Black Ice, poet and spoken word artist that has been featured on HBO's "Def Poetry" and recently hosted a special poetry showcase at The Egg in Albany in April, has a new CD coming out on September 5.
"Black Ice earned his respect as one of the premiere wordsmiths on Russell Simmons' "Def Poetry Jam." Known across the nation as one of the most gifted poets of his generation, Ice has moved crowds to the depths of their deepest emotion with his special brand of spoken word. This fall, KOCH Records and world famous DJ Jazzy Jeff are proud to present Black Ice in a light you have never seen him in before. "The Death of Willie Lynch" showcases his skills with wordplay over 12 tracks. In an unusual move in today's multi-producer projects, Black Ice opted to create "The Death Of Willie Lynch" with one producer, Eric Greene Jr., a phenomenal young producer who has been blazing a trail of his own. A drummer at heart, Eric has kept a steady tempo of rising notoriety, touring with multi-platinum recording artists Jill Scott, Floetry, and Pharrell. In a very organic manner, Black Ice and Eric have combined to revive the notion of the Hip-Hop concept album. "The Death of Willie Lynch" is as thoroughly entertaining as it is socially relevant.
The Daytona Beach News Journal in Florida has an article on their site about a cafe in the area holding weekly open mics for elementary kids. They have been doing this since May and the number of kids performing is getting expanding steadily.
Would something like this work in Albany? Do you have kids and would they be interested in a youth poetry open mic on a regular basis? Leave a comment and let us know what you think about it.
Albany Poets is looking for Albany area poets to be featured on our website, Other:____, and future printed publications.
If you are interested in having your work featured on the site along side some of the most talented poets in the Northeast, send an email to submissions@albanypoets.com with a sample of your work and a brief introduction of yourself.
You may also send your work to us through the mail to: Albany Poets 84 South Pine Ave. Albany, NY 12208
General Submission Guidelines: When sending your email, please place all poems and bios inside the body of the email. Emails with attachments will be deleted upon receipt unless prior arrangements are made.
Multiple submissions are accepted. You can send more than one submission per project. Please, no simultaneous submissions. When we accept a poem for publication, we are purchasing first-publication rights. Once we've published your poem, you are free to include it in your own collection or another publication (online or printed).
"Other:____" Submission Guidelines: Albany Poets is accepting simultaneous submissions, but we reserve the right to first -publication. Once we’ve published your poem, you are free to include it in your own collection or another publication (online or printed).
Albany Poets is accepting multiple submissions for “Other:____” up to three full length poems may be submitted.
Poetry: Poetry of any form, but no more than three full length poems, or five short poems.
Short Shorts (Flash Fiction): No longer than two pages, single-spaced, New Times Roman 12 point font.
Images: Will be reproduced in black and white and arranged to fit our format. If cropping is necessary, the artist will be contacted for final approval.
Comics: Black and White comics only. One page complete stories, Comic strips 1 to 6 panels, and longer works to be serialized.
How to Submit to "Other:____": All poems and bios must be contained inside the body of the email. Emails with attachments will be deleted upon receipt unless prior arrangements are made. A full mailing address (name, street address or PO box, city, state and zip code) must accompany all email submissions in order to be considered. Email to: submissions@albanypoets.com
Submissions for "Other:____" will only be accepted electronically via submissions@albanypoets.com unless prior arrangements are made with the editors.
Payment: Payment is in the form of two copies of "Other:____" mailed to the address provided with the submission.
Albany Poets is currently looking for people to assist us in various tasks in effort to promote poetry and spoken word through out the Northeast and beyond.
Flyering: We are looking for people to assist us in distributing flyers all around the greater Capital Region area and the Hudson Valley to promote upcoming poetry and spoken word events and projects from Albany Poets.
Bookstore Liaison: Albany Poets is seeking an individual responsible with distributing flyers and publications to local bookstores and coffee shops. This person will also be responsible for restocking when necessary. Must have own transportation.
If you would like to volunteer to help Albany Poets in promoting poetry through out the Upstate New York area, please send us an email at info@albanypoets.com.
Albany Poets is proud to be a part of the 2006 LARKfest. For the second year in a row, Albany Poets will be bringing poetry and spoken word to this annual event, celebrating its 25th year.
For this year's event, Albany Poets will host an all day open mic poets and performers between the music acts in the poetry tent. Local poets Mary Panza, Rachel Zitomer, Thom Francis, Dain Brammage, Alex Albino, and more will be combining spoken word and music on the Hometown Stage in the Trinity Church Parking Lot on Lark Streetwith an outstanding group of local musicians.
The all day open mic will begin at 11:00AM on Saturday, September 16 and continue throughout the day. Sign-up will begin at 10:00AM.
Attendees of LARKfest will also have an opportunity to purchase books, CDs, tapes, and more from local poets and spoken word artists. Albany Poets will have copies of its quarterly art/lit zine, Other:____, free of charge.
The fifth issue of Albany Poets quarterly art/lit zine is now available.
This issue of Other:____ is packed with poetry, photos, art, and more from poets, writers, and visual artists from all over the Northeast. Poets John Allen, Lilibet Ana, Beth Babb, Alan Catlin, Christine Cornell, Brandon Kopcienski, Nina Mauceri, Adarro Minton, Richard Morell, Lisa Nolan, Sebastian Pacheco, Larry Rapant, Shawn Reid, Michael J. Rivet, Carolee Sherwood, Carrie Smith, Matina L. Stamatakis, and Dallas K. Trombley are all featured in this issue.
Albany Poets is very proud to bring you "The Old Man and His Dog", a very special short story by Salvatore W. Panepinto.
For visual art, we have photos from the 2006 Albany Word Fest by Dale Walker and cartoons from local artists Kevin Bruce.
A new addition to Other:____ is "Number Drunk", an interview series with the local poetry and spoken word open mic hosts conducted by Mary Panza. This series makes its debut with an interview at the Lark Tavern with host of the Third Thursday Poetry Open Mic at the Social Justice Center, Dan Wilcox.
Other:____ will be available at local bookstores, cafes, and anyplace that supports the arts. Go to www.albanypoets.com/other to find out where to pick up your copy of Other:____ free of charge.Link
Poets Speak Loud at Tess' Lark Tavern on Monday, April 24, 2006
The post-Word Fest Poets Speak Loud was not just our monthly poetry and spoken word open mic at the Lark Tavern, but also day two of Paddy Kilrain benefit show. Paddy, a local singer/songwriter, was hit by a drunk driver in late March and Albany's poets and musicians all got together to help raise money for her medical expenses. Dain Brammage was the featured poet of the evening and as an added bonus the winner of the Lark Tavern Singer Songwriter Contest, Matt Durfee also performed. Matt recently won "Best Male Singer/Songwriter" in the annual "Best of the Capital Region" issue of the Metroland. Open mic poets Dan Wilcox, A.c. Everson, Alan Catlin, Bob Monaghan, James, Shara, Bob Sharkey, KC, K.J. Spencer, and Paddy Kilrain all shared their work with the crowd to bring an end to the 2006 Albany Word Fest and all for a good cause.
Albany Poets Presents returns to Valentines on Tuesday night, August 1 with a poetry and music open mic.Sign up starts at 7:00pm, show starts at 8:00pm.
All poets and musicians are invited to come and share their work at this truly innovative open mic featuring spoken word, music, and more.
There is a $3.00 suggested donation for this event.
In the annual "Best of the Capital Region" edition of the Metroland, local poet Dan Wilcox was voted "Best Poetry Open Mic Host".
Here is what the Metroland had to say about Dan:
Hosting an open mic is an underappreciated art. Dan Wilcox has honed this skill right along with his poetry at venues such as his Third Thursday series at the late Lark Street Bookshop. Wilcox is friendly and enthusiastic, runs a tight ship graciously, and manages to be a presence without making himself the center of the show—one of many reasons he is beloved in the region’s poetry scene.
The next POETS SPEAK LOUD is July 31 at the Lark Tavern featuring Albany poet Rachel Zitomer followed by an open mic for poetry and spoken word.
Rachel Zitomer has been coming to Albany poetry open mics for the past four years. The scene is the subject of her dissertation, "In Celebration of the Ephemeral: Contemporary Poetry Reading Communities Beyond Institutions in Albany, NY," for which she received her PhD from SUNY in 2006. "Three Sides to the Looking Glass: A Poem for Albany, NY," a more concise and pleasing (aesthetically and otherwise) version of the dissertation, was published as a chapbook by APD Press in 2004. She is better known by some as the girl who makes oatmeal butterscotch cookies on demand.
POETS SPEAK LOUD is a monthly open mic for poetry and spoken word with a featured poet. This mic is hosted by local poets Thom Francis and Mary Panza.
POETS SPEAK LOUD is held at the Lark Tavern (453 Madison Ave., Albany) on the last Monday of each month. Sign-up for the open mic is 7:00pm, start time is 7:30pm.
