Living the Poetic OMN

It has been more than a month since I’ve come to enjoy an evening at The Living Room installment of their weekly Open Mic Nite Series. But, it wasn’t long after I walked through the doors on Sunday August 18th until the familiar feeling of being in a place where one can be instantly touched by the welcoming atmosphere and comradeship which flourishes throughout the venue to enter my being. It was good to be back.

A songstress named Natalie was wooing the audience with her delectable singing voice while playing her guitar as I entered to room. Her performance concluded shortly afterwards and a break was declared by the evening’s co hosts Jesse Morales and Jessie Roth (aka JR). This act of providence allowed me to become reacquainted with friends I haven’t seen for a while. There was a sizable crowd and I managed to meet up with a great number of the gathering before Jesse Morales took the stage to perform his ever popular selections of energetic songs whose music and lyrics never fails to bring about a smile.

As Jesse concluded his set, the first of the many poets who came to bless the mic took her place to share her words. #Amy Knopf has presented her poetry many times in the past and it’s always a welcomed experience to partake of the fullness of her insights. She was followed by Poet Benjamin Ordonez who shared some poetry as well. Guitarist Nick Fuentes followed Benjamin with a number of new compositions he wanted to share with the audience much to their delight.

Nick was followed by Amy Burawski who, in addition to reading her soul provoking poetry, read from a novel she began writing sometime ago but delayed its progression in order to appease her poetic muse. A portion of the prose reading dealt with the Christian Religion’s Sacrament of Holy Communion as interpreted through a child’s eyes as “Eating Jesus” and reasoning why the communion wafers commonly used during the ritual are so thin is because they’re not really the flesh of Christ but only his skin.

Amy was followed a poet known as Harold who work proved to be insightful and amusing. Harold shared that he was a part of a poetry group near the Scranton area and he was followed by a co patriot of the group named Alvin whose poetry further delighted the audience as the tale of his attempt to impress a girl during his youth led to his first endeavor to smoke a cigarette which subsequently led to an instantaneous bout of extreme sickness throwing away the object of his pulmonary pollutant. This left the object of his young romantic desires unimpressed but it was, as declared in the poem, the moment he was “No Longer Cool, But I was Free.”

As the poets from the Scranton area left the stage inspiring everyone who heard them to hope they would return to the venue in the future to share more of their words, AP took the stage to entertain the gathering with his vocal manipulations from which he creates a variety of sounds. AP often serves as Co Host with Jesse Roth during the Open Mic Nites but a commitment delayed his arrival to the evening’s event. Regardless of his arrival time, his performance proved to be one worth waiting for.

AP was followed by Brad B. whose a cappella rendition of a number of songs enhanced their haunting qualities and captivated the audience to great extent. Brad was followed by a poet known as “Kittie” (aka Rachelle) who shared some poetry so close to her heart that it melded into the heart of everyone who where touched by its tears. The evening came to a conclusion with a performance given by guitarist Justin O'Neil Rosario whose powerful rendition of his songs proved to be a fitting way to close out another meaningful evening at The Living Room’s Open Mic Nite as it inspired those who were present to eagerly await the next installment of the series. You’ll be able to find more photographs taken during the Sunday August 18th Open Mic Nite in The Living Room 2013 Gallery Part 4 at www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151751090710421.1073741841.636000420&type=1.

The next installment of the Living Room Open Mic Nite Series will take place on Sunday August 25th beginning at 7pm. Musicians, poets, writers, and anyone who would like to share something with an audience are welcomed to do so. The featured performer for the evening will be Sam C. and the Weird. You can learn more about The Living Room Open Mic Nite Series by Exploring their Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/OpenMicAtTheLivingRoom.

In addition to the Open Mic Nites presented at The Living Room, the venue also holds a Gallery which presents the work of visual artists from around the area. Their current exhibition is their August Exhibition the work of David J. Toth, Sonia Leticia, Keith Shepherd, and Jeff Bensley which will continue to be on display until August 30th. The next exhibit will be a group show in which local artists are invited to participate. The theme for the exhibit is “Word and Text” and will hold it’s Artists’ Reception on Saturday September 7th beginning at 6pm. The work will continue to be on display until September 30th. Submissions of work will be accepted on Friday September 6th from 6 until 9pm. The Living Room is located on Main Street in Stroudsburg, PA next to The Sherman Theater who owns the building. Please Explore The Living Room Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/pages/The-Living-Room/123978921059378 for more information on The Living Room, all they have to offer, and how to be a part of it all.