Buffalo Area Poetry & Literature Calendar (week of June 9-June 15)

Tuesday, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Tuesdays at Cabernet, monthly open mic poetry and prose reading series hosted by Sinead Tyrone. Cabernet's Wine Café , 9 N. Ellicott St., Williamsville.

Wednesday, 6 p.m.: An evening with authors and professors Keith Burich and Theresa McCarthy. Keith Burich is the author of The Thomas Indian School and    The“Irredeemable” Children of New York and We Remain: Race, Racism and the Story of the American Indian. He was a history professor at Canisus College where he was the director of The American Indian Center. Theresa McCarthy is the author of In Divided Unity: Haudenosaunee Reclamation at Grand River. She is the director of Indigenous Studies at The University at Buffalo. The evening will focus on their work as professors, researchers, and nonfiction writers. Art's Café. 5 East Main Street, Springville, New York. Open to the public.

Wednesday, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.: Twelfth  anniversary kick-off event of Buffalo Reading Invasion—a flash mob-like gathering to celebrate the role of books, reading, public space, and community in our lives.  Bring a book, a chair, and several friends or family members for an hour of quiet reading in one of Buffalo’s best-loved public spaces.  This month's location: Bidwell Parkway, along Elmwood Avenue. Visit http://buffaloreadinginvasion.com/ for additional details.

Wednesday, 9 p.m.: Poetry Night at Caffe Aroma, biweekly open mic reading series hosted by Ben Brindise and Justin Karcher. Special guest performers  for this event include contributors to Journeys of Sacred Community: A Collection Anthology of Ground and Sky Poetry, a book compiled and edited by Joel Lesses and published by Ken Kelbaugh and Before Your Quiet Eyes Publications, Holograph Series, and Manjushri Press, a division of Education Training Center, Inc. Additional reading slots available.  957 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo. Free and open to the public.

Friday, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.: Juneteenth Poetry Slam hosted by Emmy Award-winning poet and spoken word artist Jillian Hanesworth, the poet laureate emeritus of the City of Buffalo. Calling all youth ages 14-21 to participate. Limited spots for youth vendors.

For more information or questions, email Mrs. Tammy at TAMMYC@aaccbuffalo.org or call 716-884-2013 to sign up to perform or vend. African American Cultural Center, 350 Masten Ave., Buffalo. $5 admission.

Saturday, 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.: Just Buffalo Literary Center's Silo City Reading Series presents poets Fred Moten (who will perform with critically-acclaimed double bassist Brandon Lopez), and Christina Vega-Westhoff, along with an installation of work by artist Bree Gilliam. About the artists:

FRED MOTEN has been writing and teaching for many years. His recent projects include a poetry collection, Perennial Fashion Presence Falling (Wave Books, 2023), a record album, Fred Moten/Brandon López/Gerald Cleaver (Reading Group Records, 2022), and an essay collection, All Incomplete (Minor Compositions, 2021), written with his long-time co-worker Stefano Harney. He lives in New York City with his partner, Laura Harris, and their kids, Lorenzo and Julian.

CHRISTINA VEGA-WESTHOFF is a poet, translator, aerialist, and teaching artist. She is the author of Suelo Tide Cement, which won the 2017 Nightboat Prize for Poetry. Her work has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including Best American Experimental Writing, Emergency Index, Jacket2, and Words Without Borders. She holds an MFA in poetry from the University of Arizona and a BA in English and Latin American Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She choreographs and performs interdisciplinary works independently and for festivals and theatre, dance, and circus companies.

BRANDON LOPEZ has been revolutionizing the double bass. Through a deep knowledge of traditional and extended technique, electro-acoustic phenomena, and the composition of improvisation, he has created an idiosyncratic language that can upturn any assumption about the role of the double bass and challenge any digital or symphonic pallete. It’s no wonder that in the world of improvisation and new music, he’s one of the most in-demand, copped, and copied practitioners.

His signature harmonic gliss was the opening sonic feature of TELFAR’s 2022 clothing line drop. He was the featured soloist with the New York Philharmonic for the 2019 season premiere of Ashley Fure’s “Filament” under the baton of Jaap Van Zweden. His solo work has been featured at the Met Museum in a live collaboration with silent films by the likes of Stan Brakhage and Germaine Dulac. His collaborative work with Fred Moten and Gerald Cleaver was critically acclaimed by publications of note and won Best of Jazz 2022 in The New York Times. His most recent solo recording, Vilevilevilevilevilevilevilevile, won best of 2023 in the NYC Jazz Record.

BREE (Briann) GILLIAM‘s work focuses primarily on social issues and experiences people face daily, especially those in the black community. She uses bold colors and expressive brushwork to provoke emotion from her audience. Gilliam primarily paints portraits of celebrities, friends, and family. Her goal is always to relate, inform, and spark conversation. She believes that conversations are the first step to creating solutions to the problems in this world.

Silo City (Marine A), 85 Silo City Row in Buffalo. Doors at 7:00 p.m. Reading begins at 7:30 p.m. Books of the featured poets are available for purchase from Fitz Books online and at the event. (P.S.-As of June 1, the event was sold out).