Summer Gazebo Readings

Photos from August 8, 2011

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Linda Opyr, Vicki Iorio, Herb Siegel

Alix Strauss & Deborah Hauser

Photos from August 1, 2011

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Vincent Maher, Denis Gray & Ed Stever on Diversion Press Night

Photos from July 11, 2011

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Melissa de la Cruz Christina Rau
Jack Anderson Jack O'Leary

Photos from July 18, 2011

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Carol Hoenig Ellen Meister

Peter Dugan Tim Brown

canceled

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Tonight's gazebo readings are canceled due to weather. Our readers will be rescheduled.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Weather-- July 18, 2011

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3:52 Chance of precip dropped by The Weather Channel to 10% during our reading times tonight-- fingers crossed, rosary prayed, chicken sacrificed--covering all bases.

12:54 pm As I write this there is a thunderstorm approaching--The Weather Channel says the usual--hail, rain, blah, blah blah. Looking at the radar maps I think it may come thru earlier than they think and pass before showtime. We'll see. Will Tweet, Facebook and post here as things develop.

Photos from July 5, 2011

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Featuring readings from the Declaration of Independence, the Gettysburg Address, Walt Whitman, Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Updike, Mark Twain, Casey at the Bat, Lou Gehrig and FDR's Four Freedoms Speech

Photos from June 27, 2011

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Barbara Reiher-Meyers, Gail Goldstein, Gayl Teller & Robert Lipsyte

Photos from June 20, 2011

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Lloyd Abrams, Cindi Sansone-Braff, Darren Sardelli, & Richard Vetere

Coming Up Monday June 20, 2011

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The weather held off--in fact the sun came out as we enjoyed four strong Readers last Monday. Steven Schmidt started off with intelligent, thoughtful poetry; Louisa Calio alternated between contemplative poetry and a hilarious essay; Tom Phelan's reading from his new novel was brooding and moving; and Roxanne Hoffman topped off the evening with lyrical, delightful pieces that sent the large crowd home happy--and full of brownies and crumb cake!

We have a very special group of readers this week-- truly a night not to miss!

Coming up this Monday, June 20th, we feature:

Richard Vetere

Richard Vetere wrote the critically acclaimed novel The Third Miracle (Simon & Schuster) called "A thriller from start to finish." by Publishers Weekly and he co-wrote the film adaptation produced by Francis Ford Coppola, directed by Agneiszka Holland and starring Ed Harris.

His new novel Baroque (2010) and his new book of poetry Selected Poems (2011) are both published by Bordighera Press. His new play Last Day will have its world premiere at Gloucester Stage on July 21st. His first young adult play Bird Brain is being published by Dramatic Publishing this year.

Richard has a master's in English Literature from Columbia University and was just been made a Lifetime Member of the Writer's Guild of America East.

Cindi Sansone-Braff

Cindi Sansone-Braff is an entertainer, relationship coach, mystic, professional Tarot card reader and Medium with more than fifteen years experience. She teaches spiritual workshops based on her book "Grant Me A Higher Love", gives lectures in which she shares her own experience of Enlightenment, and gives private Tarot readings throughout the United States and around the world.

She has read Tarot cards at the New York Theosophical Society, and at many corporate events, including those sponsored by Cablevision. She has thousands of clients and many well-known celebrities are among her biggest fans.
She can be heard on radio stations nationwide and throughout Canada.
Cindi has a BFA from the University of Connecticut, and has written several award winning full-length plays, including "Beethoven's Promethean Concerto in C Minor WoO", A Four Movement Music Drama based on Ludwig van Beethoven: the Man, the Myth, the Music; and "Phantom Pain", a riveting theatrical piece about love, fear, and Enlightenment. She lives on Long Island and has one grown daughter, Shana.

Lloyd Abrams

Lloyd Abrams,an avid recumbent bicycle rider and Wheaten Terrier walker, has been writing short stories for over twenty-five years after being involved with the New York City Teachers Writing Project as a participant and later, as a facilitator, back in the 1980s.

Besides his eighty plus stories, he has written vignettes for - and has acted with - the Nassau County Mental Health Players.

Several years ago, Lloyd added poetry and micro-fiction to his repertoire. He has found that poetry gives him a writing experience with more instant gratification and another creative way of using words for catharsis, for self-expression, and for sharing.

Lloyd's poems and stories have been published in several anthologies and local publications.

Darren Sardelli

Children's book author, award winning poet, and comedian, Darren Sardelli, makes poetry fun and exciting for people of all ages. He was a huge hit last year at the Gazebo, and we welcome him back with gusto!

His humorous poems are featured in 12 children's books, 6 textbooks, and have been published in several magazines as well. Aside from writing, Darren visits 50 - 60 elementary and middle schools each year (where he performs his funny poetry for students and teaches them how to spice up their writing with humor, creativity, and imagination).

Darren also has poetry programs for libraries and camps. He enjoys playing ice hockey, roller hockey, tennis, running on the beach, and loves to travel. If you'd like to find out more about Darren Sardelli, please visit www.laughalotpoetry.com

See you at the Gazebo!!
Many thanks!

Tony Iovino
tonyiovino@gmail.com

Photos from June 13, 2011

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Steven Schmidt, Louisa Calio

Tom Phelan & Roxanne Hoffman

Photos from June 6, 2011

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Linda Tagliaferro, Talia Carner

Judy J R Turek & Elizabeth Rowe

Coming Up June 6, 2011

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We're back! Our 5th season promises to be spectacular--great authors and poets (twenty of whom will be making their Gazebo debut), generous sponsors--and delicious desserts waiting, all served up on Schoolhouse Green.

Coming up this Monday, June 6th, we feature:

Elizabeth Rowe

Elizabeth Rowe is a professional storyteller from Oceanside, NY. She regularly performs her repertoire of world folk tales, myths, legends, literary short stories and personal tales in schools, libraries, museums, conferences and festivals throughout the metropolitan Tri-State area.

She is widely known for a vast repertoire of ghost stories collected since she was a student. Elizabeth has been a regular performer for the New York Story Exchange at the Cornelia Street Café in Greenwich Village since its inception in 1997. Other featured appearances include the Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington, the Players' Club, Manhattan; Wave Hill, NY and LI Cablevision's Tell Me a Story. She has conducted workshops for parents and teachers with the New York State Reading Association, the Long Island PARP Conference and the Columbia Teachers' College Writers' Project.

Ms. Rowe is a member of the National Storytelling Network. You can visit her website at www.Storytellerowe.com .

Judy Turek

J R (Judy) Turek has been writing since she was 5. She is in her 14th year as Moderator of the Farmingdale Creative Writing Group, has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and winner of the Conklin Prize for Poetry. Poetry awards include: The North Sea Poetry Scene (1st place 2009, 2nd place 2008), Mid-Island Y JCC 2006-2010 (1st place 2008), Writer's Digest 74th Annual Competition (2), Princess Ronkonkoma Productions (2004 - 2010), 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 the Executive VP for the Nassau County Poet Laureate Society and 1st Associate Editor for The North Sea Poetry Scene Press. She is an editor of poetry collections and anthologies, short story collections, and novels. J R is a frequent reader, feature and open mic, 3 or 4 sometimes 6 times a week, at poetry events throughout Long Island.

J R has been published in: Voice of the Bards Anthology; Intrepitude; Forgiveness Anthology; Perspectives Anthology; Examination Anthology; PAUMANOK: Poetry and Pictures of Long Island; Shabdaguchha; 2011, 2010, 2009 Haiku Calendar; The Poets Art; Grassroot Reflections, Volumes 3 through 19; Long Island Sounds: 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006; Performance Poets Association Literary Reviews #8 through 15; primal sanities!; Asbestos; Free-Wheeling: Towe Auto Museum Poetry Collections, 2007 and 2006; Soul Fountain; Friends of Hempstead Plains 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: River of Earth and Sky: Poems for the 21st Century; The Long Islander; Long Island Sounds 2010-2011; and Writing Outside the Lines.

J R is a lifetime Long Islander who resides in East Meadow with her soul-mate husband, her dogs, and her extraordinarily extensive shoe collection. You can contact her at msjevus@optonline.net.

Talia Carner

Talia Carner's first novel, PUPPET CHILD, was listed in The Top 10 Favorite First Novels 2002 (BookBrowse.com) and launched The Protective Parent Reform Act, now passed or under consideration in two dozens states and which was the platform for two State Senatorial candidates. Her second novel, CHINA DOLL, became the platform for her presentation at the U.N. in 2007 about infanticide in China-the first ever in U.N. history.

Talia Carner's latest novel, JERUSALEM MAIDEN, will be published in 2011 by William Morrow (an imprint of HarperCollins.) Before turning to fiction writing, Carner worked for Redbook magazine and was the Publisher of Savvy Woman magazine. A former adjunct professor at Long Island University School of Management and a successful marketing consultant to Fortune 500 companies, she was also a counselor and lecturer for the Small Business Administration, a member of United States Information Agency missions to Russia, and a participant at the 1995 International Women's Conference in Beijing.

Carner is a board member of HBI, a research center for Jewish women's studies at Brandeis University, and an honorary board member of several child abuse prevention organizations. Carner's addictions include chocolate, ballet, hats-and social justice. Please check her website at www.TaliaCarner.com

Linda Tagliaferro

Linda Tagliaferro has been a freelance writer for 21 years. She freelanced for The New York Times - Long Island section for 9 years, and her articles have appeared in a wide variety of publications ranging from Boy's Life to Maxim. She currently writes longisland.about.com, a website for About.com, a New York Times company. Her website has articles about Long Island attractions, monthly events calendars and more. You can send information about Long Island events to her at longisland.guide@about.com. She also offers a free newsletter for her website. You can sign up at longisland.about.com/gi/pages/stay.htm.

Linda has written 9 nonfiction books for adults and teenagers, including a Complete Idiot's Guide on genetic engineering and cloning and an A&E Biography book on the life of martial arts legend Bruce Lee. In addition, she's the author of over 30 nonfiction books for children on nature and animal topics. An experienced travel writer she is also a contributing author of five National Geographic books: Journeys of a Lifetime, Sacred Places, Food Journeys, Secret Places and their forthcoming book on New York City.

She has traveled the world and lived in Italy, Denmark and Indonesia. Her hobbies are dancing and opera singing. She has spoken at museums, bookstores, libraries and schools about her books. Find out more about her books and book talks at her website at www.lindatagliaferro.com.

See you at the Gazebo!!

2011 Schedule

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Our Summer, 2011 schedule:

6/6/2011
Judy Turek Linda Tagliaferro
Talia Carner Elizabeth Rowe

6/13/2011
Tom Phelan Louisa Calio
Steven Schmidt Roxanne Hoffman

6/20/2011
Richard Vetere Cindi Sansone-Braff
Lloyd Abrams Darren Sardelli

6/27/2011
Robert Lipsyte Barb Reiher-Meyers
Gayl Teller Gail Goldstein

7/5/2011
Independence Day Celebration

7/11/2011
Melissa de la Cruz Christina Rau
Jack Anderson Kio

7/18/2011
Ellen Meister Carol Hoenig
Robert Savino Peter Dugan

7/25/2011
Vicki Iorio Harriett Slaughter
Bruce Grossberg Jackie Sheeler

8/1/2011
Denis Gray Jane Ormerod
Vincent Maher Ed Stever

8/8/2011
Deborah Hauser Herb Siegel
Alix Strauss Linda Opyr

8/15/2011
Florence Gatto Tammy Nuzzo-Morgan
Jerry Zezima Doreen Spungin

8/22/2011
Gae Polisner Barbara Southard
8/29/2011
Beverly Kotch Annabelle Moseley
Paul Grossman Doug Swezey

Announcing the June, 2011 Lineup!

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The countdown is on-- just 3 weeks to go before opening night of our 5th season!

Sponsors have once again been amazingly generous-- there will be lots of smiles this summer as the kids get on the bus to Kamp Kiwanis! And authors and poets have been most kind in their offer to donate their time and talent.

And we know our bakers are readying some great desserts!

(By the way, join us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/#!/home.php?sk=group_59942291706)--and feel free to pass this email on to friends!)

We have had over 250 people (so far) request to read--once again we have to turn away too many friends and talented people--certainly the hardest part of this endeavor.

That said, we are still finalizing our July and August calendars--but here is the June, 2011 lineup:

6/6/2011
Judy J R Turek Linda Tagliaferro
Talia Carner Elizabeth Rowe
6/13/2011
Tom Phelan Louisa Calio
Steven Schmidt Roxanne Hoffman
6/20/2011
Richard Vetere Cindi Sansone-Braff
Lloyd Abrams Darren Sardelli
6/27/2011
Robert Lipsyte Barb Reiher-Meyers
Gayl Teller Gail Goldstein

Sponsors

There is still time to be a Sponsor or a Program Patron!
All funds raised (all--not net--all) by the program help send underprivileged kids to Kamp Kiwanis. Sponsorships are $150 and include your name and logo on signs, posters and the thousands of flyers we distribute, as well as on all announcements (including every email we send).

We are also offering "Program Patrons" for $25. "Program Patrons" will have their names listed on the weekly program we will be distributing each week.

If you would like to become a sponsor or a Program Patron, send your check made payable to "Oceanside Kiwanis" to 68 Yorktown Street, Rockville Centre, NY 11570-- email or include your logo and the listing you want us to print.

If you are interested in being a sponsor, please contact me for more for more information.

Audience

Whether you read for us this year or not, I encourage you to come on down, every Monday in June, July and August, for a nice, quiet summer's evening on Schoolhouse Green!!
Many thanks!

Call for Authors, Poets & Sponsors!!

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It is with great pride and enthusiasm that the Kiwanis Club of Oceanside, NY announces our Fifth Annual Summer Gazebo Readings series.

The Summer Gazebo Readings feature 4 published authors/poets each Monday evening throughout the summer, set on a village green in Oceanside. An eclectic mix of authors (non-fiction and fiction) and poets read from their works before large, friendly, receptive crowds.

Readers

If you would like to be a Reader, please do the following:

Send an email(no attachments) giving the following information:

Name

Contact information (including a number you can be reached on the day of the event in case of inclement weather)

List your available dates. The Readings are held each Monday in June, July & August-- we do an Independence Day program on the first Monday in July-- Please list at least three available dates.

The general genre of your work (poetry, non-fiction or fiction prose, etc.)

The only restrictions are time (10 minutes, strictly enforced) and the material, as read, must be appropriate for general audiences (think basic cable, not HBO/Showtime).

For more information, see our website: http://summergazeboreadings.blogspot.com/2009/01/readers-guidelines-faq.html

Spaces are limited and will be allocated at the discretion of the committee. One of our criteria will be to include a mix of genres (some poetry, some non-fiction prose, some fiction), so while we won't ask you what specifically you are reading--we will not "judge" or preview material-- we would like to know the general genre of your work.

Please note that we ended last year with over 200 people on our waiting list-- please do not be offended if we can't fit you in. We hope to announce the summer's lineup by May 1.

2010 Readers

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Jack Anderson
Barbara Ann Branca
Kerriann Flanagan Brosky
Louisa Calio
Peter Carlaftes
Edgar Carlson
Brian Cohen
Reed Farrel Coleman
Paula Comacho
Paula Curci
Peter Dugan
Florence Gatto
Denis Gray
Bruce Grossberg
George Guida
John Hanc
Deborah Hauser
George Held
Amy Holman
Vicki Iorio
Brenda Janowitz
Chris Knopf
Ellen Meister
Ursula Nouza
Tammy Nuzzo-Morgan
Christine O'Hagan
Tom Phelan
Ellen Pickus
Christina M. Rau
Barb Reiher-Meyers
Phil Reinstein
Saralee Rosenberg
Darren Sardelli
Robert Savino
Tom Schaudel
Herb Siegel
Harriet Slaughter
Doreen Spungin
Alix Strauss
Gayl Teller
Judy Turek
Richard Vetere
Walter Wagner
George Wallace
Clive Young

Photos from August 30, 2010

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Photos from August 23, 2010

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Photos from August 9, 2010

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Walter Wagner, Brian Cohen, J R (Judy) Turek
Nada Marjanovich & Kerriann Flanagan Brosky

Photos from August 2, 2010

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Clive Young, Jack Anderson, George Wallace & Alix Strauss

Photos from July 26, 2010

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Saralee Rosenberg, Reed Farrel Coleman, Brenda Janowitz and Ellen Meister

Photos from July 19, 2010

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Bruce Grossberg, Tammy Nuzzo-Morgan...and the duck

Photos from July 12, 2010

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Herb Siegel, Florence Gatto & Chris Knopf

Photos from Patriotic Celebration!

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Coming Up July 12, 2010

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A wonderful time was had by all at the Patriotic Readings and BBQ on Monday the 7th. We heard the Declaration of Independence, and from the works of Sojourner Truth, Mark Twain, Teddy Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower and Martin Luther King, Jr. Despite the heat the rest of the day, by the time the food was served there was shade and a pleasant breeze on Schoolhouse Green!

Coming up this Monday, July 7th, we feature:

Christina M. Rau

Christina M. Rau is the founder and director of Poets In Nassau, a reading circuit on Long Island. Her poetry has most recently been published in Potomac Review, Examination Anthology, River Poets Journal, and Blue Earth Review. To justify her penchant for watching really bad reality television, she writes an infrequent column for RealityShack.com. Christina teaches English at Nassau Community College. She loves moonbeams and puppies. And sarcasm.

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.

Chris Knopf

Chris Knopf writes the Sam Acquillo Hamptons Mystery series (The Last Refuge, Two Time, Head Wounds, Hard Stop) and a spin-off series starring Sam's sidekick, Jackie Swaitkowski, beginning with Short Squeeze: "More engaging hard-boiled crime fiction from a rising star." - Booklist.
His novel Elysiana (May, 2010), is a literary thriller set in New Jersey during the summer of 1969. Chris is also chairman of Mintz & Hoke, a marketing communications agency in Avon, CT.

Florence Gatto

Florence Gatto combines her passion for Italy and writing to document an era of transition for her immigrant family in The Scent of Jasmine, Vignettes from a Sicilian Heritage. Her essays are written with, wit, insight, and pride.
Florence's stories have appeared in Newsday, LIWriters Guild anthologies, Sweet Lemons , and Cucina Classica cookbook. She received the LlWritersGuild Lifetime, Diamond Leadership awards and L'Esperienza Magazine honors.
Florence studied in Perugia Italy in a Fulbright program and in Siena with a NY State teacher grant. She calls herself an Italophile and requires frequent trips to Italy to feed her psyche.
It is with great pleasure that Florence returns to the Gazebo

Upcoming June 28, 2010

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Perfect weather. Beautiful poetry and prose. Simply a great night last Monday on Schoolhouse Green--and an amazing lineup in store for all this Monday!

Doreen Spungin, delicate and thoughtful; Robert Savino, strong and colorful--with a touching tribute to the late Robert Dunn; Louisa Calio's prose, heartwarming and vivid; and George Held, powerful and precise-- a little something for everyone. And brownies, too!

This Monday we feature three accomplished and entertaining poets--and last year's runaway Gazebo favorite. It promises to be an unforgettable evening!

Monday, June 28, 2010 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 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.

Deborah Hauser

Deborah Hauser holds an MA in English Literature from Stony Brook University and has taught at Stony Brook University and Suffolk County Community College. Deborah's work has appeared in numerous publications including The Wallace Stevens Journal and is forthcoming in Crab Creek Review. She was a finalist in the 2009 Crab Creek Review poetry contest.

She is an active member of the Long Island/New York City poetry community and a featured reader at venues across the Island and the City, including NYU and The Bowery Poetry Club. She is currently working on a collection of modern fairy tales for "grrrls" of all ages.

Vicki Iorio

Vicki Iorio is a native Long Islander-- currently an Oceansider--who has been writing poems since the time she could pick up a crayon. She is a graduate of Hofstra University and a proud member of the Farmingdale Writing Group. Vicki's poetry has appeared in Poetyr Magazine, Mobius, Performance Poet's Association Vol 13, Troubadour 21. Her poem "Old Country Road" was the first place winner of the 7th Annual Princess Ronkonkoma poetry contest, category, our troubled economy.

Look for Vicki's poems in the upcoming North Sea Poetry Scene Long Island Sounds Anthology, the fall edition of Uphook magazine, the North Sea Poetry Scene's Living Outside the Lines, and Gayle Teller's Poetry of Forgiveness collection.

Paula Curci

Paula Curci is a spoken word artist, radio talk show host and school counselor. Currently, as a radio talk show host, Paula has been hosting and producing "CALLIOPES CORNER - The Place Where Poets and Songwriters Meet" on WRHU.ORG and WRHU 88.7fm Radio Hofstra University. She also produces the information minute called "What's The Buzz (R).

Paula is the co-founding member of the Acoustic Poets Network (R), a group of poets who coordinated open mic events in Nassau County and formed a poetry band with the same name. Paula has produced two spoken word CD's with the Acoustic Poets Network (R) and has published one chapbook "One Woman's Cathartic Release in Poetry." APN's two CD's called "Emissary" and "Bittersweet" are available through Amazon.com and CDbaby.com. Both CD's also showcase the work of Zoe Jade Austin, Tullio Vacchio, Kiki Calafell and Vinne Del Basso.

Currently she is working on a third spoken word CD, which should be available soon. Paula has several of her titles available on I tunes and through various download stores. Her work can also be found on the Vault's Fear No Art, The POE Project's, The Shakespeare's Project's and LIOMA's music and poetry compilation CD's.

Paula has been published in several anthologies including, LunaSeas' "Hysteria" and the National Association of Poetry Therapists' "Poets Process". Paula has also won several Vault Fear No Art awards for her poetry and the Vault's Guardian Angel award for her contributions to the artist community she serves, where she has facilitated student poetry groups, writers workshops and open mic programs. Moreover, she was also honored by the March of Dimes; they awarded Paula with their Golden Apple Award for her 20+ years of service as a school counselor.

See you at the Gazebo!!
Many thanks!

Tony Iovino
tonyiovino@gmail.com

Photos from June 21, 2010

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Doreen Spungin, Robert Savino, Louisa Calio & George Held

2010-06-18T07:14:00.001-04:00

Darren Sardelli, Barbara Reiher-Meyers,
Peter Dugan & Jerry Zezima

Coming Up June 21, 2010

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Last Monday Schoolhouse Green was filled with laughter and fine poetry--and the rain stayed away!

Darren Sardelli, started it off with a series of very funny rhyming poems; Barbara Reiher-Meyers and Peter Dugan treated us to powerful poetry (with Barbara making sure the laughter continued); and Jerry Zezima sent us all home laughing and nodding in recognition with readings from his columns. A fun night.

This Monday we feature four fine author/poets:

George Held

A former professor at Queens College, George Held was a Fulbright lecturer in Czechoslovakia for three years and since 1991 has served on the executive board of The South Fork Natural History Museum, in Bridgehampton. His poems, stories, translations, and book reviews have appeared widely, in such places as Commonweal, Confrontation, New York Quarterly, 5AM, and The Notre Dame Review, and Garrison Keillor read one of George's poems on NPR. He has read from his work at the Amagansett Marine Museum, Canio's Books in Sag Harbor, The Bowery Poetry Club, Cornelia Street Café, and Smalls Jazz Club, among other venues. A five-time Pushcart Prize nominee, he has had poems included in two dozen anthologies. His fourteenth collection of poems, After Shakespeare: Selected Sonnets, will be published this fall.

Robert Savino

Robert Savino is a native Long Island poet. His poems have been published widely, in print, from the Long Island Quarterly to the Haight Ashbury Literary Journal.

Robert was a long-standing Board Member of Island Poets; winner of the Lake Ronkonkoma Historical Society's 15th Annual Poetry Competition (2005); and the winner of the 2008 Oberon Poetry Prize.

His books of poetry include the chapbook, fireballs of an illuminated scarecrow (GOOD JAPAN PRESS, 2008) and his first full-length collection Inside a Turtle Shell (Allbook Books, 2009).

Louisa Calio

Louisa Calio is an award winning poet, performer, and photographer. Director of the Poets and Writers Piazza for Hofstra's Italian Experience for the past 9 years, she was Winner of the 1978 Connecticut Commission of the Arts Award to individual Writers, the 1987 Women in Leadership Award, Barbara Jones and Taliesin prizes for Poetry, The New Voices Trinidad and Tobago, and most recently honored at Columbia/ Barnard as a "Feminist who changed America."

Founder of City Spirit Artists, New Haven, Ct., she has spent a life time committed to bringing arts to people of varied economic levels.

Author of In the Eye of Balance, a book of Visionary Poetry that is also a performance, several chapbooks and a novel (in manuscript). Her writings have appeared in anthologies including, Birthed From Scorched Hearts, Women Respond to War, Sisters Singing, I Name Myself Daughter, She is Everywhere, darkmother, Italian Heart/ American Soul, Shades of Black and White, Remembrances, More Sweet Lemons, Northsea Poetry Anthology ,as well as journals and newspapers: VIA, GRADIVA, STUDIA MYSTICA, SALOME, POET'S ON, FEILE -FESTA, JOURNAL OF ITALIAN TRANSLATION, NEW VOICES(TRINIDAD), International Feminist Journal of Politics NEW VERSENEWS and Jamaica's THE GLEANER, OBSERVER, MIRROR.

She has traveled to East and West Africa, lived in the Caribbean and documented her journeys in photographs and the written word, recently completing an epic poem JOURNEY TO THE HEART WATERS which is also an Exhibition of photos with poems that Opened at Round Hill Resort in Montego Bay (Jan.07) AND "A PASSION FOR JAMAICA" also photos and writing that opened at Round Hill in Jan

Doreen Spungin

Doreen Spungin, who writes as Dd. Spungin, taught children with special needs in the New York City Schools. She hosts Poets In Nassau On The Hillside. She has been published in Humanities/Aitia, Asbestos and Brave Hearts, a publication for which she writes a monthly poem. She is involved with the Long Island Poets for Darfur commemorative program anthology.
Her poetry will appear in the forthcoming anthologies: Writing Outside The Lines, Long Island Sounds 2010 and Toward Forgiveness.

Coming Up June 14, 2010

2010-06-09T06:10:00.001-04:00

What an incredible kick-off to our 4th season! Exquisite weather, a large, receptive crowd, lots of delicious desserts--oh, and 4 incredible readings!

Tom Phelan, with his tales from Ireland during WWI--funny and touching; Barbara Ann Branca's vibrant poetry; Christine O'Hagan's humorous-and touching- tales of growing up outsized; and Peter Carlaftes unique brand of insight bordering on insanity-- four strong, compelling Readers making for a perfect start to the summer!

Monday, June 14, 2010 we feature:

Jerry Zezima

Long Island resident Jerry Zezima writes a humor column for his hometown paper, The Stamford Advocate in Connecticut. His column is syndicated and has run in newspapers around the world, including Newsday.
Mr. Zezimais the author of "Leave It to Boomer: A Look at Life, Love and Parenthood by the Very Model of the Modern Middle-Age Man." The book is, he proudly says, a crime against literature.
Mr. Zezimalives in Suffolk County with his wife, Sue. They have two daughters, Katie and Lauren. They also have a dog and three cats. Mr. Zezima has no interesting hobbies.

Peter Dugan

Peter V. Dugan was born and raised on Long Island. He is a resident of East Rockaway is a graduate of The New School in New York City and listed in Poets and Writers. Wysteria Ltd. published his first book length collection titled Medusa's Overbite in 2001. His second book Members Only was published in January 2009 and his third collection of poems A Cul-de-Sac Off Of Main Street was just released June 2010.

Peter has taught poetry workshops and classes on form and style. His pieces have been published individually in recent years in Aitia, PPA Literary Review, Long Island Sounds Anthology, Brownstone Poets, The Examination Anthology, Asbestos, Soul Fountain, LI Quarterly, Perpetual Toxins, The Poet's Art, The Five Town Forum, The Nassau Herald, the e-magazines Good Liar and Road Poet. He can be seen on poetryvlog.com. and youtube.com.

Darren Sardelli

Children's book author, award winning poet, and comedian, Darren Sardelli, makes poetry fun and exciting for people of all ages. His humorous poems are featured in 12 children's books, 6 textbooks, and have been published in several magazines as well. Aside from writing, Darren visits 50 - 60 elementary and middle schools each year (where he performs his funny poetry for students and teaches them how to spice up their writing with humor, creativity, and imagination). Darren also has poetry programs for libraries and camps. He enjoys playing ice hockey, roller hockey, tennis, running on the beach, and loves to travel. If you'd like to find out more about Darren Sardelli, please visit www.laughalotpoetry.com

When Darren Sardelli was in elementary school, junior high, high school, and college, he played baseball, soccer, lacrosse, ice hockey, roller hockey, and a lot of video games. Although he always worked hard in school, he never enjoyed reading, writing, or doing homework. When Darren was sitting in class, he had the tendency to get distracted very easily and let his mind wander (he still does a lot of day-dreaming). Whenever Darren's teachers called on him (to ask a question), most of the time he would have no idea what they were talking about. He was always in a world of his own.

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, Smithtown Township Arts Council, and Walt Whitman Birthplace, 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.

See you at the Gazebo!!
Many thanks!

Tony Iovino
tonyiovino@gmail.com

Upcoming Schedule

6/14/2010
Jerry Zezima Peter Dugan
Darren Sardelli Barb Reiher-Meyers

6/21/2010
George Held Robert Savino
Doreen Spungin Louisa Calio

6/28/2010
Tom Schaudel Vicki Iorio
Paula Curci Deborah Hauser

7/5/2010 Independence Day Celebration

7/12/2010
Christina M. Rau Herb Siegel
Chris Knopf Florence Gatto

7/19/2010
Gayl Teller Denis Gray
Tammy Nuzzo-Morgan Bruce Grossberg

7/26/2010
Reed Farrel Coleman Saralee Rosenberg
Ellen Meister Brenda Janowitz

8/2/2010
Clive Young George Wallace
Jack Anderson Alix Strauss

8/9/2010
Judy Turek Walter Wagner
Kerriann Flanagan Brosky Brian Cohen

8/16/2010
Richard Vetere Harriet Slaughter
Ursula Nouza

8/23/2010
Ellen Pickus George Guida

8/30/2010
Paula Comacho Edgar Carlson
Phil Reinstein Amy Holman

Photos from June 7, 2010

2010-06-09T05:03:00.001-04:00

Tom Phelan, Barbara Ann Branca, Christine O'Hagan & Peter Carlaftes

Upcoming Monday June 7, 2010

2010-05-31T14:20:00.001-04:00

Our wait is over! Monday, June 7 we start our 4th Season--and what a lineup we have!! Two returning favorites and two new voices--Monday promises to be a great evening!

(Remember, you can follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news and cancellation info at @summergazebo)

Monday, June 7, 2010 we feature:

Peter Carlaftes

Peter Carlaftes is a New York-based comic author, screenwriter, playwright, actor, poet, and director. He's authored 12 plays, including a noir treatment of Knut Hamsun's Hunger, and the celebrity rehab center spoof, Spin-Dry. He has appeared in numerous off-Broadway productions, including his comic solo performance piece, Lenny Bruce: Dead & Well. His critically-acclaimed humor book, A Year on Facebook, was issued by Three Rooms Press in January 2010. Three Rooms will also publish DrunkYard Dog, a collection of his poetry, and Triumph For Rent -Three Plays, in May.

Tom Phelan

Tom Phelan, who was born and raised on a farm in 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.

Barbara Ann Branco

Barbara Ann Branca has been writing and performing since childhood. She considers her poetry creative nonfiction based on her lifelong passions for music, history and the natural world. She has read original works on NPR station WSHU and at Cornelia Street Café, Bowery Poetry Club, Poetry Barn and Walt Whitman Birthplace where she took first place in the LI Poetry Collective's Super Poetry Sunday 2010. Born in Brooklyn and reared on Long Island where she made her stage debut at age six, her passion for the environment goes back to the first Earth Day as a science teacher upstate. After teaching college in Vermont and moving to the Upper West Side, she was a science editor and textbook author who hung out in NYC piano bars and jazz clubs landing a one-woman show at Paulsson's (W. 72^nd St.) and fronting an orchestra singing jazz standards on a tour of Greece.

Today you can find Barbara Ann at Stony Brook University's New York Sea Grant where she interviews scientists and writes articles on marine environmental issues (www.nyseagrant.org) and has sung with the Big Jazz Band and the Stony Brook Opera Company. Her Sea Grant colleagues have also egged her on to sit in with bands from Anchorage to Hilton Head, from Seattle to Cape Cod. Barbara Ann recently read original poems as she led a tour of Poets' Walk on the Hudson and is currently working on a collection of "watershed"-based poetry. Some of her poetry can be found at http://barbrann.tumblr.com/.

Christine O'Hagan

Christine O'Hagan is a native New Yorker, and has been a Long Island resident for thirty years. Her novel, BENEDICTION AT THE SAVOIA, received a starred Kirkus Review. Her memoir, THE BOOK OF KEHLS, also received a starred Kirkus Review, and was selected by Kirkus as a "Best Book of 2005." O'Hagan's essays have been published in nine anthologies, several newspapers (including THE NEW YORK TIMES and NEWSDAY), QUEST Magazine and many local publications. She has recently finished a collection of essays, and is working on a second novel.

2011 Sponsors

2010-05-28T07:43:00.002-04:00

We have been blessed with a tremendous increase in the number of Sponsors this year. Our thanks, and the thanks of underprivileged kids who will be able to go to Kamp Kiwanis this summer, goes out to these generous people and businesses.

Please support them!!

21st Century Appraisers
Bonbino's Pizza
Bondi Iovino & Fusco, Attorneys-at-Law
Century 21 American Homes (Asip, Dagger & Asip)
Councilman Anthony Santino
Craig DeBaun, Fire Commissioner
Friends of Judge Gary Knobel
Friends of Don Clavin, Receiver of Taxes
Herb & Marian Brown
Home & Hearth Real Estate
Kim & Todd Garrity
Kiwanettes of Oceanside
Lion’s Club of RVC
Long Island Pulse
Mary Jane McGrath, Attorney
Maryanne & Sander Lehrer
Michael Schamroth and Family
Mindy & Roy Kaufman
Municipal Credit Union
Oceanside Federation of Teachers
Oceanville Mason Supply
South Nassau Communities Hospital
Tower's Funeral Home
Westron Lite Bulb

2010 Schedule

2010-05-08T10:51:00.003-04:00

6/7/2010
Peter Carlaftes Tom Phelan
Barbara Ann Branca Christine O'Hagan

6/14/2010
Jerry Zezima Peter Dugan
Darren Sardelli Barb Reiher-Meyers

6/21/2010
George Held Robert Savino
Doreen Spungin Louisa Calio

6/28/2010
Tom Schaudel Vicki Iorio
Paula Curci Deborah Hauser

7/5/2010 Independence Day Celebration

7/12/2010
Christina M. Rau Herb Siegel
Chris Knopf Florence Gatto

7/19/2010
Gayl Teller Denis Gray
Tammy Nuzzo-Morgan Bruce Grossberg

7/26/2010
Reed Farrel Coleman Saralee Rosenberg
Ellen Meister Brenda Janowitz

8/2/2010
Clive Young George Wallace
Jack Anderson Alix Strauss

8/9/2010
Judy Turek Walter Wagner
Kerriann Flanagan Brosky Brian Cohen

8/16/2010
Richard Vetere Harriet Slaughter
Ursula Nouza

8/23/2010
Ellen Pickus George Guida

8/30/2010
Paula Camacho Edgar Carlson
Phil Reinstein Amy Holman

2010 Schedule

2010-05-08T09:57:00.005-04:00

It is with great pleasure that we announce our 2010 lineup! This summer we feature a wide-range of published authors and poets from Long Island, the NYC metro area--and a return engagement from our favorite poet from the UK! Plan now to join us each Monday evening in June, July & August-- 7 pm-- at Schoolhouse Green!

6/7/2010
Peter Carlaftes Tom Phelan
Barbara Ann Branca Christine O'Hagan

6/14/2010
John Hanc Peter Dugan
Darren Sardelli Barb Reiher-Meyers

6/21/2010
George Held Robert Savino
Doreen Spungin Louisa Calio

6/28/2010
Tom Schaudel Vicki Iorio
Paula Curci Deborah Hauser

7/5/2010 Independence Day Celebration

7/12/2010
Christina M. Rau Herb Siegel
Chris Knopf Florence Gatto

7/19/2010
Gayl Teller Denis Gray
Tammy Nuzzo-Morgan Bruce Grossberg

7/26/2010
Reed Farrel Coleman Saralee Rosenberg
Ellen Meister Brenda Janowitz

8/2/2010
Clive Young George Wallace
Jack Anderson Alix Strauss

8/9/2010
Judy Turek Walter Wagner
Kerriann Flanagan Brosky Brian Cohen

8/16/2010
Richard Vetere Harriet Slaughter
Ursula Nouza

8/23/2010
Ellen Pickus George Guida

8/30/2010
Paula Comacho Edgar Carlson
Phil Reinstein Amy Holman

Getting Close

2010-04-21T10:08:00.001-04:00

With well over 200 requests to read (more than we had this same time last year) we're just about ready to send out our acceptances/regrets.

We thank everyone who expressed an interest in reading this year--and we hope you all will come out this summer!

Some news:

--Sponsor notices went out. Full Sponsorship is $150--Program Patron is $25. If you are interested, let me know.

--We're now on Twitter @SummerGazebo. We'll post updates, cancellation info, etc as the year progresses.

--We will have a modified open read (MOR) schedule. You can sign up, in person, at a reading to read one poem at a future date. Each week we will have 2 or 3 poets read in between the four regularly scheduled author/poets. It will expose our audience to more talented people than we can fit into the regular schedule, and it will give a bunch of poets an opportunity. (Scheduled readers are ineligible for the MOR).

Stay tuned!

Tony Iovino
tonyiovino@gmail.com

Announcing Season 4!!

2010-03-21T09:41:00.001-04:00

It is with great pride and enthusiasm that the Kiwanis Club of Oceanside, NY announces our Fourth Annual Summer Gazebo Readings series.

The Summer Gazebo Readings feature 4 published authors/poets each Monday evening throughout the summer, set on a village green in Oceanside. An eclectic mix of authors (non-fiction and fiction) and poets read from their works before large, friendly, receptive crowds.

Readers

If you would like to be a Reader, please do the following:

Send an email(no attachments) giving the following information:

Name

Contact information (including a number you can be reached on the day of the event in case of inclement weather)

List your available dates. The Readings are held each Monday in June, July & August-- we do an Independence Day program on the first Monday in July-- Please list at least three available dates.

The general genre of your work (poetry, non-fiction or fiction prose, etc.)

Photos from August 24, 2009

2009-09-07T09:32:00.000-04:00

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

Photos from August 31, 2009

2009-09-07T09:30:00.001-04:00

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

Coming up August 31, 2009

2009-08-27T21:31:00.000-04:00

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

2009-08-24T12:32:00.001-04:00

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

2009-08-18T12:41:00.002-04:00

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

Coming Up Monday, August 17, 2009

2009-08-13T21:20:00.001-04:00

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

2009-08-13T21:11:00.001-04:00

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

Coming Up Monday, August 10, 2009

2009-08-06T07:03:00.000-04:00

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

2009-08-03T23:26:00.002-04:00

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

Upcoming Monday August 3, 2009

2009-07-30T10:07:00.000-04:00

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

2009-07-28T07:40:00.002-04:00

Coming Up July 27, 2009

2009-07-25T16:31:00.000-04:00

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

2009-07-24T05:38:00.001-04:00

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

Upcoming July 20, 2009

2009-07-15T18:56:00.000-04:00

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

Photos from July 13, 2009

2009-07-14T12:41:00.000-04:00

Clive Young, John P. Loonam, Ellen Schaffer & Joan Cergol,
and Jack Anderson

Upcoming July 13, 2009

2009-07-09T20:44:00.002-04:00

Lot's of news:

First, the Patriotic Readings and BBQ went beautifully. Over 120 people ate and then enjoyed a reading of the Declaration of Independence, followed by pieces dealing with "courage" by Thomas Paine, Ben Franklin, Abraham Lincoln (read forcefully by Max Wheat), Teddy Roosevelt, JFK, Ronald Reagan and Martin Luther King, Jr. (read movingly by Phil Reinstein & one of this week's readers, Judy Turek).

We collected dozens of books for "Operation Paperback"--they will be sent, by Kiwanis, to our troops overseas. If you have any used paperbacks (fit for a soldier--no romance novels or kids books, please), bring them down!

All in all, a great time was had by all!

Second--we happily announce some additions to our line-up. Making up for our rainout, we have re-scheduled Judy Turek (7/13) Florence Gatto (8/3) and Gayl Teller (8/17). We're still "efforting" Tom Phelan and Max Wheat.

In addition, we are very pleased to add three "new" authors/poets. Geraldine Green, here from England for the week, will join us on July 20th; Christine Kehl O'Hagan, who was rained out last year, will be here on August 31st.

And we are very proud to welcome star chef Tom Schaudel, author of a new, hysterical, book, "Playing With Fire", on August 10th.

This week we have an outstanding lineup of authors and poets. Bring your lawn chair, and a friend, and come on down!

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 13th we feature:

Jack Anderson

Jack Anderson is the author of ten books of poetry, the most recent of which is Getting Lost in a City Like This, published by Hanging Loose Press in spring 2009. Among his other books are The Invention of New Jersey (University of Pittsburgh Press), Field Trips on the Rapid Transit (Hanging Loose Press), and Traffic: New and Selected Prose Poems (New Rivers Press), which won the Marie Alexander Award for prose poetry. He has appeared in many magazines and anthologies, including three dealing with aspects of city life: Off the Cuffs (Soft Skull Press), a police anthology; Tokens (P&Q Press), a subway anthology, and You Are Here: New York City Streets in Poetry (P&Q Press). He is also a dance historian and writes on dance for the New York Times, The Dancing Times of London, and online at www.nytheatre-wire.com

Ellen Schaffer/Joan Cergol
Authors of OHEKA CASTLE Monument to Survival

Ellen Schaffer...first became aware of OHEKA in 1979 as president of the Cold Spring Hills Civic Association. She soon after became an active and vocal advocate for the Castle's protection and preservation. Later, using the experience she had developed as a civic leader in earlier years, she was instrumental in creating a townwide lobby to help secure OHEKA's future. Since 1992 Ellen has served as an Assistant Town Attorney for the Town of Huntington. She earned her undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Adelphi University and received her J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law, where she studied preservation law and land use regulation. In addition to her present work as an Assitant Town Attorney, Ellen serves as president of Friends of OHEKA, and as a voluntary curator and historian at OHEKA.

Joan Cergol...studied broadcast journalism and public relations at both Loyola University of Chicago and Long Island University, where she graduated cum laude in 1984. She was invited to serve as an adjunct professor of public relations at both St. Joseph's College in Patchogue and at Long Island University, CW Post, where she designed and wrote the curricula for her courses.

Joan has spent most of her career working in the public relations field developing campaigns at both a New York City public relations firm and later as an in-house practitioner for a Nassau County school district and prominent Nassau law firm. She was working in private consult when OHEKA Castle owner Gary Melius retained her in 1996 to develop the OHEKA campaign. In 1999, Newsday named Joan one of "Five People to Watch" in the public relations business on Long Island. In early 2002, Huntington Town Supervisor Frank Petrone appointed Joan to serve as his special assistant, representing him in school, business and community affairs, as well as to promote economic development opportunities for the Town. In that regard, in 2003 the Town Board appointed Joan Vice Chair of the Town of Huntington Economic Development Corporation that is currently developing and implementing strategies to revitalize Huntington Station.

J R Turek

John P. Loonam

John's work has previously appeared in Third Order, The Taj Mahal Review, Antithesis Common, Slow Trains, The Fifth Street Review, The Black River Review, Here’s Me Bus, Rubicon, The Mississippi Review, and The English Review. His dramatic writing is regularly featured by the Mottola Theatre Company. Raisded in Rockville Centre, he is an assistant principal in a NYC high school. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two sons.

Clive Young

Clive Young is an author and lecturer covering the crossroads between high tech and popular culture. He is the author of Homemade Hollywood: Fans Behind The Camera [Continuum, 2008], the first in-depth look at the "Fan Film" movement, where amateurs create their own unauthorized movies starring world-famous characters, from Indiana Jones to Captain Kirk to Harry Potter. The book follows their stories and more as it traces Fan Films from the 1920s--when con men made fake Little Rascals movies--to the YouTube videos of today.

While senior editor of Pro Sound News since 1994, he has also written for MTV, VH1.com, American Songwriter, Music Business International, Wine Enthusiast and other outlets, and his book, Crank It Up [Backbeat Books, 2004], profiling the world's top roadies, received strong reviews from Billboard and Hit Parader, among others. As an in-demand speaker, Young has lectured extensively on film, fan films and music at universities, libraries and conventions around the U.S. He lives in Rockville Centre, NY with his wife and daughter. Visit his website, www.cliveyoung.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.

Upcoming Schedule

7/13/2009 Joan Cergol/Ellen Schaffer John P. Loonam Clive Young Jack Anderson J R Turek

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

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 6, 2009

2009-07-07T21:26:00.002-04:00

Photo's by Ali Iovino

Photos from June 29, 2009

2009-07-05T19:15:00.001-04:00

Brenda Janowitz, Saralee Rosenberg, Carol Hoenig and Ellen Meister (photos by Ali Iovino)

Coming Up July 6th

2009-07-02T18:05:00.000-04:00

An incredible evening this past Monday--threatening clouds spit on us a bit (what else is new? Impossible to think we could get out of June without some rain on our little parade!) But then the sun came out and the women stepped up to the microphone and it was--perfect.

Brenda Janowitz, Saralee Rosenberg, Carol Hoenig and Ellen Meister were wonderful. Each read from their novels (with Saralee bravely reading from her current in-progress work) and each was funny, engaging and too-soon done. Debbi Honorof did a splendid job of guest-hosting. A very special night on Schoolhouse Green.

This Monday, July 6th, we feature our very own FREE BARBEQUE (courtesy of Home & Hearth Real Estate and Bondi & Iovino) and Patriotic readings. Over the last two years this has become a fan favorite-- come celebrate our Nation's independence with readings from Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore & Franklin Roosevelt, JFK, Martin Luther King, Jr.--and more!

NOTE: WE ARE ACCEPTING DONATIONS OF OLD CELL PHONES AND PAPERBACK NOVELS FOR FORWARDING TO OUR TROOPS.

The cell phones are being donated through Sen. Dean Skelos' office (www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com).

The paperback novels are being collected by the Kiwanis Club of Oceanside, and will be donated directly to soldiers overseas through through Operation Paperback. Please note that these books are for soldiers--romance novels, kids books, etc. are not needed. See www.operationpaperback.org for more details.

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

7/13/2009 Joan Cergol/Ellen Schaffer John P. Loonam Clive Young Jack Anderson

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

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

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

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

8/17/2009 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

8/31/2009 Sonya Russell Yolanda Coulaz Paula Curci Theresa Rosario- Berzner

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 June 29th

2009-06-25T05:52:00.002-04:00

It rained to the East. It rained to the West. North & South were wet, too, I understand.

But at Schoolhouse Green it was blessedly dry--even hints of blue sky--as Louisa Calio stepped to the mic and read quiet poetry inspired by her Italian-American experience; as Paula Uruburu (this year hail-free) brought the first Crime-of-the-20th Century to life; as Richard Vetere caused misty eyes with a tribute to his father; and as Tammy Nuzzo-Morgan, the new Suffolk County Poet Laureate and our old friend, rocked the Green at her driving, edgy best.

And this week? This week the ladies take over! Anyone who was at Schoolhouse Green last year remembers Brenda Janowitz-- her funny, vivid reading was one of our highlights. She returns this year with 3 friends--and even brings her own host! Come prepared to laugh and enjoy four splendid authors!

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/

Hosted by Debbi Honorof, the Book Columnist for Long Island Woman, on Monday June 29th, we will feature:

Brenda Janowitz

A native New Yorker, Brenda Janowitz has had a flair for all things dramatic since she played the title role in her third grade production of Really Rosie. When asked by her grandmother if the experience made her want to be an actress when she grew up, Brenda responded, “An actress? No. A writer, maybe.”

Brenda attended Cornell University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Human Service Studies, with a Concentration in Race and Discrimination. After graduating from Cornell, she attended Hofstra Law School, where she was a member of the Law Review and won the Law Review Writing Competition. Upon graduation from Hofstra, she went to work for the law firm Kaye Scholer, LLP, where she was an associate in the Intellectual Property group, handling cases in the areas of trademark, anti-trust, internet, and false advertising. Brenda later left Kaye Scholer to pursue a federal clerkship with the Honorable Marilyn Dolan Go, United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of New York.

Since her clerkship, Brenda has worked as a career counselor at two New York City law schools, where she published a number of articles on career related issues in publications such as the National Law Journal and the New York Law Journal. She currently lives in New York with her husband and teaches creative writing at Mediabistro.

Brenda is the author of the novels JACK WITH A TWIST (Engaging your adversary and other things they don’t teach you in law school) and SCOT ON THE ROCKS (How I survived my ex-boyfriend's wedding with my dignity ever so slightly intact), as well as the short story BASED ON A TRUE STORY. Her work has also appeared in the New York Post and Publishers Weekly.

Saralee Rosenberg

Saralee Rosenberg is the author of four comic novels from AvonBooks (HarperCollins). Her debut novel was A LITTLE HELP FROM ABOVE, followed by CLAIRE VOYANT, FATE AND MS. FORTUNE and her latest, DEAR NEIGHBOR, DROP DEAD. The Detroit Free Press says, "Ms. Rosenberg seems to have invented a new genre that combines magical realism, romance and Jewish angst." She and her husband have three children and a big Long Island mortgage.

Carol Hoenig

Carol Hoenig is a fulltime freelance writer and publishing consultant. Her novel, WITHOUT GRACE, has been awarded the Silver Medal for Book of the Year 2005 by ForeWord Magazine and given First Place for Fiction by the DIY Book Festival. Jada Press and the New York Book Festival also gave her novel honorable mention. Her book THE AUTHOR’S GUIDE TO PLANNING BOOK EVENTS was named finalist by USA Book and Reader Views and given the Gold medal by ForeWord Magazine for Book of the Year in the category of writing. Carol’s essays, articles, book reviews and short stories appear in a wide number of publications. Carol blogs for The Huffington Post at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carol-hoenig/ covering politics, culture, the publishing industry and the writing life. Carol also contributed to PUTTING YOUR PASSION INTO PRINT, written by Arielle Eckstudt & David Henry Sterry. (Workman, July 2005) Arianna Huffington invited Carol to contribute to ON BECOMING FEARLESS, (Little, Brown) released in the fall of 2006. Tory Johnson, ABC’s Good Morning America’s workplace contributor, also invited Carol to submit an essay for her New York Times Bestseller, WILL WORK FROM HOME (Penguin). Stephanie Gunning invited Carol to submit an essay on creativity for her anthology AUDACIOUS CREATIVITY. Carol’s short story, Snow Angels and Somersaults, was a finalist for the 2007 Spring/Summer Glass Woman Prize, a bi-annual prize for women prose writers. http://moondance.org/2007/winter/fiction/snow.html.

Carol is on The New York Center for Independent Publishing advisory council and writer’s conference committee and is on the advisory council for Author Solutions. She was the Director and Writer-in-Residence for Old Forge Library Adirondack Summer Writing Workshop for 2008. She is a member of the Women’s Media Group. For more information, visit www.carolhoenig.com.

Ellen Meister

Ellen Meister is the author of two novels, The Smart One (HarperCollins/Avon, 2008) and Secret Confessions of the Applewood PTA (Morrow/Avon 2006), as well as numerous short stories. In addition to writing, she served as editor for an online literary magazine and now does public speaking about her books and related issues. She writes, she swears, she sings, she dances ... all from the front seat of her minivan. Ellen lives on Long Island with her husband and three children. Her third novel, The Other Life, will be published by Putnam in 2010. For more information, visit her website at ellenmeister.com.

The Readings start at 7pm at Schoolhouse Green, located on Foxhurst Road, just east of Long Beach Road.

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

7/6/2009 Independence Day celebration with readings from American History & a free barbeque!

7/13/2009 Joan Cergol/Ellen Schaffer John P. Loonam Clive Young Jack Anderson

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

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

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

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

8/17/2009 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

8/31/2009 Sonya Russell Yolanda Coulaz Paula Curci Theresa Rosario- Berzner

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

June 22, 2009--We Beat the Rain!!

2009-06-22T21:50:00.003-04:00

Great readings--sun even poked out a bit!

Richard Vetere, Paula Uruburu, Louisa Calio & Tammy Nuzzo-Morgan-- a wonderful evening!

Lineup for June 22, 2009

2009-06-21T20:38:00.001-04:00

So here in the new Seattle--Long Island-- we lost out on a great reading last Monday. But the good news is we have a stellar lineup this week--and we'll be rescheduling our readers from last week later in the summer.

The Readings start at 7pm at Schoolhouse Green, located on Foxhurst Road, just east of Long Beach Road, Oceanside NY.

Monday June 22nd, we will feature a truly outstanding lineup of Readers:

Richard Vetere

Richard Vetere wrote the novel The Third Miracle published by Simon & Schuster and he co-wrote the screenplay produced by Francis Ford Coppola starring Ed Harris, Anne Heche and directed by Agneiszka Holland. The movie was just screened at MOMA last winter and the novel has been translated into several languages and is Book of the Month Club in Spain and Poland. It was called "A thriller from start to finish" by Publishers Weekly. His new novel, Baroque, is being published by Brodighera Press this September. He has a dozen plays published by Dramatic Publishing including Gangster Apparel, Machiavelli and Caravaggio which recently ran in Chicago and where Mr. Vetere was a guest of the Chicago Humanities Festival and the Chicago Tribune wrote in a review "Lucid and complex dissection of such issues of religion, realism, art and romanticism...the play is fascinating." His play One Shot, One Kill was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize when it ran at Primary Stages in '02. His other feature films include the cult classic Vigilante '83, The Marriage Fool (aka Love After Death) with Walter Mathau and Carol Brunette '98, The Third Miracle '99 and How to Go Out On a Date in Queens 2006. He has written for several TV series including Dellaventura on CBS and Threat Matrix on ABC. His two published books of poetry are Memories of Human Hands and A Dream of Angels. He teaches film writing at Queens College, Monticlair State, and a master screenwriting class at NYU in rotation and playwrighting at the New School. He has a master's degree from Columbia University in comparative English Literature. He's a member of Poets & Writers, Author's Guild, Dramatist Guild and WGAE. He just directed a production of Caravaggio at Manhattan Theater Source.

Paula Uruburu

An English professor at Hofstra University and the Vice Dean of the
School for University Studies, Paula Uruburu spent the last decade
researching and writing her new book, AMERICAN EVE: Evelyn Nesbit,
Stanford White, the Birth of the “It” Girl and the Crime of the Century
(from Riverhead Press.) It tells the tragic and uncannily current story
of an extraordinary young beauty who was a victim of the excesses of the
rich and consumed by the culture of celebrity in turn o th century
Manhttan.

Paula is a fan of the Gilded Age and true crime (naturally), the Gothic
and Grotesque in art, photography, and film, and also teaches courses in
women’s studies and film genres (such as horror, the western, and
science ficiton). She has consulted for A&E, PBS, the History Channel,
and the Smithsonian channel. Of Basque Irish descent, her roots are in
Brooklyn, Bilbao, County Cork and Massapequa (which Jerry Seinfeld says
its Native American for" by the mall.”) She enjoys the fact that her
last name is a palindrome and that she lives in a haunted house on the
south shore of Long Island.

Tammy Nuzzo-Morgan

Tammy Nuzzo-Morgan is founder and president of The North Sea Poetry Scene, Inc. email: Thenorthseapoetryscene@hotmail.com

She is the Suffolk County Poet Laureate 2009 - 2011. In 2006 her poetry book: Let Me Tell You Something was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. She has penned 4 books: The Bitter, The Sweet, One Woman's Voice, Let Me Tell You Something and For Michael . She is working on her 5th.book, Chasing Clouds. She is the Editor of Long Island Sounds Anthology. She is endeavoring to create an archival/arts center for Long Island poetry that will be a gathering place for poets. website:http://www.lipoetryarchivalcenter.com . She is the host of TNSPS’s Arts Forum TV Show on CH. 20 on Cablevision in Riverhead, N.Y. She is the Lead Poetry Jurist for the East End Arts Council.

Louisa Calio

Louisa Calio is Director of the Poets’ and Writers’ Piazza for Hofstra University’s Italian Experience. Recently honored at Columbia/Barnard College with Alice Walker, Ruth Beta Ginsberg and others, as a feminist who changed America. she is an Award Winning poet, teacher, performer, artist and traveler: 1978 Connecticut Commission of the Arts Award to individual Writers, the 1987 Women in Leadership Award for her contribution to developing arts, the Barbara Jones and Taliesin prizes for Poetry (Trinidad and Tobago), an Educational Center for the Arts grant for the Production of In the Eye of Balance her first collection of poem. Director, author and performer of multi-media productions of her writings set to dance and music by jazz composer Oliver Lake.

Founding member and first Executive Director of City Spirit Artists, Inc. (1976-1981) a non- profit organization in New Haven, Ct. originally catalyzed by a Bicentennial Grant to make arts available to the community, she worked with divergent groups of people, and joined with Yale University, Center for Theater Techniques for Gifted and Talented, Yale’s African American Center, educators and businessmen and women to make arts readily accessible while empowering artists.

Her writings have appeared internationally in anthologies: Scorched Hearts:Women on War, I Name Myself Daughter, She is Everywhere, darkmother, Italian Heart American Soul, Sister’s Singing, etc. Journals: GRADIVA,Voices in Italian Americana, STUDIA MYSTICA, SALOME, POET’S ON, Feile- Festa etc. She has traveled to East and West Africa, completing an epic poem, JOURNEY TO THE HEART WATERS which was also an Exhibition of her photos “ Passion for Africa” opened at Round Hill in Montego Bay Jamaica Jan.2007; “Art of the Word” photos and poetry then grew into “A Passion for Jamaica” which opened in March 08 at Round Hill with a Reading from her work “A Day in the Tropics”. Her photos are in the collections of Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Jim Birren, publisher of Forbes Magazine.

Born in Brooklyn, NY to Rose and Joseph Calio (Fashion Executive and Cofounder of Americans of Italian descent) she attended SUNY at Albany graduating magna cum laude with Special Honors in English. She an M. Ed at Temple University, is a certified yoga instructor and has studied the arts of Meditation at The Monroe Institute, with Brugh Joy, M.D. and others to continue to develop her love of metaphysics. She lives in both Jamaica, West Indies and the USA.

Upcoming Schedule

6/29/2009 Brenda Janowitz Ellen Meister Carol Hoenig Saralee Rosenberg (with Debbie Honorof hosting)

7/6/2009 Independence Day celebration with readings from American History & a free barbeque!

7/13/2009 Joan Cergol/Ellen Schaffer John P. Loonam Clive Young Jack Anderson 7/20/2009 Jillian Abbott Reed Farrel Coleman Barbara Reiher-Meyers Roxanne Hoffman

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

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

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

8/17/2009 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

8/31/2009 Sonya Russell Yolanda Coulaz Paula Curci Theresa Rosario- Berzner

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!)

A Poem by Herb Siegel

2009-06-17T00:02:00.011-04:00

STAY-CATIONS (The 2009 Recession)
by Herb Siegel

Gas is high, houses low, kids are idle

friends gather, play games, BBQs are in

Stay at home, vacations are now a sin

D.C. is out, Vegas far to peddle.

Job’s on the line, food is up, raises gone

home is the stay-place for a better day

It’s the safest and cheapest place to stay

from night-to-night, day-to-day, dawn-to- dawn.

Eating out is past, home-spun is the now

Spinning tales and poems won’t cure all wishes

just smooth the way to ease most crises

avoiding boredom that wrinkles the brow.

Home a place to sup with wines of vintage

suck-it-up stand and toast a non-voyage!

Herb will appear at The Gazebo on August 24, 2009.

The Summer Gazebo Readings feature 4 author/poets each Monday evening in June, July and August, 7 pm at Schoolhouse Green in Oceanside, NY. See the links to the right for our schedule and directions. Bring a lawn chair and come on down!

A Poem by Roxanne Hoffman

2009-06-16T00:02:00.000-04:00

the past

by Roxanne Hoffman

a door

closed behind us

but there to reenter

unlocked by way of memories

and dreams

for some

pandora's box

filled with goblins and ghosts

for others like a treasure chest

of gold

Roxanne will be appearing at The Gazebo on July 20th.

The Summer Gazebo Readings feature 4 author/poets each Monday evening in June, July and August, 7 pm at Schoolhouse Green in Oceanside, NY. See the links to the right for our schedule and directions. Bring a lawn chair and come on down!

A Poem by Roberta A. McQueen

2009-06-15T00:02:00.001-04:00

PRIORITIES
by Roberta A. McQueen

Watching the waves roll
in at high tide
the older couple clasp
hands while walking
silently along the shore

In the parking lot nearby
the younger couple
argue about who it was
that had scratched
their fancy new car

The Summer Gazebo Readings feature 4 author/poets each Monday evening in June, July and August, 7 pm at Schoolhouse Green in Oceanside, NY. See the links to the right for our schedule and directions. Bring a lawn chair and come on down!

A Poem by Tammy Nuzzo-Morgan

2009-06-14T00:02:00.000-04:00

Ghazal: One
by Tammy Nuzzo-Morgan

Kiss me hard and long, I think you are the one.
Kiss my hands and neck, kiss to make us one.

The rumbling of your voice draws me in, your lips, your lips!
As the honey bee seeks flowers I pray I’m not just one.

In my heart: A stone too large to dislodge, too big to sweep away.
Your tender touch could crush it into a tiny one.

3:00 is when I see you once again.
The ticking hours pass so slowly one by one.

I attempt to allow you in by not keep myself closed,
leaving open the door, not shutting out you, my treasured one.

Go ahead, I pray you, mold me slowly. Each touch another stoke
of the flame that will make stone and steel one.

Me damaged island unto myself, drift safely toward your healing shores.
On your island light a bonfire signaling this is the one.

I say, I like the solitary dark, but adore the brilliantly lit day.
Whisper sweetly my name, Tammy. Lie close so we may become one.

Tammy will appear at The Gazebo on July 22, 2009.

The Summer Gazebo Readings feature 4 author/poets each Monday evening in June, July and August, 7 pm at Schoolhouse Green in Oceanside, NY. See the links to the right for our schedule and directions. Bring a lawn chair and come on down!

Lineup for June 15, 2009

2009-06-13T13:30:00.000-04:00

This week is a very special one at the Gazebo. We welcome back our dear friends J R Turek, Tom Phelan and Florence Gatto-- all 3 proven crowd pleasers.

Our special treat is this: Max Wheat, the present Nassau County Laureate and Gayl Teller, in what will most likely be her first public reading as the new Nassau County Poet Laureate! An absolutely must-see 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/

Our line-up for Monday, June 15, 2009:

Max Wheat

We are extraordinarily pleased to host Max Wheat, named two years by his fellow poets as Nassau County Poet Laureate; this month he hands over the reins to Gayl Teller, another reader this evening.. Max is extensively published, and is beloved by the Long Island poetry community.

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." Wheat has learned much about salt marshes in Nassau County's Cow Meadow Preserve, five blocks from his home in Freeport, where he and his wife, Virginia, enjoy walking. The idea for the grandfather character in the poem he is reading, "Grandfather Loved the Salt Marshes," comes from Alonzo Gibbs' septuagenarian character, Orrie Shadbolt, exploring and adventuring with two teenage friends in the South Shore Long Island salt marshes in his novel, "By a Sea-Coal Fire" (Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, Inc., New York - 1968). (Thanks to poetryvlog.com for this bio!) Max's website: http://www.maxwellcorydonwheatjr.com/poetry_/Home.html

Gayl Teller

Tom Phelan

From 063008

J R Turek

Florence Gatto

From August 18, 2008

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 Readings start at 7pm at Schoolhouse Green, located on Foxhurst Road, just east of Long Beach Road.

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

6/22/2009 Richard Vetere Paula Uruburu Tammy Nuzzo-Morgan Louisa Calio

6/29/2009 Brenda Janowitz Ellen Meister Carol Hoenig Saralee Rosenberg (with Debbie Honorof hosting)

7/6/2009 Independence Day celebration with readings from American History & a free barbeque!

7/13/2009 Joan Cergol/Ellen Schaffer John P. Loonam Clive Young Jack Anderson 7/20/2009 Jillian Abbott Reed Farrel Coleman Barbara Reiher-Meyers Roxanne Hoffman

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

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

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

8/17/2009 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

8/31/2009 Sonya Russell Yolanda Coulaz Paula Curci Theresa Rosario- Berzner

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/

a Poem by Jillian Dolan

2009-06-13T00:02:00.000-04:00

Making Meaning of a Place I Have Yet to Find
by Jillian Dolan

speak with a soft song to my mind,
calm the anxiety
for there's always something in the way of our dreams

and time has become just another burden to bear
because there's a fine line between success and failure these days

now society is stiff like porcelain, but not nearly as perfect
we live in a world where father dies and mother cries
and we are poisoned by the worries of an everyday routine

it's cold hard stone that secures our inhibitions
and i don't want to carry that boulder on my back anymore
i want to be young like a child
i want to be free again
i want to be free

there, my shrouded thoughts subside
i awake to a translucent breeze
and where warm wind dances with the maple branches

hidden deep in the meadow small creatures whisper
and a sweet forest smell bides after sun showers
where daylight beams through the cloud covered heavens
and the single stream always has a new story to tell

heres to having a velvet embrace,
to indulge in the champagne of desire
until the fires and the stars never looked so bright

lets go back to babies soft skin, and father always there
and mother never cries
because she doesn't have to

where the wild winds and kindred spirits linger
over the vast plains of our conscience
please leave me to my dream
i wish to settle here
so time is never an issue

someday we will all awaken our wild, velvet, brilliant, champagne drenched souls
soon, i hope, we may unearth our way to this place
and we will be free again
we will be free

A Poem by Barbara Reiher-Meyers

2009-06-12T00:02:00.001-04:00

NATURE POEM
by Barbara Reiher-Meyers

It’s poison ivy time;
get out the calamine.
It’s not my favorite vine.
See how the blisters shine.

I’m itchy and forlorn.
It grows upon my lawn
from dusk to early dawn.
How I wish it was gone.

Three very shiny leaves
each Spring are my pet peeve.
The presents I receive
just spread and will not leave.

It makes my temper rise
when blisters grow in size.
I fight it as it tries
to creep up on my thighs.

(This can be sung to the tune of “Ta Ra Ra Boom- De-Ay”, if that’s legal. If not, you can thank me for planting the tune in your head, to resound for the next few days.)

Barbara will be appearing at The Gazebo on July 20, 2009.

The Summer Gazebo Readings feature 4 author/poets each Monday evening in June, July and August, 7 pm at Schoolhouse Green in Oceanside, NY. See the links to the right for our schedule and directions. Bring a lawn chair and come on down!

A Poem by Dd. Spungin

2009-06-11T00:02:00.001-04:00

The Reunion

by Dd. Spungin

Scientists crack open a brain

Not ready for the host of memories

Spilling out all over the lab table

Not ready for the years rolling

Onto the antiseptic tile floor

Pooling, puddling, seeping into the grout

Creeping under the door,

Out, into the hall

Running in rivulets to the stairwell

Waiting at the elevator

Cascading down the empty shaft

Dripping into the ground beneath the building

Into the fertile earth, worms and robins

Messing about, pulling the memories

Here and there,

Moving them around

Flying with bits in beaks

Making nests

Baby birds nestling, trilliing

Memories, thrilling

The world spinning

Around retrieved sights,

Sounds, scenes

Preserved in yearbooks

Whispers, dreams.

A Poem by Bruce Grossberg

2009-06-10T00:02:00.000-04:00

My First Poem Written As An Adult

Drafted and Edited

On A Bus To Tel Aviv, 1978

by Bruce Grossberg

People are funny/

About money.

Bruce will appear at The Gazebo on August 3, 2009.

The Summer Gazebo Readings feature 4 author/poets each Monday evening in June, July and August, 7 pm at Schoolhouse Green in Oceanside, NY. See the links to the right for our schedule and directions. Bring a lawn chair and come on down!

A Poem by Jack Anderson

2009-06-09T00:02:00.000-04:00

In Praise of Gazebos
by Jack Anderson

Every big city,
every county seat,
every village and hamlet
should have at least one
trim patch of green
with, at its center,
a gazebo.

Such structures,
no matter how recent,
should always look ageless,
eternally amiable.

Here should be
band concerts,
choral singing,
poetry readings --
good things
to which we can give
delighted attention

until we find we
are now at home
in a comfortable realm
where the best thing to say
about anything there
is that it is nice,
really nice,
as everyone here
most assuredly is.

Jack will be appearing at The Gazebo on July 13, 2009.

The Summer Gazebo Readings feature 4 author/poets each Monday evening in June, July and August, 7 pm at Schoolhouse Green in Oceanside, NY. See the links to the right for our schedule and directions. Bring a lawn chair and come on down!

June 8, 2009

2009-06-08T22:54:00.004-04:00

A great evening on Schoolhouse Green! Ellen Rittberg was funny and entertaining; Richard Jeffrey Newman was poignant and heartfelt; Patricia Carragon was a treat, full of life and vigor; and our good friend Peter Dugan took it home with his signature brand of rough-edge wisdom.

Next week we have another incredibly strong lineup--more on that later in the week (Max Wheat, Gayl Teller, Tom Phelan, J R Turek and Florence Gatto!).

A Poem by Peter V. Dugan

2009-06-08T00:02:00.016-04:00

Parochial

by Peter V. Dugan

The faithful flock to the cathedrals,
churches and chapels, book stores,
cafes and schools, take their seats,
fill the pews, listen and recite
            "The Word . . ."

Outside on the street those starving
for faith congregate as heretics
and apostates shout out blasphemy,
"Poetry is dead!"
while true believers retort,
"There is resurrection!"

But, everyday agnostics and atheists
pass by, deaf to the debate, rapped-up
by the incessant rhythm and rhyme
of a pop-culture sublime that blurs
the line between art and entertainment.

They are blind to the figured wheel
that rolls down the road, through
the meadow and out into the wasteland
over the decayed stone wall where
an old black hearse without gilt
or polish lies buried in the high grass
next to a red wheelbarrow.

At night, you can hear the howl
of the wind bellow and echo
through coffee shops, poetry vaults
and library basements.
Here converts, novices and deacons
still toil down in the catacombs
creating poems from old poets' bones.

Language becomes image,
The Word is among us.
            We bear witness to it here

Peter will appear at The Gazebo on June 8, 2009.

The Summer Gazebo Readings feature 4 author/poets each Monday evening in June, July and August, 7 pm at Schoolhouse Green in Oceanside, NY. See the links to the right for our schedule and directions. Bring a lawn chair and come on down!

A Poem by Adriana DiGennaro

2009-06-07T10:20:00.008-04:00

We Must Cultivate Our Garden

by Adriana DiGennaro

il faut cultiver notre jardin

says the fool

in her allotted

plot of land

speaking in tongues

only some can understand.

spending time with the wrong man,

down the wrong path,

having had so much to say,

resting on laurels

so that “working in the garden”

becomes picking plants

trampling them

and throwing them

away.

Adriana will be at The Gazebo on August 10, 2009.

The Summer Gazebo Readings feature 4 author/poets each Monday evening in June, July and August, 7 pm at Schoolhouse Green in Oceanside, NY. See the links to the right for our schedule and directions. Bring a lawn chair and come on down!

A Poem by Yolanda Coulaz

2009-06-06T00:02:00.001-04:00

COOL, COTTON COMFORT

by Yolanda Coulaz

I wore him like a tight pair of jeans,

and he looked damn good on me.

It was almost obscene,

that tight pair of jeans.

He didn’t fit,

and I was proud of it

and the way they’d stare

at that man I’d wear.

It was almost obscene,

that pair of jeans.

Well, I’m older today,

and I’ve got a man that fits

like a pair of sweats, heather grey,

and he looks damn good on me.

And that tight pair of jeans?

Well, I threw him away.

Yolanda will be at The Gazebo on August 31, 2009.

The Summer Gazebo Readings feature 4 author/poets each Monday evening in June, July and August, 7 pm at Schoolhouse Green in Oceanside, NY. See the links to the right for our schedule and directions. Bring a lawn chair and come on down!

Lineup For June 8, 2009

2009-06-05T19:15:00.001-04:00

An absolutely exciting and wonderful evening last Monday (though, I will admit, there was a bit of a chill--though nothing a sweatshirt couldn't handle.) Our best opening day crowd ever heard Robert Savino kick off our 3rd year with his always insightful poetry; Bart Midwood was engaging; David Axelrod was a treat, a full-bodied artist; and Masha Hamilton, reading from her upcoming novel, was simply enchanting. A great evening all around.

Our first 50/25/25 netted our winner $28 and put $28 into the Grand Prize drawing we will be pulling on our last week.

This week we have a very strong lineup-- come on down!

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 June 8th, we will feature a truly outstanding lineup of Readers:

Patricia Carragon

Patricia's work can be found on-line and in journals: Poetz.com, Rogue Scholars, Poets Wear Prada,The Toronto Quarterly, Chantarelle’s Notebook, Clockwise Cat, Luciole Press, Eviscerator Heaven 4, Flutter, Up the Staircase, Battered Suitcase, 6S, Beatnik Cowboy, Times Square Shout Out, Kritya, Soul to Soul, Mobius Magazine, Clwn Wr, Inscribed, Live Magazine, Tamarind, Riverfront, Soul Fountain, Nomad's Choir, the Park Slope Poetry Project's "Erato,"SOS ABC NO RIO's "Stained Sheets, Poet-To-Poet's Medicinal Purposes, Asbestos and Where You Live, What Happens Next. She is the author of her first book, "Journey to the Center of My Mind" ( Rogue Scholars Press), which was showcased at Poet's House in 2007. She's in several anthologies: "The Ice Road Poems," edited by Phil Linz (Fierce Grace Press 2007), The Yuki Teikei Haiku Society, South by Southeast, vol.15 #2 & #3, Evie Ivy's "Dinner with the Muse, a Green Pavilion Poetry Anthology (2009), Deborah Simpson’s anthology, Expressions (http://www.deborahsimpson.org/published-books.html), Nicky Jones’ Copeland Book’s Love Theme anthology (2009) http://www.copelandbooks.co.uk/blog/index.asp), The Spam Poetry Game designed by Cecil Touchon, the first volume of The Best of Stain (2009) and THE HAY(NA)KU ANTHOLOGY, VOL. II (Meritage Press) http://www.meritagepress.com/haynaku2.htm. In 2006, Christine Leahy from the Park Slope Reader interviewed her.
Patricia has featured at numerous venues including the Telephone Bar, the Galapagos Art Space, The Huntington Poetry Barn (Huntington, NY) The Colony Arts Center (Woodstock, NY), Robin's Bookstore (Philadelphia, PA), Poets and Angels Reading Series (East Brunswick, NJ), The Carrozini von Buhler Gallery, the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center, the Cornelia Street Cafe,the Phoenix Reading Series, the Bowery Poetry Club, A Gathering of the Tribes, Bluestockings Bookstore, the Nightingale Lounge, the Moroccan Star, Stark!!! and the Back Fence.
She hosts and curates the Brooklyn-based Brownstone Poets, formally the Park Slope Poetry Society, at the Park Plaza Restaurant in Brooklyn Heights and at Tillies of Brooklyn in Ft. Greene and is the editor of the annual Brownstone Poets Anthology. She was one of the hosts for the SOS ABC NO RIO Sunday Open Series on the Lower East Side.

Peter V. Dugan

Peter V. Dugan was born and raised on Long Island. He is a resident of East Rockaway is a graduate of The New School

in New York City and listed in Poets and Writers. Wysteria Ltd. published his first book length collection titled Medusa’s Overbite in 2001. His new book Members Only was just published in January 2009. Peter works with the North Sea Poetry Scene in helping to showcase poetry throughout Long Island, and has hosted programs at the Oceanside Public Library, among others.

Richard Jeffrey Newman

Poet, translator, essayist and educator, Richard Jeffrey Newman is the author of three volumes of poetry: The Silence Of Men (CavanKerry Press, 2006), a book of his own poems and Selections from Saadi’s Gulistan and Selections from Saadi’s Bustan (Global Scholarly Publications, 2004 & 2006 respectively), translations of two masterpieces of 13th century Iranian poetry. As well, he co-translated with Professor John Moyne the poetry in A Bird in the Garden of Angels (Mazda Publishers, 2008), a selection of work by Rumi, also from 13th century Iran. Newman’s poems and essays have appeared in a wide range of journals, including Salon.com, The American Voice, Circumference, Prairie Schooner, Another Chicago Magazine, The Pedestal Magazine and Birmingham Poetry Review. His work has been anthologized in Access Literature (Wadsworth Publishers, 2005), and the title poem from The Silence Of Men has been translated into Dutch. In addition, he has completed a verse translation of a book-length section of Shahnameh, the Persian national epic. Richard Jeffrey Newman is Literary Arts Director of Persian Arts Festival, sits on the advisory boards of The Translation Project and Jackson Heights Poetry Festival, and is listed as a speaker with the New York Council for the Humanities. He is Associate Professor of English at Nassau Community College in Garden City, New York, where he coordinates the Creative Writing Project. His website is www.richardjnewman.com.

Ellen Pober Rittberg

Ellen Pober Rittberg is a poet playwright and former journalist. Her feature writing and essays have appeared in the New York Times, Newsday, and op-ed pages. She was a frequent contributor to the Daily News writing about social trends and family issues. Her poetry has appeared in Kansas Quarterly, Flutter, Long Island Quarterly and Wheelhouse Literary Journal. A winner of several Sigma Delta Chi/Press Club awards and a Long Island Coalition for Fair Broadcasting's FOLIO award for Best Public Affairs Show. She was a winner of the Border's Bookstores Poetry Contest and one of the winners of the 2007 Mid Island Y JCC Poetry Reading Series Annual award Contest. Her plays have been performed off-off Broadway and at festivals.
The Readings start at 7pm at Schoolhouse Green, located on Foxhurst Road, just east of Long Beach Road.

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
6/15/2009 Florence Gatto Tom Phelan Max Wheat Judy Turek Gayl Teller
6/22/2009 Richard Vetere Paula Uruburu Tammy Nuzzo-Morgan Louisa Calio
6/29/2009 Brenda Janowitz Ellen Meister Carol Hoenig Saralee Rosenberg (with Debbie Honorof hosting)
7/6/2009 Independence Day celebration with readings from American History & a free barbeque!
7/13/2009 Joan Cergol/Ellen Schaffer John P. Loonam Clive Young Jack Anderson 7/20/2009 Jillian Abbott Reed Farrel Coleman Barbara Reiher-Meyers Roxanne Hoffman
7/27/2009 Authors & Poets from the Long Island Writers' Guild
8/3/2009 Christina Rau Bruce Grossberg Harriet Slaughter Deborah Hauser
8/10/2009 Adriana DiGennaro Teri Coyne Frank Van Zant Joan Marg
8/17/2009 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
8/31/2009 Sonya Russell Yolanda Coulaz Paula Curci Theresa Rosario- Berzner 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/

A Poem by J R Turek

2009-06-05T00:02:00.001-04:00

At My Demise

by J R Turek

When I get to the Pearly Gates
St. Peter will have a clipboard list
of every murder I’ve ever committed

and I’ll have to answer for them all
beginning with the big black ant
that roamed the hills of my comforter

in search of Sammy the Bear perched
on my pillow, smashing the intruder
with my bare hand back when I was five

and countless wasps, worms, mosquitos
that have hounded me since, crickets
in our basement, yellow-jackets in the walls

but never spiders as my grandmother swore
if you killed a spider in your home
you’d lose money, so spiders were spared.

Now, with nests of carpenter bees boring
through our deck, nesting in dozens of havens
droning, hovering, antagonizing our dogs

four cans of empty insecticide, inert belly-up bodies
still droves far from extinct buzz in my face
...now I wonder if I’ll ever meet St. Peter.

J R will be at The Gazebo on June 15th.

The Summer Gazebo Readings feature 4 author/poets each Monday evening in June, July and August, 7 pm at Schoolhouse Green in Oceanside, NY. See the links to the right for our schedule and directions. Bring a lawn chair and come on down!

A Poem by Marie Reinstein

2009-06-04T00:02:00.010-04:00

Encountering Me

by Marie Reinstein

I’m about to open the folder-

amber aged and edge-curled, treasured.

“Donovan” in hippie letters adornment all.

As always—in the bottom left

drawer of whatever desk I utilize.

Written some 30 years ago, telling

tales, relating woes—youthful despairs of

identity, maturation, growing pains. Ailments, malaise: ennui.

In search of my first erotic poem. What else

will I find there on this eventful eve for my

current erotic poems. I am 53 now. I may

I think at last understand the sensate lures.

May at last be, the sensate me.

So now I’ll turn my attentions inward

and in doing so hope to find, to examine,

caress and adopt

the child/girl/woman

that was

me.

I am

all that

I am plus that poetess

prolific long ago

and when my acquaintance ripens into

love, I will have found myself whole.

The Summer Gazebo Readings feature 4 author/poets each Monday evening in June, July and August, 7 pm at Schoolhouse Green in Oceanside, NY. See the links to the right for our schedule and directions. Bring a lawn chair and come on down!