TABLE OF CONTENTS_______________________________________
- Quotes
- Poem of the Month
- Book of the Month
- Website of the Month
- News Items / Writing Workshops
- Poetry Calendar for July
- Subscription and Contact Information
I:__QUOTES________________________________________________
Everyone has a talent, what is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads.
– Erica Jong
Resist any temptation to use the poem to make its readers like you, or admire you, or forgive you.
– Ellen Bryant Voigt
In art there is no joy without difficulty.
– Richard Wilbur
II:__POEM OF THE MONTH__________________________________
THE PIG
Anonymous
It was an evening in November,
As I very well remember,
I was strolling down the street in drunken pride,
But my knees were all a-flutter,
And I landed in the gutter,
And a pig came up and lay down by my side.
Yes, I lay there in the gutter
Thinking thoughts I could not utter,
When a colleen passing by did softly say,
“You can tell a man that boozes
By the company he chooses” -
And the pig got up and slowly walked away.
III:__BOOK OF THE MONTH_________________________________
Each month we highlight a book of poetry by a Connecticut author.
RETURNING LIGHT
by Lisa Sornberger
The poems in Returning Light, Lisa Sornberger’s remarkable second book, will leave you a different person when they have entered your blood and bones. In their “stone of sadness and lightness of flight,” they dare to enter “the chamber where suffering dwells” and leave that chamber behind, reminding us that “our birthright / is to delight, to shine, / to be unafraid of being flesh.” Nor are despair and joy the only opposites coexisting here. These poems allow the light of another world to shine through, suggesting mysteries lying just beyond our reach, but they also paint the lush colors of this world in all their permutations. Here, we find the spectral white horses with whom the poet flies at night, but also the wildcat that roars in her belly, the bird that flies out of her throat. And Sornberger’s verse celebrates both the adventure of lighting out for the territory and the luxury of returning to the hearth. Nor does the seriousness of her themes prevent a playful smile from breaking through. So many contraries (not the poet’s alone but also our own) revel in this bountiful book that in the end it is, like the gentian sky evoked by the author, “a hand / palm up, fingers opening, / giving us everything.”
Pit Pinegar says, “Lisa Sornberger’s poems are filled with what Carl Jung calls the tension of opposites—light and dark, body and spirit, grief and joy, stones and feathers, the gifts of memory and the gifts of here-and-now. Returning Light is a meditative collection that circles back on its themes, not in repetitions, but variations. It is the work of a poet who is not content to write only of what is or was, but who also contemplates significance.”
Lisa Sornberger is a member of the Thread City Poets and has received several honors for her writing, among them a fellowship to the Bucknell Seminar for Younger Poets, a scholarship to the Wesleyan Writers Conference, and selection to tour with the Connecticut Poetry Circuit’s student contingent. Lisa Sornberger’s work has appeared in literary journals such as the New York Quarterly, The New Virginia Review, Fairfield Review, Embers, and Common Ground Review. Her chapbook, Stone and Feather, was published in 2004.
$16.00 Antrim House (ISBN: 978-0-9817883-1-9)
IV:__WEBSITE OF THE MONTH______________________________
THE SLATE POETRY PODCAST
A weekly poem, read by the author.
From the web site: “Now you can listen to Slate poetry wherever you go. Below, browse Slate’s weekly lineup of new and renewed work by leading poets, selected by Robert Pinsky and read to you by the author. Or subscribe to Slate’s Poetry Podcast feed on iTunes and carry the poems with you.”
Considering that the poems are “read by the author,” I was especially excited to see a couple of poems by Sir Walter Raleigh, who was beheaded in 1618. But it turns out that the poems are “read by the author,” unless they’re not. Then they’re usually read by Robert Pinsky. www.slate.com/id/2218133
CLASSIC POETRY ALOUD
Giving voice to the poetry of the past
Another site to hear poetry read aloud, albeit by a oddly mechanical voice, is Classic Poetry Aloud. From the web site, “Poetry podcasts of the great poems of the past. It’s English literature for living - a few minutes of the day for quiet and reflection.” These readings are also available at iTunes. classicpoetryaloud.podomatic.com
V:__NEWS ITEMS / WRITING WORKSHOPS____________________
Sunday, July 12 2009
10:00am - 5:00pm
SUNDAY WRITING RETREATS
with Sharon Charde
Many of us sense that there are stories within us that need to be told, but cannot find the time, space or circumstances in our busy lives to do so. This series of Sunday writing retreats with Sharon Charde will provide that opportunity. The retreats are intense community writing experiences. Together we create a safe and supportive writing environment that encourages risks we would never take alone. We are fed by the listening of others, the rest from our busy lives, the delicious lunch. There is no critical feedback, only focused attention and deep acceptance.
The group is limited to eight women, many who attend on a regular basis. The cost is $75 per session, or $60 if you sign up for four or more. Remaining dates for 2009 are 7/12, 8/16, 10/18, 11/15, and 12/13. (In October the annual Block Island Writing Retreat will be held from Friday, Oct.2 - Sunday, Oct. 4). The location is Lakeville, CT, at the home of Sharon Charde. See her web site (www.SharonCharde.com) for more information and testimonials from women who have attended in the past. Write her at sharchar@sbcglobal.net to register or to ask other questions.
VI:__POETRY CALENDAR FOR JULY_______________________
Wednesday, July 1 2009
7:30pm - 10:00pm
WEDNESDAY NIGHT POETRY SERIES
featuring Open Poetry Slam & Open Mike at WNPS
For the uninitiated, Slam is a competitive poetry reading where judges, chosen at random from the audience, judge the performances & poems Olympic style, with a mark of 0 to 10. Each poem must be performed in three minutes or less and must be the original work of the poet. Though poets may sing, hum, stamp and make weird noises during their performance, no “props” (objects or instruments, etc.) are allowed. Depending on how many poets compete, several rounds may be needed to determine a winner. However, all participants in a slam win because they had the courage to share their poems in a rowdy and fun environment in the service of poetry!
Slam judges are supposed to give equal weight to the quality of the poem AND to the quality of the performance. The audience is allowed to BOO the judges!
For those not wishing to compete, a regular open mike will be held before the slam. Beginning around 7:45pm, you can sign up at the venue for either the open mike or the slam.
WNPS, the longest running weekly poetry series in Connecticut, boasts an open mike, feature poets, a Q&A with the feature, and a poetry critique workshop. For more info, visit the website: www.wedpoetry.net.
Molten Java Coffee Roasters, LLC
102 Greenwood Avenue
Bethel, CT
203-739-0313
... .......................................................................................
Thursday, July 2 2009
7:00pm - 10:00pm
THURSDAY NIGHT POETRY
Open Mike Poetry Reading at Bean & Leaf. Old poets read, new voices heard. A new venue with “a killer sound system and lots of delicious teas and coffee and pastries.” Visit the website for more information: www.bean-leaf.com.
Bean & Leaf cafe
13 Washington St.
New London, CT
860-701-0000
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Friday, July 3 2009
6:00pm
OPEN MIKE FRIDAY
There is an open mike each Friday at LaSalle Market. Poets, musicians, local talent of any type is invited. Stop by and check it out—then show us what you’ve got.
LaSalle Market
104 Main Street
Collinsville, CT
www.lasallemarket.com
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Sunday, July 5 2009
2:00pm - 4:00pm
BEAN & LEAF OPEN MIKE POETRY READING
hosted by Tom Weigel
Old poets read, new voices heard in a new venue with “a killer sound system and lots of delicious teas and coffee and pastries.” Visit the website for more information.
Bean & Leaf Cafe
13 Washington St.
New London, CT
860-701-0000
www.bean-leaf.com
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Sunday, July 5 2009
4:30pm - 6:00pm
POETRY POTLUCK AT THE SANCTUARY
Do you love poetry? Would you like to be part of an ongoing poetry discussion group offering food for the mind and the heart? If so, come and join us on the this first Sunday of August at The Sanctuary in East Haddam to discuss poetry and build community.
This is not about sharing our own work but instead offers us a chance to share the work of poets we love, so you don’t have to be a poet to be part of this group. Just come and bring your love of poetry and a poem you would like to share.
Hosted by Greg Coleman, Suzy Lamson, and Edwina Trentham.
The Sanctuary at Shepardfields
59 Bogel Road
East Haddam, CT
(From Daniels Road, turn left onto Bogel, then look for the “Labyrinth & Yurt” sign. It’s a dirt driveway.)
For more information call 860-319-1134 or visit www.sanctuaryatshepardfields.org. Pass this along to anyone you think might be interested in being part of this discussion group. This is a different type of poetry event. Instead of a particular feature or an open mike where we read our own poetry, this is a gathering to read aloud some of your favorite poems - those not written by you. In a way, it’s like a poetry salon, a sharing of the poetic intellect. We’ve called it a “Poetry Potluck” because whoever comes will bring something different to it. (There will be foodstuffs of cookies and hot drinks available.)
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Monday, July 6 2009
7:00pm
THE LOVE JONES EXPERIENCE
Poetry & Jam Session. Bring your poems and instruments to our spoken word and song event.
All poets welcome. Amateurs welcome and encouraged to perform.
$5.00 cover. Hosted by Darlene Brandon Scott.
The Russell
103 Pratt Street
Hartford, CT
www.therussellct.com
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Monday, July 6 2009
7:30pm
ANYTHING GOES!
Anything Goes! for this open mike - spoken word, poetry etc. We have a piano and congas. Refreshments available.
Hosted by Jennifer Shafer Wood. Meets every Monday.
7:30pm sign up; 8:00pm start. $3.00 donation.
The Buttonwood Tree
605 Main Street
Middletown, CT
860-347-4957
thebuttonwoodtree@gmail.com
www.buttonwood.org
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Monday, July 6 2009
7:30pm - 9:00pm
POETRY BEAT
Poetry open mike at Las Vetas Lounge.
Las Vetas Lounge
1462 Post Road
Fairfield, CT
203-255-1958
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Monday, July 6 2009
9:00pm
BEATNIK 2000
Music and poetry every Monday night, hosted by Ed Leonard. No Cover.
www.cafenine.com/schedule.html
Cafe 9
250 State Street
New Haven, CT
203-789-8281
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Tuesday, July 7 2009
7:00pm - 9:00pm
FIRST TUESDAY POETRY (Middletown)
featuring Charlie Bondhus
Charlie Bondhus won his first prize for poetry in the eighth grade, after which he spent four years writing nihilistic high school verse in the style of Baudelaire. Since then, he has earned his MFA in creative writing from Goddard College and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he teaches writing and literature. In addition to poetry, he writes and publishes fiction and literary criticism. His full-length poetry book, How the Boy Might See It, which was a finalist for the 2007 Blue Light Press First Book Award, will be out in 2010, along with his novella, Monsters and Victims. Charlie currently resides in Chicopee, Massachusetts, with his longtime partner, their two cats, and a very spirited Madagascar Day Gecko.
Broad Street Books hosts a monthly poetry reading, First Tuesday Poetry Series, with a featured poet followed by an open mike, on the first Tuesday of every month at 7:00pm. Admission is free.
45 Broad Street
Middletown, CT
Broad Street Books
For more information, contact Brian Mitchard at 860-685-READ
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Tuesday, July 7 2009
7:30pm
POEMALLEY at Curley’s Diner
Read poetry, discuss writing and other topics of interest.
Curley’s Diner
62 West Park Place
Stamford, CT
203-327-3716
ayarmal@earthlink.net
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Wednesday, July 8 2009
6:30pm
SUNKEN GARDEN POETRY FESTIVAL
featuring Night of Fresh Voices & Adult Poetry Competition runner-up Kim Roberts
Fresh Voices—four to six high school winners of Hill-Stead’s Young Poets Competition selected from all corners of the state—represent some of the best writing being produced in Connecticut high schools today. These bright young adults will dazzle the audience with their verse and poise.
Kim Roberts, second place winner of Hill-Stead’s prestigious Adult Poetry Competition 2008, will read from her prize-winning manuscript, Exhibitionist, a “beautifully crafted” work with “a strong range of approaches to form and fascinating materials,” says Gray Jacobik, Connecticut poet and final competition judge.
From 6:30–7:30: Guitarist, composer and educator Freddie Bryant, a graduate of Yale School of Music and active on the New York music scene for over 20 years, performs Brazilian jazz with his trio.
Sunken Garden Poetry Festival
Hill-Stead Museum
35 Mountain Road
Farmington, CT
- Time: Gates open at 4:30 pm. Music performances begins at 6:30, poetry at 7:30pm. Books and CDs available for sale 8:30-9:00pm.
- Admission: Free to the public. On-site parking: $10 per vehicle. Off-site local parking is available on a limited basis (see below).
- Seating: Bring a lawn chair or blanket for seating in and around the garden.
- More info and directions at www.hillstead.org/activities/poetry_performseries.html
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Wednesday, July 8 2009
7:00pm
INESCAPABLE RHYTHMS
Alchemy Juice Bar supports both established and emerging poets through its new poetry reading and open mike series, “Inescapable Rhythms.” The event takes place on the second Wednesday of each month. A featured poet gives a half hour reading (7:00pm) followed by an open mike (7:30pm), in which members of the audience are invited to share their work.
The series takes its title from the Wallace Stevens poem, “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird.” Stevens, a major American Modernist poet, was a Hartford resident.
Alchemy Juice Bar
203 New Britain Ave
Hartford, CT
Email questions to: ahenchey@hotmail.com
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Wednesday, July 8 2009
7:30pm - 10:00pm
WEDNESDAY NIGHT POETRY SERIES
featuring Aaron Jafferis
Aaron Jafferis has performed his hip hop poetry at Madison Square Garden, the Kennedy Center, and the National Poetry Slam Championships, where he is a former Open Rap Slam champion.
In 2007, Aaron was named one of “50 To Watch” by The Dramatist. His numerous plays, and collaborations have won awards and recognition from the American Academy of Arts & Letters, the New York Musical Theatre Festival, and others. His works have been widely produced at venues around the country from the Nuyorican Poets Café & the International Festival of Arts & Ideas to TheatreWorks and the St. Louis Black Rep, Capital Rep, Collective Consciousness, and more. He has written poetry for the Urban Bush Women dance troupe and for The Nation and Northeast magazines.
Jafferis holds a BA in Arts & Social Change from the University of California at Berkeley, studied at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and received his MFA in Musical Theatre Writing from NYU, where he was an Alberto Vilar Global Fellow in the Performing Arts. For the last decade he has taught playwriting, poetry, and hip hop theatre in urban high schools, middle schools, and detention centers.
WNPS, the longest running weekly poetry series in Connecticut, boasts an open mike, feature poets, a Q&A with the feature, and a poetry critique workshop. For more info, visit the website: www.wedpoetry.net.
Molten Java Coffee Roasters, LLC
102 Greenwood Avenue
Bethel, CT
203-739-0313
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Wednesday, July 8 2009
9:00pm
POETZ REALM
Blessings from the Poetz Realm. The venue goes down every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month. Admission is $5.00 for regular patrons and free for whomever signs up for the open mike. There is a feature for each show. Features have included: Ngoma, Fredrick Douglas, Mo Jarvis, Baub Bidon, E da Storyteller, Shanna Melton, Kamal Imani, Influence, Ainsley Burrows, and others.
Hosted by E da Storyteller and Baub Bidon.
Innovation Center
955 Connecticut Ave
Bridgeport, CT.
poetzrealm.com
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Thursday, July 9 2009
6:00pm
POETRY IN THE PARK
featuring José B. Gonzalez and John Stanizzi
Please join us this summer at our Poetry in the Park Reading Series 2009. All readings start at 6:00 P.M. in the Julia de Burgos Park, at the corner of Jackson Street and Terry Avenue, in Willimantic, CT. For more information, or for a rain location, please contact Curbstone Press at 860-423-5110. This is a free event, co-sponsored by the Robert Rue Fund and Curbstone Press, and with the support of Colectivo Mestizal and Neighborhood Revitalization Zone.
Julia de Burgos Park
319 Jackson St
Willimantic, CT
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Thursday, July 9 2009
6:15pm
TOUCHSTONE POETRY FESTIVAL
The Eighth Annual Touchstone Poetry Festival will be held at Touchstone, a residential treatment center for female juvenile offenders and DCF committed girls. Twenty powerful women poets, including Elizabeth Thomas, Faith Vicinanza, Lisa Starr, Marianela Medrano-Marra, Sally Van Doren, Eileen Albrizzio, and “The Afrikana Madonna” will join the Touchstone girls reading in partnership at the mike. Come and be with us as we celebrate our shared travels in poetry.
Touchstone
11 Country Place
Litchfield, CT
For details, directions or more information, call Sharon Charde at 860-435-0110 or Jessica Clow at 860-567-3809.
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Thursday, July 9 2009
7:00pm - 10:00pm
THURSDAY NIGHT POETRY
Open Mike Poetry Reading at Bean & Leaf. Old poets read, new voices heard. A new venue with “a killer sound system and lots of delicious teas and coffee and pastries.” Visit the website for more information: www.bean-leaf.com.
Bean & Leaf cafe
13 Washington St.
New London, CT
860-701-0000
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Friday, July 10 2009
6:00pm
OPEN MIKE FRIDAY
There is an open mike each Friday at LaSalle Market. Poets, musicians, local talent of any type is invited. Stop by and check it out—then show us what you’ve got.
LaSalle Market
104 Main Street
Collinsville, CT
www.lasallemarket.com
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Saturday, July 11 2009
6:00pm - 9:00pm
OPEN MIC NIGHTS at Bru Cafe
Hosted by Baub Bidon
Music DJ Ccoubz
Admission: “Just buy something to eat.”
Second Saturday of each month.
Bru Cafe
141 Orange Street
New Haven, CT
203-752-0052
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Sunday, July 12 2009
2:00pm - 4:00pm
BEAN & LEAF OPEN MIKE POETRY READING
hosted by Tom Weigel
Old poets read, new voices heard in a new venue with “a killer sound system and lots of delicious teas and coffee and pastries.” Visit the website for more information.
Bean & Leaf Cafe
13 Washington St.
New London, CT
860-701-0000
www.bean-leaf.com
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Monday, July 13 2009
7:00pm
THE LOVE JONES EXPERIENCE
Poetry & Jam Session. Bring your poems and instruments to our spoken word and song event.
All poets welcome. Amateurs welcome and encouraged to perform.
$5.00 cover. Hosted by Darlene Brandon Scott.
The Russell
103 Pratt Street
Hartford, CT
www.therussellct.com
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Monday, July 13 2009
7:15pm
MONDAY NIGHT POETRY in STAMFORD
Monday Night Poetry meets on the second Monday of each month at Barnes & Noble Bookstore in Stamford Town Center. Please come and listen to local poets, bring a favorite poem, or read your own.
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
Stamford Town Center
100 Greyrock Place Suite H009
Stamford, CT
203-323-1248
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Monday, July 13 2009
7:30pm
ANYTHING GOES!
Anything Goes! for this open mike - spoken word, poetry etc. We have a piano and congas. Refreshments available.
Hosted by Jennifer Shafer Wood. Meets every Monday.
7:30pm sign up; 8:00pm start. $3.00 donation.
The Buttonwood Tree
605 Main Street
Middletown, CT
860-347-4957
thebuttonwoodtree@gmail.com
www.buttonwood.org
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Monday, July 13 2009
9:00pm
BEATNIK 2000
Music and poetry every Monday night, hosted by Ed Leonard. No Cover.
www.cafenine.com/schedule.html
Cafe 9
250 State Street
New Haven, CT
203-789-8281
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Tuesday, July 14 2009
7:30pm
POEMALLEY at Curley’s Diner
Read poetry, discuss writing and other topics of interest.
Curley’s Diner
62 West Park Place
Stamford, CT
203-327-3716
ayarmal@earthlink.net
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Wednesday, July 15 2009
7:30pm - 10:00pm
WEDNESDAY NIGHT POETRY SERIES
featuring Pete Dolack
Pete Dolack is a poet, essayist, photographer, activist and sometimes a wanderer in deserts who increasingly tinkers with different styles but often integrates a story-telling style layered with satire that is sometimes subtle, sometimes caustic, and sometimes both, with a range of voices and characters to burrow into the fault lines of contemporary society and the inside of his head. He is a 2000 Pushcart Prize nominee and his poetry book, And Now a Word From Our Sponsors, is in its second printing. Currently, he is working on a book about the 20th century’s socialist experiments and the lessons that can be drawn from them, but is happy to remember that he is still a poet. For more info see www.eastwaterfront.com.
WNPS, the longest running weekly poetry series in Connecticut, boasts an open mike, feature poets, a Q&A with the feature, and a poetry critique workshop. For more info, visit the website: www.wedpoetry.net.
Molten Java Coffee Roasters, LLC
102 Greenwood Avenue
Bethel, CT
203-739-0313
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Thursday, July 16 2009
6:30pm
WORD OF MOUTH POETRY SERIES
featuring Robin Sampson
Robin Sampson has been published in The New Verse News, The Book of Hope, The Company We Keep, Bitter Oleander, Wicked Alice, Connecticut River Review, and Bent Pin Quarterly, among others. She also has an essay included in the book Poem, Revised: 54 Poems, Revisions, Discussions (Marion Street Press, April 2008). Robin is a member of the Marathon Poetry Critique and Shijin, a poetry performance troupe, as well as being a host and bookings coordinator for Wednesday Night Poetry Series. She is a Master Wildlife Conservationist, an aspiring novelist, a reader, an inquirer into the gritty, beautiful business of life, nature, and geology, a glass-bead jewelry creator, earth-mother, keeper of the hearth, maker of death-by-chocolate deserts, and relentless seeker of “ma” (that which is missing). Besides her writing life, she sustains three kids and a husband, Will. Her website is www.robinesampson.com.
On the third Thursday of each month, Word of Mouth Poetry Series celebrates an eclectic mix of poetic voices. Free. Refreshments. Open mike. Outstanding featured readers. In a casual setting. Open to all members of the public and others. For more information, please contact allwordofmouth@gmail.com or mcguireschwartz@gmail.com.
Doors Open at 6:30. Open mike at 7:00. Please arrive a few minutes early to sign up for open mike.
The Institute Library
847 Chapel Street
New Haven, CT
Word of Mouth is an affiliate of Arts and Literature Laboratory.
Please visit our website at http://sites.google.com/site/wordofmouthpoetryseries/Home.
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Thursday, July 16 2009
7:00pm - 10:00pm
THURSDAY NIGHT POETRY
Open Mike Poetry Reading at Bean & Leaf. Old poets read, new voices heard. A new venue with “a killer sound system and lots of delicious teas and coffee and pastries.” Visit the website for more information: www.bean-leaf.com.
Bean & Leaf cafe
13 Washington St.
New London, CT
860-701-0000
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Thursday, July 16 2009
7:30pm - 9:00pm
THIRD THURSDAY OPEN MIC
Open mike poetry reading on the third Thursday of every month at the Stamford Borders.
Borders
1041 High Ridge Road (near Merritt Parkway exit 35)
Stamford, CT
Phone: 203-968-9700
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Friday, July 17 2009
6:00pm
OPEN MIKE FRIDAY
There is an open mike each Friday at LaSalle Market. Poets, musicians, local talent of any type is invited. Stop by and check it out—then show us what you’ve got.
LaSalle Market
104 Main Street
Collinsville, CT
www.lasallemarket.com
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Friday, July 17 2009
7:00pm
OPEN MIKE NIGHT at RJ JULIA
Come read from your newest short story, poem, or essay and feel the rush of taking your work public. All we ask in return? That you limit your time to 5-8 minutes, and that you come prepared to be impressed! Please reserve your spot at the Information counter or at www.rjjulia.com/open-mic-night-poetry-creative-writing-6.html.
RJ Julia Booksellers
768 Boston Post Road
Madison, CT
203-245-3959
books@rjjulia.com
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Sunday, July 19 2009
2:00pm - 4:00pm
BEAN & LEAF OPEN MIKE POETRY READING
hosted by Tom Weigel
Old poets read, new voices heard in a new venue with “a killer sound system and lots of delicious teas and coffee and pastries.” Visit the website for more information.
Bean & Leaf Cafe
13 Washington St.
New London, CT
860-701-0000
www.bean-leaf.com
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Monday, July 20 2008
5:00pm - 7:00pm
CPS POETRY WORKSHOP in DANBURY
The Danbury Chapter of the Connecticut Poetry Society holds a writing workshop at the Danbury Library on the third Monday of each month. Newcomers are welcome! Bring poems for sharing and discussion (about 6 copies to pass around, if possible).
For information, contact: dmh2000@sbcglobal.net
Danbury Library
Upstairs Conference Room
170 Main Street
Danbury, CT
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Monday, July 20 2009
7:00pm
THE LOVE JONES EXPERIENCE
Poetry & Jam Session. Bring your poems and instruments to our spoken word and song event.
All poets welcome. Amateurs welcome and encouraged to perform.
$5.00 cover. Hosted by Darlene Brandon Scott.
The Russell
103 Pratt Street
Hartford, CT
www.therussellct.com
.......................................................................................
Monday, July 20 2009
7:30pm
ANYTHING GOES!
Anything Goes! for this open mike - spoken word, poetry etc. We have a piano and congas. Refreshments available.
Hosted by Jennifer Shafer Wood. Meets every Monday.
7:30pm sign up; 8:00pm start. $3.00 donation.
The Buttonwood Tree
605 Main Street
Middletown, CT
860-347-4957
thebuttonwoodtree@gmail.com
www.buttonwood.org
.......................................................................................
Monday, July 20 2009
9:00pm
BEATNIK 2000
Music and poetry every Monday night, hosted by Ed Leonard. No Cover.
www.cafenine.com/schedule.html
Cafe 9
250 State Street
New Haven, CT
203-789-8281
.......................................................................................
Tuesday, July 21 2009
7:30pm
POEMALLEY at Curley’s Diner
Read poetry, discuss writing and other topics of interest.
Curley’s Diner
62 West Park Place
Stamford, CT
203-327-3716
ayarmal@earthlink.net
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Wednesday, July 22 2009
6:30pm
SUNKEN GARDEN POETRY FESTIVAL
featuring Cave Canem Poets with Marilyn Nelson
Soul Mountain Retreat (www.soulmountainretreat.org) is a writers’ colony in Haddam, Connecticut, established in 2004 by Marilyn Nelson, then Poet Laureate of the State of Connecticut. Cave Canem (www.cavecanempoets.org) is a non-profit organization committed to the discovery and cultivation of new voices in African American poetry. (Cave Canem’s Executive Director, Alison Meyers, was previously the Artistic Director of Hill-Stead’s Sunken Garden Poetry Festival.) This evening’s reading will feature several Cave Canem graduates participating in a summer retreat at Soul Mountain. Marilyn Nelson will also read her work.
From 6:30–7:30: Producer, singer, songwriter and guitarist Tomas Doncker will perform “acoustic/neo-soul, with a touch of blues.” Doncker has performed with numerous artists, including Bootsy Collins, Ivan Neville, and Bonnie Raitt.
Sunken Garden Poetry Festival
Hill-Stead Museum
35 Mountain Road
Farmington, CT
- Time: Gates open at 4:30 pm. Music performances begins at 6:30, poetry at 7:30pm. Books and CDs available for sale 8:30-9:00pm.
- Admission: Free to the public. On-site parking: $10 per vehicle. Off-site local parking is available on a limited basis (see below).
- Seating: Bring a lawn chair or blanket for seating in and around the garden.
- More info and directions at www.hillstead.org/activities/poetry_performseries.html
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Wednesday, July 22 2009
7:30pm - 10:00pm
WEDNESDAY NIGHT POETRY SERIES
featuring Susannah Lawrence
Susannah Lawrence is a passionate and active environmentalist and has been for many years. She is a member of the Monday Poets of Litchfield, and of a Block Island Poetry Peer Review group. She says she writes poetry “to see what can happen out of my life.” She lives and works in Norfolk, CT.
WNPS, the longest running weekly poetry series in Connecticut, boasts an open mike, feature poets, a Q&A with the feature, and a poetry critique workshop. For more info, visit the website: www.wedpoetry.net.
Molten Java Coffee Roasters, LLC
102 Greenwood Avenue
Bethel, CT
203-739-0313
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Wednesday, July 22 2009
9:00pm
POETZ REALM
Blessings from the Poetz Realm. The venue goes down every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month. Admission is $5.00 for regular patrons and free for whomever signs up for the open mike. There is a feature for each show. Features have included: Ngoma, Fredrick Douglas, Mo Jarvis, Baub Bidon, E da Storyteller, Shanna Melton, Kamal Imani, Influence, Ainsley Burrows, and others.
Hosted by E da Storyteller and Baub Bidon.
Innovation Center
955 Connecticut Ave
Bridgeport, CT.
poetzrealm.com
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Thursday, July 23 2009
6:00pm
POETRY IN THE PARK
featuring Quinebaug Valley Community College Poets
Please join us this summer at our Poetry in the Park Reading Series 2009. All readings start at 6:00 P.M. in the Julia de Burgos Park, at the corner of Jackson Street and Terry Avenue, in Willimantic, CT. For more information, or for a rain location, please contact Curbstone Press at 860-423-5110. This is a free event, co-sponsored by the Robert Rue Fund and Curbstone Press, and with the support of Colectivo Mestizal and Neighborhood Revitalization Zone.
Julia de Burgos Park
319 Jackson St
Willimantic, CT
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Thursday, July 23 2009
7:00pm - 10:00pm
THURSDAY NIGHT POETRY
Open Mike Poetry Reading at Bean & Leaf. Old poets read, new voices heard. A new venue with “a killer sound system and lots of delicious teas and coffee and pastries.” Visit the website for more information: www.bean-leaf.com.
Bean & Leaf cafe
13 Washington St.
New London, CT
860-701-0000
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Friday, July 24 2009
6:00pm
OPEN MIKE FRIDAY
There is an open mike each Friday at LaSalle Market. Poets, musicians, local talent of any type is invited. Stop by and check it out—then show us what you’ve got.
LaSalle Market
104 Main Street
Collinsville, CT
www.lasallemarket.com
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Sunday, July 26 2009
2:00pm - 4:00pm
BEAN & LEAF OPEN MIKE POETRY READING
hosted by Tom Weigel
Old poets read, new voices heard in a new venue with “a killer sound system and lots of delicious teas and coffee and pastries.” Visit the website for more information.
Bean & Leaf Cafe
13 Washington St.
New London, CT
860-701-0000
www.bean-leaf.com
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Monday, July 27 2009
7:00pm
THE LOVE JONES EXPERIENCE
Poetry & Jam Session. Bring your poems and instruments to our spoken word and song event.
All poets welcome. Amateurs welcome and encouraged to perform.
$5.00 cover. Hosted by Darlene Brandon Scott.
The Russell
103 Pratt Street
Hartford, CT
www.therussellct.com
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Monday, July 27 2009
7:30pm
ANYTHING GOES!
Anything Goes! for this open mike - spoken word, poetry etc. We have a piano and congas. Refreshments available.
Hosted by Jennifer Shafer Wood. Meets every Monday.
7:30pm sign up; 8:00pm start. $3.00 donation.
The Buttonwood Tree
605 Main Street
Middletown, CT
860-347-4957
thebuttonwoodtree@gmail.com
www.buttonwood.org
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Monday, July 27 2009
9:00pm
BEATNIK 2000
Music and poetry every Monday night, hosted by Ed Leonard. No Cover.
www.cafenine.com/schedule.html
Cafe 9
250 State Street
New Haven, CT
203-789-8281
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Tuesday, July 28 2009
7:30pm
POEMALLEY at Curley’s Diner
Read poetry, discuss writing and other topics of interest.
Curley’s Diner
62 West Park Place
Stamford, CT
203-327-3716
ayarmal@earthlink.net
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Wednesday, July 29 2009
7:30pm - 10:00pm
WEDNESDAY NIGHT POETRY SERIES
featuring Dog Days of Summer Open Mike
Too hot? Get your iced poetry right here! This open mike is dedicated to poems of water fights, of restless heat sleeping, of working and sweating, or taking vacations, or not taking vacations because of the economy or dogs in the lake or the bathtub, lawn mower trials, squirrels inside, skunks under the porch, kids running wild, of gardens and lemonade stands, air conditioners that break, or odes to parts of the world where it’s too hot in other ways, ice caps that melt, etc.
As always, though we like to keep the theme, you can read anything you are hot and bothered to read. Sign up starts around 7:45pm. Usually in our open mike, readers get three poems or five minutes. But on a theme night, sometimes the sign up list is called up twice, so bring poems! Come down and get in the hot seat!
WNPS, the longest running weekly poetry series in Connecticut, boasts an open mike, feature poets, a Q&A with the feature, and a poetry critique workshop. For more info, visit the website: www.wedpoetry.net.
Molten Java Coffee Roasters, LLC
102 Greenwood Avenue
Bethel, CT
203-739-0313
.......................................................................................
Thursday, July 30 2009
7:00pm - 10:00pm
THURSDAY NIGHT POETRY
Open Mike Poetry Reading at Bean & Leaf. Old poets read, new voices heard. A new venue with “a killer sound system and lots of delicious teas and coffee and pastries.” Visit the website for more information: www.bean-leaf.com.
Bean & Leaf cafe
13 Washington St.
New London, CT
860-701-0000
.......................................................................................
Friday, July 31 2009
6:00pm
OPEN MIKE FRIDAY
There is an open mike each Friday at LaSalle Market. Poets, musicians, local talent of any type is invited. Stop by and check it out—then show us what you’ve got.
LaSalle Market
104 Main Street
Collinsville, CT
www.lasallemarket.com
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