BY PUMA PERL | Sometime in the spring of 2009, a guy named Mike Geffner contacted me through a friend. He had started a poetry venue in the unlikely setting of a Forest Hills vegan restaurant, and invited me to read. He wasn’t a poet. He didn’t even know many poets, so where did he come from? Anyway, I went. Geffner was friendly and a bit reserved, spending most of his time observing the goings-on. Six features, a comedienne as host, a makeshift stage with an iffy microphone and the background noise of clattering trays and dinner customers, few of whom were even slightly interested in the event. But the performances were good, and he’d managed to attract a respectable, enthusiastic crowd, and, well, I’d certainly been through worse.
I kept my eye on the series, and noticed that he was booking some of my favorite local poets and engaging visiting artists as well. Suddenly, it seemed, he was everywhere. Despite the location, the venue took off. I remember running into Geffner on Avenue B one Saturday afternoon. I was on my way to the Shout-Out, a defunct series at Otto’s Shrunken Head, and he was leaving B Cup Cafe, where he often worked on his writing assignments (he was still freelancing as a sports writer). Although en route to an appointment, he reacted excitedly when I told him about Otto’s. “Take me there!,” he demanded, following me in, taking notes and running off to his next stop. Good journalist that he is, he was doing his research.
Recently, I visited “Titillating Tongues,” an erotica series at (Le) Poisson Rouge, one of five venues for Geffner’s Inspired Word series. The friendly, reserved man I’d met seven years earlier had just stepped off the stage after singing a couple of his favorite Sinatra songs. This was a first for him; you still rarely see him under the spotlight, but he has become the ultimate host, friendly and welcoming to all. I’d always been curious about how he found his way onto the poetry scene, and, especially, the secrets to the success of his venues. We sat down a few weeks later at the Monday night edition of his open mic series (at Parkside Lounge) to talk.
The beginnings were as serendipitous as they were unlikely. Geffner happened upon Tierra Sona, a lovely vegan organic restaurant. He enjoyed the food and began dining there nightly, often chatting with the owner, who eventually requested his help in initiating a poetry series. He was, at first, disinterested. “If you run it, we’ll give you free food,” promised the owner. And so it began.
“When I do something, I put everything into it,” Geffner stated. He delved into researching the scene online, and opened the series four months later. Not long after, the restaurant went belly up — but he was hooked. Assisted by his longtime friend, Marvin Mendlinger, he began searching out new locations. Mendlinger was recently retired, and had the time to help out, albeit not without protest. I remember the early days with Mendlinger (also known as Starvin’ Marvin) at the door, surveying the crowd. We used to joke that he stashed a shotgun under the podium. I later learned that he had attended many readings in his youth, and was strongly influenced by the Beat poets. He has stayed with it, and now visibly enjoys socializing with attendees and performers, and has developed considerable expertise in photography.
Geffner has been a writer his entire life. He was a longtime Village Voice sportswriter in its heyday, and he was the first sports columnist to have his name on the front page; running poetry venues was the last thing he saw himself ever doing. “But I saw journalism changing, and not for the better,” he said. “Everyone puts information out. You can’t find the truth anymore. I’ve never had any other type of job, except for one year as a social media manager. I’ve made great money. This life is a great second act for me. How many people get to find something they love to do twice in a lifetime?”
The Inspired Word is an umbrella name for an ongoing series of gatherings that draw poets, musicians, singers, jugglers…you name it. It has evolved from the traditional formula of open mic and featured performers. Today, Geffner no longer seeks out the most well known names. His focus has changed. “I think of it like a Rubik’s Cube,” he told me, “I just keep tinkering with it.” His open mic nights not only fill the house, but performers are willing to pay the admission fee (usually seven or ten dollars, depending on the venue) and in some cases, including the Monday night at the venue I visited, reservations are made in advance to get on the list. “How did this happen?” I wondered aloud.
“I am a crazy person,” he replied. Crazy, driven, with a vision — a good formula for success, I thought. “I used to book some of the biggest names on the poetry scene, sometimes still do. They come, they’re great, they leave. I realized that concentrating on stardom was not building community. Today, we have talented performers of all kinds, not just poetry. They watch and support each other, they workshop new material, see each other grow. It’s a new community.
Like his pal Mendlinger, he always had an interest in poetry, but did not concentrate on it in the past. He is writing again and has also begun photographing the shows. Community, poetry, performance, photography — like the man said, a great second act to a life.
The Inspired Word series takes place in five Manhattan and Long Island City venues. The open mic happens every Mon. at Parkside Lounge (317 E. Houston St. at Attorney St.), 7-11 p.m. ($7, 21+). At Funkadelic Studios (209 W. 40th St. at Seventh Ave.), open mic every Tues., 7-11 p.m. ($10, all ages). The “Titillating Tongues” erotica in poetry & prose open mic (21+) happens on the third Thurs. of the month, 7-9:30 p.m. at (Le) Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker St. btw. Sullivan & Thompson). $10, 21+. For a full schedule, visit inspiredwordnyc.com. Puma Perl and Friends will appear at Sidewalk Cafe (94 Ave. A at Sixth St.) Aug. 28. Info at pumaperl.blogspot.com.
