There is no better way to support National Poetry Month than to make it your goal to get out there, at least once a week (twice would be more celebratory), and support this vibrant poetry scene. Hit your regulars, of course; but be sure to include readings you have never attended or have not attended for a while. Stretch those poetry muscles!

Daily Inspiration: The Writer’s Almanac (www.writerslamanac.publicradio.org)
Daily Inspiration: Poetry Daily (www.poetrydaily.net)
Daily Inspiration: Poem a Day (www.poets.org/poemaday.php)

First Wednesday, April 3, PPLP Portsmouth Hoot, Café Espresso (info@pplp.org)

First Thursday, April 4, Exeter/Water Street Books, Mark DeCarteret and Chris Locke

Every Thursday, Slam Free Or Die, Manchester/Milly’s Tavern (Mark Palos bridgepoetry@gmail.com)

First Friday, April 5, UU Exeter Coffeehouse (Bob Moore bmoore628@comcast.net)

Second Monday, April 8, Conway Public Library Open Mic (omorrill@conwaypubliclibrary.org)

Second Wednesday, April 10, Exeter/Water Street Books (John Ferguson, 603 778-8731)

Third Monday, April 15, Rye/Serenity Café (John Simon john@wordpraxis.com)

Third Tuesday, April 16, Newmarket Stone Church/Zion Hill (Beau Williams 317design@gmail.com)

Third Wednesday, April 17, PSNH Concord/Gibson Books (Don Kimball prisdon@comcast.net)

Third Thursday, April 18, Portsmouth/Beat Night (Bruce Pingree brucepingree@gmail.com)

Third Thursday, April 18, Effingham Library Writers’ Night (Marilyn@effingham.lib.nh.us)

Third Saturday, April 20, Augusta ME/Terry Plunkett Poetry Festival (www.uma.edu/plunkett)

Third Sunday, April 21, River Run Books/Chris Locke (a Seacoast favorite), Gibson Fay-LeBlanc (www.riverrunbooks.com)

Fourth Tuesday, April 23, Portsmouth/Shakespeare’s Birthday (events all day) (www.7stagesshakes.wordpress.com)

Fourth Thursday, April 25, Wolfeboro/Country Bookseller (Gordon Lang poetsintheattic@gmail.com)

Fourth Friday, April 26, Canterbury/Wind in the Timothy Festival (Dudley and Jacqueline Laufman jdlaufman@comcast.net)

Fifth Sunday, April 28, Portsmouth/The Press Room/Jazzmouth Lite (poetry, jazz buffet) (John-Michael Albert www.JohnMichaelAlbert.com)

Fifth Sunday, Apriil 28, River Run Bookstore/Book Release Party/Piscataqua Poems: A Seacoast Anthology (www.riverrunbookstore.com)

[update: 3/26/13] Jazzmouth Lite, Sun Apri 28, 2013, 11:30-02:00 pm, The Press Room (upstairs). I would like to invite all fans of Jazzmouth, poetry and jazz to mark their calendars for a breakfast buffet ($15+drinks+tip) at The Press Room (upstairs) on Daniel Street. I have received the approval of the Jazzmouth organizing committee, the Jazzmouth/Beat Night musicians* have agreed to participate, and the new Press Room kitchen staff will be preparing the buffet.

*The Musicians: Mike Barron, Cynthia Chattis, Don Davis, Skip Gallant, Frank Laurino, Chris Stambaugh, (guitarist TBD)

What will be different this time is that therre will be 15, 5-minute open mic slots for poets, in the tradition of the third-Thursday Beat Nights at the Press Room. Sign up will take place at the door.

PLEASE NOTE: I am also encouraing poets to consider writing and reading “food poems” in honor of the event.

Come, celebrate National Poetry Month, Jazzmouth, and poetry and jazz with a fine meal in the company of poets and musicians, on the site of Jazzmouth’s parent event, Beat Night.

PLEASE NOTE: Please post this note on your social media  to help us get maximum publicity.)

PLEASE NOTE: A collection will be made to honor the musicians. Please bring a $5 or $10 to add to the pot–and let the musicians walk away with a tangible demonstration of your appreciation for their year-round service to the poetry community. Thanks.

More news here as it becomes available. See you there!

At the end of my two-year term as Portsmouth’s 8th Poet Laureate, it’s time to reflect. I’m including two documents here. One is an article that was requested by the Portsmouth arts paper, THE WiRE. It outlines my “philosophical” position on community service and the value of the arts, as well as the structure of my “project,” Ambushed by Poetry.

http://wirenh.com/literary-mainmenu-13/25-literary-general/6222-what-does-a-poet-laureate-do.html

The other is an Appendix to that article (see below). The appendix is an attempt to list all the auxiliary activities I’ve supported and participated in during my laureateship. In case you’re wondering, I’ve already committed to some major projects during my “recovery” period. They include working with two people on new books of their work, a major choral work to include settings of three of my poems and an opera libretto. And, of course, I remain committed to community and will be out and about with all my friends in the area.

John-Michael Albert, 8^th Portsmouth Poet Laureate

OTHER POET LAUREATE PROJECTS (April 2011-April 2013)

An appendix to “What does a poet laureate do?”

 AIDS Response Seacoast/World AIDS Day/Discover Portsmouth Center (invited reader, November 30, 2012)

Amazon.com/Poetry (and other) Book Reviews (ongoing, c. 160 as of February 2013)

Artstream/Rochester NH/Ekphrastic Poetry Project (invited reader, April 2, 2011)

Beat Night/The Press Room/Portsmouth (open mic, monthly)

Bridge Lift-Off Party!/Prescott Park, Memorial Bridge (invited reader, October 1, 2011)

Campus Journal/University of New Hampshire (interview, April 2012)

Dover Public Library, Annual K-12 Poetry Contest (judge, May 10, 2011; May 22, 2012)

Faculty Composers’ Concert/UNH Department of Music (Mike Annicchiarico, librettist, February 15, 2012)

Hugh Harter Memorial/The Women’s Club (open mic, September 13, 2011)

Jazzmouth Lite/The Library Restaurant in The Rockingham ($25 poetry and jazz buffet; Sunday, April 28, 11:30-2:00 pm)

Jazzmouth: Portsmouth Poetry and Jazz Festival/PPLP Poetry Workshop (support, April 28, 2012)

Jazzmouth: Portsmouth Poetry and Jazz Festival/Sunday Brunch (invited reader, April 29, 2012)

Local Buzz/Cape Elizabeth ME (invited reader, January 28, 2012)

Moon Pie Press/Publisher Party/Westbrook ME (December 17, 2011; December 18, 2012)

New Hampshire Business Committee for the Arts/Raddison Hotel/Manchester NH (annual banquet, invited reader, May 14, 2012)

NHPTV/ “I Count on NHPTV” (promotional spot, April 2011)

Poetry Society of New Hampshire/Quarterly Meeting (invited reader, October 2012)

Poetry Society of New Hampshire/You Must Remember This (contributor, release, April 2013)

Portsmouth Halloween Parade Benefit/Undead Beat Night/The Press Room (open mic, October 25, 2012; October 27, 2013)

Portsmouth Herald/Jeanné McCartin (interviews)

Portsmouth Poet Laureate Program/Board Meetings (monthly, May 2011-August 2012)

Portsmouth Poet Laureate Program/The Hoot (invited reader, inaugural reading, May 8, 2011)

Portsmouth Poet Laureate Program/The Hoot (invited reader, retirement reading, May 1, 2013)

Portsmouth Poetry Hoot/Café Espresso (open mic, monthly Sep-Jun)

River Run Bookstore/Banned Books Celebration (invited reader, September 28, 2011)

River Run Bookstore/Piscataqua Poems (contributor, release, March 2013)

Seacoast Gay Men (invited reader, June 11, 2012)

Seacoast Writers Conference/Wentworth Center/Dover (support, May 18, 2011; October 22, 2011; October 20, 2012)

Slam Free or Die/Slam 101/Blue Mermaid (sacrificial poet, January 27, 2012)

Stone Pigeon/Breaking New Grounds (invited reader, July 11, 2011)

Stone Pigeon/Breaking New Grounds (monthly, cancelled July 2012)

The Brick Project/Kickoff Party/Discover Portsmouth Center (April 13, 2012)

THE WiRE/ “American Life in Poetry” (weekly, starting July 13, 2011)

THE WiRE/Karen Marzeloff, Matt Kanner (profile, interviews)

THE WiRE/8^th Birthday Celebration (open mic, October 20, 2011)

THE WiRE/ “In Defense of the Arts” (essay, April 13, 2011)

THE WiRE/ “What does a poet laureate do?” (article, February 13, 2013)

University of New Hampshire/Art Gallery/ “Do You Haiku?” (writing “response haikus” to patron comments on exhibition of Japanese art, November 29-December 9, 2011)

Wind in the Timothy Poetry Festival/Canterbury NH (Dudley Laufman, invited reader; April 27, 2013)

Writers in the Round/Poets and Songwriters Retreat/Star Island (support, September 8-11, 2011; September 6-9, 2012)

Writers in the Round/Poets and Songwriters Retreat Benefit/The Press Room (Craig Werth, Ellen Taylor, invited reader, June 28, 2012)

WSCA (radio)/ “Seacoast Journal” (Tammi Truax, record interview, April 18, 2011)

WSCA (radio)/Writers in the Round (Guy Capecelatro III, invited reader, April 27, 2011; April 25, 2012)

Also: personal poetry critiques and book criticisms, interviews with high school students, commissioned poems; creating and distributing press releases for projects and events

Unfulfilled Projects: poems/poetry readings in the hospitals; poems/poetry readings at the farmers’ markets; new Portsmouth anthology; project to restore Robert Dunn’s public poems; “Poetry in Motion” on public transportation; recital-lecture on the poetry of classical songs; organize a poetry flash-mob to support The New Hampshire Troubadour and Portsmouth Herald/Random Acts of Poetry; Father’s Day: anthology of poems by local fathers with book release/reading