Photos from August 24, 2009

Tom Phelan, Barbara Hoffman, Herb Siegel
Joan Dupre, Christine Timm

Photos from August 31, 2009

Sonia Russell, Yolanda Coulaz, Theresa Berzner,
Paula Curci, Christine O'Hagan

Coming up August 31, 2009

Last week. Seems like the season just started, but here it is.

Last Monday was an absolute treat. Tom Phelan started us off, his brogue rolling across Schoolhouse Green, with readings from two of his Ireland-set novels--with the added bonus of new words learned; Barbara Hoffman followed with lush poetry that had all of us--especially me--on the edge of our seats; Herb Siegel made us laugh and ponder with intelligent, moving poetry; Joan Dupre's poetry on loss was poignant, without being maudlin; and Christine Timm's short story/essay was both funny and insightful. Another wonderful evening.

We also collected even more books for our troops--please bring down your gently used paperbacks (try to steer clear of romance, childrens, how-to manuals, etc.)--Kiwanis of Oceanside will box and ship them out, in coordination with Operation Paperback. So far we have sent boxes of books sent, or ready to send, to over 30 of our troops--with more shipments ready to go!

This week end our 3rd season with five readers and two drawings--the first will be the regular weekly 50/25/25. And then we will draw the Grand Prize--the accumulation from throughout the year!

The Readings start at 7pm at Schoolhouse Green, located on Foxhurst Road, just east of Long Beach Road, Oceanside NY. For more information, directions, etc. go to http://summergazeboreadings.blogspot.com/

This Monday, August 31, 2009, we feature:

Christine Kehl O'Hagan

Christine O'Hagan is the author of "Benediction at the Savoia," a novel, and "The Book of Kehls," a memoir, selected by Kirkus Reviews as a "Best Book of 2005." O'Hagan's essays have appeared in several anthologies and numerous publications, including "Newsday," and "The New York Times." O'Hagan lives in Suffolk County with her husband, Patrick.

Paula Curci

Many may know PAULA CURCI as the host and producer of "CALLIOPES CORNER: THE PLACE WHERE POETS AND SONGWRITERS MEET" on WRHU.88.7fm and www.WRHU.ORG. Her show airs weekly each Thursday at 6:30pm est. Paula started in radio as an informational broadcaster as host of " WHAT'S THE BUZZ, A SHOW THAT AIRED ISSUES FOR YOUNG ADULTS" on WBAU.
As a writer Paula has authored a chapbook collection of poems entitled " LETTERS NEVER SENT." Paula has produced two spoken word CD's with the ACOUSTIC POETS NETWORK (R), the poetry band and open mic promotion group Paula co-founded. Both EMISSARY and BITTERSWEET are distributed by CD Baby.com and can be found online for IPOD download. Her spoken word art can be heard on many compilation CD projects, including the Saltaire Foundation's Edgar Allen "Po Project." She has been awarded several times for her professional work and in 1998, 1999, and in 2000 for her spoken word art and work with the APN. In 2005, Paula was honored by the Vault, an artist community in Queens, NY, with the " Guardian Angel" award for her service to the poetic community.

Sonia Russell

Sonia Russell is an author, publisher, poet, and orator from Long Island, NY. Her first novel, "The Cost of Love," debuted in September 2007 under the pseudonym of LeRoia. This novel, which is the first of a series, as well as the first publishing effort of her company SoniSpeaksVolumes Publishing, LLC, has sparked book clubs, book signings, and table talk book signings in several cities. Sonia (LeRoia) was the featured author at Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.'s Women's Month "Meet the Author" in Jamaica, New York in March of this year. She was also featured at Hue-man Bookstore in Harlem, on a panel of five authors called "First Voices," where she discussed "The Cost of Love," in April. Sonia recently obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in English, and endeavors to teach creative writing.

Theresa Rosario- Berzner

An Artist and Writer since childhood, Theresa has written articles for Long Beach Style Magazine and her Poetry has been in Soul Fountain, Anthology (Women's Voices).She has belonged to Artist's Groups and Hosted Variety Shows,Exhibited her Art Works and was the Events Coordinator for Artists in Partnership. Theresa has appeared on Paula Curci's Radio Show, Calliope's Corner on WRHU Hofstra Radio 88.7 FM. as Co-Host and Reading Original poems and the poems of others.
She has read her Poetry at various venues,including " The Vault " (Hope for the Children Foundation), in Queens Village,Cafe' Verboten in Staten Island,The Long Beach Public Library and Performance Poetry Association. Theresa's Poems will appear in the next Performance Poets Association Literary Review.

Yolanda Coulaz

Yolanda Coulaz is a poet, photographer, founder and editor of Purple Sage Press. Her poetry has been widely published, and she has appeared at numerous venues including the United Nations and the Ellis Island Medals of Honor Gala. She teaches poetry writing workshops in schools and libraries throughout Long Island. Her first book Spirits and Oxygen was selected to be used in an advanced course in poetry at SUNY Stony Brook. She edited and published the anthology For Loving Precious Beast to benefit Loving Touch Animal Rescue. Her second book Reckoning is forthcoming.

The Summer Gazebo Readings are sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Oceanside and are held each Monday evening in June, July and August, featuring 4-5 readers each evening. Scheduled readers include some of Long Island's most prestigious poets, and fiction and non-fiction writers. The Summer Gazebo Readings are held outdoors; seating is limited, so bring a lawn chair, a blanket, a picnic table. The grounds are open, and the public is encouraged to come early and have a quiet summer's picnic on the grounds. Admission is free.

Sponsors include:
Home & Hearth Real Estate
Herb & Marian Brown
Bonbino's Pizza
North Sea Poetry Scene
Max Wheat NC Poet Laureate Comm.
Maryanne Lehrer
Mary Jane McGrath, Attorney
Gary & Sandie Schoell
Philip Reinstein, CLU
Diversion Press
Oceanville Mason Supply
Kiwanettes of Oceanside
21st Century Appraisers
Village BookShoppe
Long Island Pulse
Westron Lite Bulb
Tower’s Funeral Home
Michael Schamroth and Family
Councilman Anthony Santino
Jay R. Myers & Co., Inc.
Childs Murphy Kuehn & Cesiro,
Municipal Credit Union
Bondi & Iovino, Attorneys-at-Law

Upcoming Schedule

8/31/2009 Sonia Russell Yolanda Coulaz Paula Curci Theresa Rosario- Berzner Christine Kehl O'Hagan

For more information:

Tony Iovino
68 Yorktown Street
Rockville Centre, NY 11570
H 516 763-1667
C 516 459-3262
W 516 741-8585
http://summergazeboreadings.blogspot.com/
Facebook Group Page

Coming Up Monday, August 24, 2009

Monday was killer hot during the day, but by 7 pm the sun had dipped below treeline, and a nice breeze had kicked up--making Schoolhouse Green the perfect place to be! Our first modified Open Read was a great success-- in between our 3 featured readers, a total of 14 poets stepped lively to the mic and treated the crowd to an eclectic sampling of fine poetry. Their participation served as a wonderful backdrop for three of Long Island's finest and most acclaimed poets: J R Turek, with poems both funny (dogs rule!) and touching; Max Wheat, with excerpts from Young Voices, the collection of winning poems from the student contest run while he was Poet Laureate; and Gayl Teller, the present Nassau County Poet Laureate, whose delicate and often humerous poetry (read by flashlight) brought the evening to a stylish conclusion.

We also collected more books for our troops--please bring down your gently used paperbacks (try to steer clear of romance, childrens, how-to manuals, etc.)--Kiwanis of Oceanside will box and ship them out, in coordination with Operation Paperback. So far we have sent boxes of books sent, or ready to send, to over 30 of our troops--with more shipments ready to go!

This week we bring back 5 favorites from prior years-- prose and poetry sure to delight!

The Readings start at 7pm at Schoolhouse Green, located on Foxhurst Road, just east of Long Beach Road, Oceanside NY. For more information, directions, etc. go to http://summergazeboreadings.blogspot.com/

This Monday, August 24, 2009, we feature:

Tom Phelan

Tom Phelan, who was born and raised on a farm in County Laois, Ireland, is the author of the novels In the Season of the Daisies, Iscariot, Derrycloney, and The Canal Bridge. His next novel, Nailer, about a man determined to get revenge, is set against the backdrop of Ireland's abusive industrial schools and the collusion between church and state that allowed them to flourish.

To date, Tom Phelan has seen his works published in four countries and three languages. His first novel, In the Season of the Daisies, was chosen by Barnes and Noble for its Discover Great New Writers series. His most recent novel, The Canal Bridge, was praised by the Irish Independent as a "First World War masterpiece...ambitious, accomplished, and deeply moving." And Books Ireland called it "powerful and deeply affecting."

In 2008,Tom was selected as a Christopher Isherwood Foundation Fellow, one of only five individuals chosen from among several hundred novelists.

Herb Siegel

Herb Siegel is a great friend of the Gazebo- he is almost always present in our crowd, supporting and enjoying our programs. Herb was a CEO of major public companies, and the recipient of many professional certifications, awards, and articles. He holds a Ph.D. in International Law from Columbia. In between, he assembled a collection of poems titled, “Life Through My Glasses,” an eclectic collection of some personal experiences and many universal observations that educate, challenge, and entertain and usually end with a touch of sardonic humor.

Joan Dupre

Joan Dupre earned a Ph.D. in English from the City University of New York Graduate Center and teaches at Queensborough Community College (QCC). She is faculty advisor to the QCC Poetry Slam Team, which competes in the NYC College Poetry Slam Series and won the first ever NYC College Slam Finals and Championship title. Joan writes poetry and short fiction and has read at the Bowery Poetry Club, Smalls Jazz Club and other venues in and around the city. When she is not teaching, writing, reading her poetry or striking a yoga pose, Joan can often be found belting out the blues at karaoke.

Christine Timm

Christine Timm is a NYC performance poet. She produces and co-hosts the NYC College Slam, Love Poetry Hate Racism events, and the Bowery Kids entertainment series at the Bowery Poetry Club in Manhattan and co-produces and co-hosts the Smalls Lit Series at Smalls Jazz Club in the West Village. Her most recent publications can be found in Polarity, Arabesques Review, and The Long Island Quarterly. She has a collection of poetry forthcoming on Small Books Press. She has a Ph.D. in English Lit from the Graduate Center at City University of New York with dissertation on the Beats and spoken word. She is Associate Professor of English at Westchester Community College where she teaches modern American poetry, creative writing, and composition. www.myspace.com/christine_timm

Barbara Hoffman

Barbara Hoffman's poetry has appeared in her chapbook Lilacs from the Truck, and published in the Minnesota Review, Beloit Poetry Journal, Blue Mesa Review, Gryphon, Poets On, Slipstream, Long Island Quarterly, Aura/Literary Arts Journal, Inkwell, The Long Islander, Ekphrasis, The Seventh Quarry (Wales), Out of Line, Margie, Fulva Flava, City of Sea and Light Anthology, Passaic County Community College Poetry Anthology 1989 and 1991, Each in Her Own Way, Fan, Sightings - Live Poets Society Anthology, The North Sea Poetry Scene Anthologies, Performance Poets Association Anthology, Karamu, and Italian Americana.

Barbara was 1st runner-up in the 2008 Bordhighera Poetry Prize Contest.
In addition, Ms. Hoffman has had articles published in The New York Times and Newsday.

Her short fiction can be found in Catholic Girls, published by Penguin.

She was the subject of WLIW's Channel 21 show – Originals – Arts on Long Island series, and the subject of Riverhead Cablevision's Channel 27 show – Ideas and Images.

Ms. Hoffman has been awarded a Fellowship to Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Sweetbriar, Virginia and a Fellowship to National Writing Project at SUNY Stony Brook. She was the winner of the American Pen Women award.

She has attended workshops with Galway Kinnell, June Jordan, William Stafford, Pattiann Rogers, Jorie Graham, Marvin Bell, Helen Cooper, Alfred Corn, Allen Ginsberg, and Jack Ludwig.

Ms. Hoffman has been the featured poet at readings in New York City and throughout Long Island. (Bio courtesy of poetryvlog.com)

The Summer Gazebo Readings are sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Oceanside and are held each Monday evening in June, July and August, featuring 4-5 readers each evening. Scheduled readers include some of Long Island's most prestigious poets, and fiction and non-fiction writers. The Summer Gazebo Readings are held outdoors; seating is limited, so bring a lawn chair, a blanket, a picnic table. The grounds are open, and the public is encouraged to come early and have a quiet summer's picnic on the grounds. Admission is free.

Sponsors include:
Home & Hearth Real Estate
Herb & Marian Brown
Bonbino's Pizza
North Sea Poetry Scene
Max Wheat NC Poet Laureate Comm.
Maryanne Lehrer
Mary Jane McGrath, Attorney
Gary & Sandie Schoell
Philip Reinstein, CLU
Diversion Press
Oceanville Mason Supply
Kiwanettes of Oceanside
21st Century Appraisers
Village BookShoppe
Long Island Pulse
Westron Lite Bulb
Tower’s Funeral Home
Michael Schamroth and Family
Councilman Anthony Santino
Jay R. Myers & Co., Inc.
Childs Murphy Kuehn & Cesiro,
Municipal Credit Union
Bondi & Iovino, Attorneys-at-Law

Upcoming Schedule

8/24/2009 Barbara Hoffman Herb Siegel Christine Timm Joan Dupre Tom Phelan

8/31/2009 Sonya Russell Yolanda Coulaz Paula Curci Theresa Rosario- Berzner Christine Kehl O'Hagan

For more information:

Tony Iovino
68 Yorktown Street
Rockville Centre, NY 11570
H 516 763-1667
C 516 459-3262
W 516 741-8585
http://summergazeboreadings.blogspot.com/
Facebook Group Page

Photos from August 17, 2009

J R (Judy) Turek; Max Wheat; Gayle Teller
&
Our Open Readers

Coming Up Monday, August 17, 2009

Wow. Twenty years of education and that's the best word I can come up with. Wow.

Monday night another great crowd, on another beautiful evening, heard poetry from three incredible poets--Joan Marg, Frank VanSant and Adrianna DiGennaro. Completely different in style and subject, they each moved the crowd with their funny, insightful and intense poetry; Teri Coyne read a wonderful scene from her highly acclaimed new book; and then Tom Schaudel brought the house down with excerpts from his hilarious book. The crowd would not let Tom go--demanding another then another story of his experiences dealing with "difficult" restaurant patrons. In a scene which made veterans of the Gazebo recall the dearly missed Robert Dunn, Tom had to read by flashlight as the light gave out on us.

We also collected more books for our troops--please bring down your gently used paperbacks (try to steer clear of romance, childrens, how-to manuals, etc.)--Kiwanis of Oceanside will box and ship them out, in coordination with Operation Paperback. So far we have sent boxes of books to over 20 of our troops--with more shipments ready to go!

This week we are lucky to have the present Nassau County Poet Laureate; her immediate predecessor; and one of the Gazebo's favorite people--as well as a great assortment of Long Island poets in our first modified open read. It promises to make for another splendid evening.

The Readings start at 7pm at Schoolhouse Green, located on Foxhurst Road, just east of Long Beach Road, Oceanside NY. For more information, directions, etc. go to http://summergazeboreadings.blogspot.com/

This Monday, August 17, 2009, we feature:

Max Wheat

Max Wheat, named two years ago by his fellow poets as Nassau County Poet Laureate, handed over the reins to Gayl Teller, another reader this evening. Max is extensively published, and is beloved by the Long Island poetry community. His tenure as Poet Laureate was capped with a Nassau County-wide poetry contest for students--which lead to hundreds of students participating, and culminated with the publication of an anthology of the winning poems: Young Voices, An Anthology of Poetry by Nassau County Students (which was edited by our other reader this evening!)

For his teaching and writing work Maxwell Corydon Wheat Jr. received in 1980 the first Herman Melville Annual Award from the New York State Marine Education Association whose journal, "Ripples," he edited for many years. In November he was given the Art and Literary Award of the New York State Outdoor Education Association, whose former journal, "The Communicator," he co-edited. He is a teacher for Taproot Workshops, Inc., writing for people 55 and older. Spring and fall he teaches a Continuing Education course Monday nights for the Farmingdale schools, "You Can Write Poetry!"

Maxwell Corydon Wheat, Jr. has taken his seventh and eighth grade students in the Farmingdale Public Schools on writing field trips to Long Island's salt marshes in Fire Island National Seashore and Robert Moses and Caumset State Parks. For three years he has conducted an October salt marsh (when the marsh's Spartina grasses turn golden) round-robin participatory poetry reading program at Cedarmere, Roslyn Harbor, home of the 19th Century poet, William Cullen Bryant, where he volunteers in programming. People take turns reading stanzas, particularly those of America's great 19th century work about the East Coast's salt marshes, Sidney Lanier's "Hymns of the Marshes." Check out Max's website for news about Long Island's poetry scene: http://www.maxwellcorydonwheatjr.com/poetry_/Home.html

Gayl Teller

Appointed as the Nassau County Poet Laureate for 2009-2011, Gayl Teller received an MA from Columbia University and another MA from Queens College, CUNY. Her poetry collections are At the Intersection of Everything You Have Ever Loved, Shorehaven, Moving Day, and One Small Kindness. Her most recent poetry book, Inside the Embrace, was selected in national competition to be published by WordTech/Cherry Grove. Director and founder of the Poetry Reading Series, under the auspices of the New York State Council on the Arts, at the Mid-Island Y JCC, in Plainview, NY, for the past fourteen years, she has been teaching in the English department of Hofstra University since 1985. Finalist for Nassau County Poet Laureate in 2007, she has conducted numerous poetry workshops and seminars and been the feature reader at many universities, poetry centers, and libraries. Her work has received the Edgar Allan Poe Prize, the Peninsula Library Poetry Prize, a National Federation of State Poetry Societies Prize, a National League of American PEN Women Prize, and The Connecticut Writer Prize; One Small Kindness was a finalist for the Blue Light Poetry Prize. Her poems are widely published and anthologized, and her review of poetry books have appeared frequently in Small Press Review.

J R Turek

J R (Judy) Turek has been writing since she was 5. She is in her 11th year as Moderator of the Farmingdale Creative Writing Group, has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, winner of the Conklin Prize for Poetry, and awarded 1st place in The North Sea Poetry Scene 2009 Poetry Contest. Poetry awards include: Mid-Island Y JCC (1st place 2008), The North Sea Poetry Scene (2nd place 2008), Writer’s Digest 74th Annual Competition (2), Princess Ronkonkoma Productions (2004 - 2008), Towe Auto Museum, Live Poets Society, Lake Ronkonkoma Historical Society, and The Huntington Historical Society. J R is the author of They Come And They Go, who strives to write a poem a day and mostly succeeds.

She is a member of Maxwell Wheat’s Nassau County Poet Laureate Committee, serving as Chairperson for the Nassau County Poet Laureate School Poetry Project, and Editor of Young Voices An Anthology of Poetry by Nassau County Students, which evolved from the contest and includes all 195 award-winning poems. In addition, she has edited and co-edited several poetry anthologies, short stories, and novels.

J R has been published in: 2009 Haiku Calendar; The Poets Art; Grassroot Reflections, Volumes 3 through 11; Long Island Sounds: 2008, 2007, 2006; Performance Poets Association Literary Reviews #8 through 12; primal sanities!; Asbestos; Free-Wheeling: Towe Auto Museum Poetry Collections, 2007 and 2006; Soul Fountain; Friends of Hempstead Plains 2007 Poetry Anthology; The Meadowlark; Long Island Quarterly; For Loving Precious Beast; The Long Islander; the East Meadow Herald; Long Island Expressions Autism Awareness; 2001: A Long Island Odyssey; and the Farmingdale Poetry Chapbook.

Her poetry will appear in: PAUMANOK: Poetry and Pictures of Long Island; Long Island Sounds 2009; Performance Poets Association Literary Review #13; The Long Islander; and Writing Outside The Lines.

She is a lifetime Long Islander who resides in East Meadow with her soul-mate husband, her dogs, and her extraordinarily extensive shoe collection. If you see the license plate MSJEVUS, follow her; chances are, she’s going to a poetry event.

The Summer Gazebo Readings are sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Oceanside and are held each Monday evening in June, July and August, featuring 4 readers each evening. Scheduled readers include some of Long Island's most prestigious poets, and fiction and non-fiction writers. The Summer Gazebo Readings are held outdoors; seating is limited, so bring a lawn chair, a blanket, a picnic table. The grounds are open, and the public is encouraged to come early and have a quiet summer's picnic on the grounds. Admission is free.

Sponsors include:
Home & Hearth Real Estate
Herb & Marian Brown
Bonbino's Pizza
North Sea Poetry Scene
Max Wheat NC Poet Laureate Comm.
Maryanne Lehrer
Mary Jane McGrath, Attorney
Gary & Sandie Schoell
Philip Reinstein, CLU
Diversion Press
Oceanville Mason Supply
Kiwanettes of Oceanside
21st Century Appraisers
Village BookShoppe
Long Island Pulse
Westron Lite Bulb
Tower’s Funeral Home
Michael Schamroth and Family
Councilman Anthony Santino
Jay R. Myers & Co., Inc.
Childs Murphy Kuehn & Cesiro,
Municipal Credit Union
Bondi & Iovino, Attorneys-at-Law

Upcoming Schedule

8/17/2009 Gayl Teller Max Wheat J R Turek Open Read (must sign up in person at a prior evening's readings)

8/24/2009 Barbara Hoffman Herb Siegel Christine Timm Joan Dupre Tom Phelan

8/31/2009 Sonya Russell Yolanda Coulaz Paula Curci Theresa Rosario- Berzner Christine Kehl O'Hagan

For more information:

Tony Iovino
68 Yorktown Street
Rockville Centre, NY 11570
H 516 763-1667
C 516 459-3262
W 516 741-8585
http://summergazeboreadings.blogspot.com/
Facebook Group Page

Photos from August 10, 2009

Joan Marg; Frank VanSant; Adrianna DiGennaro;
Teri Coyne & Tom Schaudel

Coming Up Monday, August 10, 2009

What an incredible evening!!! Monday we had 5 amazingly strong, talented readers--and this week promises to be every bit its equal!

We heard Deborah Hauser's evocative poetry; Florence Gatto's tender reflections of old Brooklyn; Bruce Grossberg's very funny essays on the Mets and Broadway; Harriet Slaughter's insightful and entertaining poetry; then we finished it off with the delightful Christina Rau--her instructions on the proper editing of a "Dear John" letter had everyone in the (very large) crowd laughing. A great end to a beautiful, dry, evening!

(This week is the last week to sign up for the 8/17 open read-- only those whom have signed up in person, in advance, will be invited to come up to the Gazebo and read!)

We also collected more books for our troops--please bring down your gently used paperbacks (try to steer clear of romance, childrens, how-to manuals, etc.)--Kiwanis of Oceanside will box and ship them out, in coordination with Operation Paperback. So far we have sent boxes of books to 12 of our troops--with more shipments ready to go!

This week we have a reader from our first season who is, quite simply, a blast; an author with an acclaimed new novel; two strong poets, both good friends of the Gazebo; and an esteemed star Long Island chef who is the author of a new laugh-out-loud book on the trials and tribulations of dealing with us customers! It should be one of the best evenings in our three year history (no pressure, guys!)

The Readings start at 7pm at Schoolhouse Green, located on Foxhurst Road, just east of Long Beach Road, Oceanside NY. For more information, directions, etc. go to http://summergazeboreadings.blogspot.com/

This Monday, August 10, 2009, we feature:

Tom Schaudel

Born in Queens, NY and raised on Long Island, Tom Schaudel began his career as a dishwasher at the age of fifteen, and continued to cook in various restaurants throughout high school. That fall, he enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America, graduating in 1973, and after six years of working insane hours, in numerous restaurants, under various chefs, Tom landed his first head position in 1979.

Four years later, with the help of two friends, he opened his first restaurant, Panama Hatties. Tom has been the driving force behind numerous restaurants on Long Island, such as 107 Forest Ave, Lemongrass, Downtown Grille and Wine Bar, Tease, Starfish, PassionFish, Spring Close House, Thom Thom, and Maxwell’s. His current lineup includes CoolFish, The Jedediah Hawkins Inn, Gabrielle’s, and A Mano.

Tom's new book, Playing With Fire: Whining & Dining on the Gold Coast is a voyeur’s peek into the crazy world of the restaurant culture. Filled with vignettes of difficult customers, stressed-out cooks, harried wait staff, and the truly disturbed, this book takes an affectionate romp through Tom Schaudel’s restaurants to introduce you to the most memorable cast of characters he’s experienced in his forty years in the business. You’ll meet a ninety-year old-woman who happens to be a serial “bird-flipper,” a woman trying to drag a twenty-foot Christmas tree out the front door undetected, an elderly gentleman walking out with an 8.5" x 15" metal clipboard menu holder stuffed down his pants, and a woman who got drunk, passed out, got revived, and aced an intervention, all in under twenty minutes. An absolute must read for “foodies,” these stories and the many others will provide pure entertainment and lots of laughs for a long, long time to come.

Adriana DiGennaro

Adriana read two years ago to glowing praise-- a truly exceptional young poet! A member of the Academy of American Poets and the Italian American Writers Association (IAWA), Adriana DiGennaro is a graduate of Bennington College in Vermont where she studied literature and creative writing. A native New Yorker, her second book of poetry, Acts of Contrition, was published in Spring 2007 by Windstorm Creative. Peripheral Vision, her first book published in 2001 by Writers Ink Press, debuted when she was just 17. That same year she was on Red River Review's list of nominees for a Pushcart Prize.

Ms. DiGennaro's poetry has been featured in Edifice Wrecked, The Abrabesque Review, BigCityLit, Red River Review, PoetryBay, Merge, The Aurora Review, Poetz, Boston Literary Review, The Tipton Poetry Journal, Tryst, Ancient Heart (United Kingdom), Eclectica, City Writers Review (NYC), Poetry Midwest, Esopian, Adagio Verse Quarterly, Falling Star Magazine, Flutter, Wonder Writings, Long Island Quarterly, Triplopia, Ward6Review, Clean Sheets, Sidereality, Southern Ocean Review (New Zealand), Perigee, Sage of Consciousness and The Improper Hamptonian. She is the youngest poet whose work is featured in The Light of City and Sea (Street Press 2006), an anthology of Suffolk County poetry edited by Suffolk County Poet Laureate Daniel Thomas Moran.

Other anthologies with her work include Southshire Pepper-Pot: A Literary Feast With Culinary Refrains (Windstorm Creative, 2006); Susan B. & Me: An International Collection of Women's Writings & Photographs edited by Patricia Ronsvalle, LCSW (Big Kid Publishing, 2006); In Our Own Words: A Generation Defining Itself edited by Marlow Peerse Weaver (MWE Press, 2005), Whispers of Inspiration: An Anthology of New American Poets edited by Darlene and Steven Manchester (Sunpiper Press, September 2005); Ancient Heart Magazine Poetry Anthology Vol. III edited by Richard van der Draaij (Ancient Heart Press, 2005). To watch a short video of her reading at Good Times Books, Port Jefferson, NY, go to: www.poetryvlog.com.

A born city dweller and dreamer obsessed with all forms of reggae music, she needs lots of sunlight and is happiest when in transit. She is always in search of adventure. She lives and works in New York City.

Teri Coyne

Teri is returning to the Gazebo this summer after appearing last year for the first time. Teri is the author of the novel The Last Bridge, which was released by Ballantine books a few weeks ago, to rave reviews. Writes Publishers Weekly: “Coyne’s prose effortlessly carries the reader through a thorny history into possible redemption.” In addition to fiction, Teri writes a popular blog called The Flip Side which chronicles her life as a writer. Teri is at work on her second novel and hopes to return next year to read from it. Teri divides her time between New York City and the North Fork of Long Island. For more information on Teri visit her website at www.tericoyne.com.

Frank Van Zant

FRANK VAN ZANT is the author of Climbing Daddy Mountain and The Lives of the Two-Headed Baseball Siren which passed a board vote for inclusion at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He has published over 400 individual poems in many magazines including Poet Lore, Yankee, The Prose Poem, English Journal, QAE, Pearl, Negative Capability, Free Lunch and has been featured poet in Potpourri, The Windless Orchard, The Listening Eye, The Chicago Reader, and Chiron Review. Van Zant won awards for poems from C. W. Post University, The Listening Eye, English Journal, Devil’s Millhopper and Live Poets Society, fellowships from Council for Basic Education, Poets & Writers, and the NEH, semifinalist at Discovery/The Nation, and several Pushcart Prize nominations. For his daily bread, he happily directs of one of the oldest alternative schools in the country, The Greenhouse, in Rockville Centre, New York.

Joan Marg

Joan Marg, is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and Assistant Registrar working 21 years at NYIT. She enjoys writing poetry and short stories and is a member of the Farmingdale Creative Writing Group, Farmingdale Poetry Group, Performance Poets Association, and The North Sea Poetry Scene.


The Summer Gazebo Readings are sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Oceanside and are held each Monday evening in June, July and August, featuring 4 readers each evening. Scheduled readers include some of Long Island's most prestigious poets, and fiction and non-fiction writers. The Summer Gazebo Readings are held outdoors; seating is limited, so bring a lawn chair, a blanket, a picnic table. The grounds are open, and the public is encouraged to come early and have a quiet summer's picnic on the grounds. Admission is free.

Sponsors include:
Home & Hearth Real Estate
Herb & Marian Brown
Bonbino's Pizza
North Sea Poetry Scene
Max Wheat NC Poet Laureate Comm.
Maryanne Lehrer
Mary Jane McGrath, Attorney
Gary & Sandie Schoell
Philip Reinstein, CLU
Diversion Press
Oceanville Mason Supply
Kiwanettes of Oceanside
21st Century Appraisers
Village BookShoppe
Long Island Pulse
Westron Lite Bulb
Tower’s Funeral Home
Michael Schamroth and Family
Councilman Anthony Santino
Jay R. Myers & Co., Inc.
Childs Murphy Kuehn & Cesiro,
Municipal Credit Union
Bondi & Iovino, Attorneys-at-Law

Upcoming Schedule

8/10/2009 Adriana DiGennaro Teri Coyne Frank Van Zant Joan Marg Tom Schaudel

8/17/2009 Gayl Teller Max Wheat J R Turek Open Read (must sign up in person at a prior evening's readings)

8/24/2009 Barbara Hoffman Herb Siegel Christine Timm Joan Dupre Tom Phelan

8/31/2009 Sonya Russell Yolanda Coulaz Paula Curci Theresa Rosario- Berzner Christine Kehl O'Hagan

For more information:

Tony Iovino
68 Yorktown Street
Rockville Centre, NY 11570
H 516 763-1667
C 516 459-3262
W 516 741-8585
http://summergazeboreadings.blogspot.com/
Facebook Group Page

(If you would like to be removed from this mailing list, please just reply to this email, and we'll take you off ASAP!)

Photos from August 3, 2009

Deborah Hauser, Florence Gatto, Bruce Grossberg, Harriet Slaughter & Christina Rau

Upcoming Monday August 3, 2009

And now we come into the homestretch! Only 5 weeks to go!

Last Monday, we were treated to an eclectic sampling of readings from authors and poets of the Long Island Writers Guild. We thank them all for their generosity of time & talent!

We also collected more books for our troops--please bring down your gently used paperbacks (try to steer clear of romance, childrens, how-to manuals, etc.)--Kiwanis of Oceanside will box and ship them out, in coordination with Operation Paperback. So far we have sent boxes of books to 9 of our troops--with more shipments ready to go!

This week we feature five talented authors and poets-- a couple of our past favorites, and a couple of "newbies" whom we are sure will provide an entertaining and literary evening!

The Readings start at 7pm at Schoolhouse Green, located on Foxhurst Road, just east of Long Beach Road, Oceanside NY. For more information, directions, etc. go to http://summergazeboreadings.blogspot.com/

This Monday, August 3, 2009, we feature:

Christina Rau

Christina M. Rau is the founder of Poets In Nassau, a reading circuit in New York. Her poetry has been published in magazines like The HazMat Review and Chronogram. She writes an entertainment column about reality shows she should be ashamed of watching for RealityShack.com. Outside of writing, she teaches English at Nassau Community College. She loves moonbeams, puppies, and sarcasm.

Harriet Slaughter

Harriet Slaughter contends poetry has always informed her life in the performing and visual arts, having trained and performed in music, dance, theatre in her early career. In her second career she has served as an arts administrator, jazz producer, a publicist, then union executive for Actors’ Equity Association before taking the reigns as Director of Labor Relations for the Broadway League for more years than she cares to remember.

She has always been an advocate for giving visibility to women in the performing arts. For five years she co-produced WOMEN IN THEATRE, hosted by Newsday theatre critic Linda Winer, which currently airs on CUNY-TV Channel 75 in NYC. Her latest project for the League of Professional Theatre Women and The Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center was to serve as project coordinator for the exhibit, CURTAIN CALL: Celebrating a Century of Women of Women Designing for Live Performance which is scheduled to tour the United States and Canada in 2010. She is bi-coastal, keeping one foot in New York City and the other in Long Beach, New York, depending which way the wind blows and if the sun is shining. Now retired, she is a Saturday poet and a Sunday painter, a dabbler in watercolors, acrylics and oil and takes her poetry and paints with her to the far reaches of the globe, which she traverses whenever she can.

She has recently been appointed to the Board of Directors for the Pen and Brush in New York City, an organization dedicated to women in the visual, literary and performing arts since 1894. As a member of the Poets in Nassau, she participates as a featured reader of her poetry in venues in Long Island.

Bruce Grossberg

Bruce Grossberg is an attorney, actor and writer who lives in Forest Hills with his wife, the artist Laura Rovinsky, and their 3-year old daughter. Bruce went to his first game at Shea Stadium in August 1965, and attended his first Broadway musical in October, 1968.

Deborah Hauser

Deborah Hauser graduated from Stony Brook University with a Master of Arts in English Literature and has taught composition and literature at Stony Brook University and Suffolk County Community College. Her poetry has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. She is a poetry reviewer for Sotto Voce Magazine and a proposal reviewer for the 2009 Feminisms and Rhetorics Conference sponsored by the Coalition of Women Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition. Her academic writing has been published at MP: An Online Feminist Journal, and she has presented her academic work at national conferences.

Florence Gatto

Florence is a retired NYC educator. In her new book, The Scent of Jasmine ,Vignettes from a Sicilian Heritage, Florence combines her passion for Italy and writing to document an era of transition for her immigrant family. The true life accounts written with humor, wit, and pride provide a lingering image of life as it was then and how it has evolved ."Jasmine" is in it's second printing, and is available on Amazon.com.

Her short stories and essays have been published in LI Writer's Guild anthologies, Newsday and Cucina Classica Cookbook. She writes a column for the Order Sons of Italy in America newspaper "The Golden Lion". She studied in a Fulbright program in Perugia and in Siena with a NY state Teacher's grant. Florence received the Lifetime and Diamond Leadership Awards from LIWriters Guild and L'Esperienza magazine. She now teaches memoir writing to adults.

Florence calls herself an "Italophile" and requires frequent trips to Italy to feed her psyche.


The Summer Gazebo Readings are sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Oceanside and are held each Monday evening in June, July and August, featuring 4 readers each evening. Scheduled readers include some of Long Island's most prestigious poets, and fiction and non-fiction writers. The Summer Gazebo Readings are held outdoors; seating is limited, so bring a lawn chair, a blanket, a picnic table. The grounds are open, and the public is encouraged to come early and have a quiet summer's picnic on the grounds. Admission is free.

Sponsors include:
Home & Hearth Real Estate
Herb & Marian Brown
Bonbino's Pizza
North Sea Poetry Scene
Max Wheat NC Poet Laureate Comm.
Maryanne Lehrer
Mary Jane McGrath, Attorney
Gary & Sandie Schoell
Philip Reinstein, CLU
Diversion Press
Oceanville Mason Supply
Kiwanettes of Oceanside
21st Century Appraisers
Village BookShoppe
Long Island Pulse
Westron Lite Bulb
Tower’s Funeral Home
Michael Schamroth and Family
Councilman Anthony Santino
Jay R. Myers & Co., Inc.
Childs Murphy Kuehn & Cesiro,
Municipal Credit Union
Bondi & Iovino, Attorneys-at-Law

Upcoming Schedule

8/3/2009 Christina Rau Bruce Grossberg Harriet Slaughter Deborah Hauser Florence Gatto

8/10/2009 Adriana DiGennaro Teri Coyne Frank Van Zant Joan Marg Tom Schaudel

8/17/2009 Gayl Teller Max Wheat J R Turek Open Read (must sign up in person at a prior evening's readings) & Betsy Transom & troupe!

8/24/2009 Barbara Hoffman Herb Siegel Christine Timm Joan Dupre Tom Phelan

8/31/2009 Sonya Russell Yolanda Coulaz Paula Curci Theresa Rosario- Berzner Christine Kehl O'Hagan

For more information:

Tony Iovino
68 Yorktown Street
Rockville Centre, NY 11570
H 516 763-1667
C 516 459-3262
W 516 741-8585
http://summergazeboreadings.blogspot.com/
Facebook Group Page

(If you would like to be removed from this mailing list, please just reply to this email, and we'll take you off ASAP!)

Photos From July 27, 2009

Coming Up July 27, 2009

The weather was beautiful, the readings even better, as over 100 people brought their lawn chairs and enjoyed another great evening at Schoolhouse Green. Roxanne Hoffman led off with outstanding poetry (her piece on her mother dating in her 80's was priceless; Jillian Abbott's Aussie voice brought us back to a time and place far from Oceanside; Barbara Reiher-Meyers was, as always, alternately funny and wise; Geraldine Green's poetry was evocative--made all the better by her delightful British accent; and Reed Farell Coleman treated us to a gritty excerpt from his upcoming novel, based in Coney Island.

We also collected more books for our troops--please bring down your gently used paperbacks (try to steer clear of romance, childrens, how-to manuals, etc.)--Kiwanis of Oceanside will box and ship them out, in coordination with Operation Paperback.

And we have added Judy Turek and Max Wheat back to our schedule--both August 17.

This week we again turn over the Gazebo to the fine authors and poets of the Long Island Writer's Guild. If the quality and diversity of this year's readers matches last year's, we are in for a treat!

The Readings start at 7pm at Schoolhouse Green, located on Foxhurst Road, just east of Long Beach Road, Oceanside NY. For more information, directions, etc. go to http://summergazeboreadings.blogspot.com/

The Summer Gazebo Readings are sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Oceanside and are held each Monday evening in June, July and August, featuring 4 readers each evening. Scheduled readers include some of Long Island's most prestigious poets, and fiction and non-fiction writers. The Summer Gazebo Readings are held outdoors; seating is limited, so bring a lawn chair, a blanket, a picnic table. The grounds are open, and the public is encouraged to come early and have a quiet summer's picnic on the grounds. Admission is free.

Sponsors include:
Home & Hearth Real Estate
Herb & Marian Brown
Bonbino's Pizza
North Sea Poetry Scene
Max Wheat NC Poet Laureate Comm.
Maryanne Lehrer
Mary Jane McGrath, Attorney
Gary & Sandie Schoell
Philip Reinstein, CLU
Diversion Press
Oceanville Mason Supply
Kiwanettes of Oceanside
21st Century Appraisers
Village BookShoppe
Long Island Pulse
Westron Lite Bulb
Tower’s Funeral Home
Michael Schamroth and Family
Councilman Anthony Santino
Jay R. Myers & Co., Inc.
Childs Murphy Kuehn & Cesiro,
Municipal Credit Union
Bondi & Iovino, Attorneys-at-Law

Upcoming Schedule

7/27/2009 Authors & Poets from the Long Island Writers' Guild

8/3/2009 Christina Rau Bruce Grossberg Harriet Slaughter Deborah Hauser Florence Gatto

8/10/2009 Adriana DiGennaro Teri Coyne Frank Van Zant Joan Marg Tom Schaudel

8/17/2009 Gayl Teller Max Wheat J R Turek Open Read (must sign up in person at a prior evening's readings) & Betsy Transom & troupe!

8/24/2009 Barbara Hoffman Herb Siegel Christine Timm Joan Dupre Tom Phelan

8/31/2009 Sonya Russell Yolanda Coulaz Paula Curci Theresa Rosario- Berzner Christine Kehl O'Hagan

For more information:

Tony Iovino
68 Yorktown Street
Rockville Centre, NY 11570
H 516 763-1667
C 516 459-3262
W 516 741-8585
http://summergazeboreadings.blogspot.com/
Facebook Group Page

Photos From July 20, 2009

Roxanne Hoffman, Jillian Abbott, Barbara Reiher-Meyers,
Geraldine Green & Reed Farrel Coleman

Upcoming July 20, 2009

An outstanding evening all the way around--beautiful weather, a large and appreciative crowd--and great Readers! Clive Young started it off with excerpts from his very funny new book; Joan Cergol and Ellen Schaffer introduced many of us to the wonders of the Oheka Castle, hidden away right here on Long Island; John P. Loonam came "home" to read a dead-on short story; and Jack Anderson topped it off with witty, urbane and perfect-pitch poetry.

We also collected dozens of books for our troops--please bring down your gently used paperbacks (try to steer clear of romance, childrens, how-to manuals, etc.)--Kiwanis of Oceanside will box and ship them out, in coordination with Operation Paperback.

And we have added Tom Phelan back to our schedule--August 24th.

This week we continue on a roll-- five distinguished authors and poets--sure to be a treat!

The Readings start at 7pm at Schoolhouse Green, located on Foxhurst Road, just east of Long Beach Road, Oceanside NY. For more information, directions, etc. go to http://summergazeboreadings.blogspot.com/

Monday, July 20th we feature:

Reed Farrel Coleman

Reed Farrel Coleman is the former executive vice president of Mystery Writers of America. He has published ten novels—two under his pen name Tony Spinosa—in three series. His eleventh novel, Tower, written with noted Irish author Ken Bruen, will be released in September ’09.

Reed has been twice nominated for the mystery fiction’s most prestigious honor, the Edgar Award. He has won the Shamus(twice), Barry and Anthony Awards. He was the editor of the short story anthology Hardboiled Brooklyn. His short fiction and essays have appeared in Wall Street Noir, Damn Near Dead, Brooklyn Noir 3, The Darker Mask and several other publications.

Reed is an adjunct lecturer in creative writing at Hofstra University and his lives with his family on Long Island.

Geraldine Green

We are very happy to welcome Geraldine Green, a respected poet here on summer leave from her home in England. Geraldine’s first collection The Skin was published 2003; her second, Passio, appeared in 2006, (both by Flarestack). She performs widely in the UK & USA, also Italy and Greece, including the Bowery Poetry Club, NYC, River to River Festival, Beacon NY, The Woody Guthrie Festival, Okemah, Oklahoma; Wordsworth Trust Grasmere, Everyman Theatre Liverpool, Dylan Thomas Centre Swansea, Women’s International Arts Festival Cumbria and Poetry on the Lake, Orta Italy. Her poetry is widely published in magazines and anthologies in the UK, Italy and America.

Geraldine teaches Creative Writing at The University of Cumbria and for Continuing Education at Lancaster University, where she is currently undertaking a PhD in Creative Writing Poetry; runs Creative Writing workshops, has worked with musicians, visual and digital artists and photographers and is an Associate Editor of Poetry Bay.

Geraldine lives in Cumbria, happy among sheep muck and rain.

Jillian Abbott

Jillian Abbott’s short stories have been published, and have won prizes, in the US and Australia, including a story in Queens Noir, 2008 and another chosen as a finalist in the Glimmer Train Summer 2007 Open Fiction Award.

Jillian has written for The Washington Post, The New York Daily News and the Independent (UK), among many other publications. She is a regular contributor of features on writing to The Writer magazine, and a former op-ed writer with The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age,

A past reporter at the Queens Chronicle and the Queens Courier, Abbott is now an aide to a Manhattan, New York City Council Member.

Appointed to the board of the Mystery Writers of America, New York chapter in November 2005 Abbott became Vice President of MWA/NY in 2006 serving two terms. She is currently a board member of MWA/NY. Before that she was a board member, a screening curator, and ran workshops on screenwriting for CineWomen NY, a non profit for women filmmakers.

After receiving initial training in RMIT’s writing program in Australia, she went on to earn an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast program.

Barbara Reiher-Meyers

Barbara Reiher-Meyers is a Long Island, New York poet, board member of the Long Island Poetry Collective and the North Sea Poetry Scene. Barbara also curates a poetry calendar for www.poetz.com/longisland , has coordinated events for the Northport Arts Coalition and Smithtown Township Arts Council, among others. Her poetry has been published in print journals and on line.

Barbara facilitates monthly workshops in Ronkonkoma, sends weekly Emails of local poetry events, and has edited several volumes of poetry. “Sounds Familiar” is the title of her first book of poems.

Roxanne Hoffman

ROXANNE HOFFMAN worked on Wall Street, now answers a patient hotline for a major New York home healthcare provider. Her poetry has recently appeared in Amaze: The Cinquain Journal, Danse Macabre, Hospital Drive, Liquid Imagination, Lucid Rhythms, MOBIUS The Poetry Magazine, Shofar Literary Review, and Word Slaw. Her writing been anthologized in The Bandana Republic: A Literary Anthology By Gang Members And Their Affiliates (Soft Skull Press) and in Love After 70 (Wising Up Press) both released in 2008.

Roxanne's vampire poetry can be heard during the 2005 independent film, “Love & The Vampire,” directed by David Gold and starring Rick Poli. Her live spokenword performances have been aired on cable (Poetry Thin Air, The Art House Show), with interviews on UHF-TV (The New Yorkers) and WKCR 89.9 FM NY (Art Waves), and her poem "Dad Always Wanted A Boy" was recently podcast on the internet on IndieFeed: Performance Poetry.

Roxanne owns the small press, POETS WEAR PRADA. Visit her press site at http://poetswearpradanj.home.att.net.

The Summer Gazebo Readings are sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Oceanside and are held each Monday evening in June, July and August, featuring 4 readers each evening. Scheduled readers include some of Long Island's most prestigious poets, and fiction and non-fiction writers. The Summer Gazebo Readings are held outdoors; seating is limited, so bring a lawn chair, a blanket, a picnic table. The grounds are open, and the public is encouraged to come early and have a quiet summer's picnic on the grounds. Admission is free.

Sponsors include:
Home & Hearth Real Estate
Herb & Marian Brown
Bonbino's Pizza
North Sea Poetry Scene
Max Wheat NC Poet Laureate Comm.
Maryanne Lehrer
Mary Jane McGrath, Attorney
Gary & Sandie Schoell
Philip Reinstein, CLU
Diversion Press
Oceanville Mason Supply
Kiwanettes of Oceanside
21st Century Appraisers
Village BookShoppe
Long Island Pulse
Westron Lite Bulb
Tower’s Funeral Home
Michael Schamroth and Family
Councilman Anthony Santino
Jay R. Myers & Co., Inc.
Childs Murphy Kuehn & Cesiro,
Municipal Credit Union
Bondi & Iovino, Attorneys-at-Law

Upcoming Schedule

7/20/2009 Jillian Abbott Reed Farrel Coleman Barbara Reiher-Meyers Roxanne Hoffman Geraldine Green

7/27/2009 Authors & Poets from the Long Island Writers' Guild

8/3/2009 Christina Rau Bruce Grossberg Harriet Slaughter Deborah Hauser Florence Gatto

8/10/2009 Adriana DiGennaro Teri Coyne Frank Van Zant Joan Marg Tom Schaudel

8/17/2009 Gayl Teller Open Read (must sign up in person at a prior evening's readings) & Betsy Transom & troupe!

8/24/2009 Barbara Hoffman Herb Siegel Christine Timm Joan Dupre Tom Phelan

8/31/2009 Sonya Russell Yolanda Coulaz Paula Curci Theresa Rosario- Berzner Christine Kehl O'Hagan

For more information:

Tony Iovino
68 Yorktown Street
Rockville Centre, NY 11570
H 516 763-1667
C 516 459-3262
W 516 741-8585
http://summergazeboreadings.blogspot.com/
Facebook Group Page