Next Up to The Mic

On Monday night, September 22, poets and artists gathered at the Fish Market in Troy for a poetry reading featuring some of the writers whose poems were selected to be part of the exhibit. This week, Thom Francis introduces us to poets Tim Maloney and Pam Jacobson whose poems “The Claw Machine” and “Tree Snag” inspired artists to create work. The host for the evening, Dan Wilcox, begins with the definition of ekphrastic art. 

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Poetic License is an annual collaboration between local poets and visual artists, where words and images create bold new connections. On Monday night, September 22, some of the writers whose poems were selected to be part of the exhibit were invited to share their work at the Fish Market in Troy. 

Today, you’ll hear from Tim Maloney, who read his poem “The Claw Machine” that inspired a photograph by yours truly. He then shared another piece titled “Rushing Water.”  Next up to the mic is Pam Jacobson, whose poem “Tree Snag” had three artists interpretations. Pam then read her poem ”Dear Tree.”

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The 2025 edition of Poetic License exhibit is moving across the Hudson River to the Honest Weight Food Co-op in Albany. The show opens on Friday, October 3 and will run through November 16. 

For more information on Poetic License and to read the poems and view the art, go to poeticlicensealbany.com. 

Thom Francis introduces us to poet Mimi Moriarty who shared her poems “Empty” and “Pause” at the Poetic License Poetry Reading and Open Mic at The Fish Market in Troy on Tuesday, September 22, 2025. 

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Poetic License 2025 is here. The Hudson Valley Writers Guild and Upstate Artists Guild have teamed up for the forth year to bring together poets and artists in the Capital Region. Poetic License, which began in 2022, is a joint project between the two organizations where visual artists create work inspired by local writers’ poems.

On Tuesday, September 22, poets and artists gathered in Troy for the first Poetic License Poetry Reading and Open Mic featuring the writers whose poems are included in the show. Mimi Moriarty was the first reader of the evening with two poems including “Empty” which inspired a photograph my Tess Lecuyer. Local poet and photographer Dan Wilcox hosted the event and began the night with a brief history of the project and the poem of his own. 

This year’s Poetic License exhibit is currently on view at The Fish Market in Troy, NY with special events taking place through the end of the month. The exhibit will move across the river to the Honest Weight Food Co-op for October and November kicking off with a First Friday Opening Reception on Friday, October 3. 

Thom Francis welcomes the newly appointed, inaugural Poet Laureate of Schenectady, Adonis Richards who was one of the featured readers at the “Poets Corner Series: Hope, Fire, and Revolution” poetry and spoken word event at Kickback Studios in Troy, NY, on Saturday, April 19, 2025.

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Adonis Richards is a Union College program coordinator in the Office of Intercultural Affairs, a writer for Lake George Living Magazine, and the founder of Lucid Writers, an organization that uses poetry and creative writing to build community and emotional intelligence in schools and youth programs. Richards has also worked with Electric City Barn and other local arts initiatives. He currently serves on the board of the Hudson Valley Writers Guild.

Adonis began writing poetry in 2016 during a performance at his alma mater, SUNY Potsdam, during a hip-hop showcase. Since then, he has pursued many poetic avenues, including self-publishing three poetry books. Now, Adonis hosts monthly open mics in Schenectady, NY, while perfecting his craft in reading and writing. 

Adonis recently took part in the “Poets Corner Series: Hope, Fire, and Revolution” reading at Kickback Studios, that concluded three days of poetry and spoken word in both Albany and Troy, with Lynette Johnson, D. Colin, El, Tarishi M.I.D.N.G.H.T. Shuler, and Courtney Symone.

You can find more information on this and all of the events happening in our vibrant literary community on the Hudson Valley Writers Guild website, hvwg.org

Thom Francis introduces us to poet Don Maurer who shared his work at the Poetic License Poetry Reading & Open Mic at the Fish Market in Troy on November 13, 2023. 

That night Don read his poem “Unnatural Acts,” that inspired a painting by Phil Palmieri in the exhibit. He also read “Nauset Beach, Cape Cod, 1840” and “Long Johns on the Line,” a poem on the changing seasons. 

Poetic License is a joint project of the Hudson Valley Writers Guild and Upstate Artists Guild that brings together regional poets and visual artists. For 2023, the exhibit was on display at the Fish Market in Troy and the Honest Weight Food Co-op in Albany.

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Poetic License 2025 is almost here and the HVWG and UAG are very excited to welcome everyone to this year’s exhibit featuring almost 40 pieces of art inspired by over 20 poems.

This year we are heading back to the Fish Market in Troy with four events taking place throughout September including collage workshops, a poetry reading, and special reception during Troy Night Out.

On Tuesday, September 30, the work will move across the river to the Honest Weight Food Coop for the months of October and November where we will have even more opportunities to view the art and take part in community events.

For more information on the Poetic License project, see the artwork, and to read the poems that inspired it, go to https://www.poeticlicensealbany.com/

This week, Thom Francis re-introduces us to poet, writer, and editor James H Duncan. In their conversation they talk about traveling and living as a writer all around the country and right here in the Capital Region. James read his poem “Albany” at the The Linda, WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio on December 17, 2021.

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James H Duncan is the editor of Hobo Camp Review and the author of “We Are All Terminal But This Exit Is Mine,” “Vacancy,” and “Beyond the Wounded Horizon,” among other books of poetry and fiction. His latest collection of poetry is “We Have Waited Long Enough,” a collaboration with poets Gabriel Richard and Kevin Ridgeway.

James has been back in the Capital Region for a few years after moving to Texas and spending time out west.

In our conversation we talk about Albany, coming back home after time away traveling, and growth as a writer of both poetry and prose.

Thom Francis introduces us to Bob Sharkey, a local poet and short fiction writer. He is a board member of the Hudson Valley Writers Guild serving in many capacities over the years. Bob and his family run the annual Stephen A. DiBiase Poetry Prize contest, named after Bob’s best childhood friend. Bob read his poem  "After ODing on Peanut M&Ms during Game 6" that local poet and photographer Dan Wilcox described as “a funny piece on what a white nationalist world would look like,” at the Poets Speak Loud open mic on November 27, 2017. In their conversation, they discuss that poem, the local open mic scene, and more. 

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Bob Sharkey is the editor of the Stephen A. DiBiase Poetry Prize contest which is sponsored by his family. They decided to name the contest afterBob’s best childhood friend. They grew up together in the Libbytown section of Portland, Maine. They liked to explore the fields, wooded areas, and marshes in the area between their homes on Wood Street and the Fore River. Stephen was like a big brother to Bob. Stephen went to Vietnam as an Army photographer. After he returned, he urged his friend Bob to avoid Vietnam at all costs and Stephen and his family helped Bob obtain conscientious objector status. In 1973, Stephen drowned in shallow water off the coast near Bath, Maine.

The contest was designed by Bob to be unlike other contests and avoid some of the things that discouraged him from submitting to them. There are no entry fees. The $2,500 or so prize money is spread out among the top entrants with a modest first place prize award of $500. There are no line or page limits and the contest gladly reads all forms of poetry and is open to all subjects and topics or none. Published or unpublished work is welcome. There are no age limits and we typically receive many submissions by younger poets, some who have won prizes or recognition.

Thom Francis introduces us to poet, rapper, and filmmaker Michael “ILLiptical” Sloman. ILLiptical performed his poem “Vegan Knowledge” at the Getting Down to the Brass Tacks spoken word event on March 29, 2018, at The Low Beat. In their conversation, Sloman talks about where the poem “Vegan Knowledge” came from, the power of poetry, transitioning to screenwriting, and more.

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At 17, Michael “ILLiptical” Sloman began performing Hip Hop and Spoken Word Poetry at Albany High School’s Inkblot poetry slams. Throughout his 20s and early-30s, he was a mainstay in the Capital Region Slam Community, performing with the first-ever Nitty Gritty Slam team at the National Poetry Slam in Charlotte, North Carolina, along with Elizag, D Colin, and Algorhythm.

Now at the age of 38, and living in Yonkers, NY, Michael focuses mostly on filmmaking under the moniker of Kulture Seed Films, writing and directing movies, as well as teaching high school students to tap into their own creativity.

Sloman says, “When inspired by wisdom, nature, or the happenstances of life, a poem shall be written, and it’s only a matter of time before the Poet spits again.”

Thom Francis introduces us to poet Rachel Baum who tells how she began writing during the pandemic, collecting funeral poems, starting an open mic, and finding ways to get new people interested in poetry. Plus, Rachel reads the poem "Rodeo Winner" from her new collection.

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Rachel R. Baum is a Best of the Net nominated poet, and editor of Funeral and Memorial Service Readings, Poems and Tributes (McFarland, 1999). She is the founder of Moving Mountains Poets and the Saratoga Peace Pod, crafters who create warm items for families in crisis, as well as the Saratoga Senior Center poetry open mic. Her poems have been published in OneArt, Jewish Literary Journal, The Phare, Raven’s Perch, New Verse News, and others. She has two poetry chapbooks: Richard Brautigan’s Concussion (Bottlecap Press, 2023) and How to Rob a Convenience Store(Cowboy Jamboree Press, 2024).

Rachel hosts the poetry and storytelling open mic at the Saratoga Senior Center on the second Friday of every month. The event features writers from across the region plus an opportunity for the community to share their work. The next edition of the series will be a special Poetry Trivia Contest this Friday, August 8, starting at 1:00 pm.

Aron Ervin aka Algorhythm began putting pen to paper in elementary school and took the stage of the famed QE2 open mic on Central Ave when barely a teenager. Since then he has been all over th world performing on stages big and small as spoken word artist.In 2012, along with the D. Colin, Elizabeth “Elizag” Gordon, and Michael “ILLipitical” Sloman, Algorhythm represented Albany for the first time at the National Poetry Slam in Charlotte, North Carolina.

In our conversation we talk about writing as a form of therapy, keeping work personal, and his life now as a teacher.We start our chat by listening to “Still Born,” a poem that he hasn’t read again since it was recorded at the The Low Beat on October 2, 2018. I ask then Aron where his poem came from and what has changed in his life since then.