Thom Francis is the president of Albany Poets and has been organizing, promoting, and hosting open mics and poetry / spoken word events in Albany such as Nitty Gritty Slam, School of Night, Albany Poets Presents…, and the Albany Word Fest for over 15 years. As a poet and performer, Thom has been featured at many of the upstate poetry and spoken word events from Saratoga to Woodstock as well as LarkFest, Art on Lark, 1st Friday, and the Albany Word Fest.
This is a new series at Francesscas Cafe during Troy Night Out, run by poet D. Colin. But before most of the poets arrived a neighborhood regular, Dan Schultz, stepped up to improvise a tune on an Irish tin whistle. Meanwhile other poets wandered in …
Between the Lines, July 27 Read More »
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
NGS #21 Results – A Hot Night in the ALB Read More »
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…
Nitty Gritty Slam #21, July 3 Read More »
There has been a recent change in the rules here, allowing poets to read in both the open mic & the Slam, of which no one took advantage tonight. Avery began the open mic with his piece in praise of dance then sat down; open mic host Mojavi brough…
Nitty Gritty Slam #20, June 19 Read More »
The official list of the 72 poetry slams that are going to be gathering in Charlotte in August for the National Poetry Slam was posted the other day on the PSi website. As we were looking over the list, noticing familiar names and cities that we have traveled through and performed in, I thought about
Thom’s 10 Things… The Other Poetry Slams Going to NPS, Part 1 Read More »
Last week at Nitty Gritty Slam #19 we introduced the world to Team Nitty Gritty. Shannon “In The Money” Shoemaker, Elizag, Kevin Peterson, and Poetyc Visionz will the poets representing Albany at the National Poetry Slam in Charlotte in August. We also announced a few changes to the Nitty Gritty Slam with a new banner,
Nitty Gritty Slam #20 at Valentine’s on Tuesday, June 19 Read More »
Nitty Gritty Slam #19 is in the books and what a great night of poetry and spoken word it was. This was a night of new beginnings and big announcements as we introduced Team Nitty Gritty to the world. We also debuted some new graphics, a new NGS website, and even a new Slam Master.
NGS #19 Results – Meet Team Nitty Gritty Read More »
The Nitty Gritty Slam has had some exciting things happening in the past couple of weeks and we want to share the great news with everyone! First on the list is that NGS is now a certified poetry slam, recognized by Poetry Slam, Inc. Second, we were able to raise the funds and register for
Nitty Gritty Slam #19 at Valentine’s on Tuesday, June 5 Read More »
In the midst of the weekend of parades, Mall sales, & backyard cookouts poets showed up to read their work & listen to others & then … but I’ll leave that for the end. So Mike Burke served as MC then Edie Abrams took over introducing the…
Sunday Four Poetry, May 27 Read More »
Another great night for poetry and spoken word at Valentine’s on Tuesday, May 15 as we huddled together for the 18th edition of Nitty Gritty Slam. We had a few poets running late and some more out of town for this night, but we still had a great evening with a couple of new slammers
NGS #18 Results – Elizag Wins Again and El Presidente Ties For Second Read More »
We have a lot of poetry events coming up next week. For a third week in a row, there are seven full days of open mics and readings going on the upstate area starting on Sunday, May 27 with a poetry and spoken word open mic in Voorheesville with yours truly as the featured poet.
Upcoming Poetry Events – Week of May 27, 2012 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.
