In celebration of National Poetry Month, Albany Poets is proud to

present the 2011 Albany Word Fest featuring the poetry,

spoken word, and music of upstate New York.  This year’s event will

take place on Saturday, April 16, 2011 at The Linda

(339 Central Ave., Albany).

This year’s event is the 10th anniversary of the Albany Word Fest and with

that in mind, Albany Poets is promising big things.

Thom Francis, Albany Poets President, says, “When we started

this event ten years ago on a Saturday afternoon in Thatcher Park,

we never thought it would become one of the biggest ‘mark-your-

calendar’ events of each and every year. We are very proud of

how we have been able to continue hosting one of the biggest

poetry open mics in upstate New York for ten years.”

The 2011 Albany Word Fest will kick-off with the 12-Hour Open

Mic at 7:00AM at The Linda. Albany Poets Vice President

Mary Panza says, “After the success of the last two 12-hour open

mics, we have decided to do it again, but this time, during the day.

This will give poets a better opportunity to share their work and

also give the audience more time to appreciate the talent in the

poetry and spoken word community.”  This open mic for poetry and

spoken word will be held from 7:00AM – 7:00PM.

Poets who wish to participate in the open mic can sign up online

by going to the Albany Word Fest website, www.albanywordfest.com

until 5:00pm on Friday, April 15.  Performers will also have a limited

opportunity to sign up at the event itself.  Each poet will have 10 -15

minutes to share their work. The open mic is open to all poets and

spoken word artists with no style or content restrictions. 

After the Open Mic, starting at 7:00PM, the 2011 Albany Word Fest

brings the annual Psycho Cluster F*#k to the The

Linda featuring poetry, music and spoken word from upstate New

York artists David Fey, Olivia Quillio, Avery, Daniel Nester,

Poetyc Vyzyonz, Mother Judge’s Open Mic Showcase, Metroland’s

Best Poets of 2011: Mary Panza, R.M. Engelhardt, and KC Orcutt,

and much more.

Admission for this event is $10.00. Tickets will be available for purchase on

The Linda’s website and at the door on the day of the event. This event is

open to all ages ( 21+ with a picture ID required to drink). 

The 2011 Albany Word Fest is sponsored by Albany Poets, McGeary’s,

The Linda, and the very generous donations of supporters of the arts

in upstate New York.

The 2011 Albany Wordfest~National Poetry Month