a found poem via facebook pics
polar skeletons
wander the thin ice
soon a drowning doom.
droughts
and elephants die;
dry meat in the sands
for scavengers.
in venice,
the aqua alta higher
than the rubber boots
usually worn;
waist high now
w/ sewage,
pieces of lives,
history,
culture rotting
but wait
a rich tourist
gets a louis vitton bargain
manages to hold the shopping bag
above water,
they will count their possessions
as we all rot together.
Friday 11/22 Linda Whalen Quinlan & Vittoria repetto read at BGS-Queer Division
Friday November 22th at 7pm – LGBT Community Center, 208 West 13th Street (between 7th Avenue and Greenwich Avenue) Room 210
Suggested donation of $10 – no one will be turned away for lack of funds
Linda Whalen Quinlan will read from her poetry book, Chelsea Creek which won the Wicked Woman Poetry Competition.
Long-time LGBTQ activist and poet, Quinlan grew up the daughter of union parents, a factory worker, and a carpenter. As the lesbian mother of two sons, Quinlan explores issues of gender and motherhood while also observing the particularities of the past and present cultural landscape.
“Linda Whalen Quinlan renders the rough terrain of working-class New England with a lush beauty that pulls no punches, letting the brute hardness of a place and its people coexist with longing and love, finding the tenderness hiding inside tragedy,” PEN Award winner Michelle Tea said of Quinlan’s work. “I love these poems.”
Vittoria repetto will read from her first poetry book Not Just A Personal Ad and from her second book My Fingers Wonder which is not yet published.
Her poetry paints unforgettable moments within unforgettable scenes and casts an unapologetically direct and witty eye on life’s complexity
Poet and reviewer Rigoberto Gonzalez wrote in the Lambda Book Report about Vittoria repetto’s first full length poetry book Not Just A Personal Ad , “Poems of intense sensibility and gorgeous imagery are a rarity these days; but this book of verse by a distinctly working class, distinctly lesbian, and distinctly Italian American voice is a must for all readers of good poetry.”
Vittoria repetto hosted the Women’s/Trans’ Poetry Jam at Bluestockings Bookstore from 1999 until 2018 and was the vice president of the Italian American Writers Assoc from 1991 to 2016.
poem by Mary Oliver
to live in this world
you must be able
to do three things:
to love what is mortal;
to hold it
against your bones knowing
your own life depends on it;
and, when the time comes to let it go,
to let it go.
–Mary Oliver
the taxi driver
sunday 6 am
driving up Park Ave.
no business.
i’m on the inside divide side.
the chirp of a bird.
a couple cars in front
start moving to the middle lane.
then i see it
a small bird
its lower body
smashed into the concrete
chest and head calling out
the other cars not wanting it on their tires
i aim
i become death
tears in my eyes
©- 2019 – Vittoria repetto
valentine day poem
three days ago
he had to go,
there was no denying it
but no more
his white paws on the side of the kitchen sink
reaching
demanding
some leafy greens,
a taste of flesh,
or the “human” tuna in olive oil
his neck resting on my leg
as we relax on the sofa
his curled up body
between my flank and arm
going into rem sleep
in my bed,
or the sound of him
calling me
as I ascend my stairs,
no more.
and my eyes moist
with sadness and memories
©- 2019 – Vittoria repetto
Women’s/Trans Poetry Jam Cancelled
This is to inform everyone (and) please pass it on) that, after 18 years, I will no longer be hosting the Women’s/Trans Poetry Jam at Bluestockings
Seems the event manager does not think that 1) I do not include enough trans people and people of color 2) I shouldn’t ask people who look like men if they are trans or not and 3) that I too aggressive w/ my voice.
I’ve had numerous trans and persons of color read as features
FYI I ask if someone is trans it is to stop “cis men” from invading a safe space specially for women and trans. If the person says “yes, they are trans”; I accept it without further question.
And yea, I’m Italian American, I have a “loud” voice.
Anyway I’ll be looking for a new place…somewhere in downtown Manhattan, (not Tues or the weekend.)..
Thanks for listening and for the pleasure of your words
Sincerely
Vittoria repetto
Thurs 9/27 Maureen Brady & Patricia Carragon Read at Women’s & Trans’ Poetry Jam at Bluestockings
Thurs Sept 27th 7pm – 9pm
Feature Writers: Maureen Brady & Patricia Carragon
In Maureen Brady’s new novel Getaway: After stabbing her abusive husband and leaving him dying on the kitchen floor, Cookie Wagner flees to remote Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and, for a moment, she seems to have gotten away with murder. But, consigned to a secretive life with a new name and the need to be on constant alert, she faces all she has not gotten away with.
Patricia Carragon writes about how screwed up the world is getting and sometimes sticks a cat into the plot. She is currently using music as inspiration for poems and writes plenty of prose and haiku.
Bring your poetry, your prose, your songs, and your spoken word.
$10 suggested donation
This series, started in 1999, is hosted by Vittoria repetto – the hardest working guinea butch dyke poet on the lower east side.
Bluestockings Bookstore
172 Allen St.
(between Staton & Rivington)
1 1/2 blocks south from E.Houston
NYC
212-777-6028
info@bluestockings.com
Take V or F train to 2nd Ave. and exit from the 1st Ave exit and walk south downtown
Thurs 7/26 Miriam Stanley & Tsaurah Litzky Read at Women’s & Trans’ Poetry Jam at Bluestockings
Women’s & Trans’ Poetry Jam & Open Mike for Women & Trans’
Thurs July 26th 7pm – 9pm
Feature Writers: Miriam Stanley & Tsaurah Litzky
Miriam Stanley is a NYC based poet who writes about how her childhood and ethnic background affects intimate relationships and her relationship with the world. Writer is best known for her poems on family and global issues.
Bring your poetry, your prose, your songs, and your spoken word.
$10 suggested donation
This series, started in 1999, is hosted by Vittoria repetto – the hardest working guinea butch dyke poet on the lower east side.
Bluestockings Bookstore
172 Allen St.
(between Staton & Rivington)
1 1/2 blocks south from E.Houston
NYC
212-777-6028
info@bluestockings.com
Take V or F train to 2nd Ave. and exit from the 1st Ave exit and walk south down
Thurs 6/28 Leah Umansky & Joy Ladin Read at Women’s & Trans’ Poetry Jam at Bluestockings
Women’s & Trans’ Poetry Jam & Open Mike for Women & Trans’
Thurs June 28th 7pm – 9pm
Feature Writers: Leah Umansky & Joy Ladin
Leah Umansky’s themes are gender, power, love, pop culture, hope, and dystopia.
Joy Ladin writes about about trans experience, America, illness, and love, among other subjects.
Bring your poetry, your prose, your songs, and your spoken word.
$10 suggested donation
This series, started in 1999, is hosted by Vittoria repetto – the hardest working guinea butch dyke poet on the lower east side.
Bluestockings Bookstore
172 Allen St.
(between Staton & Rivington)
1 1/2 blocks south from E.Houston
NYC
212-777-6028
info@bluestockings.com
Take V or F train to 2nd Ave. and exit from the 1st Ave exit and walk south down
