This was a reading & book launch for Harry Staley’s long-awaited book, Truant Pastures, The Complete Poems of Harry C. Staley (SUNY Press). Harry is a UAlbany Professor Emeritus in English & a poet who has read in his heyday t…
Harry Staley/George Drew, May 2 Read More »
So the center tables in the back room of McGeary’s has become the place where AlbanyPoets (or Albany poets) gather with our drinks & food as we wait for the open mic to begin. There is lots of room & even if you are a poetry virgin, if there i…
Poets Speak Loud!, April 30 Read More »
Mark O’Brien & Dennis SullivanAnother annual poetry-rite-of-Spring & I just had to be there. This was the third year for this event, with 10 poets competing for the laurel crown. This is a very well organized & structured contest, run by …
Smith’s Tavern Poet Laureate Contest, April 22 Read More »
It’s all over except the shenanigans (or as we used to say, the “PsychoClusterFuck”). Karaoke + Poetry = Fun was held upstairs at Valentines. Lila ran the music machine & in order to sing you had to first read a poem. There was a great variety o…
Albany Word Fest Karaoke + Poetry = Fun, April 21 Read More »
Mary Panza keeps it moving.One thing that has always characterized the WordFest since its inception has been the open mic. This year we were at the main auditorium of the Albany Public Library, a wonderful venue for community poetry. While certainly …
Albany Word Fest Marathon Open Mic, April 21 Read More »
The “etc.” was the final event of the semester in the Yes! Poetry & Performance series at the Social Justice Center, in Albany, NY. I was just passing through on my way to Urban Guerilla Theatre but caught part of the performance. This night comb…
Albany Word Fest, etc., April 20 Read More »
In the past, when the weekend of WordFest started on Friday, the Third Thursday Poetry Night at the Social Justice Center was often proclaimed “the official un-official start of WordFest.” This year with a week of activities, this reading was folded i…
Albany WordFest Third Thursday Poetry Night, April 19 Read More »
It was a dual/dueling event night, with the Yes! WordFest Communal Reading at the Social Justice Center & Live from the Living Room at the Pride Center. I had hoped to participate in both, but there were others using the store-front space at the S…
Albany Word Fest, April 18 Read More »
A packed house with plenty of open mic-ers & more than enough for the Slam, “N-4-2” tonight.Carolee Sherwood began the open mic with a new poem from her Blog “On Varietals: Dressing for Dinner.” A new poet here, Leo, followed with a long, lon…
Albany WordFest Nitty Gritty Slam #16, April 17 Read More »
Uh-oh, a call from Madame Vice-President (of AlbanyPoets.com) Mary Panza just as I getting ready to head down to the UAG Gallery for the Saint Poem series tribute to e.e. cummings (open mic) that the host, R.M. Engelhardt was under intestinal assault &…
Albany Word Fest Saint Poem Reading, April 16 Read More »
The 2012 edition of Albany WordFest is a week-long heart attack of events, starting with this night’s reading by Albany poets who were there at the beginning: Thom Francis, R.M. Engelhardt, Mary Panza, Don Levy, Marcus Anderson, A.C. Everson, Mojavi, &…
Albany Word Fest The Founders’ Reading, April 15 Read More »
“(… and poetry lovers)” is a series in Waterbury, CT at the Silas Bronson Library, run by Connecticut poet & musician Victoria Muñoz. “Calling All Poets” is a popular name for a poetry series. I had been invited to read with 2 other fine poets…
Calling All Poets, April 4 Read More »
The Hudson Valley Writers Guild supports the efforts of writers in all genres by sponsoring readings, workshops, and contests and providing a number of valuable resources for the entire literary community.
