***POETRY NEWS***
Here is your Poetry News for the month of February, 2017
Poetry News is now published monthly. Please send events as you normally do to lori@thepoetrynews.com. The site will be updated regularly.
To receive Poetry News in your email or to request posting of events write to lori@thepoetrynews.com.
Wishing you peace and strength!
Some Highlights of This Month in Western MA
Thu. Feb. 2 – Collected Poets Series presents Chard deNiord and Brad Crenshaw, Mocha Maya’s, Shelburne Falls, 7pm
Thu. Feb. 2 – Slate Roof Alums Reading: Trish Crapo, Susie Patlove, Paula Sayword and others, Greenfield Community Television, 393 Main St. Greenfield, 6pm
Fri. Feb. 3 – Live Lit at Amherst Books, UMass MFA students reading, Amherst Books, Amherst, 7pm
Tue. Feb. 7 – Straw Dog Writer’s Night Out, Ed Orzechowski and Open Mic, The Basement, 21 Center St. Northampton, 7pm
Tue. Feb. 7 – Catherine Weiss & Open Mic poets, “The Deuce”, Northampton, 8pm
Sat. Feb. 11 – Writers Roundtable: What sustains you as a writer? Click Workspace, 91/2 Market St. Sponsored by Straw Dog Writer’s Guild, 10:30am
Tue. Feb. 14 – TBA & Open Mic, The Deuce, WWII Club, Northampton, 8pm
Tue. Feb. 14 – UNBUTTONED Tommy Twilite and Open Mic, Luthiers Coop, Easthampton, 7pm
Thu. Feb. 16 – Roxane Gay at Mt. Holyoke, Gamble Auditorium, Mt. Holyoke, S. Hadley, 7pm
Fri. Feb. 17 – At the Grave of Maria Callas: How Does an Aria Turn Into a Poem? Reading by Patrick Donnelly, Josten Performing Arts Library, Mendenhall Center, Smith College, Northampton, 5pm
Fri. Feb. 17 – Open Prose & Poetry Series, Arms, Library, Shelburne Falls, 7pm
Mon. Feb. 20 – Word X Word 10 New Voices, Berkshire Museum, 39 South Street, Pittsfield. 7pm
Tue. Feb. 21 – TBA & Open Mic, The Deuce, Northampton, 8pm
Tue. Feb. 21 – Laura Kasischke at Neilson Browsing Room, Smith Coll. Northampton, 7:30pm
Tue. Feb. 21 – Greenfield Word, Edite Cunha & Candace Curran, Open Mic, 7:30pm
Wed. Feb. 22 – Teatro V!DA Youth Open Mic, Bing Arts Center, Springfield, 7pm
Sun. Feb. 26 – Poetry & Spoken Word Open Mic, Seymour’s, 5 Bank Row, Greenfield, 1pm
Sun. Feb. 26 – Climbing PoeTree, War Memorial Building, 310 Appleton St. Holyoke, 7pm
Mon. Feb. 27 – Wagon Wheel Word: Joshua Michael Stewart, Kaitlyn June & Open mic, Wagon Wheel, Route 2, Gill, 6pm
Tue. Feb. 28 – Writers Read: Billie Chernicoff & Geoffrey Young at Lee Library, Lee, 5:30pm
Tue. Feb. 28 – TBA and Open Mic, The Deuce, WWII Club, Northampton, 8pm
POETRY EVENTS: PIONEER VALLEY AND BEYOND!
Unbuttoned: An Evening of Spoken Word
featuring Tommy Twilite On Feb. 14th, 7:00pm.
Unbuttoned, an award winning spoken word series hosted by Alison Murchie, features Tommy Twilite.
Tommy Twilite is the Co-founder and Director of the Florence Poets Society. He is the Executive Editor of SIlkworm and the host of the Twilite Poetry Pub on Valley Free Radio. He is recently retired after a long career of service as a Captain on the Northampton Fire Department. He believes that poetry is the voice of the people, and that has the power the change the world. Unbuttoned takes place at Luthier’s Co-op in Easthampton. Doors open at 6:30. An open mic will begin at 7:00 PM. Unbuttoned is funded by a grant from Easthampton City Arts.
Straw Dog Writers Night Out
WORD X WORD Pittsfield
As the first of two WordXWord events during the 10X10 Festival, WXW will present a program guest-curated by poets Doni Smith, Jadesola James and Sage – all strong poetic voices in their own right. 10 New Voices will be presented on President’s Day, Monday, February 20, 7P at the Berkshire Museum, 39 South Street, Pittsfield. Admission is free.
For this program, the guest-curators were tasked with identifying peers creating interesting work, and invite them to share that work with WordXWord audiences. Doni Smith is “a young black woman writing for freedom and clarity,” who does not believe in silence, and is currently a sophomore at MCLA. Sage is a Creative Writing major at Elms College and “is currently looking for ways to survive the next four years.” Jadé James is a senior at Miss Hall’s School and is a regular columnist for the Berkshire Eagle.
Poets scheduled to share their work include Marg Antonio, Dee Davis, Mordred Duffy, Alyssa St. Franc, Izabella “Izzy” Nunes, Hannah Pimenta, Mikaela Serrano-Moore, Taylor Simpson, and Zuri Wilson.
10 New Voices, February 20, 7P
Berkshire Museum, 39 South Street, Pittsfield
Free
The audience is advised that this program may contain explicit content.
For more information about 10 New Voices visit wXw365.org.
At the Grave of Maria Callas: How Does an Aria Turn into a Poem?Northampton poet laureate Patrick Donnelly will explore the roots of his poetry in his training as an opera singer, and especially in his 50-year admiration of the art of Maria Callas.
Donnelly will debut a new sequence of poems about Callas, and introduce historic recordings and videos of the singer that some have called the most important artist of the 20th century.
Friday February 17, 2017, 5:00 PM
Werner Josten Performing Arts Library
Mendenhall Center
Smith College
Northampton, MA 01063
413-585-2930 / 2935
PATRICK DONNELLY is the author of three books of poetry, and with his spouse Stephen D. Miller, he translates classical Japanese poetry and drama. He is director of an annual poetry conference at The Frost Place (Robert Frost’s old homestead in Franconia, NH, now a center for poetry and the arts), and an associate editor of the literary journal Poetry International. Donnelly is a lecturer at Smith College, and the 2015 – 2017 Poet Laureate of Northampton, Massachusetts.
This month’s writers are Billie Chernicoff and Geoffrey Young.Billie Chernicoff was born in Detroit, grew up in upstate New York, and was educated at Bard College. She is the author of The Red Dress (Dr. Cicero Books), The Pleasures (Metambesen.org), and Waters Of (Lunar Chandelier Collective). With Tamas Panitz, she co-edits a literary magazine, The Doris (thedoris.world). Her poems have appeared in/on The Doris, Sulfur, Inpatient Press Webworks, dispatchespoetry.com and other magazines and web sites. She lives with her husband in the Berkshire hills of Massachusetts, where they raised a daughter, and where she teaches yoga and writes.Geoffrey Young moved from Berkeley, CA to Great Barrington, Massachusetts in 1982. He spent student years in Santa Barbara (UCSB), and Albuquerque (UNM), then lived for two years in Paris (a Fulbright year followed by a stint working for La Galerie Sonnabend). His small press, The Figures (1975-2005), published more than 135 books of poetry, art writing, and fiction. His own recent books of poetry and prose include Dear Hollywood Writers, 2017; Sixteen Candles, with images by Mark Olshansky, 2016; Propitious, with images by Lisa Sylvester, 2016; Sapphire Drive, 2015; and The Point Less Taken, 2013, with images by Lucas Reiner. He has directed the Geoffrey Young Gallery since 1992, as well as written catalog essays for a dozen artists.
Climbing PoeTree
Sunday, Feb. 26, 7pm
FREE PERFORMANCE: Multi-voice spoken word, hip hop, and multimedia theater performance in Holyoke, MA by the award winning duo Climbing PoeTree. Featuring opening performances by Extraordinaiire and Tuzko.
Performance is hosted by Wistariahurst Museum with the 2016-2017 Feinberg Series: The US in the Age of Mass Incarceration at the War Memorial, located at 310 Appleton St, Holyoke.
Open Mic Night for Youth
Every last Wednesday of the month from 7-9 p.m. from September through April, youth ages 12-25 are invited to Ign!te the Mic, The Valley’s only open mic for youth by youth.
A safe and non-competitive space for youth to share poetry, spoken word, music, monologues, theatrical scenes, dance, visual art, puppertry, or whatever your imagination can conceive!
All languages welcome. Admission $5 (no one turned away for lack of funds) Come and experience the healing power of the arts!
Co-sponsored by Teatro V!da and the The Bing Arts Center
Every last Wednesday of the month from 7-9 p.m.
Performers sign up at 6:45 p.m.
Bing Arts Center
716 Sumner Avenue
Springfield, MA
In the Forest Park neighborhood: free on street parking
www.teatrovida.com www.bingartscenter.org
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/
FLORENCE POETS SOCIETY
Our regular meeting this month is Thursday, February 9, 2017. Business at 6:30, poetry share at 7:00pm. 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 atinfo@florencepoets.com.
GREENFIELD, SHELBURNE FALLS AND NORTH
3rd Tuesday of the month
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)
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 .
CONNECTICUT POETRY
CT has a wonderful and comprehensive newsletter online. Write toctpoetnews@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 8-10pmhttp://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 the end of the month for publication. Thank you, Lori Desrosiers – Publisher, Editor, wearer of all hats.
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