TODAY 1/8: The Debut of Hydrogen Junkbox

Several years ago, while in a tiny music shop in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, I fell in love. I called her Pancetta and she was the most glorious ukelele. I carried her around with me everywhere I went. She was light and small enough, that even when bike riding, I slung her over my shoulder (neatly packed inside her case) and played whenever I had a moment. While waiting for friends to arrive. Before work. After work. On benches. In the park.

Pancetta will always be my first, though I have since fallen in love with a few other ukeleles. There was a banjo uke, a concert uke and now Pancetta IV, acoustic electric. I slowly started performing with one of them while reading my poetry. Then, I’m not sure what compelled me, but I began to sing a little. I’m still not quite sure what I’m doing, but it’s brought me to this moment with one of my favorite poets/humans: David Lawton.

He and I created a poetry/band collective called HYDROGEN JUNKBOX and we have our first feature today!!! Joined by the marvelous Starchilde on synth and hand claps, we will be performing a few altered cover songs and two original poem songs. Inspired by Velvet Underground, Patti Smith, and many others, we are excited to to share our sounds today!

Come to great weather for MEDIA’s Spoken Word Sundays open mic at The Parkside Lounge located at 217 E. Houston St. NYC from 4-6pm. There is an open mic and Richard Loranger will be featuring as well!

$2 donation/2 drink minimum (there are non-alcoholic beverages as well). I really hope to see you there!!!

 

Hydrogen Junkbox is a music and poetry collective created by David Lawton and Aimee Herman, guided by the spirit of Brant Lyon. We aim to stir, rumble, and rouse! With Starchilde appearing on synth and handclaps.

 

Today: A performance of music and poetry

Come to the Parkside Lounge today located at 317 E. Houston in NYC from 4-6 pm for some poetic experiments and an OPEN MIC!

I will be performing with my trusted sidekick, Pancetta Bruscetta III, ukelele.

Support this excellent weekly open mic put on by NYC press, great weather for MEDIA!
21 and over. 
2 drink minimum (they do have coffee and sodas)
$2 suggested donation 
Hosted by Thomas Fucaloro  

Features:
Aimee Herman 
John Paul Davis 
Todd Anderson

Spotlight feature: Elizabeth Rosner  

blue.stockings

When I moved to Brooklyn the first time, I went to an open mic at a bookstore that seemed mythical to me. It was full of more queer studies books I’ve ever seen in one place. They had an erotica section that spanned more than just a shelf! They had a place for people to sell their homemade zines and an extremely well-stocked poetry section. Bluestockings will always be my favorite bookshop to visit. It is quite impossible for me to enter without leaving with at least one book.

In their mission statement, they call themselves a radical bookstore, creating a space that empowers all people. They “actively support movements that challenge hierarchy and all systems of oppression, including but not limited to patriarchy, heterosexism, the gender binary, white supremacy, racism, ableism and classism, within society as well as our own movements.” It is powerful to walk inside a public space and feel heard.

Within the past few years, I have been extremely lucky to have performed at this space several times. But what I have always wanted is to feature for this open mic, which lead me there for the first time. Hosted by Vittoria Repetto since 1999, the Women’s / Trans’ Poetry Jam & Open Mic encourages people to perform (up to) 8 minutes of poetry, prose, songs, and spoken word. I am deeply excited to be featured this month with Ilka Scobie.

Women’s & Trans’ Poetry Jam & Open Mike

Tuesday Feb 25th 7pm – 9pm

Feature Writers: Aimee Herman & Ilka Scobie

Aimee Herman’s poetics deconstruct the architecture of gender and bodies. Aimee experiments with the language of bones, crack them open, count the syllables stuffed inside, and smear what translates onto the page.

Ilka Scobie’s poems are written through the filter of being a feminist, native New Yorker, traveller and teacher.”A passionate song to the city in all its stripped down, scaffolded, merciless and brave beauty.” Janine Pommy Vega

$5 suggested donation

Bluestockings Bookstore     172 Allen St. NYC   (between Staton & Rivington)

Today: a collision on stage!

Aimee Herman and Megan DiBello @ DUMBO Arts Festival, Brooklyn

Come to The Parkside Lounge today located at 317 E. Houston in NYC from 4-6pm for an open mic featuring the dynamic and magnificent Megan DiBello and I as we storm the stage with our collaborative poetics. This is a great performance series that happens every Sunday. They ask for a $2 donation and it is a 2 drink minimum (they have soda and coffee and tea if you are not inclined to drink). It is 21 and over.

A little about us:

Megan DiBello founded Poetry Teachers NYC in 2010. She holds an M.F.A from Naropa University, in Writing & Poetics and a B.A. from Marymount Manhattan College. Megan is also a Literacy Partners Volunteer Tutor. She has been published in Fact-Similie, Flanour Foundry, The Bathroom, & Monkey Puzzle Press. Megan has performed at theWhite Box Gallery, The Bowery Poetry Club, The HOWL Festival, The Socrates Sculpture Park, The Center of Book Arts, and the upcoming DUMBO Arts Festival. Her first hybrid book is entitled, Voyeur Without A Title

Aimee Herman is in the latest issue of The Understanding Between Foxes and Light. Aimee is also a faculty member with PTNYC and absolutely in love with creating spaces for other poets and creative folks to shed their own language. She is a marvelous poet who will crush your soul and feed it back to you.

Tonight’s Performance

Rimes of the Ancient Mariner Reading Series (the first Thursday of every month)

A monthly Spoken Word Open Mic venue for Performance Poets, Writers, Monologists Memoirists, Barroom Bards, and Storytellers.

presents…. “Silver Tongued Devils” produced and hosted by the magnificent poetic storyteller, Phillip Giambri aka “The Ancient Mariner”      www.AncientMarinerTales.com

Thursday June 6, 2013

Basement Lounge @ Identity Bar & Lounge

511 E. 6^th St. (Between Avenues A & B)

7:00pm – Open Mic signup
15  Open Mic slots plus 4 featured performers.
Curtain up at 7:30pm
21 and over only
$7 AdmissionPlease arrive early so we can start promptly at 7:30pm

Featuring:

Aimee Herman

Aimee Herman is deeply enamored with peanut butter, curly-haired humans and coffee. Read her poems in THRUSH journal, Lavender Review and Caketrain journal or in her full length book, to go without blinking. Find her wrapped in caution tape in Brooklyn or at aimeeherman.wordpress.com.

Gordon A. Gilbert, Jr

 

 Gordon A. Gilbert, Jr. , a NYC West Village resident since the mid ’70’s, only discovered the spoken word scene 5 years ago. Since then, there has been an outpouring of poetry, short stories, monologues and a play. He currently hosts monthly beat generation writer celebrations at the Yippie Museum Cafe; and since November 2011, has been staging performances of a dramatic production he has written, Monologues from the Old Folks Home, with a cast of 17. Often he can be found attending literary events at the Cornelia Street Cafe. His email address is: gordonagilbertjr@usa.net.

Kofi Forson

Kofi Fosu Forson was born in Accra, Ghana. He migrated to New York in the late 1970’s with his family. He has written and directed theatrical plays for The Riant Theater. His play Alligator Pass was nominated for the Arnold Weissberger Award. At the Eickholt Gallery he published articles in Trump Magazine and New York Arts Magazine. He joined in partnership with Liverpool’s cultural initiative Transvoyeur. He served as principal director of Transvoyeur, New York. Participated in the project Gender, Space, Art and Architecture as writer and artist. Kofi had his first one man show in Liverpool of his prints, theatrical monologues and premiere of his video/film Cushion Pill. He has recently published twice with Three Rooms Press’ NYC 1 and 2.

Qurrat Ann Kadwani

Qurrat Ann Kadwani is an actress, producer and philanthropist. She has most recently won the Best Actress and Best Play Awards for her solo play, “They Call Me Q!”. The next NYC performance is on June 14th. She has traveled to Maui and Orlando with the show and will soon go to Montreal and Washington D.C. She is also performing at colleges across the country and has done Benefit Performances for charity organizations. She is the founding Artistic Director of eyeBLINK and the head of the Theatre department. She is a theater graduate of SUNY Geneseo and is a double scholarship recipient for her directing and acting contributions. She coordinates a charity project, “A Slice of Hope” to spread joy at homeless shelters across the country. She was the host of Namaste America, a nationally syndicated show on cable and has appeared on TV shows. She has performed in theatre in NYC and regionally and she has also emceed events for several charity organizations. She has appeared in print campaigns, industrials, and commercials. http://www.qkadwani.com, Facebook.com/QKadwani.

Sunday stage stumble

After my bike ride to nearby cafe, where I straddle NY Times, cafe au lait and sun.

After Prospect Park love affair with grass and toes.

After some poeming.

This is where I will be performing on Sunday, May 26th between 4-6pm (perhaps  perhaps   with my ukelele named Pancetta Bruscetta):

great weather for MEDIA‘s Sunday open mic @ The Parkside Lounge

317 E. Houston St. NYC

$2 donation to this fantastic local press (They do this EVERY SUNDAY!). Two drink minimum (any drink–with or w/o booze attached)Open mic first. Bring your poems, your dissected words!I’m featured alongside Terri Muuss, who is the author of Over Exposed and former host of the Manhattan poetry series Poetry at the Pulse. As a motivational speaker, life coach and social worker, Muuss specializes in the use of the arts as a healing mechanism for trauma. Should be a great Sunday!!!