***POETRY NEWS***
Here is your Poetry News for the month of December, 2015
Scroll down to see or link to more poetry in Worcester, the Berkshires, Boston, Vermont and other areas.
Poetry News will be published monthly from now on.
Please send events as you normally do. The site will be updated regularly.
To receive Poetry News in your email or to request posting of events write to lori@thepoetrynews.com.
Some Highlights of This Month in Western MA (more below, including workshops & calls for submission):
Tue. Dec. 1 – Juan Felipe Herrera, US Poet Laureate at Smith! Weinstein Aud. Wright Hall, Smith, Northampton, 7:30pm
Tue. Dec. 1 – Straw Dog Writers Night: Ann Bowen & Open Mic, The Basement, Northampton, 7pm
Tue. Dec. 1 – Northampton Poetry Open Mic & Sam Rush. The Deuce, WWII Club, Northampton, 8pm
Thu. Dec. 3 – Deborah Gorlin & Joy Ladin at Collected Poets, Mocha Maya, Shelburne Falls, 7pm
Sat. Dec. 5 – Cirque du Fou, Meat for Tea release party, Sonelab, Easthampton, 7:30pm
Sun. Dec. 6 – jubilat/Jones: Joshua Edwards & Mónica de la Torre, Jones Library, Amherst, 3pm
Sun. Dec. 6 – Gallery of Readers: Joan Cenedella & Roxann Kriete, Neilson Library, Smith, Northampton, 4pm
Mon. Dec. 7 – Wagon Wheel Open Word, featuring Chard deNiord, Poet Laureate of VT, Wagon Wheel Restaurant, Gill, 6pm
Tue. Dec. 8 – UNBUTTONED open mic & feature, Luthier’s Co-op, Easthampton, 7pm
Tue. Dec. 8 – Northampton Poetry Open Mic & April Ranger, The Deuce, WWII Club, Northampton, 8pm
Thu. Dec. 10 – Florence Poets Society meeting & poetry share, Lilly Library, Florence, 6:30pm.
Tue. Dec. 15 – Write Minds – Eileen Kennedy, Tommy Twilite, Bob Hoeppner, Linda Wlodyka, Gerald Yelle, Marian Kent. The Thirsty Mind, S. Hadley, 7pm
Tue. Dec. 15 – Northampton Poetry presents our own Adam Grabowski, chapbook release! Open mic too. The Deuce, WWII Club Northampton, 8pm.
Tue. Dec. 22 – Poetry Slam & Open Mic, The Deuce, WWII Club, Northampton, 8pm
POETRY IN THE PIONEER VALLEY AND BEYOND:
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
7:30 pm, Weinstein Auditorium, Wright HallJuan Felipe Herrera is the current U.S. Poet Laureate—the first Latino to be appointed to the post. Each laureate brings a different focus to his/her tenure. Herrera’s is clear: “I’m here to encourage others to speak.” The son of migrant farm workers in California, Herrera’s was a nomadic childhood. His mother recited poetry and taught him songs from the Mexican Revolution. Inspired by her spirit, he has spent his life, as The Washington Post put it, “crossing borders, erasing boundaries and expanding the American chorus.”
Writer’s Night Out
Deborah Gorlin & Joy Ladin
Saturday, December 5, 7:30pm
at Sonelab, 142 Pleasant St. Easthampton, MA
The “Tete de Veau” issue of Meat for Tea will be released and there will be art on exhibit by Leah Moses, Yondernod, Sloan Tomlinson, and Gina Gaetz, films from Jared Skolnik and Chris Gentes – screened at Abandoned Building Brewery, spoken word, and live music from Easthampton Savings band and The Fawns. $5 suggested donation and the new issue of the magazine will be available for only $8 this night!
Tickets at http://meatfortea.com
Joshua Edwards directs and co-edits Canarium Books. He’s the author of three books of poetry: Architecture for Travelers, Imperial Nostalgias, and Campeche. He also translated Mexican poet Maria Baranda’s book-length poem, Ficticia.
Mónica de la Torre’s The Happy End/ All Welcome is forthcoming from Ugly Duckling Presse in 2016. Her previous poetry books include Public Domain (Roof Books, 2009) and Talk Shows (Switchback, 2007), as well as two collections in Spanish. de la Torre is the senior editor at BOMB Magazine.
The Gallery of Readers Series presents
Joan Cenedella and Roxann Kriete
reading from their recent work
Sunday, December 6, 4 PM
Neilson Library Browsing Room
Smith College
Northampton, Massachusetts
Refreshments will be served.
Wagon Wheel Word Open Mic
Featuring Chard deNiord
Monday, December 7, 6pm
Poetry open mic featuring Vermont Poet Laureate Chard DeNiord! We had a smoking hot open mic last month and are sure to have another, our feature is not to be missed!
Come hungry and feed your body and your yearning for art.
Looking forward to seeing you then!
Wagon Wheel Restaurant
39 French King Highway, Gill, MA
30 Poems Reading for Center for New Americans
Tuesday, December 8, 7pm
Weinstein Auditorium, Wright Hall, Smith College
Participants in the 30 poems challenge to benefit Center for New Americans will be reading from their new work!
UNBUTTONED
This month’s Unbuttoned Spoken Word night at Luthier’s is on Tuesday, December 8. Come to sign up for the open mic at 7:00 p.m., followed by a featured reader. This is the coolest venue in the Valley! Great stage, great audience, great host Alison Murchie, great beer.
Luthier’s Co-op, Easthampton
Write Minds: a Night of Poetry
Tue. Dec. 15, 7pm
Eileen Kennedy
Tommy Twilite
Bob Hoeppner
Linda Wlodyka
Gerald Yelle
Marian Kent.
at The Thirsty Mind
South Hadley
Calling all Poets and Storytellers!
Sam’s Pizza and Cafe is now hosting an open reading night
Wednesdays, 7pm Sam’s Pizza, Northampton
Weekly Poetry Open Mic at The Deuce
Every Tuesday Night 8pm – 10pm
Open Mic Signup starts at 7pm.
World War II Club, Conz St. Northampton,MA
Please bring a 3-5 minute selection of your work to share
Fabulous website with featured poets
http://www.northamptonpoetry.com/
Students will have the opportunity to share their work in class and to continue the conversation online between workshops.
January 10 – Resting the Brain & Playing in the Vastness
February 14 – Valentines Day! Who Are You & What Do you Love? Loving conversations with language and the body
March 6 – Mi Casa es Su Casa—Embodying Characters and Consciousness’s
April 17 – Moving Mountain Practice—On Changing Perspectives
May 15 –Writing What’s Difficult—The Emotional Body
June 19 — Practice is Practice is Practice — Lessons from Gertrude Stein and Vinyasas
Please join Maria Luisa Arroyo for one or more months in celebrating the poets and writers, who are sharing their original work. Audience members (18+) are always welcomed.
Note that “7 Minutes: A Literary Arts Spotlight” falls on Sundays this season (except for August):
Sunday, Dec. 13
Community Room (street-level), Springfield Main Library, 220 State Street, Springfield, MA
Parking: Right across the street. Please be careful crossing very busy State Street. The community room is located on the street level. There is an entrance to the right of the library’s outside grand staircase. Enter and take an immediate right. Because of the many exciting events happening in Springfield, including the Mattoon Street Arts Festival, please plan your travels accordingly.
Program:
[12:30 pm – 1:00 pm- host & literary artists arrive & set up]
1:05 pm- 1:45 pm readings
1:45 pm – 2:00 pm intermission
2:00 pm – 2:45 pm readings
2:45 pm – meet & greet the authors; book purchases & signings; library evaluations
2:55 pm – FREE raffle drawing for a library tote bag(must be present to win)
Thank you all again for the gift of your time-as a literary artist, as an audience member, and as a promoter of this monthly series!
Fiction Writing Group at East Forest Park Library
122 Island Pond Road (Next to Rite Aid in the plaza) Springfield First Wednesday of Each Month Time: 6:00 pm Contact: Theresa Boulrice (413) 263-6836)
Emily Dickinson International Society
(EDIS) presents: “Poetry Conversation”
Jones Library, 43 Amity Street, Amherst, MA; in the Amherst Room, 2nd floor 1st Friday of each month — 2pm – 3:30pm 2nd Thursday of each month — 5:45pm – 7:15pm All who are interested in sharing thoughts and ideas in a group discussion based on selected poems/letters by Emily Dickinson are welcome.
FLORENCE POETS SOCIETY
The next business/sharing meeting is Thursday, December 10, 2015 at 6:30pm. Poetry share at 7.
Please consider joining the Florence Poets Society. Your $20 membership dues (Sept. – Aug.) support our annual journal, Silkworm, as well as public readings and events. We meet monthly at the Lilly Library in Florence on the 2nd Thurs. of each month, and all are welcome. Please visit our web site for more information: http://www.florencepoets.com or contact us at info@florencepoets.com.
POETRY A LA CARTE RADIO SHOW on WMUA-Amherst 91.1 FMPoetry à la Carte will air at its usual time Wednesday, Dec. 9, 5 pm.
Beginning on December 14th, for the Winter Session, Poetry à la Carte will air on Mondays, 5 to 5:30 pm.
I hope you all can tune in at this new time! Best wishes for a happy holiday season, and a joyous 2016 ! WMUA-Amherst (the student and community radio station of UMass-Amherst) can be listened to at 91.1 FM within range of the transmitter. WMUA is also streamed live at http://www.wmua.org/. The program, produced by Daisy Mathias, includes reading aloud from past and contemporary poets, and occasionally features live interview and poetry-reading with a local poet.
GREENFIELD, SHELBURNE FALLS AND NORTH
WORD IN THE BERKSHIRES
WRITERS READ IS NOW AT THE LEE LIBRARY
~Writers Read Monthly Reading Series~
Readings begin at 5:30pm at the Lee Library Association, 100 Main Street, Lee –parking at the library. If you have questions and/or are interested in reading in the series, though we can make no promises initially, please email David Giannini, coordinator of the WRITERS READ series, davidgpoet@gmail.com
Rambling Poets Presents Poetry Slam @ Parlor Cafe
Every third Thursday of the month
The Parlor Cafe 303 Ashland St North Adams, MA
$2-5 Suggested Donation – Bartering Welcomed.
We are a 14 poet, 3 round slam, with cash and prizes awarded to all poets who sign up.
Sign ups start at 7pm Poets meeting at 7:45
Event starts promptly at 8pm http://www.facebook.com/RAMBLINGPOETS http://www.theparlorcafe.com
OUTSPOKEN!
Pittsfield’s Monthly Performance Series and Open Mic – Outspoken! hosted by Matt Mcfadden, is held the 3rd Thursday of every month. – Micro Theater (311 North St. in Pittsfield, Greylock Bldg. upstairs among the ArtOnNo studios – Up the block from Jae’s Spice – Entrance to theater is around the corner on Union St. thru Orange door, right next door to Mary’s Carrot Cake. – 8 pm ($5 suggested donation) – Interested open mic performers can sign up for 5 minute slot by e-mailing matt at mcfaddensrus@yahoo.com – Those needing more information can e-mail the same address.
Power of Words, Open Mic
Third Tuesdays 7pm to 8:30 pm Hosted by Garfield Reed.
This is an open opportunity to share poetry, readings, music and other spoken word. Free and open to the public at Berkshire South Regional Community Center Crissey Rd.,Great Barrington, MA Every third Tuesday of the month. Please call Garfield at 528 4127 for more information.
In Words, Out Words in Housatonic
In Housatonic, MA there is an open mic for poets and performers of all styles and ages. 1st Tuesday of each month at the Deb Koffman Gallery 137 Front Street, Housatonic, MA 01236. “In Words, Out Words.” is hosted by Francine Ciccarelli and there is usually a $1-6 suggested donation for heat and electricity. There are snacks there provided by whoever wants to bring them. The open mic begins at 7 and the featured performer goes on for about 20 minutes. It usually lasts until between 9 and 9:30.
ALBANY, NY POETRY
There’s a vibrant and active poetry community in the Albany area.
Go to http://www.albanypoets.com/ for schedules and events!
WORD IN WORCESTER
The Hangover Hour Poetry Salon
is every other Sunday afternoon, with a poet from the community reading the works of a poet from history. The open mic before the feature is a tight 5 minutes, for poems, stories or other spoken word propaganda. Spread the word nerd! The future is a drag, man!!! We start promptly at 5:00 p.m. every other Sunday, so come early, have a tasty beverage and be cool cats. 18+ Nicks (124 Millbury Street, Worcester)
Poetry, People!
Every Thursday 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm (sometimes later)
@ The Coffee Loft 406 Lincoln Street Marlborough, MA
508.251.1431 Poetry, verse, and short stories are are welcome at this very friendly, informal open reading.
Now booking for features to start in March.
Please contact Jarad at CoffeeLoftBooking@gmail.com for more info or to become a featured poet.
The Little “a” Poetry Series
Every Thursday night at 7pm, with an open mic preceding the feature. It is free and all ages, and will be held at The Strange Attractor, 97D Webster St, Worcester MA. Hosted by “Cowboy” Matt Hopewell, who also does the booking and can be reached at themadcowboy@gmail.com or by phone at (508) 479 8311 .
The d’Alzon Arts Series: Poetry Reading
takes place at Assumption College (500 Salisbury Street, Worcester) in the Emmanuel d’Alzon Library on the third Friday of each month during the academic year. The format is an open mic for the first half-hour or so, a short break with refreshments and then 2 featured poets.. The reading starts at 7:00 p.m. and typically runs for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Readings run throughout the school year.
The Dirty Gerund
The Dirty Gerund Poetry Show will be held every Monday night starting at 8:30 p.m. The reading is being held at Ralph’s Chadwick Square Diner (148 Grove Street, Worcester) and is hosted by Rushelle Frazier. There will be an open mic every week with a mix of poetry slams and featured poets. No cover; donations accepted. 21+ Please join us at our new home.
CONNECTICUT POETRY
Since CT has a wonderful and comprehensive newsletter online, I have decided to cut the CT Poetry section from Poetry News and only post special events that might be of interest to MA poets. Write to Terri Klein at ctpoetnews@yahoo.com to get the CT Poet newsletter in your email, or the CT Poetry Calendar is online at http://www.ctpoetrycalendar.com
BOSTON/CAPE COD POETRY
If you want more events in the Boston area (and there are many more!) write to Dan
Bouchard to get his poetry calendar in your email at bouchard@MIT.EDU
VERMONT POETRY
Poetry Slam
Every first and third Wednesday of the month. First, Poetry Slam, then is an open mic Equilibrium 14 Elm Street sign-up at 7:30 event is 8-10pm http://www.facebook.com/BrattleboroPoetry For a VT poetry events calendar go to: http://www.phayvanh.com/ For info on Brattleboro poetry and Write Action visit their website – http://www.writeaction.org Poetry readings at the Putney Library 55 Main Street, Putney VT (802) 387-4407
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News for Poetry News should be sent to lori@thepoetrynews.com. Please send your announcements in text only – do not format (no special fonts, left-align, no colors, etc.) and check it for errors. Send by Wednesday for Thursday publication. Thank you, Lori Desrosiers – Publisher, Editor, wearer of all hats.
Poetry News 