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.
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…
Nitty Gritty Slam #14, March 20 Read More »
The Hudson Valley Writers Guild just sent out the following formation on this years writing contest. Every year the genre of the contest changes and this year it is something that we know a little about here at Albany Poets. The judging panel this time around looks like a very interesting group of poets, representing the diversity
Hudson Valley Writers Guild 2012 Poetry Contest Guidelines Read More »
On Sunday, April 15, after the Pitchapalooza event at St. Rose, we will gather down at McGeary’s for a Word Fest kickoff cocktail party and a Founders Reading featuring some of the poets that have been on the Albany Poets website since its conception. Poets performing at this reading will include Mary Panza, Don Levy, Marcus
2012 Albany Word Fest – Founders Reading Read More »
The 2012 Word Fest is getting bigger, better, and more exciting as we get closer to the big event in April. This week Matthew Klane and the good folks over at the Yes, Reading! series released the sign up for the Yes! Word Fest Communal Reading Event that will be taking place on Wednesday, April 18
2012 Albany Word Fest – Yes! Word Fest Communal Reading Event Read More »
For the thirteenth Nitty Gritty Slam, we were back home downstairs at Valentines. On this evening, we had to deal with a “less is more” situation as a few members of the NGS team were sick or out of town and some poets must not have gotten the memo that the slam was indeed happening.
NGS #13 Results – It Took a Tie Breaker… Read More »
After competing in the Slam for the last few times, & coming in 2nd in Slam #10, I was a judge for the first time tonight. I read in the open mic & not in the Slam, & thus eligible to be a judge. I have my “issues,” as folks like to…
Nitty Gritty Slam #11, February 7 Read More »
There is a very busy poetry community in Voorheesville and below is some information on the next Sunday Four Poetry Open Mic with featured poet Ron Pavoldi and the upcoming 3rd Annual Poet Laureate Contest. Here is the information on the next gathering of poets at the Sunday Four Poetry Open Mic: Please make your
Upcoming Events in Voorheesville Read More »
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 »
We had a small, but mighty crowd at Valentines for the seventh installment of the Nitty Gritty Slam. The rain and sudden cold weather kept some poets away from the heat of the spoken word, but those who did make it out were in for a treat. The open mic portion of the show featured
NGS #7 Results – A Rainy Night in Albany Read More »
Urban Guerilla Theatre and Albany Poets are getting together tonight to bring you a special MoHu edition of UGT at The Linda (339 Central Ave., Albany). This month UGT is presenting its’ 3rd Annual Masquerade Ball as part of the MoHu Fest. This event is always a good time and will be even greater this
UGT, AP, MoHu at The Linda Tonight Read More »
Urban Guerilla Theatre and Albany Poets are combining forces to bring poetry and spoken word to the MoHu Fest on Friday, October 14 at The Linda for a very special edition of the monthly Urban Guerilla Theatre event. This event will feature the poetry, music, and spoken word of local artists including Carlos Garcia, Dan
UGT and Albany Poets Together for MoHu Fest Event Read More »
Another great week of poetry and spoken word this week in Albany. We kicked off the week at Professor Java’s for Keith Spencer’s monthly Wide Open Mic. This time around we were moved to a different, smaller room, but we made it work for the evening that featured music, poetry and comedy. Speaking of Keith
Albany Poets Week in Review 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.
