Poetry News

****POETRY NEWS*****

Here is your Poetry News for the week of November 1, 2010.

Poetry events are blowing with the Fall leaves around the Pioneer Valley and beyond! Scroll all the way down for more poetry in CT, Boston and other areas. Check out all our links to the right for poetry events everywhere!

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THIS WEEK in Western MA and Vicinity:
Nov. 1 - Nov. 30 - 30 poems in 30 days challenge for Center for New Americans - see below for details!
Sat. Oct. 30 - Full Moon Circle Open Mic, Springfield 2pm
Sun. Oct. 31 - Salon at Mo's, Shelburne Falls, 1pm
Mon. Nov. 1 - Barnes & Noble Open Mic, Holyoke, 6pm
Wed. Nov. 3 - Brian Foley & Elaine Kahn at Green St. Cafe, Northampton, 7:30pm
Wed. Nov. 3 - Lydia Maria Child at Forbes Library Reading Series 7pm
Thu. Nov. 4 - Collected Poets Series: Barbara Ras, Jennifer K. Sweeney and Melodie S. Gee, Mocha Maya's, Shelburne Falls, 7pm

There are many other poetry events in Western MA, Boston, CT and beyond this week - Please scroll down!

HOLYOKE/SPRINGFIELD/ WESTFIELD AREA POETRY

Barnes & Noble Open Mic (Note date change)
Monday, November 1, 2010
There will be open mic poetry at Barnes & Noble by the Holyoke Mall at 6:pm
This open mic is ongoing the first Monday of the month. No reading in December.

Starving for Art Presents open mic Tuesdays
@ Blue Fusion Bar and Grille 487 St. James Ave Springfield, MA doors open at 6pm for social hour. Showtime is 7-9pm All poets, musicians, singers, and visual artists are welcome. This event is free. For more info visit http://www.brendaschild.com/

WORD IN THE VALLEY AND BEYOND

30 POEMS CHALLENGE IN NOVEMBER
Center for New Americans announced today that for the second year, writers throughout the Pioneer Valley are invited to write a poem a day in November to raise funds for family literacy. 30 Poems in November! will culminate with a Reading and Celebration on Thursday, December 2 at 7:00 P.M. in Stoddard Hall at Smith College in Northampton.

CNA is honored that Patricia Lee Lewis, well-known local writer and creative writing instructor, signed on early as Event Chair. She has recruited a stellar Advisory Committee of writers and organizations to promote the event, and says, “I urge writers at every level of experience and of all ages to join with us, to really stretch themselves to write 30 poems in 30 days – for practice or for publication! – and ask their friends and families to support their heroic efforts. It’s a wonderful thing to be creative, have fun, and do good, all at the same time.”

Last year, 30 Poems! raised $12,000 in support of CNA’s family literacy effort. The response to the event was remarkable, however, for far more than just the amount of funds raised. It was a testament to the Pioneer Valley’s love of literacy. The widespread participation of poets who ranged from high school students to octagenarians demonstrated how many poets are eager to have an impetus to write and opportunities to share their work, and how many poetry societies are active and thriving.

This year, some of the program’s beneficiaries – adults whose first language is not English – will write poems as well.

Center for New Americans is a community-based education and resource center for immigrants. CNA offers free ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes, technology instruction, job counseling and placement, citizenship assistance, and family literacy. CNA classes take place in Amherst, Northampton, and Greenfield.

To participate as a poet, go to http://www.cnam.org. Click on the link for 30 Poems.

Poetry Reading - Three Perugia Press Prize Winners
Melody S. Gee, 2010 winner, book release event
Jennifer K. Sweeney, Massachusetts debut
Carol Edelstein, reading new poems
Sunday, November 7, 2010, at 4:00 PM
Jones Library Trustees Room
43 Amity Street, Amherst, MA

GALLERY OF READERS READING
Broadside Books, 247 Main Street
7 p.m. Tuesday November 9th
Readers will be: Markie Babbott, Aubin Tyler, Lisa Thompson, Bob
Susskind, Nancy Considine, John Broglio, Stephanie Schamess, Ginny
Rohan, Dan Levy

Poetic Recovery Open Mic and Feature
Every Thursday night 6:30-8:00 pm
Thirsty Mind in South Hadley MA 23 College St.

Green Street Poetry Series
Green Street Café
Northampton, Massachusetts
The Green St. Poetry Series showcases the voices of emerging and noted poets from the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts and beyond.
This season promises a series of really exciting poets with poems to match. Join them Wednesday nights at 7:30. Come, listen.

Our 2010 line-up is as follows:
November 3 – Brian Foley & Elaine Kahn
November 10 – Laura Rodley & Jim Cahillane
November 17 – Tommy Twilite & Paul Richmond
November 24 - No reading – Thanksgiving break
December 1 – Connolly Ryan & Dan Mahoney
December 8 – Lesley Yalen & Seth Landman
December 15 – Christy Crutchfield & Anne Holmes

If you are interested in reading at Green Street, send a note with bio and sample poems to Maria Williams-Russell at [email protected]

Janet Aalfs' new book of poems, Bird of a Thousand Eyes,
is due out in November from Levellers Press.
A book launch reading/ performance is scheduled for:
Tuesday, November 9, 7:30pm, A.P.E. Gallery, 126 Main St., Northampton.

Forbes Library Reading Series Schedule
First Wednesday of the month, 7 pm, Coolidge Museum at Forbes Library, Northampton:
November 3
Lydia Maria Child
Julie Bartlett, Archivist, Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library & Museum, Hampshire Room for Local History, Forbes
Patricia Holland, editor, THE COLLECTED CORRESPONDENCE OF LYDIA MARIA CHILD, 1817-1880
Pamela Thompson, author of EVERY PAST THING

December 1
David Ruggles Sojourner Truth Memorial Statue in Florence

Steve Strimer, David Ruggles Center
Andrea Hairston, author of REDWOOD AND WILDFIRE
Jacqueline Sheehan, author of TRUTH

January 5
Celebration of Local Novelists Part 1
Emily Arsenault, author of THE BROKEN TEAGLASS
Bob Flaherty, author of PUFF
Judith Frank, author of CRYBABY BUTCH
Dori Ostermiller, author of OUTSIDE THE ORDINARY WORLD

February 2
French Canadians in Western Massachusetts
Elise Bernier-Feeley, Hampshire Room for Local History, Forbes
Sally Bellerose, author of THE GIRLS CLUB
Ellen LaFleche, author of ESTELLA, WITH ONE LUNG

March 16, 3rd Wed River Gods Brian Kiteley, author of THE RIVER GODS

FLORENCE POETS SOCIETY
Next business/sharing meeting Thursday November 11, 2010 6:30pm
ALL POETS OF ALL TYPES AND AGES are welcome, bring one of your original works to share,
(12 to 15 copies will usually be enough for all to share) The meeting is held at Lilly Library community room and begins at 6:30 PM. Poetry presentation and discussion begins at 7PM

WRITING GROUP
Martina Robinson and friends meet every 3rd Thursday at Lilly Library community Room at 6:30 PM. See Rich for details, this group is currently open to join.

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING AS A MEMBER OF FLORENCE POETS SOCIETY.
THE FEE IS $20.00 FOR THE YEAR FROM SEPTEMBER TO AUGUST. Your membership supports our Fall festival, SILKWORM our annual journal, (these first two items also are supported in part by the Northampton Arts Council via a grant) our website http://www.florencepoetssociety.org/,, our po box, the annual contest, the JAN SLAM, our spring art gallery reading. and our summer reading at William Cullen Bryant homestead.

For more information: Email us at [email protected] or check out our new web page at http://www.florencepoetssociety.net

Listen to "Twilite's Poetry Pub"
now Weekly! Enjoy the "Pub" with Carl and Tom every Wednesday from 9-10 am on Valley Free Radio, WXOJ 103.3 fm, Northampton and now with improved streaming at http://www.valleyfreeradio.org/ !!!
Poetry to the people! WXOJ-FM LP 103.3 and streaming at http://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: http://www.florencepoetssociety.org/

SMITH COLLEGE POETRY READING
Tuesday, November 16, 7:30 pm, Stoddard Hall Auditorium
DANA LEVIN
Dana Levin is a rising star in the poetry world. Louise Glück described her award-winning first book, In the Surgical Theatre, as “sensuous, compassionate, violent, extravagant…a book of terror and marvels.” Levin’s second collection, Wedding Day was praised as “laser-visioned and transcendent,” as well as “intimate and hypnotic.” Recipient of fellowships from the Lannan, Whiting, Witter Bynner, and Guggenheim foundations, Levin holds the Russo Endowed Chair in Creative Writing at the University of New Mexico and teaches in the Warren Wilson MFA Program.

In addition: Wednesday, November 17, 7:30 pm in the Poetry Center: A lecture by Dana Levin—“I am: Sylvia Plath, Poetic Form & the Creation of Self” in honor of A Room of Her Own Foundation’s Tenth Anniversary

The Visiting Writers Series at Umass
Unless otherwise noted, VWS readings are on Thursdays at 8 p.m. in Memorial Hall. All are free and open to the public. More information about the readers can be found at the Visiting Writers Series website: http://www.umass.edu/english/MFA_VWS.htm

*Tuesday* November 16 | MICHAEL EARL CRAIG & NATALIE LYALIN *Augusta Savage Gallery*

Michael Earl Craig is the author of three collections of poetry: Thin Kimono (Wave Books, 2010), Yes, Master (Fence Books, 2006) and Can You Relax in My House (Fence Books, 2002). His poems have been published in various print and online journals, including The Believer and Notnostrums. He lives in Livingston, Montana, where is a Certified Journeyman Farrier, shoeing horses for a living.

Natalie Lyalin is the author of Pink & Hot Pink Habitat (Coconut Books, 2009) and the chapbook Try A Little Time Travel (Ugly Duckling Presse, 2010). She is the co-founder and co-editor of GlitterPony Magazine and Agnes Fox Press. She lives in Philadelphia.

December 2 | LANCE OLSEN
Lance Olsen is the author of ten novels, one hypertext, four critical studies, four short-story collections, a poetry chapbook, and a textbook about fiction writing, as well as editor of two collections of essays about innovative contemporary fiction. His most recent novels include Calendar of Regrets (2010), Head in Flames (2009), Anxious Pleasures (2007), and Nietzsche's Kisses (2006). He serves as Chair of the Board of Directors at Fiction Collective Two; founded in 1974, FC2 is one of America's best-known ongoing literary experiments and progressive art communities.

POETRY A LA CARTE RADIO SHOW
on WMUA-Amherst 91.1 FM
Poetry à la Carte will air 6:00pm to 6:30 pm on Mondays.
Streamed live at http://www.wmua.org/.
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.

Poetry at the Leverett Library
6:30 p.m. on the 3rd Tuesday of each month, Poetry reading at the Leverett Library. 75 Montague Rd. Leverett, MA. Area poets are invited to read. For more information contact Petriana at 413. 549.9336 or by email at [email protected]

GREENFIELD, SHELBURNE FALLS AND NORTH

Salon at Mo's Place
Hi to all – you might already have noticed, it is FALL, great isn’t it?
Leaves are falling all over the place and a bunch of pumpkins
have taken up residence on my front porch, yours too?.
Did you also notice that the last Sunday of the month is next Sunday? The 31st
yes, that dreaded eve of all hallows is upon us but if you dare venture out… …….

It’s time for another Salon at Mo’s Place
From 1:00 to whenever at 102 Mechanic Street, Shelburne Falls
Come on over and join me in the living room (ie the salon, get it?)

We’ll talk about cabbages and kings,
and books and art and beautiful things
and consider how and if books and art make the world go ‘round —
or at the very least do they make it bearable.

So bring your own writings and art works to share and bring as well a short list of your favorite writers and artists, ones you think made a difference, who set your hair on fire as Emily would say of a good poem - ciao! Mo

Laura Rodley Book Release Reading
Finishing Line Press is proud to announce the book launch of Buckland author Laura Rodley’s new chapbook Your Left Front Wheel is Coming Loose published by Finishing Line Press.
The release party/reading will be on November 6 at 7p.m. the Arms Library on the corners of Main and Bridge Street in Shelburne Falls. The public is invited and refreshments will be served.

Your Left Front Wheel is Coming Loose is an ode to what connects us, the experiences of work and living that affirm our humanity. In tightly crafted writing, Rodley gives us a portrait of American family life in its unique and precious space. These are wise and honest poems, a gift to the reader.
-- Afaa Michael Weaver

Poetry at Pages in Conway
Featuring: Lori Desrosiers and Irene Willis, with Anthony Bernini and Elizabeth Haight.,
Sunday, November 7, 2-4 p.m.
at Pages Coffee Bar and Used Bookstore, 98 Main Street, Conway, MA. 413-369-0244

Lori Desrosiers’ chapbook of poetry, Three Vanities, a chronicle of three generations of women in her family, was published by Pudding House Press in 2009 and her poetry has appeared in numerous literary journals. She is the publisher of Naugatuck River Review, a journal of narrative poetry, and teaches English at Westfield State College. She earned her M.F.A. in Poetry from New England College.

Irene Willis is a lifelong educator and holds an MA & Ph.D. from NYU as well as an MFA from New England College. Irene has published three collections of poetry: They Tell Me You Danced (University Press of Florida); At the Fortune Café (winner, Violet Reed Haas Poetry Prize from Snake Nation
Press); and Those Flames (Bay Oak Publishers, 2009). Irene is the poetry editor of International Psychoanalysis. She is also a Pushcart Prize nominee, as well as having received numerous awards, including from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Anthony Bernini is a practicing attorney and a long-time participant in Albany’s poetry scene. He is the author of a collection of poetry, Distant Kinships (A.P.D., Albany, 2002).

Elizabeth Haight, a resident of Williamstown, MA, is an emerging poet with published work in numerous journals, including A Small Garlic Press (Chicago), Gravity (Atlanta), Snakeskin (UK), Zephyrs 2010
(Millay Society), and online at International Psychoanalysis (September 2010).

ALL SMALL CAPS
Monday, November 29th, is our next reading for the All Small Caps series. It kicks off our fifth season.
Please bring your work, work you admire and want to share, or just come listen to the featured reader.

The reading will be held, as usual, at the Deja Brew (57 Lockes Village Rd, Wendell). Doors will open at 7 and the open mic portion of the reading will begin at 7:30, followed by a short break, followed by the featured readers. There will be food and drink available. If you need directions, a peek at upcoming readings, etc., please look-see our blog: allsmallcaps.blogspot.com.

We will also have copies of our fourth! ASC Anthology available for purchase. If you pay the upper end of our sliding scale, $5, you will receive a copy of the Anthology.

"Growing younger toward death every day: finding insight and inspiration in poetry, prose, and song".
New participants are always welcome at a biweekly group, which has been meeting for the past year and a half near Greenfield in western Mass, called "Growing younger toward death every day: finding insight and inspiration in poetry, prose, and song".
Bring and share your own, or a favorite poem, prose piece, or recorded song by others. Also listen to CDs of poet David Whyte reading his own and others' poetry, and discussing its meaning. The line 'growing younger toward death every day' is from Whyte's best-known poem "The Faces at Braga".
We also often read aloud and discuss poems and commentary in John O'Donohue's book "A Book of Blessings", and in the series of books edited by Roger Housden such as "Ten Poems To Change Your Life". Optional pot luck supper at 6. Poetry-sharing begins at 6:45pm. More info: John Berkowitz 413-625-6374 [email protected]

Spoken Word Greenfield is always the Third Tuesday of the month
Doors open at 7
Open mic of 5 minute slots will start at 7:30
Hope to see you there
9 Mill St
Greenfield, MA
Donation - Sliding Scale $1 - $5

ARMS LIBRARY READING
Third Friday Prose and Poetry Readings. 7 p.m. at The Arms Library, Corner of Main and Bridge Streets,
Shelburne Falls, Mass. 413-625-0306.
Held in the upstairs Reading Room, readers should arrive a couple of minutes early to sign up for a reading slot, and then have five minutes to share their work. The building is accessible by entering at lower level and taking the elevator upstairs.

Collected Poets Series
$2– $5 suggested donation. Mocha Maya's Coffee House, 47 Bridge Street, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370, 413-625-6292. Wheelchair accessible. See www.collectedpoets.com or www.mochamayas.com for more information.

2010 Series
November 4 - Barbara Ras, Jennifer K. Sweeney, and Melody S. Gee
December 2 - Aracelis Girmay and Ross Gay

The Collected Poets Series highlights the work of established and emerging poets. Each event showcases the remarkable local poets of Western Massachusetts and the finest regional, national, and international talent.

WORD IN THE BERKSHIRES

Jerry's Place Poetry
There will be 2--one hour poetry programs starting at 1:30 pm at the
Pittsfield Community television station on Federico Drive, Pittsfield
Mass. A Jerry's Place production.This is an ongoing reading every third Thursday.

OUTSPOKEN!
Pittsfield's Monthly Performance Series and Open Mic
- Outspoken! hosted by matt mcfadden, is held the 3rd Thursday of every month.
- Micro Theater (311 North St. in Pittsfield, Greylock Bldg. upstairs among the ArtOnNo studios - Up the block from Jae's Spice - Entrance to theater is around the corner on Union St. thru Orange door, right next door to Mary's Carrot Cake.
- 8 pm ($5 suggested donation)
- Interested open mic performers can sign up for 5 minute slot by
e-mailing matt at [email protected]
- Those needing more information can e-mail the same address

Power of Words, Open Mic
Third Tuesdays 7pm to 8:30 pm Hosted by Garfield Reed.
This is an open opportunity to share poetry, readings, music and other spoken word.
Free and open to the public at Berkshire South Regional Community Center , Crissey Rd.,Great Barrington, MA Every third Tuesday of the month. Please call Garfield at 528 4127 for more information.

In Words, Out Words in Housatonic
In Housatonic, MA there is an open mic for poets and performers of all styles and ages.
1st Tuesday of each month at the Deb Koffman Gallery 137 Front Street, Housatonic, MA 01236. “In Words, Out Words.” is hosted by John Meeks and there is usually a $7 suggested donation for heat and electricity. There are snacks there provided by whoever wants to bring them. The sign up technically is at 6:30 however the way it works is a lottery system. If you go to check it out once, then you can put your name on the contact email list. The following month you get an email reminding you of the upcoming event. If it’s your first time performing at In Words, Out Words, you are guaranteed a spot on the roster as long as you reply to the reminder email. If you’ve performed there before then you are put into the lottery system and randomly names are selected. Sometimes there are still slots open at the door.
The open mic begins at 7 and the featured performer goes on for about 20 minutes. It usually lasts until between 9 and 9:30.

Zeitgeist Gallery Pittsfield
Monday Poetry Nights 6 to10pm 648 North Street in Pittsfield call Alan Nidle, the Director at (857) 991-8448 for details

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 and novelists. All are welcome. Call LuWanda Cheney (413) 277-9676 for a schedule.

WORD IN WORCESTER

The Little "a" Poetry Series
at the Q Cafe, 362 Chandler St in Worcester, MA. We run the reading every Monday night, the sign-up list for the open mic goes up at 7:00pm and we get started shortly thereafter.

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. There will be an open mic followed by a feature. Worcester Storytellers never charges a cover. They ask you throw some money into the basket to support the artists who feature. For more info please contact [email protected]

The d'Alzon Arts Series: Poetry Reading
takes place at Assumption College (500 Salisbury Street, Worcester) in the Emmanuel d'Alzon Library on the third Friday of each month during the academic year. The format is an open mic for the first half-hour or so, a short break with refreshments and then 2 featured poets.. The reading starts at 7:00 p.m. and typically runs for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Readings run throughout the school year.

The After Nine Poetry Series
Every Thursday Night The The After Nine Poetry Series, formerly The Spot, is a weekly poetry reading in the Ship Room at the Hotel Vernon (1 Kelly Square, Worcester). The official start time is 8:00 p.m. but honestly, things get going closer to 9. Maybe this week will be different. 21+ and proper id is required

THE POETS ASYLUM
Sunday, October 31:
Sunday night the Poets' Asylum will hold the next open qualifying slam. Up to eight poets will compete in a poetry slam. The top two finishers will move on to a semi-final slam which will be held on December 12th. The ultimate goal will be to earn a spot on the 2011 Poets' Asylum Slam team which will compete at the National Poetry Slam in the far away and exotic city of Boston.

Please join us at the Nu Cafe (335 Chandler Street, Worcester). The sign-up list goes out at 6:00 p.m. and the reading starts by 6:30. No cover; donations accepted to help cover the cost of sending someone to iWPS.

The Dirty Gerund
The Dirty Gerund Poetry Show will be held every Monday night starting at 8:30 p.m. The reading is being held at Ralph's Chadwick Square Diner (148 Grove Street, Worcester) and is hosted by Rushelle Frazier. There will be an open mic every week with a mix of poetry s lams and featured poets. No cover; donations accepted. 21+ Please join us at our new home,

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].

CONNECTICUT POETRY
Write to Terri Klein at [email protected] to get the new CT Poet newsletter in your email.

Poetry Read-In
Dick Allen, Connecticut State Poet Laureate
Friday Nov. 5, 7pm
Hosted by Maria Sassi, Open mic to follow.
Noah Webster House
277 South Main Street
West Hartford, CT 06107
860-521-5362

15th Annual Wallace Stevens Birthday Bash
Saturday, November 6, 2010, 6:30 P.M.
Hartford Public Library, 500 Main Street, Hartford CT
Reception at 6:30PM; serving hors d'oeuvres and libations.
Featured Speaker— JOAN RICHARDSON
Wallace Stevens' Radiant and Productive Atmosphere
A tracing of how the poet came to translate faith into his "supreme fiction."

"The imperfect is our paradise." --Wallace Stevens, "The Poems of Our Climate"

Birthday cake & champagne after the program! Tickets are $50 per person; send check payable to:
Connecticut Center for the Book, 500 Main Street, Hartford CT 06103
Or reserve your tickets at the door, via email to Kat Lyons: [email protected] or call 860-695-6320.
Sponsored by Connecticut Center for the Book at the Hartford Public Library with help from The Friends & Enemies of Wallace Stevens (stevenspoetry.org).

Poems and their Grounds
Friday, November 19, 2010 at 7:30pm
Carl Jung, almost alone among psychologists, kept a wary gaze fixed on the spells that language casts over its users, especially on theologians, psychologists, and writers. I shall use this talk to reflect on the making of several poems of my own, alongside aspects of work by Basho, Dickinson, Graves, Hopkins, Mandelshtam, Pasolini, Pound, Montale, Rilke, and Whitman. I shall attempt an examination of conscience carried out in public: Why art, Mr. Peck, and why art of certain kinds, and why this or that particular way, when, after all, the psyche remains both your challenger and your liege lord?

Lecturer: John Peck, Ph.D. & dipl. C.G. Jung Institute Zurich, has published eight books of poetry, and is co-translator of Jung’s Red Book (Norton, 2009). His most recent book, Red Strawberry Leaf (U. of Chicago, 2005) was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. He has taught literature at several colleges and universities and practices in Higganum, Connecticut.

Admission: $15 (Students $8)
All lectures are open to the public and begin at 7:30 PM at the St. James Episcopal Church in West Hartford Center. Connecticut Association for Jungian Psychology http://www.jungct.org/

POETRY SALON
Sunday, October 31, 2:00pm-5:00pm
West Cove Studio and Gallery
30 Elm Street, West Haven, CT
$7 Donation

Potluck Poetry
is a monthly gathering of local (and not so local) writers who come together to share their work and listen to others. Original work preferred but not required. Please bring a small donation or dish to share and an open spirit to our beautiful space.
3rd Sunday of every month 5- 7pm.
Yoga Center of Collinsville
(860) 693-9642
10 Front St, Ste 102, Collinsville, CT 06019

POETRY at The Sanctuary
59 Bogel Road, East Haddam, Connecticut
Poetry Potluck is now meeting every THIRD Sunday of the month
April through December 2010
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 third Sunday of each month from 4.30-6.00 PM.
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. Refreshments will be provided.
Hosted by Greg Coleman, Edwina Trentham and Suzy Lamson
For more information call 860-319-1134.

Poetry/Reading Series at Billings Forge
Monday November 15, 7pm— Fall Harvest Open Mic
Location: The Studio @ Billings Forge
563 Broad Street, Hartford, CT 06106
http://wfreadings.blogspot.com/

Wintonbury Branch Poetry Series & Open Mike
Fall 2010 Celebrating 15 years!
my time, my place, my creativity
Third Thursdays 7:00 P.M.

On Nov 18 we welcome Joan Kunsch whose poetry reflects a long career in classical ballet. As associate director of Connecticut ’s Nutmeg Conservatory, teaching and choreography have taken her around the world, from North America to Norway . She will read from her first book, Playing with Gravity, a collection of her poems that includes original translations of contemporary Norway poets which she will read in both languages.

Howard Faerstein rounds out the fall program on Dec 16. Mr. Faerstein’s poems have appeared in numerous journals, such as Nimrod, Common Ground Review, and Painted Bride. His honest, plain-spoken, wry and tender poems show influences of the many homes he’s known: Brooklyn, the Berkshire Hills, Taos , Santa Fe , and Durango . He now lives in Florence MA and teaches American Literature at Westfield State University.

Special thanks to our patrons---for their continued support of this series over the years! It’s still a great supportive place to hear and meet fellow poets and share your poems. An open mike will follow the featured poet at each event. Wintonbury Branch Library, 1015 Blue Hills Avenue, Bloomfield , CT 06002

Fall Allan K. Smith Reading Series
the campus of Trinity College, 300 Summit Street, Hartford, Conn., 06106
Upcoming A.K. Smith Events:

Matthew Dicks Tuesday, November 16 ~ 4:30 p.m., Smith House
Elizabeth Libbey Thursday, December 9 ~ 4:30 p.m., Smith House

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Tracy Quigley at 860-297-2568 or [email protected].

Wednesday Night Poetry Series
The Wednesday Night Poetry Series (WNPS or Wedpoetry) will now meet at “The Garage,” at 53 Church Hill Road, Newtown.
Wed. November 3: Rose Drew & Allan Gillott
This trans-Altantic husband and wife team now live in merry Old England, but were once regulars here when Wedpoetry lived at at the Bethel Arts Junction.

Mishi-maya-gat Spoken Word & Music Series
at Manchester Community College, Great Path Academy,
Community Commons (Use Parking Lot B), Manchester, CT 06040
Sponsored by MCC Foundation Annual Fund Campaign / Hosted by Stephen Campiglio
3rd Thursday of each month; 7-9 p.m.
Free and Open to the Public
For more information and directions: www.mcc.commnet.edu/faculty/spoken.php or call (860) 512-2824.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18
8:00 p.m. – Poets from Caduceus, the award-winning anthology of Yale Medical Group/Art Place, featuring Tony Fusco, Julia Morris Paul, Ginny Lowe Connors, and Sherri Bedingfield

Editor of Caduceus, Tony Fusco is president of the Connecticut Poetry Society and former editor of Connecticut River Review and Long River Run. His work has appeared in many publications, including Louisiana Literature, The Red Rock Review, The South Carolina Review, Lips, Paddlefish, and The Paterson Review. He is the author of Droplines (Grayson Books, 2009) and Jessie’s Garden (Negative Capability Press, 2004), as well as three chapbooks. He earned a Master’s in Creative Writing from Southern Connecticut State University. Julia Morris Paul’s poems have appeared journals, such as RUNES, Connecticut River Review, Broken Bridge Review, and Common Ground Review. Her work has been performed by the East Haddam Stage Company, appears in the award-winning anthology, Lavandaria: An Anthology of Women, Wash and Word, and several poems have received awards from various poetry organizations. She serves on the boards of the Connecticut Poetry Society and Riverwood Poetry Series. Ginny Lowe Connors is an English teacher in West Hartford. The author of Barbarians in the Kitchen (Antrim House Books, 2005) and a chapbook, Under the Porch (Hill-Stead Museum, 2010), and editor of three poetry collections, including Proposing on the Brooklyn Bridge (Grayson Books, 2003), she has won numerous awards for her poetry, including Atlanta Review’s International Poetry Competition Prize and the 2010 Sunken Garden Poetry Prize. Her poetry appears in many literary magazines and anthologies. Sherri Bedingfield’s poetry has been published in numerous anthologies and small press publications, including Journal of Poetry Therapy and Connecticut River Review. In addition, her poem, Love Struck, was performed by the East Haddam Stage Company in “Plays with Poetry.” A collection of her poetry, Transitions and Transformations, was published in 2010 by Antrim House Books.

For more information on Caduceus, including the forthcoming Issue #8, please visit: http://www.med.yale.edu/yfp/artplace.

Samples of poems by Connors and Bedingfield can be found at the Antrim House website: www.antrimhousebooks.com.

7:00 p.m. – Tempo del Fuoco, with Nick Cutroneo, classical guitar, and Sarah Larsen, violin

Nick Cutroneo was named a finalist in the Hartt School’s 2008 Paranov Concerto Competition and a semifinalist at the Boston GuitarFest 2008. He completed his Master’s in Classical Guitar Performance, with an emphasis in Suzuki Pedagogy, at The Hartt School of Music. He is currently on faculty at the University of Connecticut's Community School of the Arts in Storrs, CT, and MusicMakers Academy in Manchester, CT. For more information, please visit his website: www.nickcutroneo.com. Sarah Larsen received her degrees in violin performance and music history at the Hartt School of Music. Previously a top prize winner in the concerto competitions of the Milwaukee Symphony, Fox Valley Symphony, and Green Bay Youth Symphony, she is currently a member of Performance 20/20, a honors chamber music ensemble at the Hartt School of Music and VOX4, an alternative-styles string quartet that recently debuted several new works in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. For more information, please visit: http://www.myspace.com/sarahlarsenviolin.

November Poetry at Broad Street Books
Tuesday, November 2nd at 7:00pm
Featuring Paul Scollan!

On the first Tuesday of every month, Broad Street Books hosts a featured poet followed by an open mic starting at 7:00pm. Our featured poet for November 2nd is Paul Scollan!

Paul Scollan has spent thirty years as a clinical social worker and administrator at mental health centers. Since college days he has been dog-earing poetry anthologies and jotting lines of his own on the backs of office memos and on mental notepads during sleepless nights and stints in checkout lines. His work, which looks for daylight in small cracks of the walls surrounding us, has appeared in The Connecticut River Review, Oasis Journal, Litchfield Review, and Sow’s Ear. A native son of Connecticut, Paul lives in Meriden with his wife, Lori Egan-Scollan. In his first book of poetry, Paul Scollan has distilled a lifetime of observation, some of it joyful, some of it rueful. We are treated to vivid characterization and description, an unflinching look at the worst life has to offer and an ebullient presentation of its shining moments. Scollan embodies Shakespeare’s definition of the poet as one who "gives to airy nothing a local habitation and a name." In this case, the local habitation and name are those of Meriden, Connecticut. Scollan’s poems are derived from a number of sources, including his professional work as a therapist, his years of travel in Spanish-speaking countries, his experience in the Vietnam War, and his youth in a large Irish-Catholic family. Liberty Street Hill has impressed advance readers with its "memorable characters whom the poet skillfully imbues with individuality, dignity and complexity," as author Steve Foley states.

Come help us welcome Paul Scollan to the store on Tuesday, November 2nd and share some of your own poetry at the open mic!
Broad Street Books
45 Broad Street
Middletown, CT 06457
-also-
Tune in to J-Cherry Presents every 1st, 3rd, and 5th Tuesday night at 6:30 PM on 88.1 FM WESU in Middletown to hear from local artists from across all genres. On the 1st Tuesday of every month, J-Cherry hosts our featured poet on the show! Tune in at 6:30 pm on November 2nd to hear her interview guest Paul Scollan!

For more information contact:
Brian Mitchard
(860) 685-7323

RIVERWOOD POETRY SERIES AT THE UNDERWOOD CAFE
Thursdays, October 28, November 18
Time: 6:30 PM
Riverwood Poetry Series presents the Underwood Cafe
Wood Memorial Library, 783 Main St., South Windsor, CT
Other info: Free. Donations gratefully accepted. Donations of non-perishable food items also accepted for the benefit of St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry. Open mike follows feature. Refreshments.
More info: www.riverwoodpoetry.org
2010 Features:
October 28, 2010 - Pamela Nomura
November 18, 2010 - Clare Rossini

RIVERWOOD AT THE BUTTONWOOD TREE
Last Saturday of Oct., Nov., Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., May, June. ( NO poetry in Dec., July, Aug.)
Time: 6:30 PM
Riverwood Poetry Series presents the Saturday Night Poetry
The Buttonwood Tree, 605 Main St., Middletown, CT
$5 suggested donation or $3 with a non-perishable food item for the benefit of St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry. Open mike follows feature.
More info: www.riverwoodpoetry.org
2010 Features:
October 30, 2010 - "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" Halloween Open Mike. (Colin Haskins, host.)
November 27, 2010 - Robin Sampson and Cheryl Panosian-Haddad

ANYTHING GOES!
The Buttonwood Tree
605 Main Street, Middletown
$3.00 - $5.00 suggested donation
Ongoing: every Monday
This open mike, hosted by J-Cherry, is a warm group that encourages personal development--come play with us! You'll find Phill is available to drum along if you like. We have a piano and congas or BYO instrument, poem, dance, or whatever artistic piece of yourself you'd like to share. We're all in this together--let's have some fun and create ourselves anew! More info: [email protected]; http://www.buttonwood.org; (860) 347-4957.

BOSTON AREA/CAPE COD POETRY INFO:

Tom Daley's Every Broom and Bridget
Boston-area poet and educator Tom Daley will be performing his play about Emily Dickinson and her Irish servants, Every Broom and Bridget, as a one-man show in a benefit for the Concord Poetry Center, Sunday, November 7th, 2010, 3 pm, at the Emerson Umbrella For The Arts, 40 Stow Street, Concord, MA 01742 (second floor--elevator in rear of building). Tickets are ten dollars, and only available at the door the day of the show. Additional donations are appreciated. The performance is part of the Concord Festival of Authors.

Doors open at 2:15 pm for senior citizens and people needing special assistance, at 2:30 pm for general admission. We're expecting a big crowd, so come early to make sure you get a seat.

Speaking about Daley's performance as Tom Kelley, Emily Dickinson's chief pallbearer, at a panel discussion on Emily Dickinson and the theater at Oxford University this summer, Jonnie Guerra, Dickinson scholar and past president of the Emily Dickinson International Society, noted, "A highlight of the roundtable was Daley’s performance of Tom Kelley’s elegiac address to the deceased poet as he gazes up at her bedroom window. Whether by Daley’s poetic gifts, his persuasive delivery or a combination of both, the audience was powerfully moved—some to tears."

For more information about the show, contact the Concord Poetry Center at [email protected].

October Events courtesy of the Mass. Poetry Festival List:

October 29th Concord, the Concord Poetry Center and Concord Festival of Authors. Poetry readings, Friday evening, at Concord Academy with Joan Houlihan, Cammy Thomas, and Sharon Bryan; and Sunday, at the Emerson Umbrella with Ellen Doré Watson, Jim Schley, Doug Holder and Lawrence Kessenich

CANTAB LOUNGE
Central Square’s world-famous Cantab Lounge presents weekly performances from local and national poets, as well as a chance to present your own work in the open mic or poetry slam. DJ Muse spins before the show and between poets. Upcoming features include:

• Wednesday, November 3
Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, performer Seth Walker became Houston’s premiere spoken word artist in 2007 and has been touring the country ever since. This man’s magnetic personality, electric humanism, and devotion to social aid have combined to create an poet who loves best to exhilarate and uplift his audience. Open poetry slam in the 8x8 series.

• Wednesday, November 10
Founder and host of the NYC-Urbana slam venue, Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz is the author of five books of poetry, including Everything is Everything (WriteBloody Press), as well as the author of Words In Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam, which Billy Collins wrote "leaves no doubt that the slam poetry scene has achieved legitimacy and taken its rightful place on the map of contemporary literature." Have we mentioned that Cristin is both brilliant and hilarious? Don’t miss this woman’s long-overdue first feature at the Cantab. Open poetry slam in the 8x8 series.

• Wednesday, November 17
Fitchburg State professor Ian Williams developed a small yet intense following of Boston poets among the 30/30 project participants a few years ago, who connected immediately and joyously with his Cantab-style straight-talking and sometimes-snarky work. A Ph.D. in English from the University of Toronto, he’s the author of a book of poetry, You Know Who You Are, and his first collection of short stories, Not Anyone's Anything, is forthcoming in 2011. Open poetry slam in the 8x8 series.

Doors for the show open at 7:15. The open mic begins at 8:00, the feature performs at approximately 10:00, and an open poetry slam follows. The show is 18+ (ID required) and the cover charge is $3 unless otherwise noted.

Simone Beaubien, SlamMaster
The Boston Poetry Slam at The Cantab Lounge, 738 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Mass.
http://www.slamnews.com [email protected]

The Greater Brockton Society for Poetry and the Arts
Presents
Poetry Series at the Brockton Library
304 Main Street. Our website www.gbspa.org

Our workshops and venue are free, the seats comfortable, the refreshments delicious.
1:00 - 2:00 Prose Workshop (critique & discussion)
2:30 - 4:30 Memoir Workshop
~~~~~
12:00 - 2:00 Poetry Workshop
1:30 - 2:00 Sign up for Open-Mic Reading
2:15 - 3:15 Open-Mic Reading
3:30 - 4:30 Feature Poets

During Open-Mic Reading share your own poetry or read from works of your favorite poets

Upcoming Features (For information on the following poets click on our website)
Sat. Nov 20 - Marie Gauthier, Alice Kociemba , Elizabeth Gordon McKim

Calliope’s Fourth Season
Come Celebrate Poetry: Sundays 3 to 5 PM
West Falmouth Library,
575 West Falmouth Highway (Route 28A)
West Falmouth, MA 02574
October 31, 2010. No Open Mike. Featuring: Bass River Revisionists, Jeffrey Harrison and Jill McDonough.
November 21, 2010. Open Mike Sign-up, 2:45 PM. Featured Poets: Jennifer Barber, Denise Bergman, Myrna Patterson.
No December Meeting.
January 23, 2011. No Open Mike. Featuring: Lead Pencil Poets, Catherine Sasanov and Skye Shirley.
February 27, 2011. Open Mike Sign-up, 2:45 PM. Featured Poets: January O’Neil, Dzvinia Orlowsky, Jadene Felina Stevens.
March 27, 2011. Open Mike Sign-up, 2:45 PM. Featured Poets: Wendy Mnookin, Max Money, Tam Lin Neville.
May 1, 2011. Open Mike Sign-up, 2:45 PM. Featured Poets: Marguerite Bouvard, Robin Clarke, Anna Ross.
June 5, 2011. Open Mike Sign-up, 2:45 PM. Featured Poets: Linda Bamber, Dorothy Derifield, Alice Weiss.

$5 donation. Refreshments. Alice Kociemba, 508-566-1090
[email protected] or www.calliopepoetryseries.com for details on poets and directions.

Last Thursday Open Mic at The Cultural Center of Cape Cod
307 Old Main St.,
S. Yarmouth, MA
co-hosts Joe Gouveia and Barry Hellman:
The last Thursday of every month, 7pm.
Open mic and featured poet.
Bring your own refreshments.
Arrive early to sign up for open mic.
For updated info on this and other Cape activities go to:
http://home.comcast.net/~bmhellman

CHECK OUT http://home.comcast.net/~bmhellman FOR MORE INFORMATION AND DETAILS ABOUT CAPE COD POETRY AND ALL OF THESE EVENTS.

Lowell Poetry Slam and Open Mic
Every FIRST Thursday at Brew'd Awakening! Only poets can compete in the slam and win the prize... but the mic is open to musical performers as well. Whether you come to perform, compete or just enjoy some coffee and great local talent, don't miss this event! 7:00pm - 9:30 pm *Sign-up between 6:30-7:00* The event is free and open to the public—so come on down for an evening of good company and some terrific regional voices!
Brew'd Awakening Coffeehaus
61 Market Street
Lowell, MA 978-454-BREW
For more info, please email [email protected]

OPEN BARK
meets @ the Out Of The Blue Art Gallery, 106 PROSPECT ST. (the home of Stone Soup) CENTRAL SQUARE, CAMBRIDGE. SIGN-UP AT 8:00pm OPEN MIC STARTS @ 8:15pm,
FEATURE @ 9:00pm Come and perform or listen!

Lizard Lounge Poetry Jam Sunday Night!
Cambridge Common 1667 Mass. Ave., Cambridge $5 Cover Every Sunday Poetry Slam: 8:00 pm,
Feature: 9:30 pm, Open Mike: 10:30 pm 617-547-0759 http://poetryjam.org/

Stone Soup Poetry
Stone Soup Poetry meets from 8-10 p.m. every Monday at the Out of The Blue Art Gallery (located on 106 Prospect Street in Cambridge) with an open mike sign-up at 7:30 p.m. http://stonesouppoetry.blogspot.com/

Newton Free Library Poetry Reading Series
The series meets the second Tuesday of every month open mic after features. Starts 7PM For complete information go to http://newtonfreelibrarypoetryseries.blogspot.com/ Director: Doug Holder http://authorsden.com/douglasholder

Cambridge Community Television
Tuesdays at 11:00 PM Saturdays at 10:30PM Catch the latest from the Boston Poetry Slam I
NFO: [email protected]

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

NH/VT POETRY

For a VT poetry events calendar go to: http://www.phayvanh.com/

Poetry readings at the Putney Library
55 Main Street, Putney VT (802) 387-4407

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News for Poetry News should be sent to [email protected]. Please send your announcements in text only - do not format (no special fonts, colors, etc.) Send by Wednesday for Thursday publication. Thank you, Lori Desrosiers - Publisher.