Poetry News, January 11, 2010
*****POETRY NEWS*****
To receive Poetry News in your email or to post events write to [email protected].
Here is your Poetry News for the week of January 11, 2010. Poetry events blowing with the drifting snow in 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!
THIS WEEK check out (scroll down for details):
Wed. Jan. 6 - Maria Arroyo at Forbes Library, Northampton
Thu. Jan. 7 - Collected Poets presents Afaa Michael Weaver and Nancy Pearson, Mocha Maya's, Shelburne Falls, 7pm
Thu. Jan. 7 - Gian Lombardo and Joe Torra at Green Street Cafe, Northampton, 7pm
Thu. Jan. 7 - Afaa Michael Weaver & Nancy Pearson at Collected Poets, Shelburne, 7pm
Sun. Jan. 10 - Gallery of Readers Smith College - Carolyn McKeown & Norma Sims Roche, 3pm
Sun. Jan. 10 - Tune in online for Open Art & Poetry, 8pm www.petersmolenski.com
There are many other poetry events in Western MA and CT this week - Please scroll down!
Word in Westfield
Word at the Y Poetry Contest!
The first annual YMCA poetry contest is calling for poems on the theme of AGE.
You can write about your age, people your age, your generation, aging, remembering being a certain age, looking forward to being a certain age or agelessness. Use your imagination to write a winning poem! Poems will be judged on the level of craft and quality of poetic language, as well as on how well they address the theme of the contest. Try to make your poem unique and different from the rest.
There will be three categories for the contest with prizes for the top three in each category.
Under 12 years old
13-17 years old
18+ (adult)
Prizes will be gift certificates for Westfield YMCA classes, t-shirts and other merchandise.
This contest is FREE and open to all - members and non-members.
Participants may submit up to three poems. Poems are limited to 50 lines. Deadline for submission is February 15th.
Please submit poems at our front desk, attention Rosann Scalise or email them to [email protected].
Judge for this year's contest will be Lori Desrosiers, Local Poet and Assistant Professor of English at Westfield State College.
Holyoke/Springfield Area Poetry
New Poetry Reading/Open Mic
Friday Nights at 8pm
Boriquen Y QuisQueya
626 St. James Ave.
Springfield MA
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
Green St. 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.
Please join us this Thursday January 14th at 7:30 p.m. to hear the poetry of Jendi Reiter and Charles Bondhus.
Jendi Reiter's first book, A Talent for Sadness, was published in 2003 by Turning Point Books. Her poetry chapbook Swallow won the 2008 Flip Kelly Poetry Prize and was published in 2009 by Amsterdam Press. Her work has appeared in Poetry, The New Criterion, Mudfish, American Fiction, The Adirondack Review, The Broome Review, FULCRUM, Juked, The Sow's Ear Poetry Review, Clackamas Literary Review, Alligator Juniper, MARGIE: The American Journal of Poetry, Best American Poetry 1990 and many other publications. Awards include first prize in the Chapter One Promotions 2008 International Short Story Contest, first prize for poetry in Alligator Juniper's 2006 National Writing Contest, first prize in the 2007 Elizabeth Simpson Smith Award for a Short Story (Charlotte Writers' Club), second prize in the 2007 Literal Latte Fiction Awards, and two awards from the Poetry Society of America. She is the editor of Poetry Contest Insider, an online guide to over 750 literary contests, published by www.winningwriters.com. Visit her blog at www.jendireiter.com .
Charlie Bondhus has published poetry and fiction in numerous periodicals, including Ganymede, The Starry Night Review, Swell, and The Harrow. His debut chapbook, What We Have Learned to Love, was the winner of Brickhouse Books’s 2008-2009 Stonewall Competition, and How the Boy Might See It was a finalist for Blue Light Press’s First Book Award in 2007. He also has a novella, Monsters and Victims, forthcoming from Gothic Press in 2010.
Future Readings Include:
January 21st — Mike Young & Rachel Glaser
January 27th — Christopher Cheney & Lily Ladewig (please note the Wednesday date change)
Feb 4 — Brooks Robards & Irene Willis
Feb 11 — Janet McFayden & Susie Patlove
If you are a poet and would like to read at Green Street, please contact Maria Williams-Russell at .
Maria Luisa Arroyo and Friends
Forbes Library, Wed. January 6. 2010
What better way to start the new year than with poetry! Mark your calendars now for a terrific reading by bilingual poet, María Luisa Arroyo. Maria will be inviting friends to read with her.
María's book, Gathering Words: Recogiendo Palabras, was recently reviewed by Cathleen Robinson for El Sol Latino,
"María Luisa Arroyo, a transplanted Puerto Rican who grew up in the North End of Springfield, is an artist blessed with the talent of finding exactly the right words and the right cadence to show what she sees and what she feels. She shares that vision with us in her word pictures and word music. Her readers and her listeners can draw their own conclusions after experiencing the truths her poetic vision imparts."
A Springfield North End native educated at Colby (B.A.), Tufts (M.A.) and Harvard (A.B.D.) in German Language and Literature, María Luisa Arroyo writes and publishes poetry as she raises her son, facilitates writing workshops, teaches adult learners the power of writing and of owning math concepts as a G.E.D. instructor, and supports community ventures such as Teatro V!da, the first Latin@ theater and performing arts in Springfield. A 2004 Massachusetts Cultural Council grant winner in poetry, María Luisa Arroyo is delighted to return to the Forbes Library in order to share poems from her published collection of poetry, Gathering Words: Recogiendo Palabras (The Bilingual Press, Tempe, AZ: June 2008) and from her chapbook, "Touching and Naming the Roots of this Tree" (September 2007).
This reading is part of the Seventh Annual Forbes Poetry Series. The series takes place on the first Wednesday of the month from October to May at the Forbes Library. Readings are free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served courtesy of the Friends of the Forbes Library.
Upcoming Readings
Always the first Wednesday of the month in the library's elegant Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum. Free and open to all.
Feb. 3, 2010 - Northampton High School Poetry Slam Winners
March 3, 2010 - Middle School Poetry Reading
Carolyn McKeown and Norma Sims Roche
will read from their work
Sunday, January 10, 3 PM
Neilson Library Browsing Room
Smith College
Northampton, Massachusetts
Please join us for an afternoon of memoir, personal essays, based-on-a-true-story fiction, and other stuff we couldn't possibly have made up
Refreshments will be served
This reading is part of the Gallery of Readers series. The Gallery of Readers was begun in 1990, and takes its name from its first location, in Northamptons Forbes Library art gallery. The readers in the series are participants in Robin Barber and Carol Edelsteins writing workshops.
For more information on other events in the series, please visit http://www.galleryofreaders.org/galleryofreaders/current.html
Peter Smolenski invites you to his latest Global Online Art & Poetry Event.
Guest artists are Master Holographer Larry Lieberman, and award wining Muti-Media Master Artist Balam Soto. Poets doing video poetry that night are Paul Richmond, Mike Detelj, and Tommy Twilite. Artist/Author Ted Mikulski will be on hand to discuss his excellent new book "Art is Dead" There will be lively talk with the artists ,poets and guests in the Live Art Talk Room. You can win some art and poetry books by signing in to Live Art talk.
Smolenski has put together a massive online show. He will be showing a new hologram, 8 new paintings, some redisovered childhood paintings, a guitar, and a large amount of photography and digital art. There's also a gallery called "?" in which you can try to figure out what he did! Also some new music and other surprises.
Holo-meister Lieberman will be showing over 30 amazing holograms and 15 paintings- you really don't want to miss this.
Balam Soto will be showing a video of his incredible installation Cube V2.0 and 12 other beautiful pieces of work..
The poetry of Richmond, Detelj, and Twilite is fantastic.
3 Artists 3 Poets, Original Music and Great Conversation, Fake wine and cheese, and you don't have to drive anywhere.... in fact because it is an online event, anyone in the world can be there, regardless of geographical location or worries of driving in freezing rain. I Know one of the poets is attending naked and so can you! Who would know?
Event happens at http://www.petersmolenski.com
Michael Arraj and John Grabosky
Feature at The Blue Guitar
Jan. 24, 4 pm
The Blue Guitar Performance Space, in collaboration with Gallery of Readers
presents the second installment of WORD JOURNEYS,
a monthly multi-media reading series in which writers reach us through more than
our ears.
"The Masking Tapes"
John Grabosky reads fiction from his new collection of short stories
and Michael Arraj performs poetry and then some.
$5 donation, no one turned away for lack of funds.
186 Northampton St, Easthampton, MA
www.theblueguitar.org
Growing younger toward death every day: finding insight and inspiration in poetry, prose, and music
New participants are welcome to join this year-old group that gathers in one of the participant's homes twice monthly to share and discuss poems, prose, and songs—original or created by others-- that move them deeply and inspire them to live fuller, more authentic lives.
Particular focus will be given to listening to the recorded work of contemporary poet David Whyte, reading his own and others' poetry and offering his insightful and often amusing commentary; his best-known poem “The Faces at Braga” contains the phrase “Growing younger toward death every day”.
Group members will also read aloud and discuss poems by renowned American poet Mary Oliver; poems by others along with accompanying commentary by Roger Housden, editor of a series of books including “Ten Poems To Change Your Life”; poems by Irish poet John O'Donohue in his book “A Book of Blessings”; and selections from other poets, writers, and musicians.
Two separate groups will meet from 6 to 9pm, one in Greenfield starting on Tuesday Jan. 19, the other in Northampton on Tuesday Jan. 26. Participants are encouraged to bring their own supper and/or dessert to share. Copies will be available of all poems, prose, and song lyrics read and discussed in each group.
For more information, contact John Berkowitz at 413-625-6374 or [email protected]
SUSAN HOWARD CASE MEMORIAL POETRY CORNER
The Forbes Library in Northampton, MA has created a new collection of the works of local poets named the Susan Howard Case Poetry Corner. This collection has been named in memory of a local poet who contributed to the library's rich poetry community through her volunteer service. The non-circulating collection consists of poetry books and chapbooks by Pioneer Valley poets, and locally published literary journals. "The idea for this collection developed in response to the abundance of many gifted poets in our area," said D.M. Gordon, Forbes Library Writer-in-Residence who created the idea for this new collection.
The collection will be housed in the Arts & Music magazine lounge on the library's second floor. The items in the collection are to be read in the library and comfortable seating is available nearby. The library hopes to grow the collection through donations. Anyone interested in donating to the collection should contact Lisa Downing, Assistant Director, at 413-587-1017 or [email protected].
Anthology of Poems about Northampton
Call for Submissions! Deadline is March 1, 2010 Go to: http://www.nohoanthology.blogspot.com
FLORENCE POETS SOCIETY
Next business/sharing meeting Thursday January 14, 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
Rich Puchalsky 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.
LASTLY PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING AS A MEMBER OF FLORENCE POETS SOCIETY. THE FEE IS $15.00 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 web page at http://www.florencepoetssociety.org/
Florence Poets Society Readings:
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/
POETRY A LA CARTE
on WMUA-Amherst 91.1 FM 5pm to 5:30 pm on Tuesdays this Summer, 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
Bart’s Bards
Second Thursdays Open Microphone for Writers Bart’s Café of Greenfield 286 Main St. Greenfield, MA
7:00-9:00 P.M. (Sign up to Read at 6:45)
January 14: Janet Aalfs
2010 Featured Readers:
January 14: Janet Aalfs
February 11: Julie Payne Britton
March 11: Maureen Moore
April 8: Kerry O’Keefe
May 14: Wyn Cooper
June 10: Lori Desrosiers
July 8: Janet MacFadyen
August 12: Marie Gauthier
Sept. 10: Lesle Lewis
October 14: Susie Patlove
November 11: Laura Rodley
For More Information, Please Contact: Larry Fader (413) 475-3321 (Open Microphone Readings are 5 Minutes or Less) Free to All
Greenfield Spoken Word
Always the third Tuesday of the month
This month it is Jan 19th
9 Mill St
Greenfield, MA
Doors open at 7:00
Open Mic starts at 7:30
Open Mic will be 10 - five-minute slots
Donation - Sliding Scale $1 - $5
Feature Readers
Jack Golden and others to be announced.
Book signing and selling of local writers works will be available. Come up to read
Bring your chapbooks to sell. We will have tables at no cost. Hope to see you there
3rd Annual Science & Nature Writing Open Mic Night
Great Falls Discovery Center
Featured Readers Sheppard Ranbom & Janet MacFadyen
Friday, January 22, 2010, 7pm-9pm (doors open at 6:30)
Great Falls Discovery Center
2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA
413-863-9972 www.greatfallsma.org
Free & Open to the Public - Accessible Facilities
Light refreshments and drinks will be for sale. Proceeds
support programming at GFDC.
Mark your calendar for an evening of poetry about the
natural world and the history of Native Americans of Western
Massachusetts. Featured poets Sheppard Ranbom and Janet
MacFadyen will read from recent books, followed by an open
mic for science and nature writing.
King Philip's War, by Springfield native Sheppard Ranbom,
tells the story of the New England Algonquians who hosted
the first Thanksgiving and were, within half a century of
the European arrival, victims of genocide. With lyric
intensity, the book reveals the inner life of King Philip,
the rebel Wampanoag leader who led the uprising that
historians have called the bloodiest war in American
history. Moving from rage to tenderness and resignation,
Philip's voice is redolent with the rhythm of the seasons,
the beliefs and dreams of an ancient people, and the bitter
realities of a civilization being lost
A Newfoundland Journal, by Shutesbury poet Janet MacFadyen,
weaves the natural history of Newfoundland with the stories
of generations of people who came to the island to fish.
Through the eyes of the poet and the voices of
Newfoundlanders, the poem investigates our position in the
natural world, as well as our notions of history and
belonging. Janet is author of In Defense of Stones, and her
poetry has appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, Poetry, The
Atlanta Review, and Osiris, among other places.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Great Falls Discovery
Center, U.S. Fish & Wildlife, and Massachusetts Department
of Recreation and Conservation.
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
Thursday, January 7, 2010, at 7:00 pm, poets Afaa Michael Weaver and Nancy Pearson will help the Collected Poets Series welcome the New Year in a special benefit for the Green River House. Please note the time change.
The Green River House is a community-based rehabilitation and support program, provided through Clinical and Support Options (CSO), for mentally ill adults. CSO’s mission is to provide responsive and effective interventions and services to support individuals, adults, children and families in their quest for stability, growth and an enhanced quality of life.
$5-10 suggested donation.
To learn more about this program, see The Green River House
Nancy K. Pearson’s first book of poems, Two Minutes of Light, won the 2009 L.L. Winship/PEN New England Award and was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award. Her book has been selected as a Must-Read from the 9th Annual Massachusetts Book Awards. Pearson recently completed two seven-month poetry fellowships at The Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown. Originally from Chattanooga, TN, she now lives on Cape Cod with her partner.
Afaa Michael Weaver’s collections include Multitudes; Sandy Point; The Ten Lights of God; My Father’s Geography; Timber and Prayer, and his latest, The Plum Flower Dance: Poems 1985 to 2005. He also writes short fiction and plays.
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. The series is usually held every first Thursday of the month at 7pm (new time)
Mocha Maya’s Coffee House,
47 Bridge Street,
Shelburne Falls, MA 01370,
413-625-6292.
Wheelchair accessible. Free.
The Collected Poets Series will now be held the first Thursday of the month at 7:00PM. The Collected Poets Series is also excited to announce the dates and readers for our 2010 series beginning in January. We have many amazing poets from here in the valley and from as far away as England.
2010 Series
January 7 - Nancy Pearson and Afaa Michael Weaver
February 4 - Meg Kearney, Christopher Merrill, and Rhett Iseman Trull
March 4 - Joan Houlihan and Deborah Bernhardt
National Poetry Month
April 1 - Lawrence Raab and Regie O'Hare Gibson
April 15 - Adrian Blevins and James Haug
May 6 - Margaret Lloyd and Sarah Browning
May 16 - Special Appearance by Maxine Kumin at the Buckland- Shelburne Community Center. Sunday, May 16, at 3:30 pm.
June 3 - Mihaela Moscaliuc and Nickole Brown
July 1 - Kristin Bock and Lee Sharkey
No CPS Readings in August or September
October 7 - Josephine Dickinson and Sharon Dolin
November 4 - Barbara Ras and Jennifer Sweeney
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.
____________
Writing Groups
for beginning and experienced writers Come write in an encouraging supportive environment, experience the deepening and growth of your own writing, and contribute to the deepening and growth of others' writing. No experience necessary--only the willingness to put pen to paper. Groups meet weekly in Greenfield, are ongoing, and open to all genres. We follow the Amherst Writers & Artists (AWA) method, http://www.amherstwriters.com/. $125 per 5-week session, 6 - 8 people per group. To join or for more info call or email Ann McNelly: 413 772 2375, [email protected]
Word in the Berkshires
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 detail
Lee Writers Group
(every 2nd Tuesday of the month) at the Lee Library Conference Room.
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 every second Tuesday 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 [email protected] or call 413 243-8116 for further information.
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
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 reading is held in the Ship Room of 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
Poets Asylum
Sunday Jan. 10th:
The Asylum welcomes Sierra DeMulder as our feature this week. DeMulder is a member of the NPS '09 Championship team from St. Paul, MN. She was awarded the Spirit of Slam award at NPS '07 and has been taking part in CUPSI since 2005. If that isn't enough she is a member of the Intangible Collective, has gone on several poetry tours, and is a publish author with Write Bloody Publishing. While dividing her poetry between New York and the Twin Cities, she enjoys goosebumps, cranberry juice and feminism. Sierra has been trying not to trip since 1986.
Poetry slam is the competitive art of performance poetry. It puts a dual emphasis on writing and performance, encouraging poets to focus on what they're saying and how they're saying it. Slam poetry can be moving, funny and deadly serious, sometimes all in the same poem. If that sounds like a good time then join us for some great words.
Come on down to Jumpin' Juice and Java (335 Chandler Street, Worcester). The reading starts at 6:00 p.m. No cover; please throw some money in the bucket to support the feature.
The Dirty Gerund
There's a new poetry reading in town! 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].
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
-------------------------------------------------------
45 Broad Street
Middletown, CT 06457
Wednesday Night Poetry Series
This week, Jan. 6, is a HAIKU SLAM after the open mike. The Slam mistress is Faith VicinanzaFaith says bring 30 or 40 haiku!! There is a prize for the slam winner – $10 plus some poetry chapbooks. Five — Seven— Five that is the form.
The Wednesday Night Poetry Series (WNPS or Wedpoetry) meets at the Blue Z Coffeehouse, 127 South Main Street (Route 25) in Newtown CT. For 14 Years and counting: poets, spoken-word artists, monologists and storytellers, acoustic performances by songwriters and musicians are welcome! Read your own work or works by your favorite writers. OPEN MYK SIGN-UP starts at 7:30 PM / OPEN MYK – 7:45 PM /FEATURED READING – 8:45 PM
Poetry/Reading Series at Billings Forge
The Studio @ Billings Forge is pleased to introduce to its programming a new poetry/reading series entitled,WordForge. WordForge is a series of readings featuring local poets along with an open mike component.
All events will be scheduled for Monday nights, with a 7 p.m. start time.
WordForge is curated and organized by local poet, Jim Finnegan. Harvest Reading, is the first reading in the series, scheduled for Monday, November 16th, and participants are asked to bring a canned good or small donation that will be contributed to a local food bank. Many of the readings will have a featured theme in addition to featured invited poets.
Upcoming events include:
Monday, January 11, 2010 - Favorite Poem Project: Poetry in Spanish + Open Mike -Readings from the great tradition of poetry written in Spanish (Neruda, Paz, Lorca, and many others). Bring favorite poems to read in Spanish or you may read English translations.
Monday, February 1, 2010 – Ten Thousand Things + Open Mike -The ancient Chinese thought of world as being comprised of 10,000 things. We invite you to bring poems about “things”, any object or thing (animal, mineral, vegetable, etc.).
For further information about the WordForge series and to participate, please contact: Jim Finnegan at 860.508.2810 or at [email protected].
The Studio @ Billings Forge is a program of Billings Forge Community Works, a non-profit organization focused on reinvestment in the Frog Hollow neighborhood of Hartford. The Studio offers programs that bring vitality and arts to the neighborhood and include jazz and world-class music series, artistic and educational workshops and classes, family film series and more.
Billings Forge Community Works (BFCW), located in the Frog Hollow neighborhood of Hartford, is a nonprofit organization committed to revitalization in the community. At the forefront of the project is the award winning Firebox Restaurant.
For further information about The Studio @ Billings Forge contact Janice La Motta,
Program Coordinator, 860.548.9877 or [email protected].
Wintonbury Branch Poetry Series & Open Mike
my time my place my creativity Third Thursdays, 7:00 p.m. Fall 2009 Hosts: Marilyn Johnston/Tom Nicotera. You're invited to evenings of poetry to stir your heart, soul, and your creativity!
An open mike and light refreshments follow the featured poet at each event.
Wintonbury Branch Library 1015 Blue Hills Ave
Bloomfield, CT 06002
860-243-8855
www.prosserlibrary.info
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 / Hosted by Stephen Campiglio
2rd 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
THURSDAY, JANUARY 14
7 p.m. – Featured Musician: Barbara Hopkins, solo flute
Award winning flutist Barbara Hopkins’ CD releases include Telemann Methodical Sonatas, Vol. 1 and the best-selling Short Concert Pieces for Flute and Piano, now in its second printing. She was awarded a fellowship to Tanglewood Music Center, where she had the honor of playing principal flute under Leonard Bernstein. She has been a member of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra since 1993, and teaches flute at the University of Connecticut. She also founded The Rosewood Chamber Ensemble with guitarist Judy Handler and plays concerts of nineteenth century American music. Hopkins earned her Doctor of Musical Arts from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. More information is available at www.BarbaraHopkins.com.
8 p.m. – Featured Writers: “A Celebration of Quale Press” with Brian Clements, Elizabeth Bryant, and Dennis Barone
Initially starting as the quarterly literary magazine, key satch(el), in 1997, Quale Press has been publishing chapbooks and collections of prose poetry since 2004. A full catalog of their titles and subscription information are available at: www.quale.com. Founder and editor Gian Lombardo will speak briefly about the press’s history and mission.
Brian Clements is the author of several collections of poetry, including Disappointed Psalms, Essays Against Ruin, and his Quale Press title, And How to End It. Clements is also editor of the independent, non-profit press Firewheel Editions and of Firewheel’s flagship publication, Sentence: A Journal of Prose Poetics. He is professor of Writing, Linguistics, and Creative Process at Western Connecticut State University and coordinator of WestConn's MFA in Professional Writing.
Elizabeth Bryant's forthcoming book from Quale Press is nevertheless enjoyment. She is the author of the chapbook Fluorescence Buzz (Dusie/Hex Presse, 2009), as well as the forthcoming chapbook from the same publisher, No Subject. Also forthcoming is her second, full-length book, Reality Visits the Land of Illusions. She lives and writes in Red Hook, NY, where she co-curates the Bard Roving Reading Series. More information is available at: http://elizabeth-bryant.org.
Dennis Barone’s work has appeared in the Chicago Review, The Prose Poem: An International Journal, and Quarter After Eight, among others. Left Hand Books published an edition of his selected poems, Separate Objects, in 1998. He is a professor of English and director of the American Studies Program at Saint Joseph College in West Hartford. Quale Press has published several works of his: Precise Machine, Walking Backwards, The Disguise of Events, and the most recent, North Arrow.
Boston Area/Cape Cod Poetry Info:
* * *
The Poetry Session at O'Shea's
7 to 8:30PM 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,
Rte. 28 West Dennis, MA 02670 Free Contact Info: Gregory Hischak [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 Celebrating Poetry One Saturday Every Month
Our workshop and venue are free, the seats comfortable, the refreshments delicious.
12:00 - 2:00 Poetry Writing 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. Jan. 16 - Fred Marchant Raena Camacho
WEDNESDAYS at the CANTAB
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., 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, January 6
From St. Paul: 2009 National Poetry Slam Champion Sierra DeMulder! Sierra has been wowing crowds with her dramatic persona work and youthful poise since CUPSI 2005. Dividing her time between New York’s Intangibles Spoken Word Collective and the St. Paul-Soapboxing Slam, she’ll make just a few poetic stops in New England to bring us her championship voice. Open poetry slam in the 8x8 series.
• Wednesday, January 13
Writing Wrongs SlamMaster Will Evans has represented his Columbus venue four times at the National Poetry Slam and twice at the Individual World Poetry Slam, including a finals finish just this past October in Berkeley, California. A phenomenal writer and riveting performer, Will’s now represented on Penmanship Books out of NYC. Open poetry slam in the 8x8 series.
• Wednesday, January 20
Semi-Final Speed Slam! It’s one of our biggest slams of the year, and by far the wildest. Qualified poets compete in two- and one-minute speed rounds to see who advances to the February finals. Qualified poets: Kass, April Ranger, Sam Teitel, Andy Locke, Sean Conlon, Kevin Spak, Charley Pope, Vinh Hua, Megan Thoma, Steve Subrizi, David Wayne, Georgie Delgado, Michael Monroe, Carrie Rudzinski, plus all open slam winners through 1/13. Special $5 cover tonight to raise money to send the winner to the 2010 Individual World Poetry Slam.
• Wednesday, January 27
Two-man spoken-word duo BROWNSTAR. Emcee-poet-performers Pushkar North Star Sharma and Sathya South Star Sridharan. Innovative and thoughtfully funny, these two inspired performers strive to present a fresh perspective while exploring the contradictions, complexities, and epiphanies of South-Asian identities. Open poetry slam in the 8x8 series.
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
_____
The Chapel In The Pines in Eastham
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]
* * *
The Greater Brockton Society for Poetry and the Arts
Presents Poetry Series: at the Brockton Library 304 Main Street. Map it! New website!! www.gbspa.org
Celebrating Poetry One Saturday Every Month This is a Free Event with really comfortable chairs and divine refreshments
12:00 - 2:00 Workshop with Danielle Legros Georges
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
* * *
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 si gn-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
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.
NH/VT POETRY
For VT poetry events calendar go to: http://www.phayvanh.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
News for Poetry News should be sent to [email protected]. Please send your announcements in text only format - do not format (no special fonts, colors, etc.) Send by Wednesday for Thursday publication. Thank you , Lori Desrosiers - Publisher.
posted by Lori Desrosiers @ 9:03 AM 
