A reading at Oceanside Library on Long Island

Hi everyone,

Monday night I enjoyed myself giving a reading via Zoom at Oceanside Public Library in Oceanside, Long Island, New York. My host was TONY LOVINO, Assistant Director of the library, which is undergoing a $40 million revitalization. Here’s a link to their website: https://oceansidelibrary.com/

The free program, called Near and Afar, is held on first and third Mondays at 7:00 EST, and always features a poet from the New York area and a guest from some other part of the country. This event has been going on for eighteen years. I shared the evening with poet MARGARETTE WAHL. When Margarette and I finished, a series of poets in attendance read one poem each during an open mic session. These readers were from all over the country. I was impressed! I don’t know how many other programs like this may exist around the country, but I can certainly testify that the one in Oceanside is marvelous. If you want to see for yourself, by all means check into Near and Afar any first or third Monday night. You might even want to read a poem of your own during the open mic segment. Why not?

I went first so if you are interested in sitting in on my session, here’s the link. https://youtu.be/Zmb_gy1kfIo. Among the poems I chose to read were some for adult audiences (including Missouri, The Price of Eggs, Absence of a Fly, and The Gift ((The Gift was a favorite))) as well as a number of poems for young audiences (including The Feisty Pig of France, Have It Your Own Way, Death of a Wasp, and It’s a Lollity-Popity Day!).