Tuesdays at Curley's

Welcome to PoemAlley, Stamford, Connecticut's eclectic venue for poets, poetry reading and discussion! Open to anyone living in Fairfield County and the surrounding area, we meet Tuesday nights at 7:30 pm at Curley's Diner on 62 Park Place (behind Target) . Come contribute, get something to eat, or simply listen!



Nov 14, 2011

Back-To-Back Greco- and Celtic-Themed Readings In Stamford

PoemAlley Advisory Committee head Bill Buschel is the featured speaker this Monday, November 14, 2011, at Barnes & Noble's Open Mic night, hosted by Frank Chambers, beginning at 7:15 pm in the Cooking section of the Stamford Town Center location.

A regular host on Hellenic Public Radio (Cosmos FM on WNYE 91.5 FM), Bill will share his special combination of scholarship and "you-are-there" humanity through a mix of contemporary subjects and pieces drawn from Greek mytho/historical themes. Here you can listen to audio of one of his past programs from Cosmos' 2004 archives.

For more information, contact:
Barnes & Noble
Stamford Town Center
100 Greyrock Place Suite H009
Stamford, CT 06901

203-323-1248
Prior to his August appointment, Bill was known not just for his poetry and a measured, authoritative presentation style, but for his dedicated video chronicling of PoemAlley gatherings and special readings, such as this latest YouTube offering of PA member Carly Pierre "Long Time Lovers".

An equally devoted online presence, Bill manages several blogs (see the full list here), most notably "Just My Eyes" (http://billbuschel.wordpress.com/), whose frequent focus is on all things Hellenic in academic and popular culture, like this interview with the Parlapanedes brothers, writing team behind The Immortals, the latest Hollywood interpretation of Gods, humans and Titans, centering on the exploits of Theseus.

Bill's companion blog, "Things We Need [to make it thru the day]" (http://thingsweneed.tumblr.com/) lists events and incidental imagery distilled from the media, other bloggers and Bill's own camera, scoping out everything from the controversy over a former porn star visiting public schools to promote literacy and assorted portrait tributes to the late Steve Jobs, to the six-month anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe.

As a survivor of Russia's own Chernobyl nuclear disaster from 1986, Tuesday's November 15 guest speaker at Curley's has explored a resultant fascination with crisis and dramatic social change via a series of historical novels, beginning with 2009's Wynfield's Kingdom and its sequel, Wynfield's War (2010), meting out gritty treatment to class struggle in Victorian England and the subsequent trials of key historical and composite characters during the Crimean War. As with such figures as Florence Nightingale, Marina Julia Neary's new sequence sets the record straight on the Irish struggle for autonomy, the secret Republican Brotherhood and the maligned Bulmer Hobson and his role in the 1916 Easter Rising.

Coined by critics as examples of "Irish noir", Marina's Brendan Malone: the Last Fenian and Martyrs & Traitors: a Tale of 1916 (both published this year) are the latest projects from an author who is also an actress, former PA poet, journalist and playwright. Marina's past activities include appearances in several independent art and horror films shot in the Connecticut/New York area, the writing of "Hugo in London", a tragicomedy about the French literary genius in England during the Crimean War and its sequel, "Lady with a Lamp: An Untold Story of Florence Nightingale", produced in Greenwich and New York, 2008-2009, respectively.

In 2007, Marina was commissioned to collect and publish the memoirs of over 40 senior residents from a Stamford-based retirement community. Click here, here and here for additional details on Marina's work from this blog; her homepages are http://mjneary.webs.com and www.marinajulianeary.com.


Nov 4, 2011

Marina Julia Neary Discusses Her Latest Novel At The Ferguson Library

Following the publication in January of Brendan Malone: The Last Fenian, former PoemAlley member, actress/playwright, poet and novelist Marina Julia Neary further taps into her East European/Irish heritage with her latest historical work, Martyrs and Traitors: A Tale of 1916, setting the record straight on Bulmer Hobson, the unfairly maligned patriot, and how he and his actions were really understood by his contemporaries during the Easter Rising. Marina will elaborate on the origins of her book, her passion for history and her creative process at the Ferguson Library in Stamford, CT this Saturday.  

As with her past projects assaying the class disparities and exploitation of Victorian London and the battlefields and intrigue of the Crimean War (Wynfield's Kingdom, 2009; Wynfield's War, 2010), Neary continues to weave fictional characters with pivotal events and figures to craft period pastiches infused with an uncompromisingly visceral texture and holistic characterization free of the hageographic depictions of standard historical accounts.

Similarly, her stage production "Lady With a Lamp: An Untold Story of Florence Nightingale" (2009), performed live regionally by herself and her husband, Walt, was highly-praised for its unique portrayal of Nightingale as a complex, real human being, rather than as a two-dimensional "angel of mercy", and was performed as a benefit for The Wyatt Foundation.   

Her poetry has appeared in Alimentum, The Recorder and First Edition in the United Kingdom. She is currently an ongoing contributor covering entertainment for the Norwalk Beat, a Connecticut-based leisure publication.

Find out more about Marina and her various projects at http://mjneary.webs.com/; readers and fellow writers can contact her at M_J_Neary@hotmail.com.

When:
Saturday, November 5, 2-3:30 pm

Where:
Third Floor Auditorium
The Ferguson Library
One Public Library Plaza
Stamford, CT 06904

Phone/Website: 203-323-4153/www.fergusonlibrary.org

PA Poet & Sculptor Hoby Rosen Shares His Work With Public At LAA Fall Event

Bronze Stoneworks II (1986)
PoemAlley participant Hoby Rosen is one of 40+ photographers, ceramicists, line artists and other creative professionals of the Loft Artists Association, opening their studios to the public this weekend. Since its inception over 30 years ago, the LAA is a non-profit cooperative, presently located in a former printing plant in the South End, committed to supporting the visual arts in Fairfield County and to educational outreach to the general public.

A graduate of Johns Hopkins and the University of Southern California, Hoby studied writing, drama and film production. He works primarily in wax for bronze casting and has work represented in galleries and shows in the CT/Westchester area, as well as in private collections.

Rebound (1993)
Tipping It In (1988)
Among his current projects are a new series of nudes in treated paper and wood, glass castings, sculptures made from electronic components, as well as dynamic figurative pieces drawing from his former background in puppet animation which replicate the elan found in today's athletes.

In addition to the LAA, Hoby is a member of the Stamford Art Association, the Greenwich Art Society, the New Canaan Society for the Arts and is also on the UCONN Stamford Arts Committee. Contact Hoby at hobyart@aol.com

Open Studio Hours:
Friday, November 4, 6-9pm
Saturday, November 5, Noon-6pm
Sunday, November 6, Noon-6pm

Location:
Loft Artists Association
845 Canal Street, Stamford, CT 06902

Phone/E-mail:
203-323-4153/http://www.loftartists.com/

The Open Studio is sponsored in part by: The City Arts Partnership Program Grant; Michael A. Pavia, Mayor; Harbor Point; Kim Harris; The Louis J. Kuriansky Fund; Alex & Ricki Miller; Wagner Instruments; WSTC 1400 & WNLK 1350.