Talking Wokeness, Online Outrage, and Social Commentary with Don Levy (Revisited)

Hudson Mohawk Magazine

Thom Francis reintroduces us to longtime local poet and open mic host Don Levy. Don was the featured reader at the Albany Poets Presents series at Restaurant Navona in 2017, where he shared his poems, told stories about his childhood, and answered questions from the audience. For this segment, Thom asks Don about one of the poems he read that night and some other issues of the day. — Don Levy has been part of the Albany poetry scene since 1988 when he first read at the QE2 open mic. He has read at various venues and events in the area, including The Albany Public Library, Poets in the Park, the Poets Speak Loud series at McGeary’s, and The Social Justice Center. He has hosted a number of readings over the years, the first being at The Albany Art Gallery on Jefferson Street, to his last, a featured reader / open mic series called "Live From the Living Room," a straight-friendly reading held at The Pride Center of the Capital Region. Don was one of the editors of Open Mic: The Albany Anthology., a fantastic book that featured work from the poets who frequented the local open mics in the mid-90s. He published 2 chapbooks with local artist Kevin Bruce: How Green Was My Big Eden, a collection of gay fantasy poems, and Super Queer Poet Saves the Day. On January 18, 2017, Don read his poem "Mike Pence Goes to Hamilton" at the Albany Poets Presents event at Restaurant Navona in Albany. In our conversation we talk about where the idea for that poem came from, recent online outrage over major companies supporting LGBTQ+ causes, "wokeness," and using poetry as social commentary.