River Poets

THEME: Lyrics. Some songs are poetry (when you can make out the words)…tonight we ask that you find a song or two. Bring and sing a song or present the lyrics as a poetic work.

Lester Hirsh - a poet, singer, songwriter performs in acoustic audiences, poetry venues and festivals; 1997-finalist at the Napa Valley Emerging Songwriter Contest,; a 2005 Grammy nominee for Best Spoken Word for selections from his CD of his poetry book, Mosaic ii, Poems of An Ancient Order. He was the editor and publisher of Bone & Flesh Literary magazine for 12 years, while residing in Concord, New Hampshire, where he was also a touring member of the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts. In 2003 he relocated to Schuylkill County and is still a touring member of the SCCA, though he recently relocated to Watsontown, Pa. He also has worked with the Stillwater festival, performed poetry and instrumental music at the Priestly House in Northumberland and has been a member of the River Poets, Bloomsburg, PA.

MC: Carol Ann Heckman

THEME: ALL THAT JAZZ – Sascha Feinstein is a poet, essayist, and editor whose books include two collections of poetry: Ajanta’s Ledge and Misterioso (winner of the Hayden Carruth Award). His poems have appeared in American Poetry Review, The Georgia Review, The Missouri Review, North American Review and various anthologies. Visit www.saschafeinstein.com to learn more about his work. He is founder/editor of Brilliant Corners: A Journal of Jazz & Literature, writes regularly for JAZZIZ magazine, and hosts Jazz Standards on WVIA, NPR station for central PA. A professor of English at Lycoming College, he also serves as core faculty for the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA Program. In 2008, Dr. Feinstein received the Pennsylvania Governor’s Award for Artist of the Year. An amateur saxophonist, he enjoys gigging at local venues.

MC:Dick Sweeney