We have made it past January and we are firmly in the new year and in the middle of a very cold winter here in upstate New York. There are a lot of great events, readings, and open mics to keep you warm this week.
We (Albany Poets) kick the week off on Tuesday night at Valentine’s… at least that is the plan right now. As you already know our beloved Valentine’s is closing very, very soon and will be moving up the road to 335 Central Ave. in Albany and named The Low Beat. The sign has been put in place in front of the new venue and we await word of when the stage lights and microphones will be turned on for the first time. A reliable source has told Albany Poets that “this coming week could be the week”, but until we get official notice from Howard Glassman himself, we are planning on hosting Nitty Gritty Slam #63 at 17 New Scotland Ave. Stay tuned for further updates.
Here’s the full lineup of what is going on the our community this coming week…
Monday, February 3
8:00pm – Club Harmony
Wok ‘N Roll Cafe, 52 Mill Hill Road, Woodstock, NY
Weekly poetry open mic with a featured reader hosted by Michael Platsky.
Tuesday, February 4
7:00pm – Club Helsinki Open Mic
Club Helsinki, 405 Columbia Street, Hudson, NY
A weekly open mic for music, performance, and poetry on the incredible Club Helsinki stage.
7:00pm – Nitty Gritty Slam #63
Valentine’s, 17 New Scotland Ave., Albany, NY
We are back at Valentine’s (or maybe the new venue, who knows) on Tuesday, February 4 for Nitty Gritty Slam. This edition of NGS will be an Open Slam – no gimmicks, no excuses. Sign up begins at 7PM, open mic starts at 7:30, and the slam starts at 8PM. Admission is $5.00 ($3.00 with student ID). This is an 18+ show.
7:00pm – Emack and Bolio’s Open Mic Night
Emack & Bolio’s, Delaware Ave., Albany, NY
A weekly open mic for music and poetry
8:00pm – Northampton Poetry Open Mic
Hinge, 48 Main St., Northampton, MA
Northampton’s only weekly open mic poetry night offers some of the best, most creative voices in the county. Every Tuesday night at 8:00pm. Come down and listen. Come down and share your words. Academic or slam, spoken word or political: Your words are welcome.
Wednesday, February 5
7:00pm – Caffe Lena Poetry Open Mic
Caffe Lena, 47 Phila Street, Saratoga Springs, NY
Open mic for poetry and spoken word hosted by Carol Graser at the historic Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs with featured poets Shira Dentz and Andrew Sullivan.
7:00pm – Poetry Nite at the Last Bite
Last Bite Cafe, 103 Main Street, High Falls, NY
Poetry Nite at the Last Bite is a monthly poetry reading with featured poets, hosted by the great Donald Lev.
8:00pm – Pauly’s Hotel Open Mic Night
Pauly’s Hotel, 337 Central Ave., Albany, NY
Poetry, Music, Comedy and more take center stage at Pauly’s weekly Open Mic Night hosted by Brian LaPoint and Joshua Gruft.
Thursday, February 6
7:00pm – Rockhill Bakehouse Open Mic
Rockhill Bakehouse Cafe, 19 Exchange Street, Glens Falls, NY
Weekly open mic for musicians and writers.
7:00pm – Noble Coffee Roasters
Noble Coffee Roasters, 3020 Route 207, Campbell Hall, NY
Open mic with featured poet Alyta Adams on the first Thursday of each and every month hosted by Robert Milby.
8:00pm – Starving Artist Thursdays
Hudson River Coffee House, 227 Quail Street, Albany, NY 12203
A weekly open Mic for music, poetry, and spoken word at one of Albany’s best new coffee shops.
Friday, February 7
7:30pm – Calling All Poets
Howland Cultural Center, 477 Main Street, Beacon, NY
Calling All Poets is a monthly open mic series, hosted by Jim Eve, Mike Jurkovic, and Robert Milby, with two featured readers at the beautiful and historic Howland Cultural Center in Beacon.
8:00pm – The Parlor Cafe Open Mic
The Parlor Cafe, 303 Ashland Street, North Adams, MA
A weekly open mic each and every Friday at the Parlor Cafe in North Adams for poets, musicians, and artists. Signup at the bar and get ready for the show, starting at 8:00pm.
Saturday, February 8
2:00pm – Woodstock Poetry Society
Woodstock Community Center, 56 Rock City Road, Woodstock, NY
Monthly poetry open mic in beautiful Woodstock, NY hosted by Chronogram Poetry Editor Phil Levine with featured poets.
7:00pm – Poetry at the UUC
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Kingston, 320 Sawkill Road, Kingston, NY
A monthly poetry open mic with featured readers hosted by Annie LaBarge.
For a full listing of all of the poetry and spoken word events in upstate New York, head over to the events calendar page. And if you live in the Western Massachusetts / Connecticut area, be sure to check out Lori Desrosiers‘ Poetry News Calendar.
If you would like to have your poetry event listed on AlbanyPoets.com, send an email to albanypoets+events@gmail.com with the date and details.
Also, please join us for the Second Sunday @ 2:00 p.m. at the Capital Region Center for the Arts, River Street, Troy, NY, on Sunday, Feb. 9th. Two poems or five min. of prose. All are welcome. Free and open to the public!