Poetry News

*****POETRY NEWS*****

Here is your Poetry News for the week of March 8, 2010. Poetry events are coming in like a lion 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!

To receive Poetry News in your email or to post events write to [email protected]

THIS WEEK in Western MA check out:
Thu. March 4 - Danielle Carriveau & Omoizele Okoawa at Green St. Poetry Series 7:30 pm
Thu. March 4 - Jean Houlihan & Deborah Bernhardt at Collected Poets, Shelburne, 7pm
Thu. March 11 - Maureen Moore at Bart's Bards, Greenfield, 7pm
Thu. March 11 - Florence Poets Society, Lilly Library, Florence, 6:30pm
Thu. March 11 - David Kherdian & Greg Joly at Green St. Poetry Series 7:30pm

Fri. March 12 - Poetry Slam, at Thornes' Market Basement, Northampton, 7:30

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

Word in Westfield

A Night of Poetry and Music in celebration of National Poetry Month
with Lori Desrosiers, CT student poets, musicians and friends,
April 21, 2010, 7pm, Westfield Athenaeum.
Part of the Westfield Athenaeum Spring Lecture Series.



Holyoke/Springfield Area Poetry

María Luisa Arroyo's popular poetry workshops
have been scheduled through June, 2010. Dates include: February 27th (meet at 16 Acres Branch Community Room, 11:30-1:30) also, March 20th, April 17th, May 15th, June 19th


New Writing Group
Brown Bag Lunch Poetry Writing Group at Apremont Productions, Springfield, Thursdays, from 11 am to 1:30 pm, for 16 weeks, starting March 4 and ending on June 17. Limited to 10 women. No teaching or criticism of writing, just writing poems from prompts provided by leader trained in the Amherst Writers and Artists methodology. $10 weekly fee covers rent, copies, and light refreshments. Please call for more info or to register: 413-531-5023.



New Poetry Reading/Open Mic
Friday Nights at 8pm
Boriquen Y QuisQueya
326 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

SMITH COLLEGE POETRY

Tracy K. Smith and High School Prize Winners

Tuesday, March 23, 7:30 pm, Smith Poetry Center

Tracy K. Smith’s poems treat grief and loss, historical intersections with race and family, and the threshold between childhood and adulthood, prompting Yusef Komunyakaa to write, “Here’s a voice that can weave beauty and terror into one breath.” Joy Harjo has called her work “a true merging of the ancient roots of poetry with the language of an age of a different kind of sense.” Author of two collections, The Body’s Question and Duende, and recipient of many honors, Smith teaches creative writing at Princeton.

Supported by the Program for the Study of Women and Gender

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.

Future Readers Include:
March 4 — Danielle Carriveau & Omoizele “Oz” Okoawo
March 11 – David Kherdian & Greg Joly
March 18 – Stephen Lindow & Frankie White
March 25 – Tory Rosen & Diana Alvarez
Wednesday March 31 – David Giannini & Gary Metras
April 8 – Jono Tosch & Matt Suss
April 15 – Anne Holmes & Christie Crutchfield
April 22 – Richard Michealson & Daniel Hall

If you are a poet and would like to read at Green Street, please contact Maria Williams-Russell at [email protected].



Poetry Slam
Friday, March 12
Sign up 6:30
Open mic 7
slam 7:30
Hosted by jamila
free, but donations to C3 welcome no pre registration seating available
bottom floor of thorns
only in feb and march so far
2nd fridays



"Growing younger toward death every day: finding insight and inspiration in poetry, prose, and music". These groups meet twice a month in Noho and Greenfield.

New participants are welcome to join this year-old group that gathers in one of their 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 other's 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 on Tuesday Feb. 16, the other in Northampton on Monday, Feb. 15. (This group rotates between Mondays and Tuesdays.) 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]



Advanced Poetry Critique Group
Established peer group seeks a few new members who take poetry (but not themselves) seriously. We meet on Thursdays from 6:30 p.m. – ? at restaurants & homes throughout the Pioneer Valley for dinner, social time, and poetry critique. Our leaderless group has existed for over 20 years through a mixture of humor, humility, and commitment to the craft of writing. To apply, please send a short statement of interests/experience and 2-3 poems in the body of an email to [email protected]. If our group agrees that your poetry may fit with ours, we will invite you to visit and see if the “chemistry” is right.



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].



FLORENCE POETS SOCIETY

Next business/sharing meeting Thursday March 11, 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.

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/


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!

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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 RADIO SHOW
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)

March 11: Maureen Moore

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 March 16th
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 TBA
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

Yes, I know I am talking about Memorial Day:
May 31st
Wendell Spoken Word is the Last Monday of the month from Sept to April
We decided to throw a party, barbque at the Deja Brew Pub & Cafe
A few hours of readings
We are inviting you
We would like to have representation from Northampton, Florence, Greenfield, ....Western MA
Each area be responsible for 30 to 50 minutes
A possible slam at the end
Still being formulated
Save the date
If you want to be a part of this celebration email [email protected]



Paul Richmond Reading and Open Mic
Faces and Places Gallery, Millers Falls, 26 Bridge St (413) 423-3203 -
Wednesday March 10th 7 -9 - 10 open mic slots, 5 minutes each and poetry reading by Paul Richmond.
Come see the gallery and come to read and listen.

Put on your calendar May 31st Memorial Day Poetry celebration in Wendell from 2-6,
This will a celebration and remembrance of Poets past and present



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, March. 4th, 2010 at 7:00 pm, poets Joan Houlihan and Deborah Bernhardt will read from their work.

$2-$5 sliding scale. Mocha Maya's Coffee House, 47 Bridge Street, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370, 413-625-6292. Wheelchair accessible. See www.collectedpoets.com for more information.

Joan Houlihan is author of three books, most recently The Us, from Tupelo Press (2009). The Mending Worm, winner of the New Issues Press Green Rose Award, was published in 2006. In 2003 Hand-Held Executions: Poems & Essays was published by Del Sol Press. She is staff reviewer for the Contemporary Poetry Review as well as author of a series of essays on contemporary poetry called Boston Comment. Her work has appeared in many journals and magazines, including Boston Review, Gulf Coast, Poetry, Harvard Review, Gettysburg Review, Poetry Intern ational, Fulcrum, Pleiades, Passages North, VOLT, and has been anthologized in The Iowa Anthology of New American Poetries (University of Iowa Press) and in The Book of Irish-American Poetry–Eighteenth Century to Present (University of Notre Dame Press).
Houlihan founded the Concord Poetry Center in 2004 and the Colrain Poetry Manuscript Conference in 2006. She teaches in Lesley University’s MFA Low-Residency Program in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Deborah Bernhardt received a BA from Sarah Lawrence College, an MFA from the University of Arizona, and fellowships and grants from the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing (Jay C. and Ruth Halls Fellowship), the Wisconsin Arts Board (Literary Arts Grant), Penn State Altoona (Writer-in-Residence), Writers@Work, Fishtrap, Summer Literary Seminars in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the Hessen Literary Society, Germany. She received two fellowships from the Fine Arts Work Center, Provincetown, and used the Second Year Poetry Fellowship (2008-2009) to work on her new manuscript. Her first collection, Echolalia, was published by Four Way Books in 2006 as winner of the Intro Prize for Poetry.

Here's a look at who's joining the CPS next month. In honor of National Poetry Month, the CPS will be holding TWO events in April!

On Thursday, April 1, Lawrence Raab and Regie O'Hare Gibson will be reading from their work.

Thursday, April 15, Adrian Blevins and James Haug will read at a second CPS event.
*Both events will take place at 7pm at Mocha Maya's Coffee House in Shelburne Falls, MA.

(Please contact [email protected] for more information).

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.



ALL SMALL CAPS

Monday, March 29th, is our next reading for the All Small Caps series.
Please bring your work, work you admire and want to share, or just
come listen to the outstanding featured readers.

The featured readers:

Joshua Harmon & Gina Myers

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 third ASC Anthology available for
purchase, so you will be able to read work from Season 3 featured
readers. If you pay the upper end of our sliding scale, $5, you will
receive a copy of the Anthology.

Hope to see you there.
Jess, Stephen, Paul, Charles




Slate Roof invites you to a reading by member Janine Roberts, and author Rose McMahan.

MONDAY MARCH 8TH – 7 PM Janine and Rose will read poems and prose at THE RENDEZVOUS (good food) 78 Third Street, Turners Falls, MA. This event is free and open to the public. Copies of Janine's book, The Body Alters will be on hand for sale and signing.

Slate Roof Press is a member-run press committed to publishing poets of the Pioneer Valley and western Massachusetts. Designed by the poets themselves, Slate Roof chapbooks feature letterpress covers, special papers, and hand-sewn bindings.



Slate Roof Press Seeking New Members

Local poetry cooperative, Slate Roof Press, will be reading
chapbook manuscripts in the spring for potential new
members. For consideration, please submit a 28-page poetry
manuscript by April Fool's Day.

Slate Roof publishes limited-edition, art-quality chapbooks
featuring western Massachusetts poets. This year, Slate Roof
was one of 24 presses featured at the Massachusetts Poetry
Festival's Small Press Fair in Lowell. Our members
participate in all aspects of the publishing process from
concept to marketing. We publish 1 to 2 chapbooks per year.
Membership requires a $500 investment (which can be paid in
installments) and a 3-year work commitment, including
monthly meetings in Greenfield.

For more information, visit our website:
www.slateroofpress.com.

If you are interested in joining, please submit three copies
of 28 pages of poems, plus a brief bio. The bio should
include any experience you've had with collective or group
process, and any special skills related to publishing.

Send all materials no later than April 1, 2010, to:


Slate Roof Press
15 Warwick Avenue
Northfield, MA 01360-9638


If you have questions, please contact Janet MacFadyen at
[email protected]



Announcing The Woven Word Summer Creative Writing Workshop
for Middle and High School Age Writers

For the third summer the Woven Word is offering week long creative writing workshops for middle and high school age writers. We use the Amherst Writers & Artists workshop method as a design to create safe space among peers so that young writers may explore the development of their own unique voice. The program includes 2-3 writing and sharing sessions, afternoons on a houseboat on the Connecticut River, and one ½ day creating hand made books of each individual selected writings.

Three week long sessions are offered: July 19-23, August 2-6, August 9-13. Sessions run 9 AM – 3:30 in Hadley and cost $200 per week.

Program Director Lynn Bowmaster is a published poet with more than 10 years experience leading writing workshops in her home, R.K. Finn Ryan Road Elementary, PVPA, Hilltown Cooperative Charter School, the Springfield Library, Soldier On, and Holyoke Community College.

For info. And a link to a slideshow of program, contact Lynn at 584-3373, [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

This Week in Worcester:
Thursday, Mar. 4
8:00 p.m. Bobby Gibbs @ the Little "a" Poetry Series
Friday, Mar. 5
10:00 a.m. Shrewsbury Senior Writers @ the Shrewsbury Senior Center (100 Maple Avenue, Shrewsbury)
6:00 p.m. Youth writing workshop @ the WCPA offices (1 Ekman Street, Worcester)
Saturday, Mar. 6
7:30 p.m. Stephen Collins @ Worcester Friends Meeting House (901 Pleasant Street, Worcester)
Sunday, Mar. 7
2:00 p.m. Tony Brown @ the Poets' Asylum
Monday, Mar. 8
9:00 p.m. Shira Erlichman @ the Dirty Gerund Poetry Show
Wednesday, Mar. 10
7:00 p.m. Worcester Women Poets Reading @ Quinsigamond Community College (Harrington Library, 670 West Boylston Street, Worcester)
Thursday, Mar. 11
7:00 p.m. Joe Fusco Jr. @ the Street Beat (WCPA offices, 1 Ekman Street, Worcester)
8:00 p.m. Jared Paul @ the Little "a" Poetry Series


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 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 March 7
March brings a rotation of local poets to the Poets' Asylum stage and there's none better to start it off than the fantastic Tony Brown. Brown's career as a writer reaches back to the 70s when he was first published. His most recent book, "Flood", was released in June of 2009 by Pudding House Publications of Columbus, OH. His work has appeared in journals and anthologies, he has performed in poetry venues from coast to coast and, oh yeah, he did that poetry slam thing for a while too. He also performs as a member of the poetry and jazz duo Duende, with whom he has released two CDs. Tony will release a new chapbook this week as well.

Simply put, 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
-------------------------------------------------------
Poetry at Broad Street Books
First Tuesdays
On the first Tuesday of every month, Broad Street Books hosts a featured poet followed by an open mic. All are welcome to come and read, recite, perform their work!

Broad Street Books
45 Broad Street
Middletown, CT 06457
-also-
Tune in to J-Cherry Presents every Tuesday night at 6:30 PM on 88.1 FM WESU in Middletown to hear from local artists from across all genres.
On the first Tuesday of every month, J-Cherry hosts our featured poet on the show!!
Tune in on Tuesday, February 2nd at 6:30 PM to hear Terri Klein!!

Meet the Authors
Saturday, March 20th at 3:00PM
Broad Street Books, 45 Broad Street, Middletown, CT, (860)685-7323
Come to Broad Street Books on Saturday, March 20th at 3:00pm to see Jon Cotner and Andy Fitch read/perform with Matvei Yankelvich!

Jon Cotner and Andy Fitch are the authors of Ten Walks/Two Talks (Ugly Duckling Press, 2010), a book which Time Out New York describes as "philosophical, formally innovative and fascinating." In 2009 they co-edited Interdisciplinary Transcriptions—a 1,036-page digital anthology containing poets, critics, anthropologists and visual artists. Other publications include Animal Shelter, Brooklyn Rail, Denver Quarterly, Electric Literature, Hotel Amerika, LIT, n+1, and UbuWeb. Cotner and Fitch have performed their dialogic improvisations at festivals and conferences across the United States, as well as in Toronto and Berlin. Cotner lives in New York City. Fitch is an assistant professor in the University of Wyoming’s MFA Program.

Matvei Yankelevich is the author of Boris by the Sea (Octopus Books, 2010). His writing has appeared in Boston Review, Fence, Open City, Tantalum, Typo, Zen Monster, and other little magazines. His translations from Russian have cropped up in Harpers, New American Writing, Poetry, The New Yorker, and in some anthologies including OBERIU: An Anthology of Russian Absurdism (Northwestern, 2006) and Night Wraps the Sky: Writings by and about Mayakovsky (FSG, 2008). His translations of Daniil Kharms were collected in Today I Wrote Nothing: The Selected Writings of Daniil Kharms (Ardis/Overlook, 2009) and received praise from the TLS, The Guardian, The New York Times, and elsewhere. Yankelevich lives in Brooklyn, where he edits and designs books for Ugly Duckling Presse. He teaches at Hunter College and Columbia University School of the Arts.

See a description of their works:
Ten Walks/Two Talks
http://www.spdbooks.org/Producte/9781933254678/ten-walkstwo-talks.aspx

Boris by the Sea
http://www.spdbooks.org/Producte/9780980193824/boris-by-the-sea.aspx

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


Guilford Poets Guild, Guilford, CT.
We’re excited to begin our spring series of Second Thursday poetry readings with Guilford poet Charlotte Currier, who will read the night of Thursday, March 11 at 7 p.m. in the Greene Art Gallery, 29 Whitfield Street (behind Whitfield’s Cafe). An open reading from 7-7:30 begins the evening. Charlotte Currier taught a course on the craft of poetry from 1989 to 2002 at Wesleyan University’s Graduate Liberal Studies Program. A collection of her work, Shadow and Light: A Retrospective, a Trefoil Arts imprint, appeared in 2008. Refreshments will be served. For more information see our website http://guilfordpoetsguild.wordpress.com.


Open Mic at Broad Brook Books & Stuff
Broad Brook Books & Stuff at 100 Main St. Broad Brook, Ct. is hosting a poetry open mic and readings by local poets Elizabeth Szewczyk and Paige Steinert at 6:30 pm on February 24th, 2010.


Calling All Poets (and Poetry Lovers) 2010
Hosted by Victoria Muñoz
First Wednesdays - 6:30 - 8:00pm sharp
Silas Bronson Library
Open mike sign up 6:20

April 7th Marianela Medrano-Marra – Theme: Favorite poems in Spanish or English (please include translations) -
National Poetry Month Celebration!!!

Dominican writer and psychotherapist, living in Connecticut since 1990. Ph.D. in psychology.
Poetry books: Oficio de Vivir (1986), Los Alegres Ojos de la Tristeza (1987), Regando Esencias/The Scent of Waiting (1998) and Curada de Espantos (2002). Offers workshops and readings, combining literature, psychology, and her research on the Sacred Feminine to help others find new ways of knowing the wholeness of human beings.

May 5th Theme:“Given that I am going to die, what do I want to do with the rest of my life?” Read your original poem based on this year’s Big Read selection, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines. This program is presented in conjunction with the citywide Big Read project. Don’t miss this amazing opportunity.

June 2nd Mother Tongue - World travelling trio in search and support of the written and spoken word
Theme: Slam poetry welcome!
Mother Tongue – a trio of women poets who have traveled the world in search of and in support of the written and spoken word. Valerie Lawson, Elizabeth Thomas, and Faith Vicinanza have been on various and multiple national poetry slam teams and stages, visiting artists in schools, competed side by side in the first Women of the World international poetry slam in Detroit in 2008, are widely published, and occasionally perform together as Mother Tongue. For more information about each of the poets in this troupe, go to their websites at http://www.upwordspoetry.com http://faithvicinanza.net ; & http://poetsforhumanrights.ning.com/profile/ValerieLawson.

Host: Victoria Muñoz, B.A. in music from Western Illinois University. Singer/songwriter, poet, flutist, music therapist, carries on the poetic tradition of her parents. Her work can be found in her Chapbooks: During Your Reading; and Scenes From Nature/Five Poems, translations of her father’s poetry; A collaborative CD, Revelation, by the Not Just Any Tom, Vic and Terri poetry ensemble. Other poems can be found in Appleseeds, Songs from the Meadow: An Anthology from the Wood Memorial Library, Stories from the Other Side, 5th ed., a text from Gateway Community College, poetz.com, and bentpinquarterly.net. She is also currently a member of Greystone Arts and runs the Poetry Salon at the Freight Street Gallery (Waterbury). The Bronson is please to welcome back Victoria Muñoz and all the outstanding poets who participate in this series.
Silas Bronson Library, 267 Grand Street, Waterbury, CT, Parking free after 6:30pm, Handicap Accessible
For more information: www.bronsonlibrary.org



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.

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



Tim Mayo: Poetry Reading & Book Signing
Hygienic Art continues its evenings of monthly First Thursday Poetry readings in the Robert Rue Reading Series (funded in part by Curbstone Press) on March 4 with Tim Mayo.

The reading will begin at 7:00 pm, after which Mayo will be available for questions, discussion and book signing. Poet Tim Mayo will read from his most recent collection The Kingdom of Possibilities (Mayapple Press) and sign books afterward. Refreshments are served.

Hygienic Art Gallery
83 Bank Street
New London CT
http://www.hygienic.org/



The Hygienic Egg
What Tweaks Your Dreams

The (Hygienic) Dragon's Egg presents
Artists of the Dragon's Egg,
tweaking their dreams and yours, in a performance throughout the many wonderful spaces of the Hygienic Galleries.

There will be dance, monologue, singing, dream interpretation, theatre, mystic paper beasting, a number of stop watches, a fake stage with some fake nudity, a few dreams maybe nightmares and wanderings, for your delectation as you rove through the spaces.

This will be a perfomance by dancers and actors, all of whom have had residencies at the Dragon's Egg.
The Dragon's Egg is the rehearsal space/artists' retreat space dreamt by Marya, designed/built by Marya Ursin and Dan Potter of the Mystic Paper Beasts, and opened at the turn of the millenium, with a hope to serve artists, the Beasts, and the greater community.

See and hear performers local and national, including,
Beasts various, Alexandra Bassett, L'Ana Burton, Clare Byrne, Lou Esposito, Ara Fitzgerald, Lorraine Misiorek, Doug Moffat, Jeremy James Pickard with Ava Eisenson and Elizabeth Wakehouse of Superhero Playhouse, Dan Potter, Jason Rabin, Elaine Shipman with Phillip Pares, Marya Ursin, Warren Watson of Situ;
Amelia Smith, Kathleen Smith...
The event will be assembled by Marya Ursin.

This event will be free and open to the public.
When: Sunday, March 7th, at 2 pm.
Where: The Hygienic Galleries , 79-83 Bank Street, New London, Ct.

Contact Marya at [email protected] with questions relating to the event, and the Hygienic at [email protected] with questions relating to the gallery.



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
or call (860) 512-2824.

THURSDAY, MARCH 11 “A Celebration of Women’s History Month”

7:00 p.m. – Lydia Fortune, singer/songwriter/guitarist

Fortune has been performing in the Worcester County and New England area for the past 40 years. She began as a folk singer in the early 70s, worked in an R&B band in the 80s, and began singing jazz in the 90s. By the late 90s, she was booking community and private events as an independent artist. In 2001, she recorded her first acoustic style CD, Songs from the Road, and was named Best New Artist for that year in the “Worcester Wormtown Sound Awards.” For her Mishi-maya-gat performance, she will present Black Women Singers: From Early Roots to Jazz , a musical travelogue through the lives of early African-American “Roots” and classic blues to jazz singers from the past to the present. For more information on the artist, please visit her web site at: www.lydiafortune.com.

8:00 p.m. – Featured Poets: Susan Allison and Kate Rushin

Allison was raised in Louisville, Kentucky and lives in Middletown. She calls poetry and wanderlust the two main constants in her life. After mountain-climbing and hitch-hiking through East Africa, she returned to Wesleyan University to earn a B.A. in African Studies in 1985. She later opened her own used bookstore, Ibis Books & Gallery, in 1989, which was transformed in 1991 into NEAR, Inc./The Buttonwood Tree, an arts and cultural performance space in Middletown. Antrim House Books (Tariffville, CT) has released Allison’s second book, Down by the Riverside Way. More information on this book, to order a copy, and to read samples from the book, can be found at: www.antrimhousebooks.com.

Rushin is the author of The Black Back-Ups from Firebrand Books. She received her B.A. from Oberlin College and her M.F.A. from Brown University and is a former Fellow of The Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown and a graduate fellow of Cave Canem Foundation. She currently teaches creative writing at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts. Rushin has read at Hill-Stead Museum’s Sunken Garden Poetry Festival, the Geraldine Dodge Poetry Festival, and Smith College Poetry Center, and has led workshops for the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies and Cave Canem Foundation. For more information on the poet, please visit her web site at: www.katerushin.com.



Wednesday Night Poetry Series at the Blue Z
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 We are a warm, friendly environment for 1st-time readers!

March 10, 2010 Features Dick Allen

On Wednesday March 10th, the Wednesday Night Poetry Series is pleased to present the incredible and accomplished Dick Allen, whose popular readings are combinations of humorous and serious poetry, with Zen floated into the mix. Don’t miss this reading – and come early, seats will fill up fast for this one!

Dick Allen is a Pushcart Prize winner, and a recipient of both an NEA and an Ingram Merrill Poetry Writing Fellowship. His new poems have appeared recently in or are forthcoming in The New Criterion, Crab Orchard Review, Ploughshares, American Scholar, The Georgia Review, The Yale Review, Poetry, Stone Boat, Gettysburg Review, The New York Quarterly, and The Hudson Review. Hundreds of other poems of his have appeared over the years in such magazines as The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, The New Republic, Agni, The New England Review, and in over 40 national poetry anthologies. His poems have been in five editions of The Best American Poetry and another one will be in the 2010 edition. Allen’s poems and short essays have often been featured on Poetry Daily, as well as read by Garrison Keillor on The Writer’s Almanac. In January-February, 2010, he (will be/was) the featured poet on the Tricycle/Rattle Poetry website.

For more information and future features go to http://wedpoetry.wordpress.com/

Boston Area/Cape Cod Poetry Info:

Major Poetry Event - Gary Snyder!

Legendary west coast poet, Gary Snyder, reads at the 10th Annual Robert Creeley Award,
Tuesday, March 16, 7:30 PM, at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School,
36 Charter Road, Acton, Mass. Free and open to the public. Free parking available.



Lowell Poetry Events:

Workshop with Tom Daley : Starting Feb 24
Lowell Poetry Network Event : March 25

For more information on these and other events:
www.lowellpoetrynetwork.org

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Tom Daley Workshop Starting Feb. 24
Tom Daley who has had great turn outs for his workshops and performances in the Lowell area will be facilitating his popular poetry writing workshop with Lexington Community Education (only about a 20 - 30 minute drive from Lowell).
The workshop will run for seven Wednesdays as follows: 6:15-7:45 pm. Dates: February 24, March 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31, and April 7, 2010.cost: $85/Seniors $65 workshop held at Lexington High School, 251 Waltham Street, Lexington, MA
To register call 781-862-8043 or go online http://lexingtoncommunityed.org/
If you're seeking to share the insights, experience and company of other poets, then run to this workshop!



Reading and Open Mic at 119 Gallery
March 25 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
119 Chelmsford Street

Featured poet, Leo Racicot. Open mic to follow. Bring a friend. Bring a poem.
Hosted by Lowell Poetry Network $3.00 admission includes light food fare.


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Cape Cod Reading:
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. Brockton, MA
Our website www.gbspa.org

Check out our bookstore ! We have several signed books for sale.

We now have a Prose Workshop as well as our Poetry Workshop.
Celebrating Poetry One Saturday Every Month

Sat., March 20, 2010, 2-5pm

Iyeoka Okoawo http://gbspa.homestead.com/IyeokaOkoawo.html
Thomas Libby http://gbspa.homestead.com/ThomasLibby.html

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

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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. Apr. 17 - Dara Wier James Haug Caroline Knox
Sat. May 15 - Lisa Starr Robin Linn
Sat. June 19 - Naomi Chase Ellen Jane Powers
Sat. July 17 - Rennie McQuilkin Nora Pollard
Sat. Aug 21 - Rene Schwiesow
Sat. Sept 18 – Catherine Sasanov Mignon Ariel King Susan Roney-O’Brien




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, March 10
CUPSI Warm-Up! In honor of the College Unions Poetry Slam taking place at Emerson College this April, we present a 4x4 team slam with local college teams. Competing: Hampshire College, Berklee College of Music, Brandeis University, Emerson College. Open poetry slam to follow if time permits.

• Wednesday, March 17
Celebrate St. Patty’s Day with beloved Providence redhead Megan Thoma, a writer and teacher who originally hails from Chicago, the birthplace of slam itself. Winner of the prestigious NorthBEAST Championship and also widely published as a fiction writer and editor, Megan’s performance work brings together the mundane and surreal, the tender and obscene, and the mildly horrifying and gut-wrenchingly hilarious. Open poetry slam in the 8x8 series.

• Wednesday, March 24
Grand Slam Champion of the famed Long Beach/Orange County Poetry Slam, Mindy Nettifee has coached and competed with five National Poetry Slam teams... And also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences from Chapman University and served for five years on the Five Penny Poets advisory board of literary nonprofit Tebot Bach. Think that makes her fascinating and charismatic? Wait until you hear her poetry. Open poetry slam in the 8x8 series: LAST CHANCE to qualify for the 2010 Cantab Slam Team.



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

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The Chapel In The Pines in Eastham presents "Memory & Desire" :
Barry Hellman's Annual Poetry Open Mic in celebration of National Poetry Month. Sunday afternoon, April 11, 2010, 2-4 PM, at The Chapel In The Pines, 220 Samoset Rd., Eastham, MA. Advance online signup to read is recommended by email to: [email protected]. Free Admission. Coffee will be provided, and readers and audience are welcome to bring something to go with it. Readers: bring a favorite and/or original poem on the theme of 'Memory and/or Desire' - however you choose to define these terms - as well as some original poems on subjects of your choice. We'll want to hear as many poems as possible during this 2 hour event ! For further event information, see Barry Hellman's Poetry Website at
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]


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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

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Cambridge Community Television
Tuesdays at 11:00 PM Saturdays at 10:30PM Catch the latest from the Boston Poetry Slam I
NFO: [email protected]
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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 VT poetry events calendar go to: http://www.phayvanh.com/

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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.), set up as a press release. Send by Wednesday for Thursday publication. Thank you , Lori Desrosiers - Publisher.