VOORHEESVILLE – Poetry is not a lost art in Voorheesville.

In fact, it is alive and thriving.

The Every Other Thursday Night Poets is made up of local poets who have been coming together with their poetry for 15 years. The poets meet twice a month on Thursday nights to read their poetry, critique each other’s work, and, at times, engage in heated debates.

Last Thursday night, a group of 15 poets, and a room full of family and friends gathered together at the Voorheesville Public Library to celebrate the publishing of a book of the group’s poems, titled Poetry Don’t Pump Gas.

Poet Tom Corrado explains at the beginning of the book, the story behind the title. He describes filling his car’s tank with gas during a stop in rural Maine.
"From her perch near the register, the cashier, a well-seasoned Mainiac, who had seen it all and then some, watched my fumbling for a few minutes," he writes, "then commented to all within earshot, ‘What the hell is he doing" Is he stupid"’ To which my friends, quick to fuel any fire, replied, ‘No, he’s a poet!’ Withering them with a look, she cut to the quick: ‘Poetry don’t pump gas!’"

And there was born the title for a book of poetry.

The paperback, with a sepiatoned photo of an old gas station on its cover, is 99 pages with short poems from 17 poets. It is being sold for $10 at the library.

Barbara Vink, who handles publicity for the Voorheesville Public Library, helped start the group with Corrado 15 years ago. Vink told The Enterprise last week that the Friends of the Voorheesville Public Library and the library board donated money to help with the publishing costs. "They were instrumental in this whole thing," she said.

Debut
At the book’s debut on Thursday, the library hallway showcased artwork from some of the poets. Mark O’Brien, who says he seeks the "mundane absurd," had artwork on display. O’Brien used wooden frames shaped like windows and incorporated words from his poetry.

The meeting room was filled with smiling faces, and poets excited about poetry in general and their book in particular.
"I absolutely love this poetry group," said Cathy Anderson, as she took the podium to read aloud one of her poems. Her statement seemed to reinforce how other poets felt. The love for the group appeared to be unanimous among all who attended the reception Thursday.
"Good poetry should really set people afire with appreciation of life," said Dennis Sullivan, another poet featured in the book. "Poetry calls people’s attention to being alive," he said.

Susan Riback has been with the group for 14 years. She told The Enterprise that she loves that poetry can be many different things. "In the group, everyone has a very different way of looking at the world, and we all get to really know each person’s voice," she said.
Ron Pavoldi refers to himself as "the token conservative" of the group. Meanwhile, Tim Verhaegen describes himself as the "openly gay poet."
Pavoldi said one of the biggest difficulties for him is "not losing my temper." He said the art world is typically full of "extreme left-wing views." Pavoldi has been writing poetry for 35 years, and writing with the group for the past 10.
"I am always up to a thoughtful argument," he told The Enterprise.
Verhaegen has been writing most of his life, and writing poetry for the last few years. He said that he wholeheartedly advocates the critiquing process. "Writers can be so sensitive to criticism," he said. "I love the variety of all the different opinions."