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HCDP's Summer Trip to Haiti

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Azaka - Haitian Roots Music

Annual International Community Dinner and Cultural Festival

HCDP will Use Grant to Start Community Center

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HCDP Meets with Senator

Community Garden Clean Up

Archived Pages

Poetry, music and urban planning all converged in the first meeting of the county's newest poetry-music circle Nov. 1, 2003 at the Richard Sena Gallery. Sena dedicated the night to the author of Diamond Street, Bruce Hall, who had died the day before.

"He saw what this city could be," Sena said. "His book has a lot to do with the revitalization of the city. That colorful history brought a lot of people up here."

Hall went back to New York in 1997 thinking that Hudson would never change, Sena said. but the curator thought of the poetry circle as one of the many things that would prove his friend wrong about that.

The moderator was poet Craig Hancock, who brought his friends from the Kinderhok Writer's Group to read their works.

Ralph Sansarcq read a stoy based on an incident in his Haitian childhood. His family was attempting to cross a river, but there were no bridges. Instead, there were two men, who pushed the cars across while maintaining their footing with poles. The windows were shut tight to keep the water from coming in.

Carline Murphy of Hudson also grew up in Haiti and said the story "brought back memories" of a similar incident from her own childhood. "It's interesting you two were brought together tonight," said Sena.

There was more poetry as well, much of it from the Kinderhook group. Pam French read two poems, "Nightmare" and "Communion" about when she first moved to Spencertown. Irene Mitchell read a poem, "Much Obliged" which had been set to music.

There was also harmony at the musical level. Accompanying himsself on guitar, Hancock played his own paired-down composition called, "Love Me Gently." Tony Manes of Chatham also brought his guitar and played a song by Michelle Shocked based on the Appalacian Fiddle tune "Cripple Creek," accompanied by Hancock and Matt Bowe on mandolin.

And there was culinary harmony, as refreshments were available for the weary performers after just one go round.

Sena said the poetry music circle would continue to meet at 8pm on the second Saturday of the month at the Richard Sena Gallery, 238 Warren Street, Hudson.

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