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   The Poets' Co-op hosts an Open Reading the First Thursday of every month each Spring & Fall. The readings are held in the artistic splendor of the Loveland Museum from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. The Loveland Museum is located at 503 N. Lincoln Avenue (corner of Fifth & Lincoln in beautiful Downtown Loveland). (If our "ticker" did not automatically pop up to give you the latest information concerning the next open reading, click here). Click to read about all of our 2010 Spring Series poets. (You can also still read about the 2005 Fall Series poets, 2006 Spring Series poets, 2006 Fall Series Poets, 2007 Spring Series poets, 2007 Fall Series Poets, 2008 Spring Series Poets, 2008 Fall Series Poets, 2009 Spring Series Poets or 2009 Fall Series Poets as well.)

   Readers & listeners embrace all styles of original poetry and range in experience from first time readers to published and polished professionals.  Participants have ranged in age from 8 to 80.  A common love for the muse creates a nurturing community for readers and listeners.

   These readings include a new poetic challenge each month, and showcase a different featured reader. (You can check our virtual coffee house for the latest Poetic Challenge Phrase and even post your own Challenge Poem there.) Readings are hosted by M. D. Friedman. Complimentary snacks will be graciously provided by HENRY'S PUB (234 E. 4th St.).

“The open mike reveals so much about people’s inner feelings,” said Tom Katsimpalis, curator of interpretation at the Loveland Museum/Gallery. “That’s what poetry is about. Things can be expressed in poetry in ways that they can’t be expressed in other mediums.” -- Shelley Widhalm, Loveland ReporterHerald, 9/30/2009

   Readings often offer poets an opportunity to record their performance for posting on our web site. (All recorded sound files are in MP3 format). Some of these are big files so if you are on a phone line, it is best to save them to your hard drive first, and then open them in your MP3 player software . (Don't forget to also visit the special studio recorded selections at www.mp3poetry.com featuring many internet poets from around the world. These include several experimental spoken word MP3's as well as several more with musical backing recorded at Mad Dog Music Studio. )

   We also host live TV poetry readings on the first Sunday of each month from 7:00 - 7:30 pm in partnership with Boulder County Comcast Cable Channel 54.  The Poet's Co-op TV Show features both Colorado and National Poets with an emphasis on performance poetry. You can download or watch I-Pod ready video excerpts from these shows or the full half hour program for free at www.videopoetry.org.

  Please contact our host and event coordinator, M. D. Friedman, if you are interested in becoming a featured poet at one of our readings.  

   Be sure to check out our Special Tribute in honor of Gene Hoffman & our Top Ten Downloads at the bottom of this page.

(Archived recordings of our past open readings are posted alphabetically both by the poem's title & by the poet's first name)

NEW excerpts from our last reading series. (Click to subscribe to this podcast and/or put into I-Tunes.):

Recordings from our September 3, 2009, reading featuring John Amen.

1. Belief in Dead Heading by Lynn Kincanon
2. Longings by Lynn Kincanon
3. Light Returns by M. D. Friedman with Mariamne Engle Friedman reading the second voice
4. The Visitors by M. D. Friedman with Mariamne Engle Friedman reading the second voice
5. The Stars Really Are... by Jeff Hoffman
6. The Lover... by Katherine West with Jeff Finer reading the second voice & on guitar
7. Your Eyes by Shirley Kobar
8. On Other Side of Mountain by Shirley Kobar
9. Blowing Bubbles by Shirley Kobar
10. In Honor of the Big Fire in California by Gordon Holladay
11. In Memory by Gordon Holladay
12. Euphemisms by Diana L. Royce
13. Who Stole My Cave by Diana L. Royce
14. Rain by Diana L. Royce
15. Bastard by Ray Foreman
16. Growing Old in an Old Hotel with Old Poems (2009) by Ray Foreman
17. Junction Cafe by Ray Foreman
18. The Renter by Jared Smith
19. This Poem (2009) by Jared Smith
20. Guest Reading of a Set of His Own Poems by featured reader, John Amen
21. Politics by Gordon Holladay
22. Pickled Herring Connection by M. D. Friedman
23. Pickled Herring Network by Diana L. Royce

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Recordings from our October 1, 2009, reading featuring George Drew.

1. A Pair of Morning Poems by Maggie Rowlett
2. Late One Summer by Lynn Kincanon
3. Bury Me in Soul Shuttering Leaves by Shirley Kobar
4. Pop's Twilight by Tyler Thompson
5. Television by Leo Goya
6. A Terse Verse by Leo Goya
7. Double Whammy by Leo Goya
8. Some People Worry by Leo Goya
9. Just Let Me Be Me by Leo Goya
10. Poem by Otto Koch
11. A Fragment of a Poem by Otto Koch
12. I Really Don't to Write a Poem by Otto Koch
13. Fuzzy Mind by Otto Koch
14. Warrior Woman by Diana L. Royce
15. A Diddy by Diana L. Royce
16. Night Song by Diana L. Royce
17. Two Ancient Chinese Poets from Modern Colorado by Deborah Russell
18. Fragments by Deborah Russell
19. Night... by Katherine West with Jeff Finer reading the second voice
20. I Know Who You Are by Katherine West with Jeff Finer reading the second voice
21. Gold by Katherine West with Jeff Finer reading the first voice
22. A Grasshopper... by Jared Smith
23. Guest Reading of a Set of His Own Poems by featured reader, George Drew
24. My Alpha Mushroom Debut by Diana L. Royce
25. Blushing in Moonlight by Deborah Russell
26. Ode to A Macho Fungi by Leo Goya
27. Alpha Mushroom Debut by Jared Smith

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Recordings from our November 11, 2009, reading

1. Rwanda April 1994 by Tyler Thompson
2. To Wayne Thiebaud, A Message to Never Be Sent by Caroline Orman
3. Who Is in Charge Here by Caroline Orman
4. Somewhere Geese Are Flying by Veronica Patterson
5. Route by Veronica Patterson
6. Children by Deborah Russell
7. Pseudonyms by Deborah Russell
8. The Seeing Time by Maggie Rowlett
9. The Fires Burn by Maggie Rowlett
10. Leaves, Me by Shelley Widhalm
11. Slipping by Shelley Widhalm
12. After the Monsoon by Lynn Kincanon
13. I Would Hear the Sound by Lynn Kincanon
14. Tampering with Daylight by Leo Goya
15. I Am a Poet How About You by Leo Goya
16. Just for Lupe, the Mexican Spitfire by Leo Goya
17. The First Helicopter Ride by Diana L. Royce
18. The Photograph by Diana L. Royce
19. Worry by Diana L. Royce
20. Deep Under the Snow... by Katherine West with Jeff Finer on guitar
21. Blue Returns... by Katherine West with Jeff Finer on guitar
22. To the Heart by M. D. Friedman with Katherine West reading the second voice, Jeff Finer reading the third & Mariamne Engle Friedman reading the fourth voice
23. Melancholia by Caroline Orman
24. Alpha Mushroom Debut by Caroline Orman
25. 2330 by Maggie Rowlett
26. Just Another Sunset by Shelley Widhalm
27. Enchanted Terrain by Leo Goya
28. You by Diana L. Royce
29. The Core by Diana L. Royce
30. Monster Truck by Diana L. Royce
31. Poet from San Antonio by Deborah Russell
32. Birds by Katherine West with Jeff Finer on guitar
33. Borrowed for a Week by Lynn Kincanon
34. Borrowed for a Week by Caroline Orman
35. Borrowed for a Week by Diana L. Royce
36. It Doesn't Have a Title by Shelley Widhalm

   The following are the current top ten downloaded poetry mp3's from the Poets' Co-op's vast collection of over 800 free mp3's at www.mp3poetry.com. (The total number of downloads for each poem from May 1 through December 1, 2009, is listed after each poem. The grand total number of downloads for this six month period was 324,246.):

1. Grass Roots by Jared Smith (with 2,196  downloads)
2. Human Genome Project by Jared Smith (with 2,196  downloads)
3. Focus by Fred Wagela (with 1,246 downloads)
4. Against My Will by M. D. Friedman (1,106  downloads)
5. The Inferno by Kim Williard Whipple (1,104  downloads)
6. Guest Reading of a Set of His Own Poems by SETH (1,028   downloads)
7. Seven Minutes Before the Bomb Drops by Jared Smith (with 997   downloads)
8. Slow Blues in A What by M. D. Friedman (978 downloads)
9. Cyber Love by Dwight Loeschner (924 downloads)
10. Letter to the Candidates by M. D. Friedman (896 downloads)

 

1. Found at Exhibit of Found Art by M. D. Friedman (See photos of Gene Hoffman's St. George in Aluminum, Rusted Metal & Car Reflectors, Gene Hoffman's
   Winged Tiki & Gene Hoffman's Kachina ).
2. Two Poems for Gene Hoffman by Gordon Holladay
3. Icarus Triptych in Rusted Metal & Aluminum by M. D. Friedman (See a photo of Gene Hoffman's Icarus Triptych in Rusted Metal & Aluminum).
4. Two Poems inspired by the art of Gene Hoffman by Mariamne Engle recorded live on Dona Stein's Poetry Show . (See photos of Gene Hoffman's On Thoreau & Gene Hoffman's The Trophy ).

 

    Our first CD featuring live readings from the Java Lounge is available at our Online Store. (This CD is a compellation of live readings recorded at the old Java Lounge Open Readings and experimental studio recordings recorded at the Mad Dog Music Studio. This is our first CD release and represents a wide range of poetic styles typical of a night at one of our Open Readings. Proceeds from the purchase of the CD will be used to produce new CD's.)