It was another hot night in Albany, but we were back downstairs, in cooler air, for another edition of the Nitty Gritty Slam at Valentine’s on July 17. This evening though seemed a little different with a much smaller crowd and a quieter atmosphere. But that did not stop the poetry. The open mic began, almost on …
NGS #22 Results – Something Seemed a Little Off, But The Poetry Was On Read More »
What an incredible night of poetry in the not too hot and suprisingly haze-free second floor of Valentine’s. We even had almost enough seating for everyone who came in for the show. Not only were there chairs everywhere, we also had more laptops and technology involved than usual as we broadcast the slam live on …
Tonight Nitty Gritty Slam, Albany poets entry to the world of Slam, had its 21st event, now legal to drink (& we did) — upstairs at Valentines while a band set up downstairs. Someone somehow scrounged up a bunch of chairs & benches so most of…
We kicked off the month of May with Nitty Gritty Slam #17 at Valentine’s and in the process crowned a new champ. We also had some new faces step up and take the other two top spots. But, before the slam, Mojavi hosted the open mic and welcomed some local poets who have yet to take part in the …
NGS #17 Results – Learning the Alphabet with Algorhythm Read More »
This was a night of pseudonyms as there were more folks on stage with alternate names than their given names. Actually there were a couple of poets who had a stage name for their stage name. Very confusing, but a good time all around for the 15th edition of Nitty Gritty Slam. First we had …
It was such a slow crowd growing — who knew if we’d have enough for the Slam, let alone judges (always a problem), but the folks kept on coming in (while even Mojavi the open mic host was late). But AlbanyPoets Thom (el presidente) Francis took over …
We had a great time at Valentine’s last week when NGS #14 rolled into our favorite slam venue. The night started out slow, but as soon as we started the open mic, business began to pick up. I, Thom Francis, started the open mic only a half hour late and I was joined by Daniel …
NGS #14 Results – An Unexpected Win From an Unintentional Slammer Read More »
Starting only about a half hour late, el presidente, Thom Francis began the open mic with his poem of being “… in your cold embrace …” “Shackle” followed by Prof. Daniel Nester’s long piece about being run over by a lawnmower when he was 19 & s…
This was a special UGT titled “Herstory” for Women’s History Month hosted by Tenesha Smith (but of course Mojavi was there too). In fact, in addition to the usual performances of spoken word, music & comedy, there was a fashion show by Shekihah Be…
Tonight, much to the chagrin of the official Slam bartender Kim, we were upstairs at Valentines to make room for a band in the usual poets’ spot. We were just as funky & even louder to carry our voices over the sound of electric guitars & drum…
We were upstairs for this edition of the Nitty Gritty Slam, battling the band downstairs. The voices of the poets rose above it all and we were treated to some great new poetry and some old favorites both at the open mic and the slam. Before the slam began, and while Dain Brammage was rounding …
Last night at Valentines, we saw three new slam poets take the stage for the 11th installment of the Nitty Gritty Slam. We also had a surprise sacrificial poet in Thom Francis who made Mojavi mad with his hidden ability to slam. But before Dain Brammage took the stage as Slam Master, we had an …
NGS #11 Results – The New Kid Takes The Top Prize in a Close Contest 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.
