Poetry News

****POETRY NEWS*****

Here is your Poetry News for the week of October 4, 2010.

Poetry events are blowing like fallen leaves in the wind 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!

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THIS WEEK in Western MA and Vicinity:
Thu. Sept. 30 - Bernadette Mayer at UMass
Fri. Oct. 1 - Sun. Oct 3 - Brattleboro Literary Festival!
Sat. Oct. 2 - Adastra Press Poets in Easthampton, Old Town Hall, All Day
Sun. Oct. 3 - John Survivor Blake at the Poets Asylum in Worcester, 6:30pm
Wed. Oct. 6 - Josephine Dickinson reading at Westfield State U., Scanlon LR 6:30 pm
Wed. Oct. 6 - Cara Benson & Maria Williams-Russell at Green St. Cafe, Northampton, 7:30pm
Thu. Oct. 7 - Josephine Dickinson & Sharon Dolin, Mocha Maya, Shelburne Falls, 7pm
Sat. Oct. 9 - GREENFIELD SPOKEN WORD FESTIVAL! Stay tuned for details

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

WORD IN WESTFIELD

Writer's Retreat and Yoga at the YMCA Goyette Chalet
9am - 4pm on OCTOBER 17 (date change!). Info will be forthcoming.

Josephine Dickinson at Westfield State University
Josephine Dickinson will read at Westfield State University on October 6, 2010 at 6:30pm in Scanlon Living Room.
Free Admission.

HOLYOKE/SPRINGFIELD AREA POETRY

Barnes & Noble Open Mic
There will be open mic poetry at Barnes & Noble by the Holyoke Mall at 6:pm
This open mic is ongoing the second Sunday of the month

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

Slate Roof invites you to a reading by member Paula Sayword
to celebrate the publication of her new chapbook, What Sleeps Inside.
7 pm, Friday, October 15, 2010
The Synthesis Center,
274 North Pleasant St.,
Amherst, MA.
Phone at the Center is 413-256-0772.
Paula will read from her chapbook, What Sleeps Inside, as well as some new poems. This event is free and open to the public. Copies of What Sleeps Inside will be available for sale and signing.

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

THE POETRY CENTER AT SMITH
Tuesday, October 3, 7:30 pm, Neilson Browsing Room
presents: HIROMI ITO

Radical feminist poet Hiromi Ito has been a key figure in Japanese poetry since the late 1970’s, noted for her innovative experiments with language. Praised by Jerome Rothenberg for her “relentlessly exuberant mind” and by Anne Waldman for exploring “the exigencies and delights of the paradoxically restless/rooted female body,” Ito is the author of collections of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, including one translated into English, Killing Kanoko: Selected poems of Hiromi Ito.

Presented by East Asian Languages and Literatures

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.
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:
October 6 – Cara Benson & Maria Williams-Russell
October 13 – Patricia Lee Lewis & Diana Gordon
October 20 – Samantha Nataro & Miranda Dennis
October 27 – Catherine Sasanov
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]

Forbes Library Reading Series Schedule
First Wednesday of the month, 7 pm, Coolidge Museum at Forbes Library, Northampton

October 6
Portrait of Jonathan Edwards from Yale University's Beinecke Rare
Book & Manuscript LibraryPortrait of Jonathan Edwards from Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library

Jonathan Edwards
Kenneth Minkema, Jonathan Edwards Center and Online Archive, Yale
Elise Bernier-Feeley, Hampshire Room for Local History, Forbes
Susan Stinson, author of SPIDER IN A TREE

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 October 14, 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/

Easthampton City Arts Presents
Poetry Readings and Book Signings
by Adastra Press authors
Saturday, October 2, 2010 Old Town Hall, Easthampton
Carolyn Cushing - 11am
Greg Joly - 1pm
Kat Good-Schiff 2pm
Michael Miller - 3pm
Gary Metras - 4pm

The Visiting Writers Series at Umass
(VWS) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is pleased to announce the readings for Fall 2010. For more than 40 years, the VWS has brought outstanding poets and writers to the university campus for public readings of new work. The VWS is sponsored by the MFA Program for Poets and Writers and the Juniper Initiative, and made possible by support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the University of Massachusetts Arts Council, the Vice Provost of Research & Engagement, the College of Humanities & Fine Arts, and the English Department

The Series opens with Bernadette Mayer on Thursday, September 30 at 8 p.m. in Memorial Hall.
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

September 30 | BERNADETTE MAYER
Bernadette Mayer?s poetry has been praised by John Ashbery as ?magnificent.? Brenda Coultas calls her a master of ?devastating wit.? Mayer is the author of more than two dozen volumes of poetry, including Midwinter Day, Sonnets, The Desires of Mothers to Please Others in Letters, and Poetry State Forest. A former director of the Poetry Project at St. Mark?s Church in the Bowery and co-editor of the conceptual magazine 0 to 9 with Vito Acconci, Mayer has been a key figure on the New York poetry scene for decades.

October 21 | MICHAEL KNIGHT
Michael Knight's most recent novel, The Typist, was just published by Atlantic Monthly Press. He is the author of previous novel, Divining Rod; two collections of short fiction, Dogfight and Other Stories and Goodnight, Nobody; and a collection of novellas, The Holiday Season. His fiction has appeared in publications such as Esquire, The New Yorker, and Oxford American. He teaches creative writing at the University of Tennessee.

*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]

25th Annual WriteAngles Writers’ Conference
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Willits-Hallowell Center, Mount Holyoke College campus, South Hadley, Mass.
9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Admission: $90 in advance, $70 seniors and students; +$10 at the door; fee covers breakfast, lunch, parking. More information or to register: www.writeanglesconference.org

Award-winning author Andre Dubus III and Magdalena Gomez, playwright, poet and performer, will be the keynote speakers. The conference is celebrating its 25th year. In addition to the keynote speakers, the conference will include eight panels with noted authors speaking on many facets of writing such as the romance novel, bringing characters to life, how agents think and more.

GREENFIELD, SHELBURNE FALLS AND NORTH

Greenfield Poetry - Spoken Word Festival Oct 9th
On Oct 9th Greenfield will host the second annual Brick and Mortar show
Many venues with Video installations
I was asked to combine the Poetry Festival with this event
The present work in progress schedule is
One performance at 3:-4:30
The second performance will be 6:30 to 8
At this moment we have 6 venues we are working out details with where shows will be
Which means there will be 6 reading going on at once in different places, twice
These rage from a furniture store, coffee house, 2 bookstores, 2 Music stores

There will also be a party at the end of the day at the Greenfield Grill
Where food and drinks will be available and we will have a stage for all the poets who were involved to have some time to read again if they like.

To be a part of the festival, email [email protected]

There’s No Way To Tell From The First Kiss
October 1-2
Thin Ice
Paul Richmond, Suzy Polucci, and Moonlight Davis
Shea Theater in Turners Falls
Contact: [email protected]

Slate Roof Press Features Night of Poetry
Leyden, Friday, September 24, at 7 PM: Slate Roof poets Paula Sayword and Susie Patlove, along with guest poet Ann McNelly, will read from their work Friday, September 24th, at the Leyden Town Hall, 16 West Leyden Rd. Slate Roof Press is a member-run press committed to publishing Western Massachusetts poets. Designed by the poets themselves, Slate Roof chapbooks feature letterpress covers, special papers, and hand-sewn bindings. There will be time to inquire about Slate Roof membership and to learn about small press publishing, chapbook design, and promotion.

Charlemont resident Susie Patlove will read from her book, Quickening, published by Slate Roof (2007). Susie was a 2008 finalist for the Mass Cultural Council awards; her poems have appeared on NPR’s “A Writers Almanac” and in Ted Kooser’s “American Life in Poetry,” among other places. Paula Sayword’s first book of poems, What Sleeps Inside, has just been released by Slate Roof Press this summer; her work has previously appeared in Sanctuary and the Naugatuck River Review. A Leyden resident, she was a 2009 semi-finalist in the Naugatuck River Review’s narrative poetry contest and a finalist in the 2006 Poet Seat Poetry Contest. Also from Leyden, Ann McNelly will read from her work; her poems have appeared in The Berkshire Review, Drive-By Poets, and Sanctuary

The program is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served, and Slate Roof Press books will be on display for sale. The recently renovated Town Hall is now wheelchair accessible.

This program is supported in part by grants from the Local Cultural Councils of Ashfield, Greenfield, Hinsdale-Peru, Leyden, and Northfield, local agencies supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. We thank them for their generosity.

Slate Roof Press Seeking New Members
Local poetry cooperative Slate Roof Press will be reading
chapbook manuscripts in the fall for potential new members.
For consideration, please submit a 28-page poetry manuscript
by Halloween.

Slate Roof publishes limited-edition, art-quality chapbooks
featuring western Massachusetts poets. 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 10 hr/month 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 October 31, 2011, to:
Slate Roof Press
15 Warwick Avenue
Northfield, MA 01360-9638

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

ALL SMALL CAPS
Monday, October 25th, 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
The featured readers for September are
Verbal Teas
Core members have met for about 10 years
3 have placed in the Poet's seat contest
Laura Gail Grohe
Faith Dieleliant Kindness
Barbara Lemoine
Susan Middleton
Pridy Wholey

Hope to see you there
9 Mill St
Greenfield, MA
Donation - Sliding Scale $1 - $5

Music, Poetry and Prose at the Charlemont Inn
Fifth Annual Eastern Native Tree Society Evening of Music, Poetry and Prose?
Eileen Ruby, mezzo-soprano; Benjamin Schwartz, cellist; Tanya Blaich, Monica Jakuc Leverett, and Christine Olson, pianists; Susan Middleton, Norma Roche, readers.
Music, poetry and prose celebrating Nature
The Charlemont Inn, Charlemont, MA • www.charlemontinn.com?
Admission free; donations gratefully accepted for Eastern Native Tree Society and Charlemont Historical Preservation Society
Hors d’oeuvres at 5 pm; Dinner at 6 pm $25/person, not including drinks. Please make reservations by email: [email protected]

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
Collected Poets Series ushers in its fourth season on October 7, 2010, at 7:00pm, with poets Josephine Dickinson and Sharon Dolin. $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
(3rd) Thursdays at 8pm
at microTHEATER (311 North St.)
($5 suggested donation)
- Micro Theater: 311 North Street (upstairs) in Pittsfield, MA
(Off street public parking available in Melville Street lot, across from Boys and Girls Club on Melville Street - @ 1 block from theater).
- Open Mic performers can sign up at [email protected]
- For more information, please contact Matt McFadden at [email protected]

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 3:
This week the Poets' Asylum welcomes John "Survivor" Blake as our feature. In just a few years John "Survivor" Blake has gone from an overdose on heroin to 4x semifinalist at the Nuyorican Poets' Cafe and winning slams in 7 cities nation-wide in 2006. He has moved from trips in and out of psychiatric wards to Urbana Grand Slam Finalist at The Bowery Poetry Club. He has toured the nation and featuring at public schools, colleges, churches, and rehabilitation centers. "Survivor" is best known for somehow bringing beauty to the ugliest sides of life: addiction, death, heartache, and war.

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.

A reading in honor of National Italian Heritage Month
A reading featuring Dennis Barone, David Cappella, Clare Rossini, and Maria Sassi. An open mike will follow for those who wish to read a poem with an Italian slant or flavor. The event is Monday October 11 from 7 – 9 at the Playhouse on Park, Park Road, West Hartford, CT. Free admission.

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 POTLUCK 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 October 18, 7pm—Marilyn Johnston & John Stanizzi
Plus, 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.

Help us celebrate the opening of our 15th season with a special evening of music and music! Talented singer, song-writing, and guitarist in the folk and R&B traditions, Tony Gabriel opens our series on Oct. 21. Born in Portugal , raised in Hartford , a popular regular in scheduled club dates all over CT, Mr. Gabriel will perform poetic songs from his newly released CD, Walking Distance.

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
on the campus of Trinity College
300 Summit Street, Hartford, Conn., 06106

Upcoming A.K. Smith Events:
Kathy Graber Thursday, October 7 ~ 4:30 p.m., Smith House
Panel: How to Write about Yourself -- And Get Away with It
Thursday, October 21 ~ 4:30 p.m., Smith House
Charles Barber, Janet Burroway, Ben Grossberg, and Nalini Jones

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.

Sept. 26, 2010 – Doris Henderson
Poet Doris Henderson will tell you she's just a small town girl from rural Long Island. A former teacher and theatre coach, she sees poetry as a performance art. She attended the State University of New York at Albany and holds an M.A. in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University. Her work has been published in many journals and anthologies, as well as three chapbooks: Transformations, Leaving the Plaza, and Distances. Doris lives in Danbury, Connecticut, where she attends workshops with writer friends, does freelance editing, and serves as president of the Danbury chapter of the Connecticut Poetry Society. She has four children, six grandchildren and a cat named Azure.

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, OCTOBER 21
8:00 p.m. – A Celebration of Antrim House Books, featuring poets Rennie McQuilkin, Lisa Sornberger, and David Leff

Rennie McQuilkin co-founded and until 2000 directed the Sunken Garden Poetry Festival at Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington. He is the founder of Antrim House (www.AntrimHouseBooks.com), which publishes books by New England poets. His poetry has appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, Poetry, The Southern Review, The Yale Review, The Hudson Review, The American Scholar, and Crazyhorse. Author of 10 poetry collections, he has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the CT Commission on the Arts. In 2003 he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the CT Center for the Book. His 2009 Antrim House title is The Weathering: New & Selected Poems.

Lisa Sornberger’s 2008 Antrim House title, Returning Light, is her second book. In 2004 her chapbook, Stone and Feather, was published. She lives in Willimantic and is a member of the Thread City Poets. She has received several honors for her writing, among them a fellowship to the Bucknell Seminar for Younger Poets, a scholarship to the Wesleyan Writers Conference, and selection to tour with the CT Poetry Circuit’s student contingent. Her work has appeared in many literary journals, including the New York Quarterly, the New Virginia Review, Fairfield Review, Embers, and Common Ground Review.

David Leff is the author of two collections from Antrim House, The Price of Water (2008), a book of prose poems, and Depth of Field (2010), which incorporates his photography. His non-fiction work, The Last Undiscovered Place, a CT Book Award finalist, was published by the University of Virginia Press in 2004. A second non-fiction work, Deep Travel: In Thoreau’s Wake on the Concord and Merrimack, appeared in 2009 from the University of Iowa Press. He is a graduate of UConn’s School of Law and was formerly a Deputy Commissioner with the CT Department of Environmental Protection.

7:00 p.m. – 016 Ensemble
016 Ensemble is a Hartford-based group dedicated to performing new music in the classical tradition. They formed in the spring of 2010 and are comprised of local musicians who perform and teach regularly in Connecticut, as well as nationally and internationally. For more information, please visit their web site: http://016ensemble.com. Personnel for the October show are: Sheri Brown, saxophone; Madalyne Cross, viola; Jared Gardner, bass; Janet Jacobson, violin; Andy Bhasin, violin; Sam Martin, violin; Jordan Jacobson, trombone; Laura Krentzman, viola; and Han-Wei Lu, cello. The program for the evening will feature: Figment III by Elliot Carter; Quintet for Eb Alto Saxophone and String Quartet by Ellen Taffe-Zwilich; Discourse for Violin and Trombone by Zsigmonde Szathmary; String Quartet by Stephen Gryc; and Workers Union by Louis Andriessen.

October Poetry at Broad Street Books
Tuesday, October 5th at 7:00pm Featuring Benjamin Grossberg!
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 October 5th is Benjamin Grossberg!

Benjamin Grossberg is an assistant professor of English at The University of Hartford, where he teaches creative writing. His poems have appeared in many venues including Paris Review and New England Review, and in The Pushcart Book of Poetry: The Best Poems from the First 30 Years of the Pushcart Prize. His books are Sweet Core Orchard (University of Tampa, 2009), winner of the 2008 Tampa Review Prize and a Lambda Literary Award, and Underwater Lengths in a Single Breath (Ashland Poetry Press, 2007). A chapbook, The Auctioneer Bangs his Gavel, was published by Kent State in 2006.

Come help us welcome Ben Grossberg to the store on Tuesday, October 5th 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!
Broad Street Books
45 Broad Street
Middletown, CT 06457
(860) 685-READ

Dada Vita: Inspired Musical Improvisation featuring the Spoken Word of Sympetalous
Friday, October 8, at 7pm

Dada Vita: A Beguiling Brew,
this Heady Stew in Celebration
of Life's Profundity cum Absurdity
Dada Vita: Inspired Musical Improvisation
featuring the Spoken Word of Sympetalous
in the timeless tradition of the Trixter Troubadour
~ S ~

You can also check out a solo Sympetalous at the EO ArtLab in chi-chi Chester on Friday 9/17 as a part of the "Chester Stroll"
For more information, contact: Brian at Broad Street Books (860)685-7323

RIVERWOOD POETRY SERIES AT THE UNDERWOOD CAFE
Last Thursday of Sept., Oct., Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., May; Also, Thursday, November 18 (Riverwood Poetry Festival venue on Thursday, June 23, 2011. NO poetry in Dec., July, Aug.)
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:
September 30, 2010 - Reggie Marra
October 28, 2010 - Pamela Nomura
November 18, 2010 - Clare Rossini

RIVERWOOD AT THE BUTTONWOOD TREE
Last Saturday of Sept., Oct., Nov., Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., May, June. (Riverwood Poetry Festival venue on Saturday, June 25, 2011. 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:
September 25, 2010 - Faith Vicinanza
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:

October Events courtesy of the Mass. Poetry Festival List:

September 30 to Oct 3. Lowell - The Kerouac Festival. There will be both prose and poetry over the course of the Festival in downtown Lowell.

Sunday October 3rd - Salem at the Salem Athenaeum, , 2:00- 4:00. Poets from Salem and Newburyport including David Berman, Jennifer Jean, Claire Keyes, Len Krisak, Jean Monahan, J.D. Scrimgeour, Deborah Warren, and Anton Yakovlev

October 8-10th - Olson Centennial Celebration, Gloucester. A celebration featuring events including poetry, dance and music.

October 14th Poetry Slam at Berkeley College Café, 939 Boylston St, 7:00 PM with two teams from NYC, NY, the Nuyoricans and LouderArts taking on two teams from Massachusetts.

October 16th - Copley Square, Boston. The poetry events at the Boston Book Festival will include wo readings, the first will feature Ed Hirsch, Elizabeth Alexander and Ellen Dore Watson and be moderated by Stephen Burt (10am-11am – BPL Popular Reading Room). The second will feature Kevin Young, Meg Kearney and Jill McDonough and be moderated by Lloyd Schwartz (12:30pm –1:30pm – Cloud Place). There will also be poetry workshops by UMass Boston, Grub Street and PoemWorks.

October 16th - Cape Cod Festival with writing workshops, a session on Yeats with Dan Tobin, a book fair, and a keynote reading by Susan Donnelly and Aafa Michael Weaver – all at Unitarian Church of Barnstable (Route 6A, Barnstable Village, near the intersection of Phinney’s Lane).

October 17th - New Bedford , Favorite Poem Readings, at the New Bedford Whaling Museum , 2:00 to 5:00 PM.

October 19th and 26th Brockton Veterans Medical Center - Veterans Poetry Workshops,

October 23rd Lawrence, Frost Festival, 1-4 PM Lawrence Library. Poetry reading with George Kalogeris, David Ferry, and Megan Grumbling.

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, October 6
Founding member of Emerson’s Gringo Choir, co-director of the 2010 CUPSI tournament, and member of this year’s semi-finalist Cantab Slam Team, Carrie Rudzinski has already made a poetic name for herself from coast to coast. Tonight marks her farewell feature as she embarks on a country-wide tour with the Choir, culminating at the Individual World Poetry Slam in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she’ll serve as our representative to the event. A special $5 cover tonight will help send Carrie to IWPS. No open poetry slam tonight to allow for extended feature time.

• Wednesday, October 13
We’ve been enjoying the work of Derek Williams on the Cantab open mic for years; tonight, we’ll get more than just a three-minute taste as we celebrate the release of his second poetry/music CD with a full feature. Sometime brooding troubadour, sometime lighthearted storyteller, Derek is always intense in his pursuit of crafted sound and structure. Open poetry slam in the 8x8 series.

Wednesday, October 20
We've been enjoying the work of Derek Williams on the Cantab open mic for years; tonight, we'll get more than just a three-minute taste as we celebrate the release of his second poetry/music CD with a full feature. Sometime brooding troubadour, sometime lighthearted storyteller, Derek is always intense in his pursuit of crafted sound and structure. Open poetry slam in the 8x8 series.

?Wednesday, October 27
It's a Halloween party, Cantab style! Tonight, the venue will be haunted by the Ghosts of Poets Past as we host the Dead Poets' Slam. We'll hear sixteen deceased poets? including Anne Sexton, Emily Dickinson, Dr. Seuss, and Jack Spicer? represented in a 4x4 team slam by real live performers. Parties interested in slamming must sign up in advance by emailing first and second choice of poets to [email protected].

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. Oct 16 - Juanita Torrence-Thompson
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
September 26, 2010. Open Mike Sign-up, 2:45 PM. Featured Poets: Sue Standing, Sheila Whitehouse, Irene Willis.
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

BRATTLEBORO LITERARY FESTIVAL!!
September 30 - October 3, 2010
Maxine Kumin, Josephine Dickinson, Ravi Shankar, Marilyn Nelson
and many more poets featured!!
For full schedule and information go to:
http://brattleboroliteraryfestival.org/

For a 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 - do not format (no special fonts, colors, etc.) Send by Wednesday for Thursday publication. Thank you, Lori Desrosiers - Publisher.