12/2 All Good Things
Hi everyone,
I’m excited about three upcoming events in the next two months: I’m co-hosting an open mic with a poet I’ve now known for over 20 years, Meditate, Move, & Create returns online, and I’m returning to Oceanside Library for a featured reading! Details below!
And now—
THINGS HAPPENED
Cedarmere hosted a birthday party for William Cullen Bryant. If you haven’t come to a reading there, you are missing out on something special. I led a yoga class at Zucker Hillside Hospital to raise funds for the Veterans Yoga Project. The third installment of Now You See Me is still in theaters, and even if you didn’t see or don’t remember the first two (like me), it’s still a fun flick. I caught The Gypsy Felons at one of their library afternoon shows—libraries are the music stages of the afternoons. Additionally, I found myself at the Whitney for Surreal 60s; at the Cradle of Aviation to witness Mesmerica, and if I try to describe it to you, you will understand what it is even less than you may already know; and GSB for book club, always a good time.
WELLNESS CORNER
As aforementioned, I led yoga to support the Veterans Yoga Project. If you’re a veteran interested in taking yoga, they have online and in-person classes. If you’re already a yoga instructor, you can check out their additional training. If you’re not yet certified but want to be a yoga instructor, they also offer the basic yoga training that incorporates their additional training all at once. A great organization!
Meditate, Move, & Create returns online through the TLA network on January 7 at 7 PM EST. Click here for details and to register.
With thanks to Guns N Roses, here’s another meditation collaboration with Somnambulant Visuals.
Sukha Studio has a host of workshops and events coming up, and I’m there every Tuesday night. Join me!
KUDOS!
My poem “Deceleration” is up for a Pushcart Prize thanks to Central Avenue Publishing!
Kenny Gordon’s film Fantasy Kills premiers this month!
(details below)
BOOKSHELF
I’ve been reading mostly poetry and also book club books, though book club is on hiatus in December, so I’ve got some time and maybe I can get ahead. (I won’t.)
Fiction
Jerks by Sarah Lippmann
Here’s the follow up ICYMI
“In Another Life, I Am A Direct Descendant of Sharks” by Bethany Cutkomp
Poetry
My poem “The Issue With The Bee” was published in Porcupine Literary, a journal for teachers.
Mojave Ghost by Forrest Gander (wow)
The Company Misery Loves by Kate Fox
A Fortune For Your Disaster by Hanif Abdurraqib
“Flooded Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” by Jared Beloff
“Cradle this robin (close to your chest)” by Belinda Liao
“Essay” by Bernadette Mayer
“Axis” by Kacey Martin
“Elegy as a Letter to my Dead” by Kate Reider Collins
“Clutch” by Trish Hopkinson
“Another Hurricane Poem” by Francis Dylan Waguespack
“I too, would have been Leonard Cohen if it were not for the supermarket” by Ramsey Tawfick
“Cows in fog moored” by Sammy Bellin
“Take This Waltz” by Federico Garcia Lorca
“The Wheel Revolves” by Kenneth Rexroth
“In Retrospect, Blackstreet’s Card Tower was Wildly Incomplete” by Emily Portillo
“In The Southwest In Mid-September” by Mary Christine Delea
“Geomorphology” by Cole Pradiges (scroll down to page 31)
Mixed Media And Miscellany
“Rage in Retail” by Jenny M. Liu (story) and Ruth Baccam (art)
“Will You Really Miss Me?” by Lydia Ricci
“If All Of My Very Irrational Fears Came True” by Blair Dawson
“Made For Each Other” by Lesley Wheeler and Chris Gavaler
Train Tracts
Internet
Annogram with Ann Cefola
Open AI and Copyright
Egret Editorial dives into Ginsberg, complete with audio by the poet
And of course check out these:
Brand new typewriter photographs! If you haven’t perused them yet, definitely do so now! Also available: signed copies of How We Make Amends, post card sentiments, found poetry, and inspirational stickers.
LISTEN
My poem “How The Big Bang Happened” aired on Destinies: The Voice of Science Fiction radio show. (Poem at 10:06)
“Just Imagine” by Hiram Larew and Warwick Jones
Here’s Sunday Funday Book Club’s soundtrack for Jerks.
This is my new favorite song.
WATCH
Gina Sipley appeared on Long Island Changemakers
Things are revealed about Sara Cahill Marron’s latest collection:
Midnight Run
Squid Game Challenge (Season 2, Netflix)
OPPORTUNITIES
Red Natural History Fellowship, Deadline 12/5
Sundress Publications Prose Open Call, Free Deadline 12/15
Musical Theatre Songwriting Challenge for HS Students
Shakespeare In American Communities Grant
NEA Big Read Grant
Creative Forces: Connecting Military Communities Through The Arts
Oak Spring Garden Foundation Eliza Moore Fellowship, Opens Feb 2026/Closes May 2026
SUGGESTED THINGS
The Nest is NCC’s food pantry for students and the campus community. It is having a difficult time keeping up with demand. If you can and wish to support with a monetary donation, go here. nestncc.weebly.com If you wish to donate food, drop me a line, and we’ll make a plan.
Raw Spirit NYC https://rawspiritnyc.com/
Tum Thai in RVC https://tumthainy.com/
The Eigengrau Oracle Deck: https://www.etsy.com/listing/4376789041/the-eigengrau-oracle-deck
Southpaw Sweets: https://www.facebook.com/southpawsweets/ or https://www.instagram.com/p/CX6I3twujtl/
MISCELLANY
The dishwasher broke. Buying new dishes is getting expensive.
All good things,
Christina
**Of course, you can forward this information to those you think may have interest. If you post information publicly, please link back to me. Appreciate it.
THINGS ARE HAPPENING
My calendar is here.
Updated book club info is here.
Wednesday, December 3, 2025 10 AM – 12 PM EST
Arts Letters and Numbers presents Confessions of Blindness: An Autobiography of the 45.000-Year-Old Pig That Authored Us with Adrianos Efthymiadis
https://www.artslettersandnumbers.com/confessions-of-blindness
Saturday, December 6, 2025 from 6 PM – Midnight
Moonlight Market The Night Before Krampus at the Cradle of Aviation
https://happeningnext.com/event/moonlight-market-night-before-krampus-eid1ef0hw0137lr
Sunday, December 7, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Lancaster Living Poetry Museum at Zoetropolis Cinema Stillhouse, Lancaster, PA
https://zoetropolis.com/special_events/lancaster-living-poetry-museum/
Thursday, December 11 at 7:00 PM
Northport Arts Coalition presents Barry Kay at Northport Public Library
www.nenpl.org
Thursday, December 11, 2025 7-9 PM
Arts Letters and Numbers presents Illusions of Time: Finding Your Place in the Challenge of Continuity with Pheeroan akLaff
https://www.artslettersandnumbers.com/illusions-of-time
Saturday, December 13, 2025 at 10 AM – evening
New Jersey Punk Rock Wreck the Halls Flea Market
https://allevents.in/clarksburg/wreck-the-halls-holiday-expo-2025/200028609975421
Saturday, December 13, 2025 at 3:00 PM 4:30 PM
Community & Karma with Jenn and Morgan at Sukha Studio
https://www.sukhastudiogc.com/events-1/community-karma
Sunday, December 14, 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Carmine Street Metrics Poetry Series. Special Features: Nicole Caruso Garcia and Jennifer Michael Hecht plus Open Mic.
Otto’s Shrunken Head, 538 E 14th Street (just West of Avenue B), New York, NY
Free. Handicap accessible.
Friday, December 19, 2025 at 6PM (signups)/6:30 PM (reading)
Beats by the Beach Open Mic, Christina M. Rau & Peter V. Dugan cohost
Space Cowboy Coffee, Long Beach, NY
Free
Sunday, December 28, 2025 at 3 PM
Premier of Fantasy Kills at Young Ethel’s, Brooklyn
https://youngethels.com/
Friday, January 2, 2026 at 7:30 PM 8:45 PM
Sound Journey: Sound Bath Meditation & Reiki with Andonia Fthenakis at Sukha Studio
https://www.sukhastudiogc.com/events-1/the-power-of-meditation-mindfulnessmantrametta
Wednesday, January 7, 2026 at 7 PM EST
Meditate, Move, & Create with Christina M. Rau and the TLA Network
Register in advance: https://tlanetwork.org/event-6418090
Members: $30 / Nonmembers: $40
Saturday, January 10, 2026 at 2 PM
It’s Poetry Baby! featuring Christina M. Rau
Oceanside Library, NY
Free
January 11, 2025, Sunday, 1:30 - 3:30 PM
Writersroom Program Reading with Julene Tripp Weaver
Seattle Central Public Library, 1000 4th Ave, Seattle, WA, 4th Floor
Free
Sunday, January 18, 2025 at time TBA and place TBA
Sunday Funday Book Club tentatively reading A Man Called Ove and tentatively watching A Man Called Otto
Sunday, February 22, 2025 at 10-noon
Sunday Funday Book Club at Great South Bay Brewery reading The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston (tentative date)
Sunday, March 29, 2025 at 10-noon
Sunday Funday Book Club reading Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (date tentative, place TBA)
On The Regular (Always check with venues. If no contact info is listed below, google it. If your series has changed, let me know for next time. If you want to add your series, drop me a line).
One Sunday a month: Mid-Island Y JCC Poetry Series 2-4 PM https://www.gaylteller.com/mid-island-2/
First Sundays: Poetic License, online, 4 PM, https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82298684083#success
One Sunday a month: Speculative Sundays with Akua Lezli Hope, online, 7 PM EST
https://akualezlihope.com/speculative-poetry
Later-in-the-month Sundays: Book Club at Ghost Brewing Company from 10-noon
Third Sundays: Sunday Reading Series at The Hungry Brain, 6:30 PM, http://www.hungrybrainchicago.com/
Every Monday: Open Mic at Great South Bay Brewery, Bay Shore, 6:30 PM
Every Monday: Restless Open Mic, Marché Le Woof 31-03 Vernon Boulevard Astoria. Signups at 6:30 PM
Every Monday: Phoenix Reading Series, Shades of Green 125 e 15th NY NY, 6:30 PM, $5 plus food purchase
Every Monday: The Underground Open Mic at Bar Freda (Queens/Brooklyn Border), 7:30 PM
Every Monday: Easy Paradise Open Mic at KGB Red Room, 8 PM, sign up in advance, 21+, 2 drink min
First Tuesdays: First Tuesdays Series, Espresso 77 Cafe, Jackson Heights, 6:40 Sign up, 7 PM open begins, feature follows, $5 purchase, https://firsttuesdays.net/
First Tuesdays: Poetry At Greenspace, 47 Broadway Rocky Pt, NY, 7 PM (open mic sign up 6:30), jeweliasdad@aol.com for info
First Tuesdays: Calling All Writers Spoken Word Open Mic, Urban Coffee, 101 Broadway, Greenlawn, NY, 7-8 PM, 5 minute limit, kindness required
Every Wednesday: Wednesday Night Poetry, Kollective Coffee and Tea, Hot Springs, AZ, 6:30-9 PM
First Wednesdays: The Platform, Madison Community Arts Center 10 Kings Rd Madison NH, 8 PM, https://www.madisonartsnj.org/about/community-arts-center
Second Wednesdays: Poetry: It's a Shore Thing!, Long Beach Library (NY), 6 PM https://longbeachlibrary.org/
Second Wednesdays/Thursdays: The Muse at Neirs Tavern, Queens, 7 PM
Fourth Wednesdays: Risk of Discovery at QED Astoria, 7:30-9 PM
https://www.pw.org/content/the_risk_of_discovery_reading_series_and_the_queens_literary_scene
First Thursdays: BVAC at Jack Jacks, Babylon, 7 PM babylonvillagearts.org
First Thursdays: Poetry Circle Open Mic, Living Room Café, Ardmore, PA, 6:30 PM livingroomardmore.com
Third Thursdays: Poetry Pairs Series, Literature Repository Reading, Bohemia, 7 PM
Third Thursdays: NeuroNautic Institute Presents open mic with features, Otto’s Shrunken Head, NYC, 7-9 PM
Third Thursdays: At Brookline Booksmith, MA, 7 PM, www.brooklinebooksmith.com
Third Thursdays: SAFTA Reading Series, Pretentious Beer Co, Old City Knoxville, TN https://www.sundresspublications.com/safta/reading-series/
Every Friday: Fridays: Seed Café Open Mic, 250 Main Street, Pawtucket, RI, 6:30 PM
https://allevents.in/pawtucket/seed-caf%C3%A9-open-mic-fridays/200025919132025
First Fridays: Revolutionary Poetry Nights, Grounds Books and Coffee, Tuscon, AZ www.revolutionarygrounds.com
First Fridays: Maryland Writers’ Association, 7 PM EST, online, https://marylandwriters.org/first_fridays
Third Fridays: Hudson Valley Writers Center in person and online, 7 PM https://writerscenter.org/calendar/
Last Fridays: Northport Arts Coalition Poetry Reading, Northport and online, 7:30 PM EST https://www.northportarts.org/
Last Fridays: Friday Night Fire, Teatro Yerbabruja Second Avenue Fire House, Bay Shore, NY, 7 PM, https://www.eventbrite.com/e/friday-night-fire-featured-artist-and-open-mic-event-tickets-488297128857
Last Fridays: Redmond Association of Spoken Word, Centro Cultural Mexicano Redmond, WA, 7-9 PM, www.centroculturalmexicano.org
Every Saturday: Astoria Music Collective Saturday Songwriters at The Local Bar, 3 PM,
https://happeningnext.com/event/saturday-songwriters-open-mic-at-the-local-bar-astoria-eid3a0889pfbk
Every Saturday: Cultivating Voices Live, online, 3 PM EST
https://www.nmpoetry.com/wp/events/cultivating-voices-live-poetry-online
Biweekly Saturdays: Lip Balm, online, 5 PM EST
First Saturdays: PPA East Meadow Library, 1-3 PM, hosted by J R Turek and Margarette Wahl
Third Saturdays: PPA Levittown Town Hall, 1-3 PM, hosted by J R Turek
Various Saturdays: It’s Poetry Baby!, Oceanside Library, NY, 2 PM
Last Saturdays: Poetry Street On The Road at Riverhead Library and online, Riverhead NY, 2 – 4 PM, poetrystreetontheroad.com
Various monthly: Ludy Café and Hudson Valley Poetry, Irvington, NY, ludycafe.com
Congrats! You've made it to the end! As always, this newsletter is gratis. If you wish to at any time, you can feel free to buy me a tea (or a coffee).