In this episode of Next Up to The Mic, we welcome D. Colin who was our featured reader at the Albany Poets Presents reading series at Restaurant Navona in Albany, NY on April 18, 2018.

Originally from Bridgeport, CT, D. Colin is a poet, actor, and visual artist living in Troy, NY. As a multidisciplinary artist, she aims to inspire, empower and educate through poetry, paint, and performance and is passionate about cultivating space for stories, healing, and community. She is the author of two poetry collections, Dreaming in Kreyol and Said the Swing to the Hoop.

She is a New York State Writers Institute fellow with degrees in English and Africana Studies. Since 2016, D. Colin has been running Poetic Vibe, a weekly open mic voted best in the Capital Region in 2019. In 2019, D. Colin was honored as Resourceful Woman of the Year in the Arts by YWCA of the Greater Captial Region and one of The Collaborative's Creatives Under 40. In her rare spare time, she likes to eat pistachio ice cream, visit used book stores, and think of ways to change the world.

Please welcome, next up to the mic, D Colin.

To find out more about the great poetry and spoken word community in upstate New York, go to albanypoets.com

Our theme music was “Imagination” by Danijel Zambo (https://uppbeat.io/t/danijel-zambo/imagination) License code: 44TCGFPF1L1434BE

In this episode, we welcome Ian Macks who was our featured reader at Brass Tacks at The Low Beat on March 19, 2019.

Ian Macks is a 27-year-old poet based out of Troy, New York. Originally raised in the Bronx until 10 years old, Macks felt the actions and emotions of love, loss, racism, and hardship all while being non-verbal for half of that decade. This sensitive perspective of life is what fuels Ian's poetry, and that light shines brightly throughout Identity Crisis, coming out this summer on Amazon and Barnes and Noble through recto y verso editions inc.

Please welcome, next up to the mic, Ian Macks.

To find out more about the great poetry and spoken word community in upstate New York, go to albanypoets.com

Our theme music was “Imagination” by Danijel Zambo (https://uppbeat.io/t/danijel-zambo/imagination) License code: 44TCGFPF1L1434BE

In this episode, we welcome Don Levy who was our featured reader at Poets Speak Loud at the Lark Tavern on March 30, 2009.

Don Levy has been part of the Albany poetry scene since 1989 when he first read at the QE2 open mic. He has read at various venues and events in Albany, including The Albany Public Library, Poets in the Park, Poets Speak Loud, and the Third Thursday Poetry Night at The Social Justice Center. He has hosted a number of readings over the years, the first being at The Albany Art Gallery on Jefferson Street, to his last, a featured reader / open mic series called Live From the Living Room, a straight-friendly reading held at The Pride Center of the Capital Region.

Don was one of the editors of  Open Mic: The Albany Anthology., a fantastic book that featured work from the poets who frequented the local open mics in the mid-90s.   He published 2 chapbooks with local artist Kevin Bruce: How Green Was My Big Eden, a collection of gay fantasy poems, and Super Queer Poet Saves the Day.  He currently writes a book blog called The Next Chapter on the Albany Poets website.

Please welcome, next up to the mic, Don Levy

To find out more about the great poetry and spoken word community in upstate New York, go to albanypoets.com

Our theme music was “Imagination” by Danijel Zambo (https://uppbeat.io/t/danijel-zambo/imagination) License code: 44TCGFPF1L1434BE

In this episode, we welcome Billy Stanley who was our featured reader at Poets Speak Loud at the Lark Tavern on March 27, 2006.

Billy Stanley grew up in the backwaters of the D'arbonne Bayou on the outskirts of West Monroe, Louisiana. After exhausting his literary ambitions in the twin cities of Northeast Louisiana he took off to Provincetown Massachusetts to become Stanley Kunitz's garbageman for a few summers. He humbled himself before Yusef Komuyakaa at the end of Cape Cod. Dave Brinks agitated him on the streets of the Big Easy as Billy yawped his bona fides. He then fell in Love and shoveled snow in New York’s capital. Shaker ghosts in Watervliet haunted him on early morning sunrises in the dead of winter. Adam Goldsworthy teaches him the poetry of nature as Livio Levante teaches him the riches of nature.

Billy says that “Poetry is man's attempt to rationalize the magnificence of nature in the face of our human hubris. Hope you like mine, I do.”

Please welcome, next up to the mic, Billy Stanley

To find out more about the great poetry and spoken word community in upstate New York, go to albanypoets.com

Our theme music was “Imagination” by Danijel Zambo (https://uppbeat.io/t/danijel-zambo/imagination) License code: 44TCGFPF1L1434BE

In this second episode, we welcome Avery Stempel who was our featured reader at Poets Speak Loud at the Lark Tavern on March 29, 2010.

Avery Stempel is a psycho-spiritual philosopher-poet turned mushroom farmer from the Capital Region. He enjoys wandering walks through the woods, growing delicious nutraceutical fungi for his friends, family, and the local community, and sometimes he scribbles barely decipherable things on scrap paper and calls them poems.

Please welcome, next up to the mic, Avery Stempel.

To find out more about the great poetry and spoken word community in upstate New York, go to albanypoets.com

Our theme music was “Imagination” by Danijel Zambo (https://uppbeat.io/t/danijel-zambo/imagination) License code: 44TCGFPF1L1434BE

In this first episode, we welcome Brandon Williamson who was our featured reader at Nitty Gritty Slam #89 at The Low Beat on March 3, 2015.

Brandon Williamson was born and raised in Buffalo NY. A proud Fredonia graduate, Brandon has made it his life goal to reach out to students in inner-city neighborhoods similar to the one he grew up in, painting a path for them to follow to their future. In this process, Brandon spent time as a high school teacher before creating the Pure Ink Poetry Slam. As the only monthly running poetry slam in Buffalo, the Pure Ink Poetry Slam caters to the community of poets in the area, as well as authors, musicians, dancers, and comedians. Brandon works hard to build a community of art that everyone can be a part of. He has facilitated writing and performance workshops for organizations like Planned Parenthood, Teen Reality Theatre, Buffalo Public Schools, Summer School of the Arts, University at Buffalo, Buffalo State University, and more. He has performed, competed, and won poetry slams and been featured throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Ontario, Michigan, California, and parts of Europe.

Please welcome, next up to the mic, Brandon Williamson.

To find out more about the great poetry and spoken word community in upstate New York, go to albanypoets.com

Our theme music was “Imagination” by Danijel Zambo (https://uppbeat.io/t/danijel-zambo/imagination) License code: 44TCGFPF1L1434BE

We are very excited to announce the new podcast from Albany Poets - Next Up to The Mic! Each week we bring you performances from poets and spoken word artists that have graced our stages over the years. 

We are kicking off the new series on Wednesday, March 3, 2021 with the featured performance from Brandon Williamson from Nitty Gritty Slam #89 that took place on March 3, 2015 at The Low Beat on Central Avenue in Albany, NY.