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Featured Poet Patrick Rosal tearing up the floating stage (via cameraphone!)

 

On Tuesday, 12/2 we found ourselves surrounded by beautiful people at our FIRST TUESDAYS reading.

 

Christmas lights adorned the famous hanging stage as people gathered upstairs at Terraza cafe. Before long there were representatives of many parts of Jackson Heights gathered in one cozy corner to share their words. Poets, like Phillip Sobel, who has lived in Jackson Heights for thirty years and Andrew Maysonet, who has lived in Jackson Heights for his 17 years of life, came out of hiding to read their work.

 

The poetry spanned styles, topics and worlds. It was concluded with the intensely inspirational work of poet Patrick Rosal. He danced his dance of words and pictures on stage, spinning ideas of people, love and hate, family and resolution, and of course, sliced apples in vinegar.

 

Many thanks to all of the poets who made it to the mic, and to all the quiet poets and poetry lovers in the audience. We hope to hear more of your work, and to see more Jackson Heights and NYC poets reading with us next time!

 

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Joseph Legaspi leading the workshop

 

A workshop participant hard at work

 

Joseph and Richard Jeffrey Newman during the reading and panel discussion

 

JHPF member Rachael Hyman letting the creative juices flow

 

We are excited to share the success of our November 18 workshop and panel discussion with you!

 

Joseph O. Legaspi, workshop leader, inspired the participants with a challenging series of exercises that freed their creativity and released inhibitions. Everyone shared their final piece at the end of the workshop, and were mutually impressed with each others’ results!

 

After the workshop we had wine and snacks and chatted about poetry while making new friends. To kick off the panel discussion, Joseph read selections from his book, Imago, and discussed his work in relation to the night’s theme: “The Power of Place and Culture in Poetry.” Moderator Richard Jeffrey Newman provided sharp, thought-provoking questions for Joseph, which got the group involved and talking as well. Joseph’s work centered around his childhood in the Philippines, so much of the discussion revolved around the differences in perception between poetry readers of different cultural backgrounds, as well as style-focused discussions about Joseph’s particular writing decisions.

 

The night ended with new friends and excitement for the next workshop. Be sure to sign up for our January 29 workshop with Nathalie Handal, with the theme “A Cross-Cultural Meditation on Love in Poetry.”

 

Also, don’t miss our December 2 FIRST TUESDAYS Open Reading with the amazing poet Patrick Rosal!

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Hello friends. The wind’s picking up, the leaves have almost all fallen, and we have more awesome poets and events to share with you to greet the coming winter!

 

Tomorrow we have our first of the JHPF workshop series. Richard Jeffrey Newman and Joseph O. Legaspi will be leading a workshop and panel discussion on The Power of Place and Culture in Poetry on Tuesday 11/18, 6:30-9:30pm. Joseph will also be giving a reading of his work! We hope to see you there!

 

For the December FIRST TUESDAYS held on 12/2, we are excited to announce Patrick Rosal as our featured poet! Check out some of his work here. He will be reading at 8pm during the FIRST TUESDAYS Open Reading at Terraza Cafe in Jackson Heights, Queens. Be sure to come out and read your own work in open-mic as well!

 

We interviewed widely-published poet and Queens College professor Kimiko Hahn for the December JHPF video interview. We had a very inspiring talk, and Kimiko shared some wonderful poetry with us. You are definitely in for a real treat, so look out for the interview on December 1st. Meanwhile, check out our homepage for the great interview with Richard Jeffrey Newman.

 

We are always accepting poetry submissions for the JHPF Monthly Featured Student Poet. These are reviewed on a rolling basis, so submit your work freely. We’ve seen some great poetry and can’t wait to see more.

 

Hope to see everyone tomorrow night!

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To celebrate this year’s historic election, JHPF had a really terrific Election-themed First Tuesdays Reading at Terraza Café! There was a great turnout considering it was election night, so here’s a brief synopsis of what went down!

 

Marina Yoffe kicked off the night with a poem by JHPF favorite Ross Gay, and we all celebrated the fact that the evening was JHPF’s very first “second” event! We had our first poetry festival last May, and of course our first Open Reading in October, so last Tuesday was our first repeat event, something which we are all very proud of.

 

As usual, poets performed on Terraza’s infamous “floating stage,” while the election results were streamed live to the café via a huge projection screen. We were excited that twice the amount of poets showed up to read as the first night in October, so we hope that the word continues to spread about the good vibes at First Tuesdays and we have an even larger group of readers in December.

 

Our featured poet, Maria Terrone, was a definite pleasure to hear. She read a number of short poems about her experience as a life-long New Yorker. She also read from her new chapbook, American Gothic, Take 2, coming out this spring from Finishing Line Press.

 

Next up for JHPF is our November 18 workshop with guest workshop leader Joseph Legaspi. Check out the workshop details here and register now. It’s free!

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Poet Richard Jeffrey Newman

 

Welcome back readers! There are a lot of great things going in JHPF-land for us to tell you about. There’s a new video interview up, our election-night open mic is this week, we have a date change for the upcoming November workshop, and a new featured student poet has been announced!

 

For those of you that have been following our video interview series of poets, you should look forward to a particularly moving interview with poet Richard Jeffrey Newman. An advisor to the JHPF, Newman is a wonderful poet and will also serve as the moderator for our upcoming poetry workshops. In his interview, he talks about how he was inspired to write and reads two poems from his book, “The Silence of Men”! See the video on our home page!

 

Speaking of the upcoming poetry workshops, the November Workshop, led by Joseph Legaspi, has been bumped forward one day to November 18th. The night’s main focus, start time, and place will all remain the same. For more information on the workshop, just click here or read the previous blog entry on it below. It will be a great event and its absolutely free, but please register online so we know how many to expect.

 

We’ve also posted the new featured student poet for this month, Miles Black. You can see his interview and read his latest work on our homepage! Miles is a promising young poet who we’re pleased to feature on our site. If you or someone you know would like to be a future featured poet, just visit our Featured Student page to submit a poem for consideration!

 

Finally, please remember to come see us this Tuesday on election night at Terraza Café for our second First Tuesdays open reading! The last reading was terrific and we hope to see an even bigger crowd this time. For those of you concerned about missing the elections, don’t worry. We will have the election coverage live at the café, projected on the big screen, no less. So come on down and read us that poem about Obama or McCain you crumpled up and threw in your drawer!

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November 4th Featured Poet Maria Terrone

 

This week in the JHPF blog, we’d like to tell you about our upcoming November 4th First Tuesdays open reading! For those of you that attended the October reading, you’ll know how much fun it is, whether you’re reading or listening! What’s interesting about the upcoming reading is that it coincides with Election Day. Don’t worry about having to choose between Poetry and Politics though. We plan to combine them!.

 

Each of our open readings is held at the Terraza Café, located right by the 7 train in Jackson Heights. Terraza is home to one of the coolest setups in all of Queens, as it has a projector screen that can stream video, TV, and live performances downstairs, and a balcony-like stage and seating area upstairs that allows you to view both the stage and the screen. This coming Tuesday we’ll have the election results pouring in on the screen while the poets read upstairs! Also, we’d like to encourage those who plan to attend to write and read some sort of political poem, as we’re aiming to have an election-themed night. But if your poetry is averse to politics, you are welcome to read whatever you want!

 

Each of our First Tuesdays readings also has a featured poet. This month, the featured poet will be Maria Terrone. Here is everything about her:

 

Maria Terrone’s second book of poetry, A Secret Room in Fall, won the McGovern Prize from Ashland Poetry Press and was published in 2006. Her first book, The Bodies We Were Loaned, appeared from The Word Works, and a chapbook, American Gothic, Take 2, comes out this spring from Finishing Line Press. Maria’s work, which has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, has appeared in such magazines as Poetry, Hudson Review, Crab Orchard Review and Poetry International and in national anthologies from Beacon Press, Story Line Press, and the Feminist Press, among others. In June 2005, she was profiled in the Iranian literary supplement Hengam by a young writer who discovered her work on the Web and is now translating her first book into Farsi. A lifelong resident of Jackson Heights, Maria is assistant vice president for communications at Queens College.

 

You can find more information on the upcoming First Tuesdays reading here, and check out Maria Terrone’s website here. Remember, sign up starts at 6:30 PM, the open reading starts at 7 PM, the Featured Poet goes on at 8 PM, and after the feature, the open reading continues until everyone has read!

 

We hope that this reading will be as fun as the last one, so invite all of your friends to come down to Jackson Heights for a night of Poetry and Politics!

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November workshop leader Joseph Legaspi (Picture courtesy of www.mipoesias.com)

 

November is rapidly approaching and we want to let you know about our big fall event, the first in our series of quarterly workshops! Our guest poet is Joseph Legaspi, who will teach a workshop, read his poetry, and participate in a panel discussion moderated by poet Richard Jeffrey Newman.

 

The theme for the workshop/panel discussion is “The Power of Place and Culture in Poetry,” and will be held on November 18th, 2008 at the Garden School. Here is a synopsis of the ideas we want to explore:

 

“According to Aristotle, we are what surrounds us. This panel and workshop will explore how place and culture influence poetic voice, and how poetry functions as a vehicle to communicate the nature of particular times and places.”

 

The evening will begin with a free poetry workshop, followed by refreshments and a panel discussion. The unique discussion style will consist of a reading by Joseph Legaspi, intermixed with questions and comments from the audience.

 

The workshop/panel discussion is scheduled from 6:30pm to 9:30pm, although it may end later depending on how long the discussion lasts. Again, the workshop is free, and it is open to all members of the public, whether you write poetry or not. Walk-in attendance is fine, but if possible please register online first so we know how many to expect. So remember: Garden School, 6:30pm to 9:30pm, November 18th. Save the date!

 

Check out Joseph Legaspi at www.josepholegaspi.com

 

Read more of Joseph’s work at www.mipoesias.com!

 

Check out Richard Jeffrey Newman at www.richardjnewman.com

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The awesome “floating stage” at Terraza Cafe. It has to be seen to be believed.

 

This past Tuesday, JHPF was proud to have hosted our very first “First Tuesdays” reading at Terraza Café! The event was a great success, and a good number of poets, both experienced and inexperienced, came out of the woodwork to put on memorable performances. We’ll give you a brief rundown of the night.

 

The reading began around seven thirty, as poets began pouring in from all directions. The intimate Terraza Café was soon bustling with eager individuals ready to share their creations. One of our directors, Marina Yoffe, kicked off the night by reading a poem by Billy Collins, entitled “Purity.” The poem definitely set the mood.

 

Following the introduction, poets from all around read their own original works on a stage suspended in midair on the second floor, while a camera linked their performance to a first floor projector. The poems covered a variety of topics and made the night a very mind-opening experience.

 

At 8pm, our featured poet, Charan P., got on stage to perform. She did not disappoint, and delivered a stunning array of powerful poems dealing with a variety of issues from her family history and personal experience. The audience certainly felt the vibe, and she received a warm round of applause after each reading. In case you were unaware, we will feature a different poet each month, so stay informed so you know when your favorite poet will be performing—or when you’ll get the chance to hear somebody new!

 

Overall, the first “First Tuesdays” was a big hit, and we look forward to seeing all of our guests return, along with many new ones. You can find more information on our “First Tuesdays” series elsewhere on the site, so read all about it!

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Hardworking JHPF Coordinator Angela setting up the booth

The quiet beauty of Waterloo Village...

Future JHPF workshop leader Joseph Legaspi reading

 

Last weekend, the JHPF staff attended the prestigious biannual Dodge Poetry Festival in Waterloo, New Jersey. Our staff was absolutely blown away by the event, so we thought we’d share our experiences with you in this week’s entry.

 

For starters, the scenic Waterloo Village is absolutely breathtaking. Its quaint houses and landscape are so charming that we nearly forgot we had gone to see the Festival. The village is far more expansive than one might have imagined or envisioned just based on descriptions of the area. Our camerawoman took a good number of pictures and was educated on the town’s history thanks to some friendly locals. The village truly is a perfect place for a gathering of poetic minds.

 

The Festival itself hosted a huge number of poets and organizations. We were one of a number of organizations in the “Literary Row” tent. Although we happened to be the youngest organization, we think it is safe to say that we were the most extravagant, as we sported a huge (dare we say obnoxious?) banner. We were happy to meet lots of new friends, poets, and poetry lovers.

 

Finally, the main attraction of any poetry festival is of course the poets, and Dodge certainly did not disappoint. We were graced with appearances and performances by Sharon Olds, Naomi Nye, Martin Espada, Simon Armitage, and Forrest Gander, just to name a few of the well-known attendees. One of our co-directors, Marina Yoffe, really summed up our feelings on Dodge after hearing a poem from Sharon Olds. Marina said, “She (Sharon) read a poem that actually opened up a little bit of life I had never understood - I guess for that reason poetry festivals are held.”

 

Having attended Dodge, we can’t help but feel enlightened and look forward to visiting it again in the future. Thanks to everyone who showed their support and visited our booth. Also, don’t forget that this Tuesday is our very first “First Tuesdays” event! Check past blog posts or the “First Tuesdays” section of the site for more information. We hope to see you all there!

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