Buffalo Readings is a

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

reading series and group. There have been hundreds of Buffalo Readings held since 2002. Members of the Buffalo Readings refer to themselves as "Buffalo" or "Buffalo Poets" and encourage listeners to shout out "moose" in addition to applauding at a Buffalo Reading. They do not hold poetry slams, and they have cited their dislike of slams as a factor in the formation of the group.Buffalo Readings
About Buffalo Readings
. Retrieved May 16, 2007. Members of the Buffalo Poets were the featured bloggers on the

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website for

National Poetry Month National Poetry Month, a celebration of poetry which takes place each April, was introduced in 1996 and is organized by the Academy of American Poets as a way to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry in the United States. The Academy of Amer ...

History

The group was founded in

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in 2001 by the original three Buffalo poets: David Acevedo, Roger Kenny, and Anthony Morena. All three were friends from high school, and had been collaborating on the independent "Ripped Magazine" Issue 4. During this time Roger was renting a room in a Victorian style house in Jersey City, which became the creative nexus for the early Buffalo Poets. The first official Buffalo Readings was held on February 21, 2002 at Fat Cat Jazz and Billiards on Christopher St. in Manhattan's

West Village The West Village is a neighborhood in the western section of the larger Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. The traditional boundaries of the West Village are the Hudson River to the west, 14th Street (Manhattan ...

. The show included performances by several poets, a live DJ, musical performance, and video performances, including an anaglyph video of poet Kurtis Darby reading. Red/Blue 3D glasses were distributed with admission. After the show, on the trip back to the Jersey City house, the poets gave out 3D glasses to commuters on one car of the Path train. The entire car was full of people wearing 3D glasses, even a police officer partook. Soon after the initial reading, with Anthony no longer part of the group, but with the new member Noah Levin in tow, the Buffalo met the revolutionary activist Rafael Bueno, who was running the squat turned community center "Casa Del Sol: Future City" in the Bronx. This led to a successful 3 year reading series held every third Friday at Casa Del Sol, with Bueno joining as a regular member of the Buffalo. Although the early readings at Casa were held in pitch dark, with no electricity, and the only heat from a wood-burning stove, by the pinnacle of the readings the Buffalo were attracting a full house of fans interested in the free spirit of the readings. The readings continued their successful run until Casa Del Sol was shut down by the police on November 20, 2004. Prior to Casa Del Sol's closing, the Buffalo Readings expanded to the West Coast via David Acevedo who took the Buffalo Readings first to Tacoma and

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, then

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

. In Portland the series gained some momentum, attracting many new artists into the Buffalo fold. While the expansion to the West Coast was a success; post-Casa Del Sol's closing the East Coast Buffalo continued to hold events. Between the East & West Coast groups (including many members traveling between both coasts), the Buffalo found themselves featured on KBOO FM's "Talking Earth" several times, headlining gigs at

Big Sur Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast of California between Carmel and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently praised for its dramatic scenery. Big Sur ha ...

, one member (David Acevedo) published in the book Heal (Between the Pages of These Folks We Seek a Panacea), and the Buffalo as a whole found themselves as the featured house poets on the

Blog during

and also throughout the summer of 2007.Oxford University Press
Buffalo Poets
Retrieved November 30, 2007. Currently the Buffalo find themselves inactive. Throughout the history of the Buffalo, they have attracted many members on throughout the US which currently include: King Otho, Noah Levin, David Acevedo, Kevin Callahan, James Honzik, Michael “Molotov” Franklin, Shakuhachi Jon, the jazz band Flip, Brian Kenny and the activist Rafael Bueno. The Buffalo's aim throughout the years has stayed the same, to inspire other artists to shake all structures, inspired towards an artistic and creative revolution.

References

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External links

Official website
Clubs and societies in the United States Poetry organizations