Beat Night

08/13/2026

08/13/2026

Jonathan Stoker Has read his alchemical mix of poetry and story telling from The Cornelia Street Cafe’ in Greenwich Village to the Press Room in
Portsmouth N.H. "The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity” Yeats. There were those who have said that they
have seen him sleeping upside down but we haven't been able to find those people since.

Erine Leigh was 10th poet laureate of Portsmouth NH. She conducted events with children, or our future poets laureate, under the heartfelt
heading Poems for Peace. Leigh went on to publish with Bee Monk Press and has a new collection just out called Aunt Peace.Last fall she was honored as a Lifetime Beat Poet with the National Beat Poetry Foundation.Leigh now hails from Eastport in way downeast Maine. Her
crowning achievement there is to have been published several times in the Quoddy Tides.

07/23/2026

Chris Elliott blowin his trumpet and our minds with the beat night band at Beat Night at Thirsty Moose Taphouse. Scott solsky on guitar, Chris Stambaugh on Bass, Mike Barron on drums and Scip Gallant on keys . Chris Elliott Thirsty Moose Portsmouth

07/11/2026

Beat night in it's new home downstairs at Thirsty Moose Taphouse Thursday July 23rd 7pm.

Chris Elliott a writer and musician who splits his time between Palm Springs, California and Kittery, Maine. He recently retired from a career as editor and lead copywriter for Woodwind & Brasswind, the band and orchestra division of Guitar Center. He’s pursued a mix of writing and playing trumpet throughout my professional life. Most recently he has been a trumpet player and horn arranger for The Tribe, a band of professional and amateur musicians who organize benefit shows for Los Angeles-area charities. Past shows have featured such artists as David Crosby, Lisa Loeb and Al Jardine. This association led to jobs with other Los Angeles legends including Don Peake, Don Fancy, Coco Dolenz and Kiki Ebsen. Other engagements include recording dates and performances in support of a wide variety of artists in both Palm Springs and Southern Maine. A versatile musician, stand-up comedian, spoken word artist and storyteller, he also acts and does comedy videos using a character called “The Dismayed Gourmet.” This summer, his comedy writing partner, John Breneman, and he have access to a director, a good camera and a talented actor or two. This winter, he'll have a gig with a ten-piece funk band and a scriptwriting project for a baseball comedy. He’s also putting finishing touches on a musical.

06/17/2026

Tomorrow's Beat Night celebrating Juneteenth has moved to downstairs at the !!🫎♥️ Drinks and food available and parking right around the corner at the Hanover Street garage

06/17/2026

NEW LOCATION!! Beat Night is this Thursday June 18 from 7 - 9pm at the Thirsty Moose Taphouse in downtown Portsmouth NH. Featuring Mckendy Fils-Aimé. Come and read a poem by your favorite black poet.

Mckendy Fils-Aimé is a New England based Haitian American poet, organizer, and teaching artist. He is the author of sipèstisyon (YesYes Books, 2026) and has received fellowships from Callaloo, Cave Canem, The Watering Hole, CantoMundo, and Periplus. Over the span of nearly two decades, Mckendy has represented New England in several regional and national poetry slams, performing on numerous semifinal and final stages. Mckendy’s work has been featured or is forthcoming in Best New Poets, Adroit, Muzzle, American Literary Review, the Academy of American Poets’ Poem-a-Day series, and elsewhere.

06/03/2026

Mckendy Fils-Aimé is a New England based Haitian American poet, organizer, and teaching artist. He is the author of sipèstisyon (YesYes Books, 2026) and has received fellowships from Callaloo, Cave Canem, The Watering Hole, CantoMundo, and Periplus. Over the span of nearly two decades, Mckendy has represented New England in several regional and national poetry slams, performing on numerous semifinal and final stages. Mckendy’s work has been featured or is forthcoming in Best New Poets, Adroit, Muzzle, American Literary Review, the Academy of American Poets’ Poem-a-Day series, and elsewhere.

05/28/2026

15th poet laureate of Portsmouth Myles Burr reading with the beat night band at the Press room. We can't wait to see what Myles does over the next two years as laureate!

04/23/2026

April 30th 7pm The Press Room

RescuePoetix | Susan Justiniano is an award-winning bilingual performing poet and teaching artist, whose work centers on matriarchal inheritance, legacy, and healing. Rooted in her Puerto Rican identity, she blends poetry, media, and performance to honor intergenerational stories. Published works appear in journals, anthologies, and community spaces across the diaspora.

Beat Poet Laureate of Maine 2024-2026, Claire Conroy self published two books (“Listen” in 2018 and “Silent” in 2022) and a chapbook (“Rumors From Dead Lips” in 2024). Her third book (“Inlets” 2026) was published by Keeping the Flame Alive Press. Born in Portsmouth, NH, she is a board member of the Portsmouth Poet Laureate Program and hosts their open mics, The HOOT and Painting Poetry. Claire lives in Sanford, Maine and is a board member of the Sanford Arts Commission. She also hosts Beat Night at Flourish in Biddeford, Maine and has been published in over 40 anthologies. Claire is happy to announce her third book, Inlets: Memoir Poetry, published by Keeping the Flame Alive Press, is available on Amazon.