Storytelling on Orchard Street

John Pietaro and Laurie Towers have been performing over decades in duet or as the Red Microphone (with saxophonists Ras Moshe Burnett and Rocco John Iacovone, plus others) or protest song combo the Flames of Discontent. Pietaro’s latest book, Innocent Postcards: Poetry, Ciphers, Verse, will be launched April 1. He’s also an active percussionist and arts journalist: JohnPietaro.com. Towers, in addition to being a uniquely gifted musician, is a nationally recognized publicist sitting at the helm of public relations firm New Masses Media, balancing work on both east and west coasts: LaurieTowers.net. The pair host Beneath the Underground on WFMU.

Sparrow lives in a trailer in the snowbound hamlet of Phoenicia, New York with his wife Violet Snow. He has published 11 books, including Small Happiness & Other Epiphanies (Monkfish) and The Princeton Diary (Vinal). His poems and essays have appeared in the New Yorker, The New York Times, the Sun, and Reptiles of the Mind. Each month Sparrow writes an art review for Chronogram. He is currently running for President for the ninth time. Sparrow plays slide flute in the tempestuous pop group Truffles.

Felix Guzman is a New York City native, homegrown poet, community organizer and advocate. He is the author of three chapbooks, Savage Garden Concrete Jungle: A Chapbook to Remember Me By, Shakur&Bronte&Hughes&Angelou&Shakespeare: Under the Influence and Scars: A Love Letter to Yesterday. Felix writes on the themes of redemption, transformation and the importance of building healthy communities inclusive of all. With an upcoming full length poetry collection, You Hold Space, You Have Value, You Are Loved! to be released in 2024, Felix is sure to captivate audiences everywhere.

Nicca Ray is the author of the poetry collections, Curve (Gutter Snob Books), and Back Seat Baby (Poison Fang Books,) and the memoir, Ray by Ray: A Daughter’s Take on the Legend of Nicholas Ray (Three Rooms Press). She has two books coming in 2024, a poetry collection, Go-Go-Go Girl from Poison Fang Books and a memoir, Love and Cigarettes: A Mother Daughter Story from Punk Hostage Press. Her poetry has recently appeared in Glue Gun #4, Maintenant #15, #16, and #17 (Three Rooms Press), A Shape Produced by a Curve and Paper Teller Diorama (Great Weather for Media), Love Love Magazine Issues #4, #5, and #6, the anthology NYC from the Inside, Artedolia, Moon and Sun Issue #10 & #11 and poetrybay, January 2022. She is a 2020 Acker Award recipient for memoir and a Pushcart Prize nominee.

In this episode, Pete talks to Jacob R. Moses. Jacob is a poet and spoken word artist from Staten Island, NY. He is the author of the full-length poetry book, Grimoire (iiPublishing, 2021). He recently completed his Master’s in English and Creative Writing with a concentration in poetry at New Hampshire University. Other projects in the works include a new full-length book and is the subject of a documentary about poetry that he has worked on with fellow poet Doug Cala and musician Lou Alzamora.

Originally from the gorgeous woods of southern New Hampshire, USA, Meghan Grupposo holds a BFA in Dance from The Juilliard School. She is a co-founder of NeuroNautic Institute Presents and Press. Meghan’s work can be found in her chapbook, Bouquet (NeuroNautic Press, 2021), & in various anthologies, including NYC From the Inside (Blue Light Press), Escape Wheel and Arriving at a Shoreline (great weather for MEDIA), the Dada Journal Maintenant, Issues 14, 15, 16, & 17 (Three Rooms Press). She happily resides in New York City.

C.O. Moed grew up on New York’s Lower East Side when it was still a tough neighborhood.  An alum of the infamous WOW Cafe, her work has appeared in the Silver Tongued Devil Anthology; AWAKE: Reader for the Sleepless; MadHatters; Thorn Literary Magazine; Unexpected Stories; Sensitive Skin; and Inspirational Art Magazine.  My Private Coney, her 10-year blog (2006-2016) about New York City has been featured in Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York, and excerpted in various online magazines and websites.  Her book, It Was Her New York, true stories and big pictures about dementia, gentrification, undying love, old lesbians and family is being published by Rootstock on February 13, 2024.

Meagan Brothers is the author of Debbie Harry Sings in French, a 2009 ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and its prequel, Supergirl Mixtapes.  Her third novel, Weird Girl and What's His Name, was named one of Kirkus Review's Best Teen Books of 2015.  Her poetry has appeared most recently in NYC From the Inside, edited by George Wallace, as well as in Persian Sugar in English Tea, the Dada journal Maintenant, and Great Weather for Media's anthologies Before Passing and The Other Side of Violet. 

Serge Rodriguez is the General Manager of the P & T Knitwear bookstore podcast studio. Serge was born and raised in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He has a rich family heritage including a family-owned bookstore on Book Row. He's a storyteller, poet, disc jockey and film maker.

Puma Perl is a poet, writer, and performer and is the author of two chapbooks, Ruby True and Belinda and Her Friends, and three full-length poetry collections, knuckle tattoos, Retrograde (great weather for MEDIA), and Birthdays Before and After (Beyond Baroque Books.) Her band, Puma Perl and Friends, brings spoken word together with rock and roll and has performed together since 2012.

Pete Solomita and Fred Argenziano, The Bitter Pill Collective. This collaboration of long time friends blends the poetry of Pete with the guitar playing of Fred live in the P & T Knitwear podcast studio.

Bruce E. Whitacre’s poetry collection, Good Housekeeping, will be out in 2024 from Poets Wear Prada. His debut collection, The Elk in the Glade, was a BookLife Reviews Editors Pick and Indy Spotlight, and placed 2nd in Contemporary Poetry at The BookFest Spring 2023. His poems have been nominated for the Pushcart and Best of the Net Prizes. He's been published in many poetry journals and publications.

Host Pete Solomita talks to Charles William Lane. A native of Florida, Charles is a New York based television producer, writer, and director. Working mostly in the true crime genre, he has produced programming for ABC, CBS, NBC, Investigation Discovery, CNN and the Oxygen Channel. He also has an extensive background in theater and music, on which he draws from in his writing. Charles recently wrote and directed his debut short film We Are The Apocalypse.

Wil Wynn is the pseudonym for Guillermo Echanique Wynn, a bilingual (Spanish) poet, translator, spoken word enthusiast and performer, publisher (Chimbarazu Press), non-fiction and fiction writer,  photographer, printer, and musician. He has received four grants for poetry and has been active in the New York City Literature and Arts scene for many years. He has published widely and some of the most prestigious American journals have rejected his work. 

Matthew Hupert is a writer and multi-media artist from New York City. He is a founder of the the NeuroNautic Institute &  of NeuroNautic Press. He has 2 full length collections, Ism is a Retrovirus (2011-Three Rooms Press) and Secular Pantheism (2019 - NeuroNautic Press). He is also the author of several chapbooks, & his writing has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies.

In this episode, host Pete Solomita talks to Francine Witte. Francine Witte’s flash fiction and poetry have appeared in numerous journals. Most recently, her stories have been in Best Small Fictions and Flash Fiction America. Her latest flash fiction book is Just Outside the Tunnel of Love (Blue Light Press.) Her upcoming collection of poetry, Some Distant Pin of Light is forthcoming from Cervena Barva Press. She lives in NYC. Visit her website francinewitte.com.

Host Pete Solomita talks to Evie Ivy, a dancer/poet in the NYC poetry circuit. Evie hosts one of the longest running poetry open mics in the city at The Green Pavilion in Brooklyn. She also produces a seasonal/holiday program of poetry, music and song, "Dance of the Word." She writes in free verse and form. 

Jennifer Blowdryer is a poet, writer and musician. Formerly known as Megan Baring-Gould Waters, she got her name from her San Francisco punk band The Blowdryers. As an author she has written a novel, a memoir, a dictionary, and an advice book. As a journalist she wrote a column for Maximum Rock and Roll, New York Press and Downtown. She’s still very active in the artist and cultural scene of NYC.

In this episode, host Pete Solomita talks to Farid Bitar. Farid, who has roots in Palestine, is a published author of two poetry books, an artist and a musician.

Cheryl J. Fish is a poet, fiction writer and environmental humanities scholar. Her debut novel Off the Yoga Mat, the story of three characters coming-of-middle age, was published by Livingston Press/UWA in Oct. 2022. She is also the author of The Sauna is Full of Maids and Crater & Tower.

In this episode, host Pete Solomita talks to Felicia. Felicia is an essayist, cultural critic, and historic preservationist of the Lower East Side neighborhood. She loves rivers, as well as roads, and is the Podcast Studio Associate at P&T Knitwear Bookstore, Cafe, and Podcast Studio. Her great-great grandparents lived at 21 Essex Street.

Host Pete Solomita talks to Paul Schack, a Nebraska to New York City transplant with a passion for art, wellness, the great outdoors and human potential. Paul is a theater director, a cross country cyclist, a yogi and a very nice guy.

Host Pete Solomita interviews Aria Anjali and Anand Agneshwar. Aria Anjali is a 14 year old singer/songwriter, piano player, guitarist and performer in the New York area. She has performed at various venues in the Hudson Valley and New York City, including The Towne Crier in Beacon, the Hoot Festival in Cold Spring, and City Winery in Manhattan.  You can find her on instagram at @ariaanjali and on most streaming platforms.

Aria Anjali's dad, Anand, is an attorney by day but loves backing up his daughter on the guitar and supporting her music career.

Host Pete Solomita interviews George Wallace, writer in residence at the Walt Whitman Birthplace, author of 40 chapbooks of poetry, and editor of NYC: An Anthology of New York City Poems (2022). From his base of operations in New York City he travel internationally to share his work, and has received top honors in major international festivals in China, Greece, Bulgaria, Macedonia and the US. He is also curator of POETS BUILDING BRIDGES, a zoom triangulation of poetry groups worldwide. George is also an advocate of poetry in performance, has collaborated with numerous well known musicians and artists, and most recently in 2022-23 brought out two albums of spoken word/music inspired by his poetry.

Ron Kolm is a contributing editor of Sensitive Skin. Ron is the author of Divine Comedy, Suburban Ambush, Night Shift, A Change in the Weather, Welcome to the Barbecue and Swimming in the Shallow End. He's had work in many well regarded publications including: Gathering of the Tribes, Great Weather for Media, NYC From the Inside, The Opiate,  Public Illumination Magazine, the Riverside Poets Anthology, The Silver Tongued Devil anthology, Sparring With Beatnik Ghosts Omnibus and the Brownstone Poets anthologies. Ron’s papers were purchased by the New York University Library. Ron has a book coming out soon on Pink Trees Press.

In this episode, host Pete Solomita interviews Jennifer Juneau. Jennifer is poet & novelist with numerous short stories published in magazines like Columbia Journal and Evergreen Review. Prize nominee. She also studied literary  theory and criticism at the University of Zurich. Jennifer has lived and traveled abroad for 18 years. She is the host of the popular weekly Phoenix Poetry open mic and reading series. 

Host Pete Solomita interviews Adam Selbst, a designer, writer and storyteller from Brooklyn, NY. He has been mugged over 15 times, attacked by a tiger his mother was taking care of and once meandered into a foreign war because he wasn’t paying attention. He is not smart. He’s been featured on McSweeney’s, The Moth, Risk!, Story Collider, the Artichoke, WBAI and many other places. He is the host of Big Irv's Storytelling Roadshow.

Host Pete Solomita interviews Madeline Artenberg. Madeline was a photo journalist and street theater performer before discovering her love for poetry.  Her work appears in publications such as, Rattle, The Poet and MacQueens Quinterly. She was a semi-finalist in Margie, The American Journal of Poetry contest and finalist in Mudfish 2020 contest. One of her poems was nominated as Best of the Net 2020 by Poets Wear Prada. Madeline has a book of her poems coming out in 2023 on Pink Trees Press.

Host Pete Solomita interviews long time friend, musician and songwriter Fred Argenziano. They talk about their history, music influences in playing and songwriting and their Fred's contribution to Pete's spoken word project The Bitter Pill Collective. 

Pete Solomita interviews Mimsey Mack, a musician, writer and poet. Mimsey talks about her childhood, becoming a born again christian and then getting away from an abusive husband and the steps it took to heal herself and familly. In 2006 Mimsey moves to NYC making a living as a physical therapist, becomes a musician and part of the music scene of the city. She reads very powerful poems about being in an abusive relationship and what it took to leave. 

Pete interviews Begoyna Plaza-Rosenbluth, film and stage actress, writer and director. Begonya reads her new essay The Passion Flower, dedicated to Delores Ibarruri, "La Pasionaria" for her 127 birthday  on 12.9.22. Delores was a heroine of the Spanish Civil War that overcame huge obstacles in life and made a big impact on Begonya's life and roots in Spanish culture.

Pete Solomita interviews singer/songwriter, author and designer Phil Gammage. They talk about Phil moving from Texas to NYC, his love of film noir and pulp fiction, early musical influences, 90's nyc music scene, Phil's current blues and country recordings and bands plus other artistic endeavors such as writing short stories and fiction.

#poetry #music #interview #drama #videos #culture #nyclife #books #author #actress #chef

#poetry #conversation #art #music #gardening #nyc #life #culture 

Pete Solomita and Wayne talk about poetry, music, art and NYC cultural life