In celebration of National Poetry Month, Albany Poets is proud to present the 2014 Albany Word Fest featuring the poetry and spoken word of
upstate New York--right here on Central Avenue. This year’s event will take place on Sunday, April 13 to Saturday, April 19, 2014.
“What a great way to celebrate National Poetry Month right here in
Albany. With a full week of poetry and spoken word, there is something for everyone.” Thom Francis, Albany
Poets President, said, "Whether you would like to take in a featured performance, celebrate the launch
of the second edition of Up The River, attend a regional poetry slam, or be part of one of the largest
annual open mics in the area, the Albany Word Fest is the place for you."
This year, much of the Albany Word Fest will take place on Central Avenue, at venues like The Linda, The Low Beat, the Social Justice Center, and Pauly's Hotel.
Avery Stempel, Albany Poets board member, adds, “There are so many
talented writers and
performers in the Albany area. The weeklong activities of Word Fest open up different venues to allow people of the various writing circles to unite and perform together. I
have been a part of the last three Word Fest celebrations and I am excited to be in on the planning phases
of this years’. We have some great new venues to showcase and some amazing talent to listen to. It
is going to be great!”
The week will kickoff with the launch of the second edition of Albany Poets’ literary
journal, Up The River. The editors have been inundated with hundreds of submissions and
will debut their selections for the second issue on Sunday, April 13 at McGeary’s. The evening will
also feature performances by some of the poets published.
On Tuesday, April 15 the festival continues with the Nitty Gritty Slam
at The Low Beat. For the Word Fest edition of NGS, they will present the return of the Haiku Battle. It
was such a great time last year, that we couldn’t wait to bring it back to the Nitty Gritty stage in 2014.
For Wednesday night, April 16, the Word Fest goes next door to Pauly’s
Hotel for a showcase of local and regional poets, musicians, and spoken word artists.
Thursday, the poetry heads down Central Ave to the Social JusticeCenter with the Third Thursday Poetry Night hosted by Dan Wilcox. This monthly poetry series welcomes
poets to step up to the mic and share their work along with featured performers from the College of
Saint Rose. Finally on Saturday, April 19, the Word Fest comes to an end with the
Word Fest Invitational Slam at The Linda, WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio, starting at 7:00pm. Albany
Poets, Frequency North, and Urban Guerilla Theatre are proud to welcome six teams from all over the
Northeast to compete in this invitational slam. Admission for this event at The Linda is $10.00.
Word Fest will take place April 13-19 at various venues on and off Central Avenue. For more information, visit www.albanypoets.com
