Caffè Lena Poetry Open Mic featuring April Bernard

This monthly event, hosted by Carol Graser, takes place on the first Wednesday of every month and includes an open mic reading as well a featured poet. Sign up for the open mic starts at 7:00 and readings start at 7:30. Each open mic poet reads two short poems (less than one page) or one longer poem. All styles of poetry are welcome. The feature this month is April Bernard. April Bernard’s most recent volume of poems is Brawl & Jag (W.W. Norton, 2016). Her first book, Blackbird Bye Bye (Random House, 1989), was chosen by Amy Clampitt as the winner of the 1989 Walt Whitman Award from the Academy of American Poets. Her other acclaimed books of poetry include: Romanticism (W. W. Norton, 2009); Swan Electric (2002); Psalms (1995). She has also published two novels and frequently contributes critical essays to The New York Review of Books. She is Director of Creative Writing at Skidmore College and also teaches in the Bennington MFA in Writing program.