Congratulations to three Mad Poets on their awards in the annual Charlotte Miller Simon Poetry Contest given by the Ardmore Library.
Joseph Dorazio won first prize and both Linda M. Fischer and Amy E. Laub received honorable mentions. The winners will be reading their poems at the awards ceremony tomorrow, Sunday, March 17, at 2:00 p.m. in the Lower Merion Township Bldg., 75 East Lancaster Ave., Ardmore.
Come one, come all!
This Thursday, at 7p.m., please join the Mad Poets mixed-genre reading series at Milkboy Acoustic Cafe in Bryn Mawr as we celebrate National Women’s History Month with three phenomenal women writers and performers. We’ll bring together a poet, a travel writer, and a performance artist in one eclectic and energizing event. Of course, we’ll follow it all up with our open mic contest! So come for the fabulous reading & bring out your own stuff to share!
First, meet the lovely ladies we’ll be listening to:
Jennifer J. Beaumont, Travel Writer
Jennifer J. Beaumont is a travel writer who was born in Jamaica and has spent her life exploring different places. An educator by profession, and a writer by avocation, she learns about life through travel. With an adventurous spirit, she is constantly in search of those things, large and small, spoken and unspoken, actualized and yet to be conceived, that evoke an “A-HAâ€, eyes full of wonder, smiles of unexpected delight, laughs of unmitigated pleasure, the seemingly incongruous linking of facts. She is unafraid of trying new things. Her newest project is a documentary – The Miracle Team – about Trinidad and Tobago’s men’s 4 x400 relay team that earned a bronze medal at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan and then set a world record in 1966 at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica. You can read her work on her blog: http://jenniferjbeaumont.com/.
Gabrielle De Burke, aka Plum Dragoness
A native of West Philadelphia, Gabrielle de Burke (a.k.a. Plum Dragoness) is a multi-talented thespian, dancer & poetess who has been involved with theater since childhood. Throughout her early years, she studied various visual & performing arts media to cultivate her expressive theatrical personality while earning her BA in Theater from Temple University, with an exploratory concentration in African/Modern Dance, World Music, Jazz Voice & Anthropology. Gabrielle has had a profound interest in the performing arts that involved her in cross-cultural ventures that bridge the gaps between traditional sacred/secular dance, theatre and present day urban expressions of life. Her background in costume production, dance, voice, stage/film acting, poetry as performance & martial/internal arts techniques make a significant contribution to her creation of innovative performance art.
She is well-known for her performances & choreographic style throughout the Philadelphia area & abroad. Her work has been featured in local venues such as the Philly Fringe Fest, Painted Bride Art Center, World Café Live, the Rotunda, LadyFest Philly, the Kimmel & the Annenberg Centers for the Performing Arts. She has performed nationally at the Times Square Performing Arts Center in NYC, the Whittaker Center in Harrisburg, PA & the Kennedy Center in Washington. D.C., as well as festivals that include Ultraworld, Gaian Mind & Philadelphia EXperiment in Baltimore & Fredrick, MD, the Earthdance Festival in Laytonville, CA & the Burning Man Festival in Black Rock City, NV. In addition, she has presented on international stages like Om Festivals in Northern Ontario, the Global Roots festival & the Grand Theater in Toronto, Canada, the Rossport Gathering (as part of the Rossport Solidarity Shell to Sea Campaign) in County Mayo, Ireland & the Montezuma Gathering in Montezuma, Costa Rica.
In addition to her solo work, Gabrielle was a founding member and core performer from 2001 to 2006 in the black light mask theater troupe ArcheDream. As a core member of the company, she performed, choreographed, created costumes & acted as Assistant Artistic Director.
Gabrielle continues her commitment to the west Philadelphia community by organizing a free ongoing performance series going into its 10th season at the Rotunda for Foundation Arts called “Poet-tree en Motion.†She also formed the musical group known as “Plum Dragoness & the Elements,†who just released an album of spoken word/poetry accompanied by world music compositions called “Renaissance of a Poetess.â€
Sarah Spath, poet
Sarah Spath is a poet and educator who is relatively new to Philadelphia. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University–Los Angeles and is a graduate of the Transition to Teaching program at Indiana University. Currently, she works as the Tutorial Coordinator at Philadelphia University.
Thursday, November 11, 7pm the Mad Poets Society will feature Joe Roarty and open mic contest winner Elliot Levy at Milkboy Acoustic Cafe in Bryn Mawr. I’ve been looking forward to this reading all year… and that was based on only having Joe Roarty confirmed. Now that we’ve got our contest winner (Congrats again Elliot!), I’m even more excited.
Joe Roarty has been a regular at Milkboy for about 2 years. I will never forget his first open mic reading: he read a seemingly simple poem about fixing a car, complete with sound effects made by blowing air through his lips and shaking his head (imagine a balloon loosing air & flying through the air). I have to admit, I thought he was quite possibly a little insane. After a few more open mics, I realized he was probably closer to a genius… and most definitely a mad poet. Joe doesn’t read, he performs, usually punctuating his poems with a hand-held drum and other sound effects. But for me, his best instrument is his voice, which rises, falls, whispers, booms, screams, and yowls to blast his poems alive. A performance by Joe Roarty is not something you will soon forget. Don’t believe me? Check it out:
Our open mic winner is one of the few poets out there who can match Joe’s energy.
Elliot Levy, winner of the Milkboy open mic contest
Elliot Levy is a young poet — and I mean young — high school young. And very green in poetry — he just started writing last year. But his poems are inspired and powerful. His work shows the strong influence of spoken word poetry and hip hop. His poems use steady, pounding rhythms to carry his significant messages. Elliot took the open mic contest with only three readings, beating out regulars who participated every single month. Clearly, he is a force to be reckoned with.
As always, the reading starts at 7pm with the featured readings followed by an open mic. This is our last reading till 2011, so let’s make it a real party!
…Elliot Levy, senior at Harriton High School (yes, you read that right: high school), has won the open mic contest at Milkboy Acoustic Cafe in Bryn Mawr.
Elliot Levy, winner of the Milkboy open mic contest
Elliot is a senior at Harriton High School. He has been writing poetry since his Junior year and started performing at open mics during the beginning of this year. He co-founded the Harriton Poetry Club and hopes to compete in the Brave New Voices national competition this summer. Besides writing poetry, Elliot plays football and wrestles for his high school team. He has two supportive parents and a cat named Winston who inspires him daily.
Elliot will be featured in the November reading, next week, alongside Milkboy regular Joe Roarty. In the end, it was a close contest. Our runners up were Betti Kahn and, just one vote behind, Howard Lieberman. I expect we’ll be hearing more from these poets in next years open mics!
Congratulations to Elliot! And thanks to everyone who came out & read in the Milkboy open mic this year. It is because of you that this series is so awesome each and every month. I can’t wait to see everyone next week for our last reading of the year: Thursday November 11, 7pm. Be there!!
This Thursday the fun continues at Milkboy with an evening of poetry, spoken word, and general shenanigans from Philadelphia artists Stephanie Durann & St. Skribbly Lacroix. Expect to be inspired, agitated, amused, bemused, and befuddled… you name it. Here’s why:
Stephanie Durann, poet
Stephanie Durann is a writer from Philadelphia, PA who has performed under various reading series, festivals and cabarets in the city including Poets and Prophets, LadyFest Philly, Univers-all Voices, Black Women’s Arts Festival, the Sedgwick Theater, and several reading series at Moonstone Arts Center (fka Robin’s Bookstore).  She won Honorable Mention for her poetry in Byline Magazine in 2001 and was one of four winners of the Power99fm/Def Poetry Jam Contest in 2002. Her work was also featured in several publications including Hinge Online and The Worcester Review.  She was also a participant in the National Book Foundation Summer Writing Camp in 2004.  She produced her first chapbook, The Rites of Individual Passage in 2003. Recently, she co-hosted for and read for the Light of Unity Reading Series and the Soul Connection, Philly Alternative Soul.  Currently, her main goal is to permanently leave the cubicle farm.
Genre-bender St. Skribbly Lacroix
Defying the genre-”nazis” as writer, performer, comedic sketch artist, actor, singer, songwriter,model and photographer, Skribbly LaCroix blends all of his talents and skills in a cutting edge  matrimony between performance art and pop-culture. LaCroix is the host of the immensely popular music performance series ROCKERS! He is a founding member of the performance collective known as the Unf*ckwittables. Forever developing new ways to push creative manifestation to new levels, LaCroix not only tests new waters every time he steps on stage but the patience and gag reflex of (and nowhere near exclusive to) Christians, moralists, feminists, puppy lovers and poets everywhere. His first book The Pen Is Mightier Than the Lord is set to release early 2011.
…And if that’s not enough, we’ve got some edge-of-your-seat action in the open mic contest. Here are the standings. Above all things, this reading promises good times. Be there: Thursday, Oct 14th, 7pm.
Not exactly a week in preview, since it’s Tuesday — almost Wednesday at this point. Luckily, we haven’t missed anything good yet!
Here’s what we’ve got coming up:
Wed, Oct 13th, 6:30pm: MPS Critique Circle at the Coffee Club in Media, Pa., facilitated by Amy Laub. Bring 15 copies of one of your own poems that is “under construction,†for roundtable critique & discussion. Free & open to public.
Thurs, Oct 14th, 7pm: St. Skribbly Lacroix & Stephanie Durann at Milkboy Acoustic Cafe in Bryn Mawr, Pa., hosted by Autumn Konopka. The featured reading is followed by our open mic — and the last opportunity to read for the open mic contest & shoot for a featured slot in November.
Sat, Oct 16th, 7pm: Aaren Perry & Therese Halscheid read for Otherwise – Poetry at Churchill, in Pottstown, Pa., hosted by Glenn McLaughlin. Featured readings followed by an open mic — and the last chance for the contest spot at Churchill’s. Note: This reading was postponed from last week. So if you thought you missed it, you’ve got a second chance!
Sorry for the late notice, but the reading schedule for tonight at Churchill’s in Pottstown has been postponed until next week, October 16th. So, don’t go to Churchill’s tonight — at least not for poetry. If you’re in the area & you’re looking for some tasty pastries, Churchill’s is your place. But if you’re looking for poetry, featuring Aaren Perry and Therese Halscheid, you’ve got to come back next Saturday October 16th at 7pm. Turns out both of these poets are involved in the Dodge Poetry Festival (which is happening as I type in Newark, NJ) and we all failed to notice the conflict until earlier this week.
So, at the risk of being exceedingly redundant: that’s next Saturday, October 16th, Otherwise Poetry at Churchill, featuring the amazing poets Aaren Perry & Therese Halscheid. Not only that, this reading is the last chance to participate in the Mad Poets Open Mic Contest at Churchill.
In case you need some more convincing, here are the readers’ bios:
Aaren Perry, poet
Aaren Perry has performed his work at venues from the Nuyorican to the Kimmel Center to the World Cafe. He has taught writing workshops at schools and colleges on the East Coast and in the Midwest for over 20 years. Perry is published in local and national literary journals and has appeared on National Public Radio and on regional television broadcasts. He produced and directed a long-running cable poetry show on DUTV. Bilingual and holding an MFA from Vermont College, he received a PA Council on the Arts Grant. Aaren is an Organizational Development consultant with Team Builders Plus. His books OPEN FIRE (Whirlwind Press, 2004), POETRY ACROSS THE CURRICULUM: An Action Guide for Elementary Teachers (Pearson, 1997), as well as his spokenword CD, MERCURY CALLING (MelodyVision, 2000) are available at bookstores and by emailing ayperry [at] aol [dot] com.
Therese Halscheid, poet
Therése Halscheid is author of three poetry collections: Powertalk (1995), Without Home (Kells, 2001) and Uncommon Geography (Carpenter Gothic, 2006). Uncommon Geography received a 2007 Finalist Award from the Paterson Poetry Book Prize. She also won a chapbook award by Pudding House Publications, as part of their 2007 Greatest Hits series. Like record albums, Greatest Hits is a collection of twelve poems spanning the writing life of the poet, prefaced with a narrative that weaves the poet’s life with the body of work. She was awarded a 2003 Fellowship for poetry from NJ State Council on the Arts, and has received awards from literary journals, as well as a Geraldine R. Dodge Fellowship to Vermont Studio Center. Her writings, both poetry and prose, have appeared in numerous magazines. Since 1998, she has been a visiting writer in schools for NJ State Council on the Arts and teaches writing courses in varied settings, including Atlantic Cape Community College and Rutgers University in NJ. As well as writing experiences in the States, she has taught in England and Russia. In 1998, she led a group of women writers to South Africa to meet South African writers. 1995, she was an Artist in Residence at Acadia National Park, ME. For the past decade, the author has been house-sitting, while traveling widely to write. This mobility, along with simple living, has helped her to sustain her writing life. Many poems chronicle travels across varied terrain. She photographs her travels, and her one woman exhibition of poetry and photography, Visual Diaries, has shown in galleries. See her website: ThereseHalscheid.com to view features, reviews of her books, resume, contact information, photography, poems.
It’s a busy week, so I’ll skip all the witty preamble and get straight to the particulars. I’ll post more on each reading throughout the week. Be sure to follow us on twitter (@MadPoetsSociety)Â so you’re in the know.
Tues., Oct. 5th, 7-10pm: Open mic for poets & musicians at Steel City Coffeehouse in Phoenixville, hosted by Stu O’Connor and Mary Kathryn Morgeneier. Sign up at 6:30pm.
Wed., Oct. 6th, 7pm: Potpourri of Poetry, a new MPS series at the Park House Cafe in Ridley Park. The debut reading will feature Dave Worrell, followed by an open mic. This reading is free & open to the public. Hosted by Camelia Nocella.
Thurs., Oct. 7th, 7pm: Book party for Bill Van Buskirk, winner of the Mad Poets’ Joie DeVivre Book Award. Van Buskirk will read and sign copies of his winning book, This Wild Joy that Thrills Outside the Law, selected by renowned Philadelphia poet and editor Louis McKee. This free event will be held at the Delaware County Institute of Science.
Sat., Oct. 9th, 2-5pm: The Business of Words Workshop, led by Tamara Oakman, at the Blue Grotto in West Philadelphia.
Sat., Oct. 9th, 7pm: Therese Halscheid & Aaren Perry read for the Otherwise – Poetry at Churchill series in Pottstown.
The September open mic at Milkboy Acoustic Cafe in Bryn Mawr was a close one. The audience was really split & the majority of our readers grabbed the exact same number of votes. Our leader — Linda Fischer — eeked it out, snagging one extra vote with a poem she said was brand new & that she was just trying out. I’d say it’s a keeper, Linda!
This month, we also had an honorable mention: “I don’t think poetry is about competition” also got a vote. Three cheers. Because I double checked and “I don’t think poetry is about competition” wasn’t even on the sign up sheet. I don’t remember hearing him/her read. Perhaps I was in the loo. Â Â …okay, seriously people, get over yourselves. The contest keeps it interesting.
Alright, snark exorcised.
So, while the monthly results keep us on our toes, it’s the final tally that will give us our November reader. And right now, here’s how it stands:
1st: Elliot Levy
2nd: Howard Lieberman
3rd (tie): Betti Kahn & Stephen Delia
If this little voting experiment has taught us anything, it’s that anything can happen. I can’t wait till our next reading, Oct 14th 7pm, when this all gets decided! Not only that, but we’ve got two awesome poets lined up. See you then.