Join poet Laurel Radzieski for a free hands on workshop to learn best practices and tips for taking poems to the stage. Learn basic stage preparation techniques and approaches to being present when performing. Dress comfortably and be prepared to move. No RSVP required. Presented by Berks Bards.

Thursday, March 12th 6:00pm – 7:30pm

GoggleWorks Center for the Arts – Room 420 – 201 Washington St, Reading PA 19601

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Personal Space

by Bee HiveQueen

 

Focused on Themselves.

Unbothered by the world’s woes.

Love is in the air.

From “I Am The Reason”
by Brandi Lush

“I know now
Those boys had no right
To touch me at all,
Let alone in the ways they did.
I know that girl had no right
To follow me to class
To hit me.
I know that boyfriend had no right
To put his hands on me,
To degrade me,
To throw scissors at me,
To tell me I had already self-harmed so much,
Who would believe me
And what would it matter.”

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For a $10 donation, due on or before the taping, you can record a one-minute poem in BCTV’s first floor studio, inside Alvernia University’s downtown campus building at 401 Penn Street.

When: Studio time from 1 until 4 pm has been set aside for this project on the afternoons of Wednesday, March 4th and on March 11th. 

Please contact Marilyn Klimcho at: [email protected] to reserve your slot. 

Validated parking is available in the Chiarelli Plaza Parking Garage at Third and Washington Streets. Please know your license plate number when you arrive at the studio, where staff will help you complete the validation process.

Directions: From the parking garage, it’s a short walk uphill along Court Street. Turn right on Fourth Street, and left on Penn Street. Then walk the full length of Alvernia University’s building and turn left to find the main entrance on the east side of the building. This is the only possible entry. Sign in at the desk on the far right of the lobby.

At the end of April, after broadcast/streaming, BCTV will archive all of the one-minute poems on YouTube. 

If you’d like to create your own video instead, please contact Marilyn Klimcho for directions on how to submit. All videos are due by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 11.

The post CALLING ALL POETS! BERKS BARDS ONE-MINUTE POEMS ARE BACK! appeared first on Berks Bards.

By Susan L. Peña, president, Berks Bards 

Something is brewing in downtown Reading. 

In these anxious, fraught times, when each day seems to bring more appalling news, I am finding hope in the center of a city that has been called the “poorest” in the nation. 

People who never come into the city may not realize that we have a blooming community of poets largely made up of people living and working in Reading’s older neighborhoods. 

Their poetry is not what is typically taught in the halls of academia, but part of a living, breathing spoken-word tradition that honors poetry’s ancient roots in theater, storytelling, rhyme, rhythm and music. It applies these arts to what is happening today, and anyone who has experienced it will tell you that it is electrifying.  

On Saturday, June 14th—a day racked by assassinations and war and signs of fascism in Washington, along with millions of peaceful protesters marching in solidarity and hope—a sold-out WCR Center for the Arts witnessed the “Bless the Mic Slam Poetry Competition,” in which 20 poets vied for cash prizes. Their work was adjudicated by a panel of judges from the region—who I must say had a truly difficult job. 

This was not a Berks Bards event, although the organizers and many attendees have ties to Bards. It was conceived by a member of our board, Aries Franklin-Ortiz (a.k.a. The Poet Smiley), who hosted the evening (and no one does this better!). The event was sponsored mainly by Queen’s Café, Barrio Alegria and the WCR Center, with additional sponsorships by ATV Bakery Inc., Detail Dogs, Erica Montalvo, Mimos Goods, and Au We Buy & Sell Gold Too. 

Smiley’s endless creativity and attention to detail were fully on display, as everything went off without a hitch. The WCR auditorium was transformed into a welcoming café-like space with elegant, colorful table decorations (by the Balooney Sisters), live art by Theron Cook and Kris Batista, and tables full of food by Queen’s Café, Dos Amigas, The Modern Fork & Spoon, Sugary Jayy Sweets & Treats and Queen’s Café. Onstage, there was a brief open mic, and then DJ The 610 Problem played music between rounds of competing poets from 6:30 to 10 p.m. 

The poets—some of whom came from as far away as Harrisburg, York, Lancaster, New Jersey, New York and Washington DC—performed their poems (mostly from memory), delving deep into their experiences of love, heartbreak, racism, domestic violence, frustration with the immigrant experience, and yes, politics. Some were quietly intense; others were raw cries of anguish that left everyone stunned. 

The audience would listen intently to each performance, then erupt in applause, sometimes jumping up to hug the poets as they returned to their seats. What emerged time and again throughout the evening was a sense of true community, of mutual acceptance as people bared their souls. Poets and audience both represented a full array of ages, ethnicities and identities, all coming together because of their devotion to truth-telling and the beauty of language. 

This was art at its very best: a focal point for self-expression, communal appreciation, celebration and protest. As I watched these brave poets speaking their truth, and the obvious love shown by this amazing community, I felt my spirit lift for the first time in the long, harrowing months since January. 

We have a treasure right here in Reading, and there is no place I would rather be than among these extraordinary artists. 

FOR THE RECORD: 

There were three winners: First place went to Chiina Bloodmire, second to Handyman (Alonzo), and third to former Berks County Poet Laureate Anthony Orozco (a.k.a. Glyph). 

The judges were: Jaime Baez Jr., Jay Smoov, Lizette Epps, Tiffany the Poet Fairy and Brad Nofia Waples. 

Local vendors: Mimos Goods, Tyra Thomas, Mayra La Rubia, Mo the Poet and Poet Serenity. 

The post BLESS THE MIC BLESSES THE CITY appeared first on Berks Bards.

Teach me how to drink water. I am full of attention, a hard bone to chew. Imagine choking on desperation, not  ladylike use your utensils. Cross your legs or the boys will interpret your sitting posture as a right of passage to non consensual penetration. No spaghetti straps, your skirt should be just below your knees.  Thighs makes them visually weak. Your blouse should be tucked at your waist, every button closed. Lessons that end with little significance. Customs that end with little admiration. Labia in mummification in the mouths of many damnations. 

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Our guest reader will be Giselle Castillo Gonzalez, followed by the Open Mic! Bring a friend, bring a poem, or just come to enjoy! GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, June 5 at 6 p.m. 

Giselle Castillo Gonzalez is a Reading poet originally from Ponce, Puerto Rico. She grew up the hard way in foster care in Providence, RI. She now uses poetry to tell her stories. Her poetry has been featured in The Salvation Army fundraiser. She is currently working on publishing her first collection of poems, titled “Memoirs of a Demised Knackered Tree.” 

The post First Thursday Poetry with Featured Poet Giselle Castillo Gonzalez appeared first on Berks Bards.

Melt me 

I am but a broken vessel 

fuse my fissures and gaps 

my bone-deep imperfections 

Heal me 

help me see beauty in my broken parts 

traverse my skin with golden rivers 

teach me to illuminate my repairs 

The post Kintsugi by Arlene (Arlo) Geller appeared first on Berks Bards.

Arlene Geller’s poetry has appeared in Tiferet Journal, White Enso, Tiny Seed, and Schuylkill Valley Journal, among other literary journals and anthologies. Two poetry collections, The Earth Claims Her and Hear Her Voice, were published in 2023 by Plan B Press and Kelsay Books, respectively. Collaborations with composers include commissioned lyrics, such as River Song, featured in the world premiere of I Rise: Women in Song at Lehigh University and since performed in numerous national and international locations. Learn more at arlenegeller.com. 

Kintsugi 

Melt me 

I am but a broken vessel 

fuse my fissures and gaps 

my bone-deep imperfections 

Heal me 

help me see beauty in my broken parts 

traverse my skin with golden rivers 

teach me to illuminate my repairs 

The post First Thursday Poetry with Featured Poet Arlene (Arlo) Geller appeared first on Berks Bards.

Kutztown University English Professor Dr. Brandon Krieg will be leading a workshop on the are of sonnet writing: 

Tuesday, April 22 at 6:30 p.m. 

GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, Room 411 

Free and open to the public 

Dr. Krieg says, “This workshop is for poets who want to use the constraint of a 14-line form to make wild discoveries. Poets will leave this workshop stung with an insatiable desire to write in 14-line bursts!” Bring a notebook or pad, pencil or pen and join the fun! 

Krieg specializes in creative writing/poetry, environmental literature, poetry/poetics, and American literature after the Civil War. He has published four collections of poems, most recently Users With Access; Magnifier (2019), winner of the 2019 Colorado Prize for Poetry; In the Gorge (2017); and Invasives (2014). He is the English faculty advisor for Essence: Fine Arts and Literary Magazine, and a co-advisor of Shoofly Literary Magazine. 

He grew up in Tualatin, Ore., and attended Cornell University and the University of Washington, and holds a Ph. D. from Western Michigan University. He is an associate professor of English at Kutztown University. 

The post BERKS BARDS PRESENTS A NEW WORKSHOP: “THERE’S A BEE IN MY SONNET!” appeared first on Berks Bards.

Monday, April 14: Firefly Bookstore presents “Women’s Voices” from 6:30 to 8 p.m., with Marjorie Maddox, Sandra Fees and Tabassam Shah. 271 W. Main St., Kutztown 

Friday, April 25: The Poet Smiley presents “Espresso Yourself” (Open Mic) from 6 to 9 p.m. Bring your poems and friends to Queen’s Café, 2609 Keiser Blvd. (in the Riverfront FCU building), Wyomissing 

The post Berks Bards Announces More Community Events for Poetry Month appeared first on Berks Bards.

The job of a poet, how do I explain it?

Some educate, some inform,

some entertain in their statements.

Using sounds of profound nouns

as they skillfully articulate with verbs,

Well, my diction condensed to make sense

til you’re convinced

I have a way with words.

so complex is the text

as you anticipate what’s next

Millions of views across platforms,

now I’m convinced that

my imagination is my biggest flex

So I Never fear AI

Why would I care

about the META -For (phor)?

Fuck an editor,

I predicate my grammar

Change the arrangement

of conjunctive adverbs

And furthermore,

You KNOW my tone gets loud

with every silent letter I’m chasing

I’ll make an entire thesis rhyme

In every plot I’m creating

And I would say period

But I don’t force punctuation

So I end my poems off w good point

And Let u choose the exclamation!

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