About reading with other poets and at concert venues, Todd says:
A group exhibition is always more interesting than a one-person show, and the same is true of poetry. Artists are in dialogue with one another—we all are—and it’s invigorating to be part of that, both for artists and audiences.
Nina’s
Cafe
Poets who’ve read at Nina’s:
Anya Achtenberg
Emily August
Daniel Bachuber
Becca Barniskis
Emily Bright
Sharon Chmielarz
James Cihlar
Carol Connolly
Lightsey Darst
Kirsten Dierking
Mary Moore Easter
Andrea Een
Heid Erdrich
Kevin FitzPatrick
Terri Ford
Brett Foster
Dobby Gibson
Cindra Halm
Susan Thurston Hamerski
Phebe Hanson
Margaret Hasse
Diane Jarvenpa
Kathleen Jesme
Tish Jones
Deborah Keenan
Ted King
Patricia Kirkpatrick
John Krumberger
Ed Bok Lee
Jim Lenfestey
Katie Leo
Ann Linde
JoAnne Makela
Ethna McKiernan
Freya Manfred
Leslie Adrienne Miller
John Minczeski
Jim Moore
Riki Kolbl Nelson
Tim Nolan
Brett Ortler
Sheila Packa
G. E. Patterson
Wang Ping
William Reichard
Joshua Rivkin
Karen Sandberg
Thomas R. Smith
Richard Solly
Madelon Sprengnether
Joyce Sutphen
Marie Sheppard Williams
Katrina Vandenberg
Connie Wanek
Greg Watson
Karen Herseth Wee
Bryan Thao Worra
Todd doesn’t read his own poetry at Nina’s. Instead, he hosts the “Verse and Converse” series of round-robin style poetry readings on the first Wednesday of each month (schedule may vary). To date, more than 30 area poets have participated in this uniquely informal and conversational reading format, and more than 400 individuals have attended and joined the mailing list. Each event features three poets who read poems “in response” to one another’s poems.
Supported by Garrison Keillor’s Common Good Books, the series is free and open to the public.
Nina’s is located in Saint Paul at Selby and Western, across from W. A. Frost and Moscow on the Hill.
Upcoming Events
Sept 1 (6:30pm) Thomas R. Smith, Sean Hill, and Kathryn Kysar.
Oct 6 (6:30pm) Connie Wanek, Paula Cisewski, and Joyce Sutphen
Nov 3 (6:30pm) Francine Marie Tolf, Jay White, and ... TBA
Dec (no reading in December)
In 2007, Todd appointed himself the poet laureate of Nina’s Cafe, in the Cathedral Hill district of Saint Paul.
Ethna McKiernan, Carol Connolly, and Kevin FitzPatrick at Nina’s Cafe.
To join the Nina’s Cafe mailing list, simply e-mail Todd Boss at toddbosspoet (at)mac(dot)com.