggers. We'll be
stepping off the beaten path of literature, taking a close look at the odd,
the eccentric and the cutting-edge. Should be fun.
The show will run at 7 p.m. EST the first and third Friday of every month,
as part of The World Wide Word Radio Network. You can listen to the
shows live, or you can download it later for your listening convenience.
So give it a listen! It's going to be a blast!
CT POETRY
-------------------------------------------------------
Visit the CT Poet Online calendar,
updated weekly: http://www.poetz.com/connecticut
Poetry at Peaberry's Café Simsbury, CT
ArtSpeak
4th Saturday of every month.
This month's date, April 26th
Because local artists are important, and should be celebrated.
Peaberry's Cafe
712 Hopmeadow St
Simsbury, CT
(860) 658-2930
Host Robert Dauphinais
Peaberry's, a great alternative to the local bar scene, is a cosy little
cafe that seeks to give local artists support, a voice, and a venue!
Help us keep this dream alive! Food is served all night and wine, beer,
and coffee cordials are served after 5:00.
The night will begin at 7:30 and go until 9:30, however,
if there is an abundance of artists, we will go until 10:00.
Our aim is to create an environment where poets of all ages
will feel welcome and wanted, as well as challenged.
We want this to be an atmosphere where artists can share
and network, and, most importantly, grow!
All ages are welcome and we ask that each artist be sensitive
to the audience and what may or may not be appropriate.
Beyond this request, we want to keep censorship to a minimum,
and we support freedom of speech and expression.
So come, bring your friends, students, parents, children, neighbors...
let's see if we can set the CT poetry scene on fire!
Please email Leanne at
with any questions or suggestions.
Wood Reading Series
Thursday, May 1st at 6:30 PM
Spoken Word Series Presents
Beverly Titus and Dolores Lawler,
hosted by Lance Ernest
Open mic follows featured poets
at the Wood Memorial Library
783 Main Street In South Windsor
(860) 289-1783 www.woodmemoriallibrary.org
Admission is free.
Refreshments served.
Poetry Reading and Open Mic /Publication Party
In celebration of National Poetry Month, join the Faxon Poets
for an open reading and publication party on
Sunday afternoon April 6th at 2 PM.
Participants are invited to read from their original work or from other poets.
The event will be hosted by Tom Nicotera and will begin with readings
by the Faxon Poets. Copies of their newly-published chapbook entitled
PERSPECTIVES II will be available for purchase.
The reading will start at 2 but open-mic readers are asked to sign in at 1:45.
The Faxon Poets include: Connie Albrizio, Nancee Cheffet, Francis Cheng,
Sharon Cormier, Roseanne Daigneault, Maryann Giovino, Dolores Lawler,
June Mandelkern, Marilyn V. Messenger, Kathleen Mooney, Steve Olechna,
Debra Robbins, and Minta White.
The Faxon Library is located at
1073 New Britain Avenue
in West Hartford.
For more information, call 561-8202.
Wintonbury Branch Poetry Series
Wintonbury Branch Library
1015 Blue Hills Ave.
Bloomfield CT 06002
860-242-0041
Third Thursdays, January – April 2008, 7:00 P.M.
a master gardener and visiting poet in Litchfield public schools,
will read from her first book of poems, Down to the Waters
(Antrim House Books, 2008.) In 1995, she founded Common thread,
a poetry performance group which performs several times a year.
Her poems have been published in Arkenstone and The Connecticut Review.
Open mike theme: “Landscapes of the Heart.”
Open mike for the public follows featured reader at each event. Themes are optional.
Wintonbury Branch Library 1015 Blue Hills Ave. Bloomfield CT 06002 242-0041
NOW IN ITS 2ND SEASON
Mishi-maya-gat Spoken Word & Music Series
at Manchester Community College,
Great Path, Manchester, CT 06040
Thursday, April 10, from 5:45 – 9:00 p.m.
in Fireside Commons, Learning Resource Center, MCC
* Spoken Word Open Mic – beginning at 5:45 p.m.
Sign up for a brief slot upon arrival.
Open Mic Feature: PATRICK SULLIVAN has two graduate degrees from Wesleyan University and the University of Connecticut and is professor of English at MCC.
* Featured Music: “C-” – beginning at 6:45 p.m.
C- is a folk and rock trio featuring the aforementioned Patrick Sullivan (guitar and vocals), Holly June Jacobs (vocals and percussion), and Ken Klucznik (guitar, mandolin and vocals). They have recorded a CD simply titled, “C-, The Band,” and their eclectic sets include originals and covers by such performers as The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, and Neil Young. More information on the band can be found at: http://www.c-theband.com/.
* Featured Poet: MARILYN NELSON – beginning at 7:45 p.m.
Marilyn Nelson, Poet Laureate of Connecticut from 2001-2006, earned her B.A. from the University of California at Davis and holds postgraduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania (M.A., 1970) and the University of Minnesota (Ph.D., 1979). Her books include The Homeplace, which won the 1992 Annisfield-Wolf Award and was a finalist for the 1991 National Book Award; The Fields of Praise: New and Selected Poems, winner of the 1998 Poets' Prize and a finalist for the 1997 National Book Award, the PEN Winship Award, and the Lenore Marshall Prize; Carver: A Life in Poems, which won the 2001 Boston Globe/Hornbook Award and Flora Stieglitz Straus Award and was a finalist for the 2001 National Book Award, a Newbery Honor Book, and a Coretta Scott King Honor Book; Fortune’s Bones, which won a Coretta Scott King Honor Book and the Lion and the Unicorn Award for Excellence in North American Poetry; A Wreath for Emmett Till, winner of the 2005 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, 2006 Coretta Scott King Honor Book, 2006 Michael L. Printz Honor Book, and 2006 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book; and The Cachoiera Tales and Other Poems, which won the L.E. Phillabaum Award and was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award. Many of these titles are published by Louisiana State University Press.
Marilyn’s honors include two NEA creative writing fellowships, the 1990 Connecticut Arts Award, an A.C.L.S. Contemplative Practices Fellowship, a Fulbright Teaching Fellowship, and a fellowship from the J.S. Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. She is professor emeritus of English at the University of Connecticut and founder and director of Soul Mountain Retreat (http://www.soulmountainretreat.com/), a small writers’ colony in East Haddam.
Marilyn will be available for a book-signing after her reading.
Free and Open to the Public
Sponsored by the MCC Foundation
Hosted by Stephen Campiglio
For more information or directions, please visit the Mishi-Maya-Gat web page at:
www.mcc.commnet.edu/faculty/spoken.php or call (860) 512-2824.
Brad Davis Reading
Tuesday, April 8
7 p.m.
Jahn Reading Room, Pomfret School
Pomfret, CT
Davis will be reading from his new book, No Vile Thing,
a series of meditations on the biblical psalms. As in his two
earlier volumes, Though War Break Out and Song of the
Drunkards, the poems range from the personal to the political,
from rage to joy, from melancholy to meditation.
Mary Oliver has stated that “Brad Davis’ poems are modest
and intense at the same time. His subject – all of us, and all things,
considered as they are, sorrowful and joyful, and as they might be –
invites us to remember the old irreplaceable story of our making:
its divinity, its possibility. No Vile Thing is in every way a comfort,
a reminder, and a prod.” Robert Siegel adds this: “Taking his cue
from short phrases in the Psalms, Brad Davis honestly probes
matters of faith, doubt, sorrow, and joy, as well as a wide range
of experiences in between. In a voice both colloquial and eloquent,
deceptively clear and direct, he describes an ecstasy that is never
sentimental and grief for a world where ‘all things tend toward
suffering and diminishment.’ There is no flinching from sorrow,
and yet hope not only endures but prevails. The poet asks,
‘If we cannot sing for joy, why sing?’ These are philosophically
sophisticated poems that have a warm and vulnerable heart.
They reach out to the reader and take him into the poet’s
thoughtful and intimate confidence.”
For more information including directions,
call 860-963-6100 or visit http://www.pomfretschool.com/
A “Poetic Duet” featuring poets Rennie McQuilkin and Joan Kunsch.
Thursday, April 10
6:30 p.m.
Torrington Public Library
Torrington, CT
Charles Van Doren has commented that “the poems of Joan Kunsch
are “moving, beautiful, startling, and sometimes very funny. The range is
extraordinary, from the dirge for a friend murdered in Zimbabwe to the
ode to chocolate. The short ones are delightful and the long ones grand.”
Of Rennie McQuilkin’s work Dick Allen has said, “Rennie McQuilkin
speaks from us and with us in a language so devoid of all rhetoric it is pure
American: the natural man is lifted out of himself almost beyond his knowing.
My response is one of pure thanks.”
For information, call 860-217-0023 or e-mail .
Gallery on the Green
Canton, CT
Thursday, April 12
8 p.m.
A reading by Antrim House poets Cheryl Della Pelle,
Geri Radacsi, Jim Kelleher, and Rennie McQuilkin.
Refreshments will be served. a donation is suggested.
For more information, contact Ann Barrett at .
A “Poetic Duet” featuring poets Rennie McQuilkin and Joan Kunsch.
Saturday, April 26
4 p.m.
The Hotchkiss Library of Sharon
Sharon, CT
Charles Van Doren has commented that “the poems of Joan Kunsch are
“moving, beautiful, startling, and sometimes very funny. The range is extraordinary,
from the dirge for a friend murdered in Zimbabwe to the ode to chocolate.
The short ones are delightful and the long ones grand.” Of Rennie McQuilkin’s
work Dick Allen has said, “Rennie McQuilkin speaks from us and with us
in a language so devoid of all rhetoric it is pure American: the natural man i
s lifted out of himself almost beyond his knowing. My response is one of pure thanks.”
The event is free and open to the public.
A 15-minute open-mike session will follow, and refreshments will be served.
For more information, call 860-364-5185 or visit http://www.hotchkisslibrary.org/.
GUMBOLIVE
has moved from Chicopee to Hartford
This is an open mic with a feature
and real Gumbo!
It is held on the 1st Thursday of the Month
at Vibz Uptown in Hartford, CT
3155 Main Street.
If people want to feature,
call James Lewis at 413-221-4768.
POETRY POTLUCK at The Sanctuary
Do you love poetry?
Would you like to be part of an ongoing poetry
discussion group offering food for the mind and the heart?
If so, come and join us on the first Sunday of the month
from 4.30-6.00 PM
at The Sanctuary in East Haddam, Connecticut,
to discuss poetry and build community.
This is not about sharing our own work but instead offers
us a chance to share the work of poets we love, so you don't
have to be a poet to be part of this group. Just come and bring
your love of poetry and a poem you would like to share.
Hosted by Greg Coleman, Suzy Lamson,
Marilyn Nelson, and Edwina Trentham
For more information call 860-319-1134.
DIRECTIONS
Directions to the Sanctuary for Poetry Potluck on Bogel Road
– Look for sign: Labyrinth & Yurt (it's a dirt driveway)
FROM MASSACHUSETTS:
Take I-91 South to Rte 9 South. Take exit 7 onto Route 82 East.
Turn LEFT onto Route 154 (Saybrook Road). Turn RIGHT onto
Route 82 (Bridge Road). Turn LEFT onto Route 151 (Town Street).
Turn RIGHT onto Daniels Road. Turn LEFT onto Bogel Road.
Phone number: 860-319-1134
FROM HARTFORD:
Take I-84 East towards East Hartford. Take exit 55 onto Route 2
East towards Norwich. Take exit 16 . Go RIGHT onto Route 149.
Turn LEFT onto Route 151 (Plains Road). Turn LEFT onto Daniels
Road. Turn LEFT onto Bogel Road.
Phone number: 860-319-1134
FROM NEW HAVEN: Take I-95 North towards New London.
Take exit 67; stay to the LEFT at the fork on the ramp. Turn LEFT
onto Route 154 (Middlesex Turnpike). Take Route 9 North towards
Middletown. Take exit 7 onto Route 82 East. Turn LEFT onto
Route 154 (Saybrook Road). Turn RIGHT onto Route 82 (Bridge Road).
Turn LEFT onto Route 151 (Town Street). Turn RIGHT onto Daniels Road.
Turn LEFT onto Bogel Road.
Phone number: 860-319-1134
FROM NEW LONDON: Take I-95 South towards New Haven.
Take Route 9 North towards Middletown. Take exit 7 onto Route 82 East.
Turn LEFT onto Route 154 (Saybrook Road). Turn RIGHT onto Route 82
(Bridge Road). Turn LEFT onto Route 151 (Town Street). Turn RIGHT
onto Daniels Road. Turn LEFT onto Bogel Road.
Phone number: 860-319-1134
WEDNESDAY NIGHT POETRY SERIES
Every Wednesday 7:30
at: 102 Greenwood Ave,
Bethel CT
Open mike sign up begins at 7:30. The open mic begins at 8
open for people to read their work 3-5 minutes.
The first 8-10 poets will read before the feature
who will read for 30 minutes followed by a
Q & A. Open mic will continue till closing time.
WNPS represents a varied community of people with
a common interest and appreciation for poetry.
The open mic is open to poetry, stories and musician (5 minute time limit).
4/2 Fatih Vicinanza – Founder of WNPS, CT Poet/
teacher/editor will read Mary Oliver.
Host: Ernie
WNPS, going on 12 years has been the longest
CONTINUOUSLY RUNNING WEEKLY Poetry Open MIC
and featured poet reading series in Connecticut!
For more details and updates: http://www.wedpoetry.net/
Or http://www.wednesdaypoetry.com/
and http://www.wednesdaypoetry.org/
Windsor Workshop:
A workshop for serious poets interested in critique
at the Windsor Library, Windsor, CT
each second and fourth Monday at 6:30 PM.
For information call Alice Ahrens Williams 860-668-6142
or Janet Henderson 860-688-5770
HARTFORD HAPPENINGS
SOUL SESSIONS at Vibz Uptown
The creator of Love Jones brings you--
"Soul Sessions" every Wednesday night 9:00 PM - 11:00PM
Join us for live Jazz Jams & share your Poetry and Song
backed by a live band or just come and chill in the vibe
of Hartford’s Hottest Open Mic Event.
Hosted By Charmagne
For more info, call 860-874-8797
or email mailto:[email protected]
Vibz Uptown
3155 Main Street
Hartford, CT
(860) 246-7390
Freestyle Hip-Hop Open Mic
Tuesdays
in Hartford
Filthy Kleen host Sully’s Hip-Hop Open Mic night
every Tuesday in Hartford
Sully’s Pub
2071 Park St.Hartford, CT
860-231-8881
http://www.sullyspub.com/
Lisa C. Taylor Reading Schedule
Saturday April 19-8:15 pm
Out of the Blue Gallery
Open Bark Reading
Featured Poet
106 Prospect St
Cambridge, MA (on the Central T line).
Feature starts at 9, open mic beforehand.
Tuesday, June 10-7-8 pm-
Featured poet
Prosser Public Library
1 Tunxis Ave.
Bloomfield, CT.
For information, call (860) 243-9721
Boston Area Poetry Info:
JACK MCCARTHY
Poetribe
Saturday, April 12, 8 pm
7:45 Open Mike Sign-Up
The Community Room
East Bridgewater Public Library
32 Union Street
East Bridgewater, MA
http://www.poetribe.org/
Jack McCarthy is a working guy from the Boston area who's been writing
poetry since the mid-60s. His publications include Grace Notes, two
chapbooks (Actual Grace Notes and Too Old to Make Excuses (But Still Young
Enough to Make Love)), a 60-minute cassette tape (Poems for Hannah), and a
CD (Breaking Down Outside a Gas Station). A major book, Say Goodnight, Grace
Notes, was released in 2003 by EM Press to rave reviews. His work has
appeared in a number of anthologies, including The Spoken Word Revolution.
Jack was a member of the Boston team at the 1996 National Poetry Slam, and
was an engaging minor character in the feature film "Slamnation," and he was
a member of the Worcester team at the 2000 National Poetry Slam, where he
finished as the 10th ranked individual. The Boston Phoenix named him "Best
Standup Poet." The Boston Globe says, "In the poetry world, he's a rock
star."
Jack McCarthy features for the debut of the East Bridgewater high school's
literary magazine. The students will read, too. Come hear the next
generation of poetry and fiction!
Future Features
Apr 12 Jack McCarthy and the Lit Mag Debut
Apr 26 Rosanna Warren
May 10 Franz Wright
May 24 Ann Killough
Jun 7 Thomas Lux
Hosted by Victoria Bosch Murray and David R. Surette
For info and bookings, contact
Directions to Poetribe (from the East Bridgewater Public Library website
http://www.sailsinc.org/ebpl/): Take Route 24 to Exit 16A, Route 106 East
towards West Bridgewater. Follow Route 106 for about 4 miles to Route 18.
Take a left onto Route 18 North. At the 6-way intersection in East
Bridgewater center stay straight on Route 18. The red brick library building
is one block north on the left, at the corner of Union Street and Route 18.
Poetribe meets in the Community Room, which is a separate entrance toward
the rear of the library.
CAMBRIDGE READINGS
The Boston Poetry Slam Simone Beaubien,
SlamMaster http://www.slamnews.com/
Central Square’s world-famous Cantab Lounge
presents performances from local and national poets, as well as a
chance to present your own work in the open mic or poetry slam.
Wednesday, April 9 - Cave Canem fellow NICOLE TEREZ
DUTTON's dense, well-crafted work has been widely published.
Last Chance slam tonight!
Wednesday, April 16 - Our biggest poetry slam of the year!
All open slam winners from August 2007 and on are invited
to return to slam for a spot on the 2008 Cantab slam team.
Wednesday, April 23 - What better way to celebrate Shakespeare’s
444th birthday than with unparalleled performer and 1998 National
Poetry Slam Champion REGIE GIBSON?
The Boston Poetry Slam
Downstairs at the Cantab Lounge
738 Massachusetts Ave,
Central Square, Cambridge, Mass
(617) 354-2685_
(mailto:) _
www.slamnews.com_ (http://www.slamnews.com/)
Doors for the show open at 7:30. The open mic begins at 8:00,
the feature performs at approximately 9:30,
and an open poetry slam follows.
The show is 18+ (ID required) and the cover charge is $3.
The Boston Poetry Slam at The Cantab Lounge
738 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Mass.
http://www.slamnews.com/
Cambridge Community Television
Tuesdays at 11:00 PM Saturdays at 10:30PM
Catch the latest from the Boston Poetry Slam I
NFO: [email protected]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
the Poetry Session at O’Shea’s
THE CAPE GETS ITS VOICE BACK
Every Third Thursday! The Poetry Session at O’Shea’s
is a free monthly all-ages open mic for poets and lovers
of poetry held in the Back Room at O’Shea’s Olde Inne.
348 Main Street (Route 28) in the village of West Dennis.
Info: call Gregory Hischak at 508-398-5434
LETRA Poetry Nights
in LAWRENCE MASS
Every TUESDAY at
Julio's 99 Club
99 Essex Street Lawrence, MA
Doors open at 7pm open mic starts at 8pm
Admission $3.00
For more information or for directions please call
Michelle Richardson at 978-423-7045
Gypsypashn's Poetry Caravan
at Bestseller's Cafe
24 High Street
Medford, MA. 02155
Third Thursday of each month at 6:30 PM.
Free refreshments open mic.
The Poetry Man' hosts
The Main St. Cafe, North Easton MA.
August is Biker Poetry Month,
and celebrated at Besteller's on the 13th.
After this reading there'll be a 2nd annual BBQ at Gypsy's.
Come one come all, come and enjoy a night of poetic delight
in a cozy bookshop setting!
Lizard Lounge Poetry Jam
Every Sunday 21+ $5 at door
1667 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA
617-547-0759 Website - http://poetryjam.com/
Blog - http://poetryjam.com/blog/poetryjam.html
Providence Poets
GOT POETRY LIVE
Every Tuesday starting at 7:30 PM
@ Reflections Cafe
8 Governor St, corner of Wickenden St
Providence, RI 02903-4429
(401) 273-7278
http://www.gotpoetry.com/ContactUs.html
GINSBERG PANEL IN VERMONT
STRANGE PROPHECIES ANEW:
A Panel Discussion on Allen Ginsberg's "Kaddish"
Considered by many as Ginsberg's finest poem,
panelists Bill Morgan, Bob Rosenthal and Jacqueline Gens
will discuss inspirations and influences in "Kaddish,"
the eulogy for his mother, Naomi, that Ginsberg completed
nearly 50 years ago. All three panelists knew the poet well
and will each examine different aspects of the poem from
their personal perspectives.
Landmark College
April 17, 2008 at 7:30 PM
East Academic Building
Putney, Vermont.
The event is free and open to the public.
For further information contact:
To view a slide show of a selection of Naomi Ginsberg's
paintings and online resources about the poem, "Kaddish,"
visit The Brattleboro Center for Literary Art's web blog at http://www.brattleboroliteraryarts.blogspot.com/
Panelists:
Bill Morgan is a painter and archival consultant.
His most recent book, I Celebrate Myself: The Somewhat
Private Life of Allen Ginsberg, was published by Viking in
October of 2006. He is also the author of The Beat Generation
in New York: A Walking Tour of Jack Kerouac’s City and
The Beat Generation in San Francisco: A Literary Tour and
editor of the book Deliberate Prose: Selected Essays of Allen
Ginsberg 1952–1995. He is co-editor of Ginsberg’s
The Book of Martyrdom and Artifice: First Journals and
Poems, 1937–1952 and Howl on Trial: The Battle for Free Expression.
Bob Rosenthal, who studied poetry under Paul Carroll, Ted Berrigan,
Joel Oppenhiemer, Bernadette Mayer, and Alice Notley, is a poet and
a writer who has co-written and produced five plays. His 1970's Cleaning
Up New York was regarded as a cult classic. His latest collection of poetry is
Viburnum (White Fields Press, Tennessee). He has taught workshops at The
Poetry Project, Snug Harbor, and the Naropa Institute. He worked as
Allen Ginsberg's secretary for 20 years until Allen’s death and currently
is a Trustee of the Allen Ginsberg Trust. Bob is on the faculty at Abraham
Joshua Heschel High School. He is currently writing his account on the
business of Allen Ginsberg and has written three other books of poetry,
Morning Poems, (Yellow Press, Chicago, 1972), Rude Awakenings,
(Yellow Press, Chicago. 1976) and Eleven Psalms (1999).
He is married and has two sons.
Jacqueline Gens is the co-director and a founder of the MFA Program
in Poetry with Chard deNiord at New England College. For many years
she worked at the Naropa Institute (now University) in Boulder, Colorado
before she joined the staff of the late poet, Allen Ginsberg, in NYC with
Bob Rosenthal and Bill Morgan. She has worked as program director for
numerous regional non-profits, including, the Great River Arts Institute and
the Shang Shung Institute of Tibetan Studies located in Conway, MA. S
he is currently working towards establishing the Brattleboro Center for
Literary Arts and curates a reading series at the Hooker-Dunham Theater.
Her chapbook, Primo Pensiero with a preface by Anne Waldman is
forthcoming from Shivastan Press in the Spring of 2008.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
News for Poetry News must be received by
by Wednesday for Thursday or Friday publication.
Lori Desrosiers - Publisher, Wearer of all Hats, even yours.
posted by Lori Desrosiers @ 8:44 PM 0 comments 
