got this email from jennifer – a cleveland ohio usa poet:
Hello Mr. Smith! Where, in your opinion, would be a good place to start for me to go to read my poetry in Cleveland? I am not sure if I am any good, but I love to write it.
thought other cleveland poets might be interested in the same info, so here’s what i sent her:
wife kathy and i left the states 7 months ago to wander around europe for a couple years. but i still know a few open mics that would welcome you …
every 2nd saturday from 3-5 pm at the jean brandt gallery in tremont is a totally open forum (run by russ vidrick - http://www.brandtgallery.org/ )… 1028 Kenilworth Ave. Cleveland, Ohio 44113. 216-621-1610
the 3rd saturday from 3 to 5 pm at the Bookstore on West 25th Street, 1921 W.25th St, 216.566.8897Â (run by jim lang).
in both these places, you sit around in a circle and anyone reads whenever they feel like jumping in – no sign-up, no featured readers. both these places and the next are super friendly to new poets.
3rd good place is the literary cafe in tremont on literary street – less than a block from lincoln park. they start around 10 and have 2 featured poets followed by a sign-up open mic – http://literarycafe.net/blog/poetry-page/ – run by steve goldberg / nick traenkner / andy – think it’s the 2nd thursday.
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you could also check http://www.deepcleveland.com/borders.html for their monthly friday borders (strongsville) reading (run by mark kuhar). open mic follows the features. might be 3rd friday.
and macs backs book store up in coventry has a monthly reading on a wednesday night – you could call and check that out – http://www.macsbacks.com/ (run by suzanne) – Mac’s Backs paperbacks, 1820 Coventry Rd, Cleveland Hts, Ohio 44118. again open mic after the features. maybe 2nd wednesday.
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gallery 324 down at the galleria has poetry every saturday – noon to 2. (run by marcus bales). 1301 E. Ninth Street Cleveland Ohio 216.780.1522
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of course there’s always the clevelandpoetics online bulletin board you can signup for a http://groups.yahoo.com/group/clevelandpoetics/
these are but a few – there’s lots more – the cleveland poetics group would clue you in.
cleveland’s one of the richest towns i’ve seen for poetry – better than any town we’ve come across since leaving the states – and that includes london and amsterdam.
you can check out a lot of the poets mentioned above at my wife’s poetry/art site http://www.thecitypoetry.com/ and my art/poetry site http://www.agentofchaos.com/
. . .
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if anyone needs a laugh, read this hall of slime list from The BEAST: 50 Most Loathsome People in America, 2006 at http://buffalobeast.com/113/50mostloathsome2006-print.htm
