January 1, 2011

THE CONNECTICUT POET ONLINE NEWSLETTER UPDATE

Though the online newsletter has been discontinued, a weekly emailed version is still alive and well, thanks to new editor Terri Klein. You can subscribe by sending an email to ConnecticutPoet-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or by writing to Terri Klein directly at ctpoetnews@yahoo.com.

Unfortunately, the web site that hosted the Connecticut Poetry online calendar was closed by the site owner. We are working on creating a replacement and will publish a link to the site here.

Finally, continue to send any events or updates you would like added to the calendar or the weekly email newsletter to ctpoetnews@yahoo.com.

Thank you.

January 1, 2010

THE CONNECTICUT POET ONLINE NEWSLETTER - ISSUE 245


Dear CT Poet Subscribers,

As I stated in November, I have decided to step down as editor of the CT Poet Newsletter and will no longer update the CT Poet Newsletter blog. This newsletter—January, 2010—will be the last.

I will continue to update the The Connecticut Poetry online calendar at the Poetz.com website, so you will still be able to find poetry readings and events around Connecticut by visiting www.poetz.com/connecticut. Please continue to send any events or updates you would like added to the calendar to ctpoetnews@yahoo.com.

Though the Newsletter will be suspended, I will keep the ConnecticutPoet Yahoo! Group active, in case someone else decides to take over as editor.

Thank you again for all your support of the newsletter and of poetry in Connecticut. It has been a wonderful experience for me, and I hope to see you at a reading sometime. (Like on Jan 30 at the Buttonwood in Middletown!)

Sincerely,
John Jeffrey

______________________________________________________________

Poetry in Connecticut - January, 2010

TABLE OF CONTENTS________________________________________
  • Quotes
  • Poem of the Month
  • Book of the Month
  • Website of the Month
  • News Items / Writing Workshops
  • Poetry Calendar for January
  • Subscription and Contact Information

I:__QUOTES________________________________________________


Any poet, if he is to survive beyond his 25th year, must alter; he must seek new literary influences; he will have different emotions to express.
  – T. S. Eliot

I prefer to explore the most intimate moments, the smaller, crystallized details we all hinge our lives on.
  – Rita Dove

A line will take us hours maybe; Yet if it does not seem a moment’s thought, our stitching and unstinting has been naught.
  – William Butler Yeats


II:__POEM OF THE MONTH__________________________________

SLUMBER-SONG

Siegfried Sassoon (1886–1967)

Sleep; and my song shall build about your bed
A paradise of dimness. You shall feel
The folding of tired wings; and peace will dwell
Throned in your silence: and one hour shall hold
Summer, and midnight, and immensity
Lulled to forgetfulness. For, where you dream,
The stately gloom of foliage shall embower
Your slumbering thought with tapestries of blue.
And there shall be no memory of the sky,
Nor sunlight with its cruelty of swords.
But, to your soul that sinks from deep to deep
Through drowned and glimmering colour, Time shall be
Only slow rhythmic swaying; and your breath;
And roses in the darkness; and my love.


III:__BOOK OF THE MONTH_________________________________
Each month we highlight a book of poetry by a Connecticut author.

2009 LONG RIVER RUN

Instead of a book by a single author, this month we highlight a journal with poems by over 60 Connecticut poets.Long River Run is the members journal of the Connecticut Poetry Society. The poems in it are submitted by the members and published in the journal without editorial intervention; in other words, they publish whatever is sent. This format results in some uneven poetry being published, but it’s fun to look for names of people you know, and there are some fine poems, as well. The journal also publishes the winners of the several poetry contests sponsored by the Connecticut Poetry Society.

The journal is free to members of the Connecticut Poetry Society. The $25 membership fee ($10 for students) includes not only the Long River Run journal, but also Connecticut River Review (a national poetry journal), local and national newsletters, CPS sponsored contests and events, and ten chapters throughout the state. It’s a good deal, and worth the membership fee. I would encourage poets in Connecticut to consider joining, if even only for the journals. The membership dues are due in April, so you have a few months to pay off the holiday bills first.

The 2009 Long River Run is published by the Connecticut Poetry Society and will be released in January, 2010. If you are not a member, you can order a copy for $12.00 through the website, at ct-poetry-society.org. There is also information on joining, as well.


IV:__WEBSITE OF THE MONTH______________________________

POETRY ON YOUTUBE

YouTube has become a remarkable site for viewing videos of poetry readings. And not just readings of single poems, though there are plenty of those, but of entire feature poetry readings. Here are links to long readings (between 30 and 60 minutes) by the last four poet laureates:

Kay Ryan: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yfPSnEGQEk (Ryan’s reading is broken into four parts.)
Charles Simic: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_mZ--Ua_wY
Donald Hall: www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-A6veVHhtA
Ted Kooser: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuoWarhWFXw

In addition, there are many amateur readings of classic poems, as well. Check out the YouTube account name, SpokenVerse. There is a collection of SpokenVerse (a man) reading famous poems and short stories while the verses and lines scroll by, or sometimes with an occasional picture or graphic. Supposedly, the man’s name is Tom O’Bedlam, though I’ve heard that may be fake. I don’t care: the guy has quite a voice. Check out his channel at www.youtube.com/user/SpokenVerse.

Here’s a link of John Berryman’s strange reading of Dream Song 14, his poem that begins, “Life, Friends, is Boring.” The poem starts at around 4:20, if you want to fast forward to it. Leading up to it is a ramble of an interview. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YUu3L-qGMI

Here is Hopkins’ poem “God’s Grandeur” read, lovingly, by Stanley Kunitz. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk5uiJFSSrM

And here are two interesting animated videos of Billy Collins’ poems: “The Dead” - www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuTNdHadwbk and “Forgetfulness” - www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-a8ELOVig4

There are many. many videos of readings by contemporary poets. (Try searching by the poet’s name.) Look around. Have fun. But put some time aside before you do; otherwise you’ll look up and suddenly a couple of hours will have gone by.


V:__NEWS ITEMS / WRITING WORKSHOPS____________________

Friday, January 8 2010
10:00am - 11:30am


FROM JOURNAL TO POEM: FINDING THE DEEP VOICE
A four-part writing workshop

A four-part writing workshop, From Journal to Poem: Finding the Deep Voice, will take place at the Ridgefield Library this winter. The workshop will be led by poet and teacher Alison Woods and will take place on Friday, Jan. 8, 15, 29, and February 5, from 10:00am to 11:30am in the History Room. Registration is required by clicking on the Register button on the January 8th calendar entry or by calling the Library at 203-438-2282, Ext 1014.

This workshop is for writers of all levels of experience. Using the journal, participants will focus on the process of creating moving, believable, powerful writing, finding the deep voice and central themes unique to each individual writer. Through hand-outs (readings of poems and essays) and a series of exercises, each week builds upon the week before as the group develops into a safe and nurturing environment in which to create. “All that is needed is a desire to write and a love of language,” said Ms. Woods.

Alison Woods’ poems have been widely published in journals including The Kean Review, The National Poetry Review, and The Paris Review. She was a semi-finalist in the Discovery/The Nation contest and the Lyric Recovery Festival at Carnegie Hall and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize twice. She is also a lyricist currently collaborating with Steve Addabbo (Suzanne Vega, Shawn Colvin) writing pop, rock, and country music lyrics. She received her MFA from Columbia University and recently moved to Ridgefield, CT. She teaches at Norwalk Community College.

The program is made possible thanks to the Friends of the Library. Call 203-438-2282 or visit www.ridgefieldlibrary.org for more information.

History Room
Ridgefield Library
472 Main Street (Route 35)
Ridgefield, CT
203-438-2282 or
rdgprograms@biblio.org
www.ridgefieldlibrary.org

..........................................................................................

FOR FICTION & PROSE WRITERS: Writers Out Loud

Writers Out Loud provides a venue for prose writers to read their work and get feedback from their peers. This event occurs the second Thursday of each month (January 14, this month) at the Green Street Art Center in Middletown, which is off North Main Street, two blocks before the entrance to the Arigoni (Portland) Bridge. There are a few regular attendees, but in its two year history, an amazing variety of writers of all ages have shared themselves, coming from homes nearby and as much as two hours’ drive away.

Green Street also provides courses and workshops for writers, but this venue stands alone as an opportunity to share the work and fun of prose—be it novel excerpt, short story or memoir—with other writers, family, friends and strangers in a relaxed atmosphere. Due to limitations of time, six readers sign up each outing for ten minute orations. All are encouraged to come to listen and/or read aloud.

Co-hosts are Al Bower and Cocomo Rock.

Green Street Arts Center
51 Green Street
Middletown, CT
860-685-7871


VI:__POETRY CALENDAR FOR JANUARY_____________________
Check with venues for possible cancellations due to holidays or inclement weather

Sunday, January 3 2010
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

.......................................................................................

Monday, January 4 2010
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.

The Russell
103 Pratt Street
Hartford, CT
www.therussellct.com

.......................................................................................

Monday, January 4 2010
7:00pm

ANYTHING GOES!
An open mike with J-Cherry

Hosted by J-Cherry this warm group encourages personal development - come play with us! You’ll find Phill is available to drum along if you like. We have a piano and congas or BYO instrument, poem, dance or whatever artistic piece of yourself you’d like to share. We’re all in this together - let’s have some fun and create ourselves anew!

7:00pm sign up; 7:30pm start. $3.00-5.00 suggested donation.

The Buttonwood Tree
605 Main Street
Middletown, CT
860-347-4957
thebuttonwoodtree@gmail.com
www.buttonwood.org

.......................................................................................

Monday, January 4 2010
7:30pm - 9:00pm

POETRY BEAT

Poetry open mike at Las Vetas Lounge.

Las Vetas Lounge
1462 Post Road
Fairfield, CT
203-255-1958

.......................................................................................

Monday January 4 2010
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, January 5 2010
7:00pm - 9:00pm


SHORELINE CLUSTER POETS

Shoreline Cluster Poets meets first and third Tuesday of each month at Scranton Library. For more information, please contact Rudy Sturk at scpoets@yahoo.com.

Scranton Library
801 Boston Post Road
Madison, CT
203-245-7365

.......................................................................................

Tuesday, January 5 2010
7:30pm


POEMALLEY at Curley’s Diner
featuring Frank Chambers

Frank is the president of the Fairfield Chapter of the Connecticut Poetry Society and hosts two local poetry series at Barnes & Noble Bookstores in Stamford and Westport. His poetry has appeared in publications such as PostScript, Poetry Emerging, Long River Run, A First Tuesday in Wilton, and Wednesdays at Curley’s. Frank’s poetry reflects his vision and commitment to family and is inspired by four young muses masquerading as children.

Read poetry, discuss writing and other topics of interest.

Curley’s Diner
62 West Park Place
Stamford, CT
203-327-3716
ayarmal@earthlink.net

.......................................................................................

Wednesday, January 6 2010
7:30pm


WEDNESDAY NIGHT POETRY SERIES
featuring Haiku Slam

There will be a Haiku Slam after the open mike. The Slam mistress is Faith Vicinanza.

  FOR THE HAIKU SLAM

  Five—Seven—Five, that’s
  the form. Bring lots of haiku—
  20, 25!

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 at wedpoetry.wordpress.com.

Blue Z Coffeehouse
127 South Main Street (Route 25)
Newtown CT
203-364-0631
www.blue-z-coffeehouse.com

...........................................................................................

Thursday, January 7 2010
7:00pm

CURBSTONE PRESS READING SERIES
with Kate Rushin and Rhonda Ward

Kate Rushin is the author of The Black Back-Ups. Her poem, “The Bridge Poem,” appears in This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color, a ground-breaking feminist anthology edited by Cherríe Moraga and Gloria E. Anzaldúa. Recipient of the Rose Low Rome Memorial Poetry Prize and the Grolier Poetry Prize, her work is widely anthologized and has been published in such journals as Callaloo. A Connecticut resident, Kate currently teaches creative writing at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts.

Rhonda Ward is an Ohio native, born in Cincinnati and raised in Dayton. The youngest of six children, she began writing to get a word in edgewise. Her first influence in poetry was Paul Lawrence Dunbar. She grew up across the street from the home where he lived (now a museum honoring his legacy) and began reciting his poems in elementary school. Her poetry explores African-American culture with a universal voice, taking everyday situations to visual levels that transport listeners into the world of her childhood with surgical attention to details. She shares her experiences of the past and the present, handling her subjects with a combination of grace and spunk. Ward lives and writes in New London.

After the reading, the poets will be available for questions, discussion, and book signing.

Hygienic Art continues its evenings of monthly First Thursday Poetry readings in the Robert Rue Reading Series, funded in part by Curbstone Press. This reading is sponsored by the Robert N. Rue Education Fund at Curbstone Press, established in honor of Dr. Rue, who died in September 2007, honoring his lifelong commitment to education and good writing.

Hygienic Galleries
79-83 Bank Street
New London, CT
860-443-8001
For more information, contact Hygienic Art at 860-443-8001, email gallery@hygienic.org, or visit www.hygienic.org.

...........................................................................................

Thursday, January 7 2010
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

.......................................................................................

Sunday, January 10 2010
1:00pm


FAIRFIELD AREA POETS OPEN MIKE

Fairfield Area Poets meets each month at Barnes & Noble Bookstore in Westport.

Please come and listen to local poets. Bring a favorite poem or read your own poem at the open mike.

Barnes & Noble Booksellers Westport
Post Plaza Shopping Center
1076 Post Road East
Westport, CT
203-221-7955

.......................................................................................

Sunday, January 10 2010
2:00pm - 4:00pm


POLLY BRODY in Newtown

Author and essayist Polly Brody will read from her new book, Stirring Shadows, her fourth poetry collection. Polly holds a Masters Degree in Biology and is a veteran field ornithologist, as well as an active advocate for the environment. Her work has been published in over forty literary journals, including The Midwest Quarterly, The Spoon River Poetry Review, The Cream City Review, and many others.

Author signing and refreshments after reading.

Snow date Sunday, January 17

Cyrenius Booth Library
25 Main St.
Newtown, CT
203-426-4533

.......................................................................................

Sunday, January 10 2010
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

.......................................................................................

Monday, January 11 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. 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

.......................................................................................

Monday, January 11 2010
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.

The Russell
103 Pratt Street
Hartford, CT
www.therussellct.com

.......................................................................................

Monday, January 11 2010
7:00pm

WORDFORGE READING SERIES
presents Poetry in Spanish ó English

Favorite Poem Project: Poetry in Spanish ó English. Readings from the great tradition of poetry written in Spanish (Neruda, Paz, Lorca, and many others): Bring favorite poems to read in Spanish or bring an English translation of a poem originally written in Spanish. Open Mike.

WordForge is a series of readings featuring local poets along with an open mike. Many readings will have a theme. All events will be scheduled for Monday nights, with a 7:00pm start time.

The Studio @ Billings Forge
563 Broad Street
Hartford, CT
(Parking at Firebox Restaurant or along Broad Street.)

For more information, contact: Jim Finnegan at JforJames@aol.com or 860-508-2810

.......................................................................................

Monday, January 11 2010
7:00pm

ANYTHING GOES!
An open mike with J-Cherry

Hosted by J-Cherry this warm group encourages personal development - come play with us! You’ll find Phill is available to drum along if you like. We have a piano and congas or BYO instrument, poem, dance or whatever artistic piece of yourself you’d like to share. We’re all in this together - let’s have some fun and create ourselves anew!

7:00pm sign up; 7:30pm start. $3.00-5.00 suggested donation.

The Buttonwood Tree
605 Main Street
Middletown, CT
860-347-4957
thebuttonwoodtree@gmail.com
www.buttonwood.org

.......................................................................................

Monday, January 11 2010
7:15pm

MONDAY NIGHT POETRY in STAMFORD
presents Shijin, a poetry performance troupe

Six voices, six lives, one performance! Since 2004, Shijin, a Connecticut-New York-area poetry performance troupe, has given shows featuring a 30 minute seamless reading where one poem tucks into the one that follows it—as if they were written as one. The group has also published two poetry collections: We Shijin I and Undone, both from Hanover Press. Visit shijinlive.blogspot.com.

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

.......................................................................................

Monday January 11 2010
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, January 12 2010
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

.......................................................................................

Wednesday, January 13 2010
7:00pm


INESCAPABLE RHYTHMS

“Inescapable Rhythms,” a poetry reading and open mike series, 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.

Real Art Ways
56 Arbor St.
Hartford CT
www.realartways.org
Email questions to: ahenchey@hotmail.com

.......................................................................................

Wednesday, January 13 2010
7:30pm


WEDNESDAY NIGHT POETRY SERIES
featuring a poetry workshop

A “Found Poem” workshop after the open mike.

For features and details, please go to wedpoetry.wordpress.com

Blue Z Coffeehouse
127 South Main Street (Route 25)
Newtown CT
203-364-0631
www.blue-z-coffeehouse.com

.......................................................................................

Wednesday, January 13 2010
9:00pm


POETZ REALM

Poetz Realm is not just a physical location where artists can get together and share in their artistry. Poetz Realm also provides web services such as a social networking community which allows its members to network, upload videos, pictures , music, chat, post poetry, written work and much more. Whether it be in the form of spoken word, poetry, and emceeing, singing or simply verbal expression, Poetz Realm is the place to be.

Poetz Realm meets every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the 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 many others. “Let Your Voice Be Heard!”

Hosted by Ernel Grant, Founder/CEO

Bridgeport Innovation Center
Gallery 1212
955 Connecticut Ave
Bridgeport, CT. 06607
www.poetzrealm.com

...........................................................................................

Thursday, January 14 2010
7:00pm

MISHI-MAYA-GAT Spoken Word & Music Series
presents Brian Clements, Elizabeth Bryant, and Dennis Barone

7:00pm - Featured Musician: Barbara Hopkins, solo flute.

8:00pm - Featured Poets: “A Celebration of Quale Press” with Brian Clements, Elizabeth Bryant, and Dennis Barone.

Initially starting with the quarterly literary magazine, key satch(el), in 1997, Quale Press LLC has been publishing chapbooks and small collections of prose poetry. A full catalog of Quale Press titles, subscription information, and more information on Brian Clements, Elizabeth Bryant, and Dennis Barone, are available at: www.quale.com. Founder and editor Gian Lombardo will speak briefly about the press’s history and mission.

Brian Clements is the author of several collections of poetry, including his 2008 Quale Press title, And How to End It. Clements is also editor of the independent, non-profit press, Firewheel Editions and of Firewheel’s flagship publication, Sentence: A Journal of Prose Poetics. He is professor of Writing, Linguistics, and Creative Process at Western Connecticut State University and coordinator of WestConn’s MFA in Professional Writing.

Elizabeth Bryant’s forthcoming title from Quale Press, nevertheless enjoyment, is a series of prose poems that “build on the winding and unwinding of a relationship as seen in slant light and around corners.” Her work has appeared in several journals, including Wheelhouse and Dusie. She is the author of the chapbook Fluorescence Buzz and a forthcoming chapbook entitled, No Subject. Also forthcoming is her second, full-length book, Reality Visits the Land of Illusions. Visit elizabeth-bryant.org.

Dennis Barone’s work has appeared in the Chicago Review, The Prose Poem: An International Journal, and Quarter After Eight, among others. Barone has edited numerous collections and published several books of fiction, including Temple of the Rat and Echoes. In 1992 he held the Thomas Jefferson Chair, a distinguished lecturing award in the Netherlands. Left Hand Books published an edition of his selected poems, Separate Objects, in 1998. He is a professor of English and director of the American Studies Program at Saint Joseph College in West Hartford. Quale Press has published several works of his: Precise Machine, Walking Backwards, and The Disguise of Events, and the most recent, North Arrow.

Readings on the 2nd Thursday of each month. Free and Open to the Public.
Sponsored by the MCC Foundation. Hosted by Stephen Campiglio.

Fireside Commons, Learning Resource Center
Manchester Community College
Great Path
Manchester, CT
For more information or directions, please visit the Mishi-maya-gat web page at www.mcc.commnet.edu.

...........................................................................................

Thursday, January 14 2010
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

.......................................................................................

Saturday, January 16 2010
2:00pm - 4:00pm

WILTON CHAPTER of CT POETRY SOCIETY

Wilton Chapter of the CT Poetry Society (formerly Saugatuck Chapter) will meet in Room A of the Wilton Library in Wilton Center. Meeting format will be the structured workshop held for several prior meetings. Bring one poem and copies of it for the other participants.

Poems should be no longer than 2 pages of Times Roman, Font 12.

Reference desk can direct you to Room A

Wilton Library
137 Old Ridgefield Road
Wilton, CT
203-762-3950

.......................................................................................

Sunday, January 17 2010
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

.......................................................................................

Monday, January 18 2010
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, January 18 2010
7:00pm

ANYTHING GOES!
An open mike with J-Cherry

Hosted by J-Cherry this warm group encourages personal development - come play with us! You’ll find Phill is available to drum along if you like. We have a piano and congas or BYO instrument, poem, dance or whatever artistic piece of yourself you’d like to share. We’re all in this together - let’s have some fun and create ourselves anew!

7:00pm sign up; 7:30pm start. $3.00-5.00 suggested donation.

The Buttonwood Tree
605 Main Street
Middletown, CT
860-347-4957
thebuttonwoodtree@gmail.com
www.buttonwood.org

......................................................................................

Monday January 18 2010
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, January 19 2010
7:00pm


THE ORDINARY EVENING READING SERIES
featuring Lisa Siedlarz and Sheila Kohler

Lisa Siedlarz’s debut poet collection, I Dream My Brother Plays Baseball, was published in 2009 by Clemson University Digital Press. Lisa holds a Masters in Fine Arts from Western Connecticut State University. She is the editor of Connecticut River Review and managing editor of Connecticut Review. She has won the John Holmes Poetry Prize and the Leo Connellan Award and was nominated for the 2009 Best New Poets Award. She also facilitated a 16-week writing workshop with Vietnam veterans and edited a collection of their work called The Season of Now. Lisa works for Southern Connecticut State University and lives in New Haven.

Sheila Kohler’s most recent novel, Becoming Jane Eyre, will be published in January 2010 by Viking, Penguin. She has written six other novels: The Perfect Place; The House on R Street; Cracks; Children of Pithiviers; Crossways; and Bluebird or the Invention of Happiness; and three collections of short stories: Miracles in America; One Girl; and Stories from Another World. Her work has been translated in a variety of languages including Hebrew and Japanese and published widely abroad, and has appeared in a host of top publications. Sheila has received the O.Henry twice, the Open Voice Award, the Smart Family Foundation prize, The Willa Cather Prize, and the Antioch Review Prize. In addition, Sheila was a fellow at the New York Public Library’s Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers in 2003-4.

The Ordinary Evening Reading Series was created to bring emerging and established poets and writers to New Haven, and to enrich the already robust artistic, cultural, and literary scene in the Elm City. The readings take place on a Tuesday at 7:00pm in the Anchor Bar’s Mermaid Room. Seating is limited so get there early!

The Anchor Bar’s Mermaid Room (Downstairs)
272 College Street
New Haven, CT
203-865-1512
ordinaryevening.blogspot.com

.......................................................................................

Tuesday, January 19 2010
7:00pm - 9:00pm


SHORELINE CLUSTER POETS

Shoreline Cluster Poets meets first and third Tuesday of each month at Scranton Library. For more information, please contact Rudy Sturk at scpoets@yahoo.com.

Scranton Library
801 Boston Post Road
Madison, CT
203-245-7365

.......................................................................................

Tuesday, January 19 2010
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, January 20 2010
7:00pm


WEDNESDAY NIGHT POETRY SERIES
featuring Sympetalous

Direct from the 60’s, wild-eyed poet-guy Sympetalous will read his own all-natural hipster beat poetry. The following poem is what Sympetalous sent as a bio:

  A mild mannered reporter for The Subterranean Homesick News
  hears the call of fate and suddenly awakes Some Velvet Morning
  when he’s straight then starts to sway and write this way
  for no apparent planetary reason save the subtle motion
  of a Deep Blue Moon and the Red Dwarf Stars…

  And all the while a Whirling Earth performs
  one full ellipsis around an ever Sacred Sun and soon
  bright pulsing words from Pipes of Pan now rise & soar
  and hang a bit about a pointed space filled with heat & light
  and pairs of eager ears open wide to vivid minds
  some even willing to shoot the rapids
  and then float the calms
  of this Stream o’ Con
  Ki-o-tay
  !

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 at wedpoetry.wordpress.com.

Blue Z Coffeehouse
127 South Main Street (Route 25)
Newtown CT
203-364-0631
www.blue-z-coffeehouse.com

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Thursday, January 21 2010
12:30pm - 2:00pm


TIME OUT FOR POETRY

Ogden Nash, Robert Frost, William Shakespeare, Dr. Seuss, Emily Dickinson and maybe even the Burma Shave verses will live again at Madison’s Scranton Library. Area residents are invited to share their favorite poems on the third Thursday of every month, when it will be “Time Out for Poetry.” This informal gathering is free and welcomes those who wish to share two or three short poems, or simply to listen. “Time Out for Poetry” will provide, as Robert Frost defined poetry, “a momentary stay against confusion.”

This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Scranton Library and hosted by Susannah Graedel. For further information please call her at 203-421-1961.

Local History Room
Scranton Library
801 Boston Post Road
Madison, CT
203-245-7365

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Thursday, January 21 2010
6:30pm


WORD OF MOUTH POETRY SERIES

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, January 21 2010
7:00pm


WINTONBURY BRANCH POETRY SERIES
featuring Alexandria Sergio

Wintonbury Branch Poetry Series & Open Mike presents Alexandria Sergio, author of a recent collection, My Daughter is Drummer in the Rock ‘n Roll Band. She is first prize-winner in the 2007 Connecticut Senior Poetry Contest and has published widely in many journals, including in Caduceus and the Connecticut River Review.

An open mike follows the featured poet. Free admission, refreshments included. Watch for announcements of “theme” nights for our open mike sessions. For more information, please call the Wintonbury Branch at 860-242-0041.

Wintonbury Branch Library
1015 Blue Hills Avenue
Bloomfield, CT
www.prosserlibrary.info/wintonbury_branch.htm

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Thursday, January 21 2010
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, January 21 2010
7:30pm - 9:00pm


THIRD THURSDAY OPEN MIC

Open mike poetry reading on the third Thursday of every month at the Stamford Borders.

Borders Bookstore
1041 High Ridge Road (near Merritt Parkway exit 35)
Stamford, CT
Phone: 203-968-9700

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Friday, January 22 2010
7:00pm - 8:00pm

WESTMINSTER SCHOOL POETRY SERIES

Westminster School will host a series of literary readings given by students, teachers and guest writers in the Gund Reading Room of its Armour Academic Center. The readings are free and open to the public. Upcoming readings are scheduled on Jan. 22, Feb. 26, April 16, and May 21. Refreshments will be served at the conclusion of the readings and ample parking will be available in the parking lot adjacent to the Armour Academic Center.

Gund Reading Room
Armour Academic Center
Westminster School
995 Hopmeadow Street
Simsbury, CT

Anyone wishing additional information about the reading series should contact Michael Cervas at 860-784-1865.

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Sunday, January 24 2010
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, January 25 2010
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, January 25 2010
7:00pm

ANYTHING GOES!
An open mike with J-Cherry

Hosted by J-Cherry this warm group encourages personal development - come play with us! You’ll find Phill is available to drum along if you like. We have a piano and congas or BYO instrument, poem, dance or whatever artistic piece of yourself you’d like to share. We’re all in this together - let’s have some fun and create ourselves anew!

7:00pm sign up; 7:30pm start. $3.00-5.00 suggested donation.

The Buttonwood Tree
605 Main Street
Middletown, CT
860-347-4957
thebuttonwoodtree@gmail.com
www.buttonwood.org

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Monday, January 25 2010
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, January 26 2010
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, January 27 2010
7:30pm


WEDNESDAY NIGHT POETRY SERIES
featuring Return of the Hosts

“You thought they were gone but now they’re back!”

Following the open mike, the feature for the evening is a gaggle of present and former Wednesday Night Poetry hosts doing their own song and dance act...er, wait no, reading their poetry. And we have quite a pack of present and former hosts. Take a look at our Hosts page at wedpoetry.wordpress.com/hosts-2.

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 at wedpoetry.wordpress.com.

Blue Z Coffeehouse
127 South Main Street (Route 25)
Newtown CT
203-364-0631
www.blue-z-coffeehouse.com

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Wednesday, January 27 2010
9:00pm


POETZ REALM

Poetz Realm is not just a physical location where artists can get together and share in their artistry. Poetz Realm also provides web services such as a social networking community which allows its members to network, upload videos, pictures , music, chat, post poetry, written work and much more. Whether it be in the form of spoken word, poetry, and emceeing, singing or simply verbal expression, Poetz Realm is the place to be.

Poetz Realm meets every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the 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 many others.

“Let Your Voice Be Heard!”

Hosted by Ernel Grant, Founder/CEO

Bridgeport Innovation Center
Gallery 1212
955 Connecticut Ave
Bridgeport, CT. 06607
www.poetzrealm.com

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Thursday, January 28 2010
6:30pm

RIVERWOOD POETRY SERIES presents The UNDERWOOD CAFE
featuring Kate Rushin

Kate Rushin is the author of The Black Back-Ups. Her poem, “The Bridge Poem,” appears in This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color, a ground-breaking feminist anthology edited by Cherríe Moraga and Gloria E. Anzaldúa. Her work is widely anthologized and has been published in such journals as Callaloo.

A Connecticut resident, Kate currently teaches creative writing at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts. Previously, she taught at Wesleyan University as Associate Professor and Visiting Poet. She has read and presented workshops at HillStead Museum’s Sunken Garden Poetry Festival, and has led workshops for the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies and Cave Canem Foundation. She has served as a judge for the Connecticut State University-IMPAC Young Writers Award, the Connecticut Poetry Circuit Student Poetry Contest, and the NEA’s/Poetry Foundation’s Poetry Out Loud. Kate received her B.A. from Oberlin College and her M.F.A. from Brown University. She is a former Fellow of The Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown and a graduate fellow of Cave Canem Foundation.

The Underwood Cafe at Wood Memorial Library: entertaining and thought-provoking poetry in a relaxed, cafe-style atmosphere. Open mike follows the feature. Refreshments. Admission is free: donations gratefully accepted. Donations of non-perishable foods will also be accepted for the benefit of St. Vincent de Paul food pantry. More info: www.riverwoodpoetry.org or www.woodmemoriallibrary.org.

Wood Memorial Library
783 Main Street
South Windsor, CT
860-289-1783

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Thursday, January 28 2010
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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Saturday, January 30 2010
6:30pm


THE RIVERWOOD POETRY SERIES at Buttonwood
presents John Jeffrey and David Leff

John Jeffrey is editor of the internet-based CT Poet Newsletter. His fiction and poetry have appeared in journals such as The Fairfield Review, Bent Pin Quarterly, and the Connecticut River Review, among others, and he has read at numerous venues around the state. Years ago, John earned a double degree in writing and literature, but he has spent his adult life trying to unlearn what he was taught.

David K. Leff is a freelance writer from Collinsville, Connecticut. By turns lyrical, angry, and philosophical, his poems are always elegant in language, accurate in observation, and passionate in point of view. His essays and fiction have appeared in newspapers and magazines, and he has written two non-fiction books: The Last Undiscovered Place, a Connecticut Book Award finalist, and Deep Travel. A graduate of the University Of Connecticut School of Law, Leff was a Deputy Commissioner with the Connecticut DEP until his retirement in 2006.

Suggested donation is $3.00 and a non-perishable food item to be donated to the local soup kitchen/food pantry. Non-perishable food donations welcome to benefit the St. Vincent de Paul Place. Goodwill donations welcome. See www.riverwoodpoetry.org for details.

The Buttonwood Tree
605 Main Street
Middletown, CT
860-347-4957
thebuttonwoodtree@gmail.com
www.buttonwood.org

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Sunday, January 31 2010
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


VII:__SUBSCRIPTION AND CONTACT INFORMATION_________

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