Tonight's the night. Open mic, Valentine verse, or not. Your call.
Remember, Midtown Scholar, Almost Uptown Poetry Cartel.
Doors open at 6:45pm. 1302 N. Third. Don't forget! https://twitter.com/gadZookia/status/1095940753027678208
Thursday, February 14, 2019
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Thinking of Ng, a Steelton performance, May 2, 2001
The only promoted tangible episode of "Thinkin' bout Ng" (a 5-year-long [1998-2003]
performance-art piece) took place at this Steelton poetry event. Esworthy and
O'Leary-Rockey, seated, spoke by cassette-taped transcription-- i.e. no lips were
moved-- simulating thought transmission. Esworthy and O'Leary-Rockey
were seated in the audience. The rest of the audience had absolutely no clue
as to what was going on. But it did go on. In that regard, it was quite successful.
performance-art piece) took place at this Steelton poetry event. Esworthy and
O'Leary-Rockey, seated, spoke by cassette-taped transcription-- i.e. no lips were
moved-- simulating thought transmission. Esworthy and O'Leary-Rockey
were seated in the audience. The rest of the audience had absolutely no clue
as to what was going on. But it did go on. In that regard, it was quite successful.
Thursday, January 10, 2019
Jack Benny and You, Peppers-- You! Mein Twofer.
.
Jack Benny Remembers Tides; I Remember You
There is a tide in the affairs of men, women, and children.
A flood too, Rolling like wildfire across the plains.
Across Nebraska. Yes, across, it is.
And a comma after women.
Flash, BAM! Alakazam,
indeed. Through the states
the systems roar, sez Al Roker
& others of ilk.
Across the wide Missouri. Yes, the.
No one unleashes the soaring, heroic power and
poetic potential of the violin more profoundly than Brahms.
-------------------
Astronomy, the Sweetest Pepper
Asteroids are of no danger to the pure of heart.
They fall, benign as snowflakes into rivers, lakes and swimming holes.
Great, deep, unendingly brutish holes near and far, and high above
the frayed nerves of speech therapists in love.
Everywhere, devil-may-care love, love.
Love. It's all good. More pathetic than Shelley,
more minuscule than a mite, right?
Luck, be degrading tonight: more powerful than sparklers, metaphysical
locoweed, or the truly needy. More trivial than, say, Halston, or unbranded
cattle. Hush, listen: they're lowing as we speak.
*** ** * *** ** * *** ** * *** ** *
Hush, Lowing in Progress. Hush, knowing no shame or fear. Gentle.
Oblivious. More boric than acid-washed jeans.
More brazen than Finger Lakes. Buoyant as a child's lost balloon,
the Adirondack Mountains are still growing, yeah,
maybe a foot taller every 100 years.
Faster than the Himalayas in Asia. Stronger than Al Hirt.
Trippier than a kaleidoscope in a strobe-lit cellar. Yes.
More hip, even, than Tony Strupchevsky, buried in my purple yearbook,
buried in my purple yearbook, lo these many, many years.
--mge
Jack Benny Remembers Tides; I Remember You
There is a tide in the affairs of men, women, and children.
A flood too, Rolling like wildfire across the plains.
Across Nebraska. Yes, across, it is.
And a comma after women.
Flash, BAM! Alakazam,
indeed. Through the states
the systems roar, sez Al Roker
& others of ilk.
Across the wide Missouri. Yes, the.
No one unleashes the soaring, heroic power and
poetic potential of the violin more profoundly than Brahms.
-------------------
Astronomy, the Sweetest Pepper
Asteroids are of no danger to the pure of heart.
They fall, benign as snowflakes into rivers, lakes and swimming holes.
Great, deep, unendingly brutish holes near and far, and high above
the frayed nerves of speech therapists in love.
Everywhere, devil-may-care love, love.
Love. It's all good. More pathetic than Shelley,
more minuscule than a mite, right?
Luck, be degrading tonight: more powerful than sparklers, metaphysical
locoweed, or the truly needy. More trivial than, say, Halston, or unbranded
cattle. Hush, listen: they're lowing as we speak.
*** ** * *** ** * *** ** * *** ** *
Hush, Lowing in Progress. Hush, knowing no shame or fear. Gentle.
Oblivious. More boric than acid-washed jeans.
More brazen than Finger Lakes. Buoyant as a child's lost balloon,
the Adirondack Mountains are still growing, yeah,
maybe a foot taller every 100 years.
Faster than the Himalayas in Asia. Stronger than Al Hirt.
Trippier than a kaleidoscope in a strobe-lit cellar. Yes.
More hip, even, than Tony Strupchevsky, buried in my purple yearbook,
buried in my purple yearbook, lo these many, many years.
--mge
Friday, December 7, 2018
Holiday book choice: After the Aughts, Marty Esworthy
AFTER the AUGHTS, Worte und Musik, Marty Esworthy.
Truly a requirement for any modern aesthete's library. --Kyle R. Burton
http://www.lostalphabet.com/after-the-aughts/
Marty Esworthy, a leading advocate for sound poetry and meta-verse. Esworthy, a Megaera award- winning poet, editor emeritus of Steel Point Quarterly, renowned poetry impresario and founder of the Almost Uptown Poetry Cartel.
He’s been published in numerous regional and national publications, including Haggard & Halloo, text_TOWER, Literary Chaos, Fledgling Rag, The Fox Chase Review , logodaedalus, Syzygy, The International Digest of World Poetry, and The Miserere Review.
Recent Esworthy tomes include hard reality, Pacobooks, 2004, and The Object Stares Back, Uh-Oh!, T&T Press, 2009.
His collection Twenty-Six Javanese Proverbs won the 2006 R.E.Foundation Award for Outstanding Poetry from Iris G. Press in 2006. And, of course, his ground-breaking After the Aughts, Lost Alphabet, 2018.
In 2006, Esworthy set in motion A Poets’ Tour of Harrisburg, a poetic stroll through the Capital City, impressed for posterity in a book and on a CD.
A recent Pushcart nominee, he also teaches poetry composition and literary performance.
A cascade of world lyrics, AFTER the AUGHTS is a bright, genius-written, visually stunning Holiday book-choice, resoundingly acclaimed by aficionados as "best new verse collection of 2018!"
Monday, October 15, 2018
Poet Richard Robbins Oct. 18 at Midtown Scholar
October 18-- Richard L. Robbins
is Poetry Thursdays' Feature
at Midtown Scholar
Richard Robbins, featured reader at the Midtown
Scholar Bookstore, October 18, grew up in
Southern California and Montana and graduated
from San Diego State University, and University
of Montana, where he studied with Richard Hugo
and Madeline DeFrees.
Robbins currently teaches at Minnesota State
University, Mankato.
Poetry Thursdays, a weekly, long-running literary
reading series features many talented writers,
poets, and artists, as well as wonderful guest
readers and headliners.
Poetry events, always Free and open
to the Public are hosted by the
Almost Uptown Poetry Cartel.
reading series features many talented writers,
poets, and artists, as well as wonderful guest
readers and headliners.
Poetry events, always Free and open
to the Public are hosted by the
Almost Uptown Poetry Cartel.
The Cartel meets
every Thursday evening,
at the Midtown Scholar
Bookstore, 1302 North Third Street, (across
from the Broad Street Market) Harrisburg,
17102. Call 717.236.1680
every Thursday evening,
at the Midtown Scholar
Bookstore, 1302 North Third Street, (across
from the Broad Street Market) Harrisburg,
17102. Call 717.236.1680
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
One Night Only-- Barbara DeCesare-- September 13!
Barbara DeCesare, on September 13,
will be featured versifier at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore.
Doors open at 6:50pm, and good seats are limited so come early, especially in the event you'd like to perform in a brief, but vigorous, open reading
which will precede DeCesare's presentation.
Barbara DeCesare speaks directly to you with simplicity, naturalness, and her own brand of humor that questions just about anything she finds interesting, tender, painful, and/or cruel. She's quite a fascinating performer.
DeCesare earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College and teaches Creative Writing for HACC York. She is the author of the collections Jigsaweyesore, Adrift, Silent Type, some acts of fiction and a billion tiny plays. Poems and fiction by Barbara DeCesare have appeared in many literary journals, including Poetry, Alaska Quarterly, and Gargoyle Magazine.
The Almost Uptown Poetry Cartel hosts open readings every Thursday at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore, 1302 North Third Street, Harrisburg, PA 17102 from 7-9PM.
More: 717.236.1680
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
Marty Esworthy and Erika Eberly performing August 16
Two readers will be featured on Poetry Thursdays at the Midtown Scholar in mid-August. Marty Esworthy & Erica Eberle will strut their stuff on the 16th.
Erika Eberly grew up in suburban Maryland and went to High School in
nearby Westminster. Eberly has been writing and reading poetry for years as
well as being actively involved in various arts pursuits.
nearby Westminster. Eberly has been writing and reading poetry for years as
well as being actively involved in various arts pursuits.
She always wanted to be a performer and has performed in numerous dance
and theater presentations, most recently with Narcisse Theatre Company
in Harrisburg.
and theater presentations, most recently with Narcisse Theatre Company
in Harrisburg.
Marty Esworthy’s recent journal verse includes Haggard & Halloo,
text TOWER, Literary Chaos, Fledgling Rag, and the International Digest
of World Poetry. His books include hard reality, Pacobooks, 2004, and The
Object Stares Back, Uh-Oh! - T&T Press, 2009.
Twenty-Six Javanese Proverbs was awarded the 2006 R.E.Foundation Award for Outstanding Poetry, Iris G. Press, 2006. Esworthy’s latest work is After the Aughts,
Lost Alphabet, 2018. https://www.amazon.com/After-Aughts-Marty-Esworthy/dp/1948333821/
Special Guest: Joun Catalano, mandolin, bass
text TOWER, Literary Chaos, Fledgling Rag, and the International Digest
of World Poetry. His books include hard reality, Pacobooks, 2004, and The
Object Stares Back, Uh-Oh! - T&T Press, 2009.
Twenty-Six Javanese Proverbs was awarded the 2006 R.E.Foundation Award for Outstanding Poetry, Iris G. Press, 2006. Esworthy’s latest work is After the Aughts,
Lost Alphabet, 2018. https://www.amazon.com/After-Aughts-Marty-Esworthy/dp/1948333821/
Special Guest: Joun Catalano, mandolin, bass
COMING SOON:
Barbara DeCesare will perform at the Scholar on September 13th. Maria James-Thiaw is featured October 4, and Jason Moffitt will declaim in November, on the 15th.
There's poetry every Thursday. All events run from seven to nine pm, 1302 N, Third Street, Harrisburg, 17102. For more information: 717.236.1680
===================================================
A riff for two voices and theremin: [to be read, with dramatic urgency, but somewhat flatly, albeit as if reading a scientific report w/an edge.] Destination Moon V1: I’ll cry tomorrow. Looking out on creation, it feels/ like the edge of the Mare Librium is askew maybe three degrees to port. It’s dizzying. It's another and another aloof, unambiguously-lunar day-for-night, and vast breadths of beach on the North-coast of the mare fuse-- shimmering moongrain and wasteland into one/ long, quivering/ rectangular/ silver-gelatin/ print. V2: Westward leading, still proceeding. V1: Leeward leading/ still…. V2: Still coagulating. Cooling, scintillating into measureless darkening space swirling, still protean, amalgamating into an ever sorrowful asteroid belt of broken dreams. Undefined. Long dolorous flutes, like wands of impotent magicians. O, sea, of long forgotten sadnesses-- seriously, V1: What became/ of the early me? Thy bough and thy shaft, discomfiting, I weep/ for the rods not Tolkien. =================
Shishikuigawa, Near Midstream
V1. I'm chilling, I'm chillin', mama don't you tell on me, I'm chilling, I'm chillin', mama don't you tell on me, Hell's bells. Location sells.
V2. Parts of the first full week of June featured cool and unsettled conditions. In Tokushima cicadas arrived early, puzzling odorless, tasteless and colorless gas aficionados who can be found often massing in attics or behind the water heater and can go undetected for years. Short people.
V1. Pronunciations of words can diverge into their own distinct swarms—and about how the way we say even relatively rare words like cicada reflect much larger shifts in language. Most American families are overwhelmed by chatter and clutter, too busy to pronounce d's or t's for instance. Piaget and Chomsky have forgotten when to modulate or, at worst how to harmonize. And they've become quite blase when discussing whether or not to clean out the garage this year.
V2. Colder conditions in winter can decrease indoor static levels, pitch, musk, sustainable reverb. That's why tonality levels often tend to fluctuate throughout the year.
V1. Since cicadas are singing summer melodies earlier than expected, multitudes of linguistic theoreticians are looking assiduously for answers. And, concurrently, ignoring many household maintenance problems
V2. One theory is that when houses are all sealed up tight against the cold weather, rhinoplasty abounds and vocal tones tend to be higher, less dulcet, leading to uninflected breathing, vocal strain and general frustration because there is not air flow enow to sooth the savage beast. Or breast if you'll pardon my French.
V1. The leaves of a cherry tree are verdâtre and they are unfolding. On the other hand plum tree leaves are fully reddish purple and, mostly, unrolled.
It's a grand night for dry weather-- it's expected on Friday and Saturday. Melodies, do in fact linger, and there will be a chance for a thunderstorm on Sunday during the final day for merriment and song.
V2. Goodgawd-a-mighty! Up so many prunus mume. Pride of the Susquehanna. Pride of the Yankees. Land of the Pilgrims. Abide, abide.
V2. Abide indeed! Willow, don't you weep for me.
===================================================
A riff for two voices and theremin: [to be read, with dramatic urgency, but somewhat flatly, albeit as if reading a scientific report w/an edge.] Destination Moon V1: I’ll cry tomorrow. Looking out on creation, it feels/ like the edge of the Mare Librium is askew maybe three degrees to port. It’s dizzying. It's another and another aloof, unambiguously-lunar day-for-night, and vast breadths of beach on the North-coast of the mare fuse-- shimmering moongrain and wasteland into one/ long, quivering/ rectangular/ silver-gelatin/ print. V2: Westward leading, still proceeding. V1: Leeward leading/ still…. V2: Still coagulating. Cooling, scintillating into measureless darkening space swirling, still protean, amalgamating into an ever sorrowful asteroid belt of broken dreams. Undefined. Long dolorous flutes, like wands of impotent magicians. O, sea, of long forgotten sadnesses-- seriously, V1: What became/ of the early me? Thy bough and thy shaft, discomfiting, I weep/ for the rods not Tolkien. =================
Shishikuigawa, Near Midstream
V1. I'm chilling, I'm chillin', mama don't you tell on me, I'm chilling, I'm chillin', mama don't you tell on me, Hell's bells. Location sells.
V2. Parts of the first full week of June featured cool and unsettled conditions. In Tokushima cicadas arrived early, puzzling odorless, tasteless and colorless gas aficionados who can be found often massing in attics or behind the water heater and can go undetected for years. Short people.
V1. Pronunciations of words can diverge into their own distinct swarms—and about how the way we say even relatively rare words like cicada reflect much larger shifts in language. Most American families are overwhelmed by chatter and clutter, too busy to pronounce d's or t's for instance. Piaget and Chomsky have forgotten when to modulate or, at worst how to harmonize. And they've become quite blase when discussing whether or not to clean out the garage this year.
V2. Colder conditions in winter can decrease indoor static levels, pitch, musk, sustainable reverb. That's why tonality levels often tend to fluctuate throughout the year.
V1. Since cicadas are singing summer melodies earlier than expected, multitudes of linguistic theoreticians are looking assiduously for answers. And, concurrently, ignoring many household maintenance problems
V2. One theory is that when houses are all sealed up tight against the cold weather, rhinoplasty abounds and vocal tones tend to be higher, less dulcet, leading to uninflected breathing, vocal strain and general frustration because there is not air flow enow to sooth the savage beast. Or breast if you'll pardon my French.
V1. The leaves of a cherry tree are verdâtre and they are unfolding. On the other hand plum tree leaves are fully reddish purple and, mostly, unrolled.
It's a grand night for dry weather-- it's expected on Friday and Saturday. Melodies, do in fact linger, and there will be a chance for a thunderstorm on Sunday during the final day for merriment and song.
V2. Goodgawd-a-mighty! Up so many prunus mume. Pride of the Susquehanna. Pride of the Yankees. Land of the Pilgrims. Abide, abide.
V2. Abide indeed! Willow, don't you weep for me.
Shishikuigawa, Near Midstream/ erika is V1.
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