Friday, March 28, 2025
Local poets expressed curiosity, philosophy, nostalgia, righteousness, sadness, and many other states of mind to a small audience at Merrick Library’s winter open mic night for poetry on Jan. 27.
Nassau County Poet Laureate Emeritus Paula Curci, along with several other poets, read their works.. Some of the poets are published in the field, while others write and perform for themselves. A few participants read poems by other authors.
“It was a wonderful group of writers,” said Jessica Vanore, the librarian in charge of the open mic night. “Everyone was very unique. And they all had a lot of things to say.”
Vanore herself read two poems: “Untold Story,” by her grandmother Francine Nardelli, and “Library Poem,” by Julia Donaldson.
Curci read from her book “Occasions,” which is a collection of poems she wrote during her year as Nassau County Poet Laureate for various addresses she gave to the community. The poems that night included two sing-a-longs that brought the audience in for participation: “Cheers” and “Moon Watching.”
But even Curci, accustomed to speaking and reading her poetry for the public, still gets nervous about audience response. “Sometimes I get nervous after, not before, because you’re waiting for the audience to respond,” Curci said. “That’s the thing…it’s the jitters going up to the mic, and it’s the reaction coming off the mic. For me, it’s coming off the mic.”
Curci spoke to the general act of inspiration, because her poems were inspired by particular occasions when she spoke to the Nassau County community.
“Anything can inspire a poem,” Curci said.
Kris Janvier read several poems from his new collection, called Drift 1.5, including “What did the gold statues see?” “New Song, New Month, New Year,” “Crows,” and “Vanilla.” He told the Herald he feels good while reading his work.
“I feel refreshed,” Janvier said. “I feel energized, even though I might run out of energy. I’ve been doing open mics for seven years…Taking these trips to the city, to Suffolk County, to Nassau County, is always an experience, a very good experience. I love it.”
Janvier said his poetry is inspired by his time walking around, traveling on buses and trains, as well as media.
Katie Padgett, another poet, was nervous, but reassured by her faith in the Merrick community.
“I have done this before,” she explained. “But admittedly, I was a little bit nervous. But then I remembered what a supportive community we have here at the library. And I was happy to see some familiar faces, and some new faces as well, sharing in this beautiful art of poetry.”
Padgett read her two unpublished poems, “Dolls” and “The Princess.” She also read a poem by Amanda Gorman entitled “What We Did in the Time Being,” which is about experiences during Covid. The poems looked further back, inspired by all the things she loves, including childhood nostalgia.
Harriet Pollack, one of the evening’s writers, has poems inspired by her loss of her husband, her questions about death, and her disappointment in the world. She read “Love’s Legacy,” “Mystery of Mortality,” and “Sense or Censure.”
“I was a teacher, and my motivation and my goal is to make this a better world by encouraging critical thinking, which is lacking as a result of the world we have now,” Pollack said of her work. “I’d like to add critical thinking to the curriculum from kindergarten up.”
Padgett’s poems looked further back, inspired by all the things she loves, including childhood nostalgia.
The Merrick Library has hosted several open mic nights throughout the last few years, and the regular event seeks to bring the creative community of the hamlet and beyond together in a relaxed and supportive environment.
“It’s a really good place to help poets, song writers, spoken words make connections and build community,” Vanore said.
To Vanore, the library’s most recent open mic night was a success.
“It all spoke to everybody in that room, I think,” Vanore said. “Everyone gets their voices out there. And we get to spread some creativity.”
For more about future events at the Merrick Library, visit MerrickLibrary.org.
