December 30: Patrick S. Features

Stone Soup Poetry meets from 8-10 p.m. every Monday at the Out of The Blue Art Gallery at 106 Prospect Street with an open mike sign-up at 7:30 p.m. On December 30, Patrick S. will provide us a terrific close to 2013 with his first feature debuting his first full-length book of poetry.

Patrick S. is a co-organizer of Lowell, Massachusetts's Mill City Slam and was a member of its 2010 National Poetry Slam team. He has featured at numerous poetry venues in the Northeast, including past features at Stone Soup. He will be debuting his first full-length book, a narrative 47-poem series entitled Her Name Was Not Brighton composed during many sessions of the Brighton Word Factory writing group. He describes the book as "sort of a magical realism romance novella in free verse", as it otherwise defies attempts at classification.

December 23: Susie Davidson Features at Stone Soup

Stone Soup Poetry meets from 8-10 p.m. every Monday at the Out of The Blue Art Gallery at 106 Prospect Street with an open mike sign-up at 7:30 p.m. On December 23, we welcome back Susie Davidson to the venue. 

Susie Davidson is a poet, journalist, author, and filmmaker who writes regularly for the Jewish Advocate, the Jewish Daily Forward in New York, the Cambridge Chronicle and other media. Her article on medical marijuana, published this month in Israel's largest daily, Ha'aretz, received almost 7000 Facebook recommendations. She has also contributed to the Boston Sunday Globe, the Boston Herald and the Jerusalem Post. She was the feature of a July, 2012 "G-Force" full-page Boston Globe profile.

She has written two books about local Holocaust survivors. She organized the 2011 OccuPoetry series at Occupy Boston in Dewey Square, Boston, which received a front-page Boston Globe Metro section writeup in November, 2011. She is Coordinator of the Boston chapter of The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, a board member of the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow and the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, and coordinates the Brookline Library Authors' Collaborative.

December 16th: Zeke Russell Features

Stone Soup Poetry meets from 8-10 p.m. every Monday at the Out of The Blue Art Gallery at 106 Prospect Street with an open mike sign-up at 7:30 p.m. On December 16, we welcome performer, author, podcast host and venue host Zeke Russell back to our venue.

Ezekiel "Zeke" Russell is a third generation poet. He grew up in an artist's collective in Central Maine where he learned to express himself and also how to split wood. He lived for ten years in Lowell MA. During that time he helped to organize the Untitled Open Mic at Brew'd Awakening Coffee House. He still organizes the slam for that venue but mostly sits in the back and yells out inappropriate things. He has published three chapbooks and lives in Lower Mills Dorchester with his partner Emily and a very naughty pug named PJ.

December 9: L.U.C.C.I. Features at Stone Soup

Stone Soup Poetry meets from 8-10 p.m. every Monday at the Out of The Blue Art Gallery at 106 Prospect Street with an open mike sign-up at 7:30 p.m. On December 9th, we welcome Glen Lucci Furman, aka L.U.C.C.I. to Stone Soup's podium for his first feature at the venue.

L.U.C.C.I. (which stands for Listening, Understanding, Caring, Considering, Inquiring) is a poet, an actor and aspiring comedian who enjoys being creative while making positive change and entertaining in the process.  He has lived in Southwest Detroit Michigan, Tennessee, Georgia and now Boston.

He has featured in such places as Boston Talent Showcase, Wierdstock 2011, The 2nd Annual Haught Pink Breast Cancer Fashion Show, Writer's Block, and also had a role in the independent film Supa Dupa.

Upcoming projects include a lead role in the  upcoming film Scavengers and an upcoming poetry CD entitled My Name Is L.U.C.C.I.

December 2: Pre-Stone Soup Poetry Writing Workshop

I will be leading a workshop on December 2, to take place before Stone Soup Poetry from 6:00 PM to just before 8:00 PM at the Au Bon Pain in Central Square.

Please bring a poem of any form and style no more than 1-2 pages. Bring up to 10 copies of your poem to share with the group, and be prepared to share your thoughts on each others work. If you have trouble printing your work, you can email it to me before 5:00 Monday at chadpoetforhire@yahoo.com

December 2: Ben Mazer Features

 
Stone Soup Poetry meets from 8-10 p.m. every Monday at the Out of The Blue Art Gallery at 106 Prospect Street with an open mike sign-up at 7:30 p.m. On December 2nd, we welcome Ben Mazer to the podium.

Ben Mazer was born in New York City in 1964. He was raised around Cambridge, where he soaked up the lore of men who had known Robert Lowell, Tate, T.S. Eliot. At Harvard he studied with Seamus and Heaney and William Alfred, then he moved on and did a Ph.D. in textual scholarship under Sir Christopher Ricks and Archie Burnett at the Editorial Institute, Boston University. His doctoral dissertation, a critical edition of the poems of Frederick Goddard Tuckerman was published by Harvard University Press in 2010. His critical edition of the complete poems John Crowe Ransom is forthcoming from Boston's Un-Gyve Press. Mazer's poems have appeared in many periodicals, here and abroad, including, Verse, Stand, Agenda, Poetry Wales, The Wolf, Fulcrum, Jacket, The Boston Review, Harvard Review, Pequod, and Harvard Magazine. His new collection of poems is NEW POEMS (Pen &Anvil Press, 2013), and his previous collections include POEMS (Pen & Anvil Press, 2010), JANUARY 2008 (Dark Sky Books, 2010), and WHITE CITIES (Barbara Matteau Editions, 1995). Mazer lives in Cambridge, and is the Editor of THE BATTERSEA REVIEW.

November 25th: Pre-Stone Soup Poetry Writing Workshop

I will be leading a workshop on November 25th, to take place before Stone Soup Poetry from 6:00 PM to just before 8:00 PM at the Au Bon Pain in Central Square.

Please bring a poem of any form and style no more than 1-2 pages. Bring up to 10 copies of your poem to share with the group, and be prepared to share your thoughts on each others work. If you have trouble printing your work, you can email it to me before 5:00 Monday at chadpoetforhire@yahoo.com

November 25th: Timothy Gager Features

Stone Soup Poetry meets from 8-10 p.m. every Monday at the Out of The Blue Art Gallery at 106 Prospect Street with an open mike sign-up at 7:30 p.m. On November 25th, we welcome back Tim Gager, who is currently riding a wave of accolades for his newest poetry collection.

Timothy Gager is the author of ten books of short fiction and poetry. His latest, The Shutting Door (Ibbetson Street Press) is his first full-length book of poetry in nine years and is nominated for The Massachusetts Book Award. He has hosted the successful Dire Literary Series in Cambridge, Massachusetts every month for the past twelve years and is the co-founder of Somerville News Writers Festival.

He has had over 250 works of fiction and poetry published since 2007: nine have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. His work has been read on National Public Radio. He lives on www.timothygager.com
 

November 18: Carolyn Gregory Features

Stone Soup Poetry meets from 8-10 p.m. every Monday at the Out of The Blue Art Gallery at 106 Prospect Street with an open mike sign-up at 7:30 p.m. On November 18th,we welcome back poet Carolyn Gregory.

Carolyn Gregory’s poems and music essays have been published in AMERICAN POETRY REVIEW, MAIN STREET RAG, BELLOWING ARK, SEATTLE REVIEW, WILDERNESS HOUSE LITERARY REVIEW and STYLUS. She was nominated for a Pushcart Prize and is a past recipient of a Massachusetts Cultural Council Award. Her first book, OPEN LETTERS, was published in 2009 and a second book, FACING THE MUSIC, will appear in January, 2014. Carolyn worked for twenty five years in the Harvard medical hospital system doing research and administrative work. She is now a community activist, working against all use of the Death Penalty, for stricter enforcement of automatic weapons and handguns and for the rights of animals. Though she tends to be pretty serious, she also has a well honed sense of humor! 

November 11th: Pre-Stone Soup Poetry Writing Workshop

I will be leading a workshop on November 11th, to take place before Stone Soup Poetry from 6:00 PM to just before 8:00 PM at the Au Bon Pain in Central Square.

Please bring a poem of any form and style no more than 1-2 pages. Bring up to 10 copies of your poem to share with the group, and be prepared to share your thoughts on each others work. If you have trouble printing your work, you can email it to me before 5:00 Monday at chadpoetforhire@yahoo.com

November 11: Gordon Marshall Features

 

Stone Soup Poetry meets from 8-10 p.m. every Monday at the Out of The Blue Art Gallery at 106 Prospect Street with an open mike sign-up at 7:30 p.m. On November 11th, Gordon Marshall Returns with the latest in his substantial library of poetry collections.

Gordon Marshall has been publishing poetry books for five years, and he has been writing poetry for 34. He just finished his 27 volume, which may be his last, so he can focus on his music blog, theflashboston.com.

November 4th: Pre-Stone Soup Poetry Writing Workshop

I will be leading a workshop today on November 4th, to take place before Stone Soup Poetry from 6:00 PM to just before 8:00 PM at the Au Bon Pain in Central Square.

Please bring a poem of any form and style no more than 1-2 pages. Bring up to 10 copies of your poem to share with the group, and be prepared to share your thoughts on each others work. If you have trouble printing your work, you can email it to me before 5:00 Monday at chadpoetforhire@yahoo.com

Those unable to attend that are interested in future dates please email me or call me at 617-217-8038.

November 4: Kris Weinrich Features

Stone Soup Poetry meets from 8-10 p.m. every Monday at the Out of The Blue Art Gallery at 106 Prospect Street with an open mike sign-up at 7:30 p.m. On November fourth, we welcome Kris Weinrich to his first Stone Soup feature.

Kris Weinrich graduated form Emerson College in December of 2002 with a BA in Audio Engineering and a Minor in Literature.  He is a poetry workshop facilitator for the Brockton Poetry Series at Fuller Craft Museum.  He is one of the hosts of Night Slam, a poetry open mic and slam at Massasoit Community College.  Kris has featured at poetry venues in Easton, Brockton, Plymouth and Providence.  He is also on the Brockton Arts board of directors as their Social Media Director promoting their events and programming.  His new chapbook of poems is titled Between Streetlights And Stars.

October 28th: Pre-Stone Soup Poetry Writing Workshop

I will be leading a workshop today on October 28th, to take place before Stone Soup Poetry from 6:00 PM to just before 8:00 PM at the Au Bon Pain in Central Square.

Please bring a poem of any form and style no more than 1-2 pages. Bring up to 10 copies of your poem to share with the group, and be prepared to share your thoughts on each others work. If you have trouble printing your work, you can email it to me before 5:00 Monday at chadpoetforhire@yahoo.com

Those unable to attend that are interested in future dates please email me or call me at 617-217-8038.

Tonight

Linda Griggs and Martin Willitts, Jr. at Stone Soup, October 21st.

Tom Daley's New Poetry Writing Workshop

Poetry writing workshop

at a restaurant in Porter Square, Cambridge

Six Wednesdays 12:30-2:30 pm

November 6, 13, 20; December 4, 11, 18, 2013.

Cost is $150.

The optional poetry exercises will focus on the poetry of Patricia Smith

 

Joint workshop for poets & writers  working in creative prose

 (memoir, fiction, creative non-fiction, storytelling)

at the instructor’s house in Cambridge

 

Seven Mondays 5:30-7:30 pm

November 4, 11, 18, 25;

December 2, 9, & 16, 2013.

Cost is $175.

The optional poetry exercises will focus on the poetry of Patricia Smith

 

To register for either workshop, contact the instructor at tom.daley2@verizon.net

 

Tom Daley leads writing workshops at the Online School of Poetry, Boston Center for Adult Education, and Lexington Community Education. His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in a number of journals including Fence, Denver Quarterly, Crazyhorse, Witness, Massachusetts Review, The Boston Globe, Harvard Review, and Poetry Ireland Review and have been anthologized in the Poets for Haiti and The Body Electric anthologies. He is a recipient of 2012 Dana Award in Poetry and the author of a play, Every Broom and Bridget—Emily Dickinson and Her Irish Servants, which he performs as a one-man show.

 

Stone Soup Gallery at Midway Studios, October 19 -20

Open showing of art photos by David Agee of Stone Soup poets reading at the Out of the Blue. This is part of the Fort Point fall Open Studios ranging along Summer and A streets in the art district across the channel from South Station.

"Many poets are shown, but the exhibit is based on photographs with some artistic merit that I happened to take; it is not an encyclopedic compendium of the Stone Soup poets as a whole. The photos are NOT family snap shots - each reader is in the context of art that has some effect on the mood. emotion, etc of the scene. SO look at the whole photo; reader, background art, etc."

The display is on the fifth floor (elevator) of the Midway Studios, 15 Channel Center St., Boston, 02210 (map at info booth on A St.)

To reach the building by car, go to South Station, follow Summer St. across the channel, make an immediate right and right again onto A St. You will see an information booth on A St. at the entrance to a free parking lot.

By public transportation take the Red Line to South Station and upstairs on Summer Street pick up the #11 bus. Exit at Mt. Vernon Avenue on A Street (2nd stop).

Open Studios is free and free parking available off A St. There are further displays in buildings along Summer St. and along A St. Map at info booth on A St. (617 423 4299).

Open 12 - 6 Saturday Oct. 19 and Sunday Oct. 20.


Come and check out all the 150 artist displays!

Oddball Magazine Presents Stone Soup Servings

Stone Soup is pleased to be partnering with Oddball Magazine to present Stone Soup Servings, a column that will give readers a first look at upcoming Stone Soup performers. This week, we have Martin Willitts Jr. and Linda Griggs, who arrive at Stone Soup on October 21st. Thanks to publisher Jason Wright and Gordon Marshall's sister, Jennifer Davidson Marshall, for the photography.

October 28th: David R. Surette Features at Stone Soup

Stone Soup Poetry meets from 8-10 p.m. every Monday at the Out of The Blue Art Gallery at 106 Prospect Street with an open mike sign-up at 7:30 p.m. On October 28th, we welcome back David R. Surrette, who has his newest poetry collection coming out this month.

David R. Surette’s new book of poetry is Wicked Hard. He is the author of three other collections: The Immaculate Conception Mothers‘ Club, Young Gentlemen’s School and Easy to Keep, Hard to Keep In. His poems appear in the anthologies French Connections: A Gathering of Franco-American Poets and Cadence of Hooves: A Celebration of Horses.  He teaches English and coaches varsity hockey at East Bridgewater High School. He lives in South Easton, Massachusetts.

October 21st: Linda Griggs and Martin Willitts, Jr. Feature at Stone Soup

Stone Soup Poetry meets from 8-10 p.m. every Monday at the Out of The Blue Art Gallery at 106 Prospect Street with an open mike sign-up at 7:30 p.m. On October 21st, we  welcome back Linda Griggs and Martin Willits Jr. as they make their annual trip to New England.

Linda Griggs has worked as an elementary school art teacher and a mental health counselor. She has also worked with at-risk youth. A college teacher currently working at SUNY Empire State College, she holds a M.P.S. in the Applied Work of the Humanistic Psychologists. She is also an artist, and she is the founder and host of The Palace Poetry Group in Syracuse, NY. Her children’s book, The Night of the Starfish People, was published in 2011 (Willet Press), and she self-published the chapbook, Love Poems of the Universe, in 2003. She lives in Syracuse, NY.

Martin Willitts Jr is a retired Librarian living in Syracuse, New York. He currently evaluates Prior Learning Evaluations for SUNY Empire State College. He is a visual artist of Victorian and Chinese paper cutouts. He was nominated for 6 Pushcart and 6 Best of the Net awards. He provided his hands-on workshop “How to Make Origami Haiku Jumping Frogs” at the 2012 Massachusetts Poetry Festival. He won the William K. Hathaway Award for Poem of the Year 2012. He has 5 full-length and 20 chapbooks of poetry including forthcoming poetry books include Waiting For The Day To Open Its Wings (UNBOUND Content), “Art Is the Impression of an Artist” (Edgar and Lenore's Publishing House), City Of Tents (Crisis Chronicles Press), Swimming In the Ladle of Stars (Kattywompus Press), and he is the winner of the inaugural Wild Earth Poetry Contest for his full length collection Searching For What Is Not There (Hiraeth Press).