Writers Read Live!

The Up The River launch reading has become an annual Albany Word Fest tradition as we kick off our week of poetry and spoken word events with the contributors of latest issue of UTR reading their work. This year we welcomed Malcolm Willison, Howard Kogan, Nancy Klepsch, Dennis Rush, R.M. Engelhardt, Tom Riley, Cecele Allen Kraus, Alan Catlin, Thom Francis, Karen Schoemer, Robert Phelps, and Frank...

R.M. Engelhardt reading "DeGeneration" (1/25/1995)at the Borders Open Mic from the CD, "Volume: A Compilation of Poets, Live", from 1995 that was produced by Mary Panza and Steve Clark chronicling the poetry scene at the time at such venues as the QE2, Margarita’s, and Borders. You can purchase this CD from Albany Poets at squareup.com/market/AlbanyPoets/volume

In our conversation we talk with R.M. Engelhardt about when he started writing and began coming out to poetry open mics and when and why we started hosting his own readings. Then we touch on his new "Create The Book" project, which is about giving poets a chance to publish and sell their own books.

Albany poet reading "Unholy Ghosts" from this new book "Tendencies".

Paul Weinman reading "My Eyeballs" and "Flies on the Ceiling" (9/13/1994) / "White Boy Strips Naked" (3/14/1995) from the CD, "Volume: A Compilation of Poets, Live", from 1995 that was produced by Mary Panza and Steve Clark chronicling the poetry scene at the time at such venues as the QE2, Margarita’s, and Borders. You can purchase this CD from Albany Poets at https://squareup.com/market/AlbanyPo...

Anthony Ragler was the featured poet at Nitty Gritty Slam #85 at The Low Beat in Albany, NY on Tuesday, January 6, 2015.

Thomas Fucaloro was the featured poet at Nitty Gritty Slam #83 at The Low Beat in Albany, NY on Tuesday, December 2, 2014.

Randall Horton at Poets In The Park (indoors at the Social Justice Center) on Saturday, July 11, 2009

Mike Jurkovic was the featured reader, promoting his new chapbook "Eve’s Venom", at Poets Speak Loud on Monday, October 27, 2014. Here is the audio from that featured performance.

Area native Michele Battiste, a regular face at the old QE2 poetry open mics hosted by Tom Nattell, came back into town in May of 2009 for a special reading at The Poetry Motel.

Jay Renzi was our featured poet at Poets Speak Loud on Monday, September 29, 2014. Here is the audio from that great featured performance.

Rachel Zitomer was the featured poet at the July 2006 edition of Poets Speak Loud at Tess' Lark Tavern.

Albany poet and Team Nitty Gritty Slam Coach Algorhythm was one of the featured performers at the 2006 Albany Word Fest Psycho Cluster F#*k event at Valentine's on Saturday, April 22, 2006.

Mary Panza recently read at Half Moon Books in Kingston, NY along with Marianna Boncek, Thom Francis, Cheryl A. Rice, Mike Jurkovic, and Rebecca Schumejda.

The Intangibles, a group of amazing poets and spoken word artists from Oneonta, were featured performers at the 2006 Albany Word Fest Psycho Cluster F#*k event at Valentine's on Saturday, April 22, 2006.