The Bardroom April 27

"And between them, Mangan and Langston represent the best of two different strains of contemporary U.S. poetry.

The reading by Kathy Mangan will be a delicious taster of American academic poetry. Mangan has been teaching American literature and creative writing for 28 years at McDaniel College in Maryland. She has published in prestigious magazines such as Gettysburg Review, Southern Review, Georgia Review, Shenandoah and Pushcart Prize. Her collection of poems, Above the Tree Line, was published by Carnegie Mellon University Press in 1995. One reader said it contained "vividly honest, sensual poems that deal with the losses we all share."

Florida-based Ali Langston, a.k.a. "The World's Greatest," will be a complete contrast. He has been involved in performance poetry since his college days, when he joined a group of poets which became known as Black on Black Rhyme. He has been a successful participant in competitive poetry slams. He came first in the All Florida Listen Up Slam 2003, and in the same year he took third place at the Southern Fried Region Poetry Slam. The following year, he finished fifth in the Individual World Poetry Slam. He has recorded an album of his poems, "Signature Pieces."

The evening's hosts, Kálmán Faragó and David Hill, will read some of their own poems and conduct the usual quizzes and competitions - and give away the customary crazy prizes to the winners.

Anyone with any poetry, prose, song, comedy or other type of performance to share with the audience (in English) can claim a five-minute open-mic slot by talking to one of the hosts.

Admission is free, and the bar sells a full range of drinks.

We hope to see you there!

Kálmán, Jeff and David
The Bardroom organizers "