Poets Puma Perl & Allegra Mira Set to Sparkle Friday 6/1 at Son of a Pony!

Three Rooms Press & Cornelia Street Café present 

Son of a Pony Poetry Reading Series

Featured poet: PUMA PERL, Spotlight Poet: ALLEGRA MIRA

PLUS NYC's Consummate Open POETRY Mike; Hosted by Kat Georges

Friday, June 1, 6 pm

Three Rooms Press presents Son of a Pony, on Friday, June 1, with featured poet PUMA PERL, and spotlight ALLEGRA MIRA, preceded by NYC's vivacious open poetry reading, hosted by Kat Georges. 

PUMA PERLl is a performance artist and a widely published poet and writer. She is the author of the award-winning chapbook "Belinda and Her Friends" and the full-length collection "knuckle tattoos," and as well as a new chapbook, "Ruby True." She is the co-creator, co-producer, and main curator of DDAY Productions, which currently puts on shows at 3 venues, including a monthly all-female production at the Bowery Poetry Club..

ALLEGRA MIRA is a writer and poet. In 2003, she worked with Stanley Kunitz and Genine Lentine on Kunitz’s final book, “The Wild Braid.”  Her poems and writings have been published in The Berkshire Review, Naugatuck River Review, Drive-By Poets series, Many Hands Magazine, Local Buzz Magazine, Home Magazine, and Worcester Magazine. A proud member of the Italian-American writing community in New York, Allegra has read for the Italian-American Writers Association and the Bluestockings, Sonic Poetry, the recent Yippie Cafe Manic Monday series. Her poems are subtly rhythmic, erotic, and preoccupied with the conversions of intimate love.

The featured reading follows the essential Son of a Pony open reading at the cafe, hosted and curated by the buoyant Kat Georges. Doors open at 5:45 p.m.;  open reading begins at 6 p.m. Admission is $7, which includes a free drink.  

Cornelia Street Cafe is at 29 Cornelia Street, between W. 4th & Bleecker, NYC. Phone: 212-989-9319

Have a NYC Book Launch Tonight at Cornelia Street Cafe in NYC!

THREE ROOMS PRESS PRESENTS "HAVE A NYC" LAUNCH A book release celebration for "Have A NYC: New York Short Stories" Featuring Kat Georges, Larissa Shmailo, David R. Lincoln, Kofi Fosu Forson, Pedro Ponce, Ronald H. Bass, Jane Ormerod, Peter D. Marra, Puma Perl, Lisa Ferber, Janet Hamill & Peter Carlaftes Day or night. Rain, heat or snow. The city streets are full of people seeking the path to a better life. Everybody learns the hard way. Some not soon enough. And even dreams must pay their dues. That’s just the nature of The City. That’s New York. Welcome to "Have a NYC" (Three Rooms Press, 2012), the first of a new New York short stories series, edited by Peter Carlaftes and Kat Georges. In honor of "Have A NYC," Three Rooms Press is throwing a launch party featuring 12 readers from the book. All stories are based in New York, and all have a mood and edge that reveals the still writhing underbelly and energy that refuses to bow down even as technology slowly grips the throngs of people walking the streets here. Admission is $7, which includes a free drink. "HAVE A NYC" LAUNCH Tuesday, May 29, 6 p.m. Cornelia Street Cafe 29 Cornelia Street, NYC 212-989-9319

ATRIUM by Hala Alyan: Limited Edition Preorder Special-Exclusive!

ATRIUM by HALA ALYAN: LIMITED EDITION PREORDER SPECIAL!! We are thrilled by the upcoming release of ATRIM, the first full-length book by the incredible poet Hala Alyan!! (ISBN 9780983581383, 6" x 8", 2012, Three Rooms Press, $15). Order before June 15 and you will receive a special Preorder Package, including: 1) signed copy of ATRIUM and 2) Special mini poster of a poem not included in the book (signed and suitable for framing). Preorder Packages will ship in mid-June.

ATRIUM, by Hala Alyan, is a phenomenal collection of poems by a truly inspired and original emerging poetic voice. Alyan, a Palestinian-American, writes relentlessly, with a deep passion and intense intimacy, tracing lines of global issues into personal spaces. Established, award-winning poets are unanimous in their praise.

Naomi Shihab Nye raves, "Don't miss the dazzling Hala Alyan. Wow. When she says "the poetry like a spear," she isn't kidding."

Chitra Divakaruni notes, "Hala Alyan's poems startle us with their beautiful, enigmatic images and capture us with their passionate engagement with the world. A powerful debut."

And Graywolf Press poet Fred Marchant points out, "For all the stunning angularity in this vision, we do not doubt that what we are seeing and sensing here is a surprising, sharp-edged sense of the real, of a world that had been there all along, just waiting for this poet and these poems to reveal. Start to finish, these poems convey a singular vision and represent an important new voice in the international poetry arena."

Be a part of the launch of a new poetic voice. Order your preorder package today.

Today at 2! Great poetry reading at Bowery Poetry Club: "News from the 99%: Anti-Tea Coffeehouse Poetry Collective" with Hala HN Alyan, Amber Atiya, Peter Carlaftes, Kat Georges, Robert Gibbons, Larissa Shmailo and Bernard Block. Join us for subversive, counter-culture poems that challenge conventional wisdom, assumptions & opinions!!

Poets Leanne Averbach and Yuyutsu R.D. Sharma at Son of a Pony 5/14

Three Rooms Press presents Son of a Pony, on Friday, May 18, with featured poet LEANNE AVERBACH, and special visiting poet YUYUTSU RD SHARMA, preceded by NYC's inventive open poetry reading, hosted by Kat Georges. 

LEANNE AVERBACH is a Canadian poet and experimental filmmaker who has published and performed her work with musicians across Canada, New York City and Italy. Her first book Fever (Mansfield Press, Toronto) was short-listed for the national Canadian Gerald Lampert Memorial prize, 2005.  Her companion CD Fever is a fusion of her  spoken words and blues/jazz accompaniment with her band, Indigo and they are currently cutting a second CD. Averbach’s short films have garnered numerous awards, including Best International Short at the New York Independent International Film & Video Festival, 2008 for Teacups & Mink. She is currently writing her first feature length film. Leanne will be reading tonight from her second volume of poetry Come Closer (Tightrope Books, Toronto) available for purchase at the back table with her CD, Fever.

YUYUTSU RD SHARMA is the author of nine poetry collections, including Milarepa's Bones (Nirala, 2102), Space Cake, Amsterdam & Other Poems from Europe and America (Howling Dog Press, 2009) and more. He has received fellowships and grants from The Rockefeller Foundation, Ireland Literature Exchange, Trubar Foundation, Slovenia and more. A widely traveled author, his work has been heard in London, Belfast, Amsterdam, Chicago, Canada, Italy, New York and his home town of Kathmandu. This year, he is a visiting poet at New York University, and in June, he will be a guest poet at the Poetry Parnassus Festival organized to celebrate the London Olympics of 2012.

The featured reading follows the essential Son of a Pony open reading at the cafe, hosted and curated by the fervid Kat Georges. Doors open at 5:45 p.m.;  open reading begins at 6 p.m. Admission is $7, which includes a free drink.  

RIP Brant Lyon: Poet, Pianist, Philosopher, Producer and a Beautiful Human Being

Our heart is heavy with the loss of our good friend and Three Rooms Press poet Brant Lyon, who passed away this morning after a brief illness. Brant was the author of “You Are White Inside,”a collection of his poems that was released in late 2011 on Three Rooms Press. He also produced and curated the popular monthly series “Hydrogen Jukebox,” which featured poets reading to live improvised music by the band The Ne’erDoWells. He recently recorded produced the cd “Brain Ampin’” which featured tracks by 12 of the regular readers at the series, including TRP founders Kat Georges and Peter Carlaftes. Funeral arrangements are pending. A memorial will be held in June.


The Monday, May 14 world premiere performance of Kat Georges' "Symphony in C Minor on the Four Classic Elements" at Cornelia Street Cafe will be in honor of Brant Lyon.

A night of Neo-Classical Jazz Punk by TRP founder Kat Georges 5/14 at Cornelia Street

Three Rooms Press presents

"Cornelia Suite"

An evening of Cut-the-Edge Neo-Classical Jazz Punk

for Flute, iPad, Vocals & Piano performed by

Kayo Hiraki and Kat Georges

Monday, May 14, 8:30 pm

Cornelia Street Cafe, New York City

Classical and contemporary jazz collide as pianist Kayo Hiraki and flautist/poet/composer Kat Georges cut-the-edge with "Cornelia Suite," an anthology of cut-the-edge neo-classical punk and jazz for piano, flute, iPad and vocals. The event will include the world premiere of Ms. Georges'  hard-bit "Punk Symphony for Four Classical Elements in C Minor (for Flute, iPad and Vocals)" and will be held at Cornelia Street Cafe in the West Village. Doors open at 8:30. Tickets are $20 (includes a drink). 

New York based pianist and Steinway piano artist, Kayo Hiraki appears in Cornelia Street Cafe for the first time. Steinway Artist Kayo Hiraki was born in Japan, the daughter of a classical pianist. A child prodigy, she started playing the piano when she was three years old. She has been performing five nights a week for seventeen years as the house pianist at the famous jazz spot, Arturo's in Greenwich Village. She has played at the Blue Note NYC with her Kayo Hiraki Piano Trio, including the legendary bassist Ron Carter, who notes: “Rarely have I heard a musician as gifted as Ms. Hiraki. To hear her play is to experience the joy of her creative ability and the depth of her experience as a talented performer.” She tours regularly in Europe and Japan and was recently featured in Japan Airline in-flight magazine. She will perform a series of jazz tunes inspired by classical compositions. 

Kayo will be joined onstage by New York-based poet/composer/flautist Kat Georges. Kat will present the World Premiere of her hard-bit neo-classical, "Punk Symphony for Four Classical Elements in C Minor (for Flute, iPad and Vocals)." Kat Georges is a musician, poet, playwright, performer and designer. Her full-length poetry collection, "Our Lady of the Hunger," will be released soon on Three Rooms Press, which published two previous collections, "Punk Rock Journal" and "Slow Dance at 120 Beats a Minute." In New York since 2003, she has directed numerous Off-Broadway plays, curated poetry readings, and performed widely. She is co-founder and editor of Three Rooms Press; its most recent books include "Maintenant 6: A Journal of Contemporary Dada Writing and Art" and "Mike Watt: On and Off Bass," a collection of photos and distilled tour diaries from the legendary punk rock bass player.

The Cornelia Street Cafe is located at 29 Cornelia Street, New York, NY 10014. Advance reservations highly recommended: phone 212-989-9319. 

May 2 at Le Poisson Rouge: NYC Launch for Mike Watt: On and Off Bass with Hellride East (Mike Watt, J Mascis & Murph), Appomattox, Dead Trend & Special Guests

It's almost here! The rockin' NYC launch for Three Rooms Press' new book "Mike Watt: On and Off Bass" by punk bass legend Mike Watt.

On Wednesday, May 2nd, 7 p.m., Three Rooms Press presents the NYC book launch for “Mike Watt: On and Off Bass” at Le Poisson Rouge. The event will feature live performances by HELLRIDE EAST feat. Mike Watt + J Mascis + Murph (of Dinosaur Jr.), with opening acts Appomattox and Dead Trend, plus additional very special guests. The new book will be available for purchase at the event. Tickets are going fast. Be sure to get yours in advance.

Le Poisson Rouge: 158 Bleecker Street | NYC | 212-505-FISH | lepoissonrouge.com 

Folks are already raving about the book. The New Yorker calls it "beautiful and unusual." LA Weekly says "the photos are strikingly inventive, revealing yet another side of this modern-day Renaissance man."

Mike Watt got his musical start thumping the bass with legendary San Pedro punk trio, The Minutemen in 1980 and he has been at it ever since. Over the years, he’s toured with Dos, fIREHOSE, his own The Black Gang, The Secondmen, The Missingmen, and others, and he has worked bass as a sideman for Porno for Pyros, J Mascis and the Fog, as well as punk godfathers The Stooges. Off the road, at his beloved San Pedro, CA home base, Watt developed a deep interest in photography. In Spring 2010, Track 16 Gallery in Santa Monica, CA hosted an exhibit of his photos: “Mike Watt: Eye-Gifts from Pedro.” In “Mike Watt: On and Off Bass,” photographs that appeared in the exhibit are punctuated by Watt's poetry and snippets selected from 10 years of his diaries. Watt’s writing is insightful, funny, intimate and honest, as he explores topics like John Coltrane, long hauls and overcoming performance fears.

 “Mike Watt’s photos are the poetry of San Pedro...every time he goes out on that kayak he comes back with gold. These gorgeous images paired with the raw reflections of 3 decades on the road are sure to blow the minds of all who love punk rock and our beloved vision questing troubadour.” - Jack Black

“When you mix pirate, Pedro pix, music, d. boon forever, hard work, weird sincerity, good will, curiosity, love, and an adult moustache, what do you have? Poetry is the answer. Poetry poetry poetry. Watt Watt Watt!” - Richard Hell

Poets Dave Johnson and Isa Guzman with Guest Host Karen Hildebrand this Friday at Son of a Pony, Cornelia St. Cafe

Three Rooms Press & Cornelia Street Café present Son of a Pony Poetry Reading Series

Featured poet: DAVE JOHNSON, Spotlight poet: ISA GUZMAN

PLUS NYC's Consummate Open POETRY Mike; with guest host KAREN HILDEBRAND

Friday, May 4, 6 pm

Three Rooms Press is pleased to present Son of a Pony, on Friday, May 4, with featured poet DAVE JOHNSON, and spotlight poet ISA GUZMAN, preceded by NYC's extraordinary open poetry reading, with guest host KAREN HILDEBRAND. 

DAVE JOHNSON is the author of the play, Baptized To The Bone (Dramatists Books), a book of poems, Marble Shoot (Hummingbird Press/Wake Forest University), and the editor of an anthology of poems, Movin' (Scholastic/Orchard Books).  Dave is a Lecturer at Yale University, a Visiting Faculty member of the MFA Program at The New School University, and an Instructor at The Cooper Union School of Art.  He teaches extensively in public libraries and with Poets House, in the nationwide Poetry in The Branches Public Library Initiative.  Dave appeared as guest artist for The Manhattan Borough President’s inauguration 2006 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

ISA GUZMAN is an aspiring full-time poet. His main focus is experimental writing, specifically writing exercises such as the surrealist games and the Oulipo exercises. Currently he is working on his first book. He is published in such places as Big City Lit, The Same Magazine, Symmetry Pebbles, The Copperfield Review, Underground Voices, and many more!

The featured reading follows the captivating Son of a Pony open reading at the cafe, hosted and curated by the provocative Karen Hildebrand. Doors open at 5:45 p.m.;  open reading begins at 6 p.m. Admission is $7, which includes a free drink.