JohnTerlazzo.com

  


Photo by Becki Senft

 

 

 

 

John's new CD:
Live in the Empire of Fools

click here for more information

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

read what people are saying about John's writing retreats ...

The Secret Work - 52 Poems and One Essay

Drunk on Light - an in-depth interview by Jeremy Barnes

Lifting The Veil, an Interview by Deborah Collins

Drinking At the Well, an Interview by Jane Juran


John's Upcoming Events & Performances

Selected Poems : Read John's Poetry

John's Biography

Voices in the Hall

Black Bread & Blood Oranges
John Terlazzo interviewed by Bill Myers

Perfect Chords
Concert Review (3/27/04) by Deb Mandour
The Pour House, Westminster, MD.

Review of Hand Of Mercy by Judith Gennett
The Green Man Review, Portland, Oregon

Listen to John's Music (MP3s)

 

WELCOME, you've reached John Terlazzo's website. John Terlazzo is a poet, painter, singer/songwriter, musician & storyteller. This site, as it unfolds, will feature information about the singer's concerts & recordings with his band, Voices in the Hall, & also details about his poetry readings & books. You'll be able to search his song lyrics, read many of his poems & essays &, from time to time, interviews. The writing retreats & workshops that John has been leading for the last 12 years, entitled, The Secret Tells Itself: Writing as a Contemplative Act, will also be periodically listed. His paintings will be visible (& rotated) in a special gallery section, & there are plans to connect you to an MP3 site to hear some of John's songs. You'll also be able to peruse information about Terlazzo's new theatre group, Eternal Yes Theatre, which presents ancient & timeless folktales from the world's many diverse traditions & cultures performed by masked actors in a surreal "beggar's opera" style.
And, of course, there will be contact information for all of the above.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now available!    The Secret Work - 52 Poems and One Essay

New Studio CD to be released:

New CD:  John, Kristina, Jacob & soundman Doug Smith have been working on a new studio CD, Ecstasy & Longing. Featuring 17 new & previously unrecorded songs, including 2 songs co-written with John's life-long friend, Greg Engle.  Ecstasy & Longing will be available this coming November.

LIVE IN THE EMPIRE OF FOOLS released by John Terlazzo & Voices in the Hall.

Live in the Empire of Fools is a collection of live recordings of the band from various recent public concerts at the Pour House, the UUCY and the Unitarian Church of Lancaster. Unlike most live albums, Empire of Fools consists of 16 songs that are not available on any previous recordings. While you may know some of these songs from our performances, others will be brand new to many of you - and none had been recorded before.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

August, 15 2008 John Terlazzo & Voices in the Hall at Just Plain Yoga
1845 Market St., Camp Hill, Pennsylvania 17011
Cost : $8 Another in a series of concerts in Yoga centers. Details to follow soon.

August, 28 2008 John Terlazzo at The Crimson Frog Coffeehouse
Cedar Cliff Mall, 1104 Carlisle Rd, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania 17011
Cost : Free  7-9 PM John Terlazzo reading from his poems at 8pm with an open reading before & after.

Sept. 5th, 6th and 7th  -  2008 ANNUAL WRITING RETREAT & CAMPOUT  with John Terlazzo
THE SECRET TELLS ITSELF: WRITING AS A CONTEMPLATIVE ACT

October, 25 2008 John Terlazzo & Voices in the Hall at Kin House Concert
6221 Vista Lane, Wrightsville, Pennsylvania 17368
Cost : $8  The concert will take place in Dave Kin’s amazing hand-built straw-bale house, under the huge Buddhist Manjushri mural painted by Bulgarian icon painter Alex Rosenkreuz. The house is located next to Sam Lewis State Park. Details to follow soon.

 

RECENT EVENTS:

July 20th - JOHN TERLAZZO will speak & sing during the Sunday morning service at the UNITY CHURCH OF HARRISBURG, 927 Wertzville Rd. Enola, PA. 17025.  John's topic will be Opening God's Cage, concerning the transcendence of patriotism, religion, personality & ego.  Begins at 10am.

June 29th - JOHN TERLAZZO will speak & sing during the Sunday morning service at the UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION OF YORK, 925 S George St. York, PA. 17403.  John's topic will be An Open Letter to the Young.  The UUCY is a liberal religious community that welcomes all people without exception & that is dedicated to the inherent worth & dignity of all.  We'll look at how our commodity - conscious culture has exploited the young, empower our young & ourselves to rise above the damage done, & wind up the morning chanting kirtan.  Begins at 10 am.

June 20th - JOHN TERLAZZO & VOICES IN THE HALL- performing at Yoga Home, 1750 S. Queen St. York, PA. 17403
John, Kristina & Todd in a beautiful, intimate, candlelit yoga studio for an evening of original song.  It's a comfortable, inviting, open studio, so bring a cushion or something similar to sit on & melt into the floor.  Doors open at 7:30, music to follow. $8

May 17th - JOHN TERLAZZO & VOICES IN THE HALL (JT - vocals, guitar, harmonium, Kristina Machusick - vocals, flute & recorders & Todd Clewell - vocals, guitar, mandolin, violin & viola) MARGIE LEWIS HOUSE CONCERT, 690 Kendale Rd. Red Lion, PA. 17356 (Consult Mapquest).  Parking in the driveway & designated across & along the road.  Music at 7pm.  $8 donation at the door.

May 12th - Into the Wilderness, An Evening of Stories, Discussion, Poems & Ideas with John Terlazzo, at MARTIN LIBRARY, corner of Queen & Market Sts. in downtown York, PA.  Spurred on by a story here, a poem or folk tale there, we will move together into that "wilderness" - that deep space within where modern culture so often forbids us to go.  Our intention here is to create the opposite of "barking head" TV antagonism - ours is a discussion of warmth & dignity where eyes are looked into & we wonder & breathe together. ONCE AGAIN WE INVITE YOU TO BRING SOMEONE OF ANOTHER GENERATION. If you are a young person, please invite an elder.  If you are an elder, please invite the young.  If that is not possible, by all means please bring yourself.  The last time we did this, it was a huge success.  All are welcome - admission is FREE.

May 3rd - JOHN TERLAZZO (Solo) in an evening of songs, poems & tales at the FREDERICK COFFEE CO. 100 N East Street, Frederick, MD 21701, 8-10PM

April 11th - JOHN TERLAZZO & KRISTINA MACHUSICK, and also featuring CHRIS DAVIS - BENEFIT CONCERT
Potluck meal at 6pm, Music to follow.  290 Woolen Mill Rd.  New Park PA. 17352 (in the farmhouse).  Consult Mapquest for directions. Free will donation. (Our good friend, Kalyani, has a loved one in Nepal who is dealing with cancer.  Nepal has no healthcare benefits & no socialized medicine & so this woman is having to deal with the costs of chemotherapy on her own.  The very good news is that while the cost of treatment appears to be way out of her reach as a Nepali national, it is very inexpensive by our standards - it's pocket change for people like you & I.  We can raise it (having a good time) in a single night.  Please join us...)

April 26th - JOHN TERLAZZO & KRISTINA MACHUSICK, in concert to open an exhibit of John's paintings at the BLUE ELEPHANT ART GALLERY. Doors open at 7, Music at 8.  The Blue Elephant is at 4a W. 5th St. Frederick, MD. 21701 (Consult Mapquest) $8 at the door.

Saturday, February 23rd - Rich & Deberrae's POETRY BREW present A Free Public Poetry Reading.

JOHN TERLAZZO & DUSTIN NISPEL
followed by an OPEN READING (so bring poems if you'd like to read) at Yorkarts, 10 N. Beaver St. in York, PA.
7:30Pm, doors open at 6:30, free refreshments prior to the reading.

Wednesday, February 6th - John Terlazzo will read from his new book, The Secret Work: 52 Poems & One Essay, 7PM at Martin Memorial Library, corner of Queen & Market Sts. in the center of York, PA. Sponsored by Martin Library, the evening will be hosted by Jeremy Barnes, who recently interviewed John in the one-hour program, Drunk on Light.

December 12th - John Terlazzo will read from his new book, The Secret Work: 52 Poems & One Essay , 7PM at the Frederick Coffee Company, 100 N East Street, Frederick, MD 21701

Friday, September 21st at 7pm - John Terlazzo will read from The Secret Work, along with poets Barbara DeCesare & Dana Sauers at Dickinson College, at 25 W. High St. Carlisle, PA. 17013 (across from the Carlisle Theatre).  Open Reading to follow.  Consult Mapquest for directions.

 
THE SECRET TELLS ITSELF: WRITING AS A CONTEMPLATIVE ACT
With John Terlazzo - September 7th, 8th & 9th (Friday through Sunday)
 
Poet & Songwriter John Terlazzo will once again lead The Secret Tells Itself: Writing as a Contemplative Act.
Bring your notebook & pen & join us as we wander, write, whisper & wail together beneath the late summer moon.
As in the past, we'll do some new writing experiments together, hike, swim, maybe practice yoga & chant, eat great food, talk & laugh & step easily off the edge into what we do not know.  There will be ample opportunity for folks to read their work aloud, or simply listen as they like.

POETRY READING - Poetry Reading Monday night Aug. 27th at 7:30pm. John Terlazzo reads from his new book of poems, The Secret Work: 52 Poems & One Essay, at the Reader's Cafe. The reading is at 7:30pm, followed by an open Mic, so bring your poems. Copies of John's book will be available on the premises that evening. The Reader's Cafe is at 125 Broadway, Hanover, Pennsylvania, 17331 (717) 630-2524. Consult Mapquest for directions.

Sunday, July 22nd at 10am - I'll be doing a talk & leading the service at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of York, a liberal religious community located at 925 S. George St.17403 (just off of Rte. 83, consult mapquest.com for directions). Below is a description from the congregation's Beacon.

Against the harsh backdrop of a culture born of consumption, greed & violence, we find there is another kind of Madness - a deep, tender Madness wherein lies grace, Liberation & the path to a true sanity beyond words, beyond any dogma.  We'll bathe in these sweet, mad waters together & end the service with Kirtan.

Monday May 14th - Vonnegut Reading - Southern York County Library, Shrewsbury, PA at 7pm

Monday May 7th - Vonnegut Reading - Guthrie Memorial Library in Hanover, PA at 12 Noon

Monday, Apr. 30th at 7pm - Vonnegut Reading - Martin Library  - Poet John Terlazzo will read from Vonnegut’s books including:

Slaughterhouse Five,

A Man Without a Country

And more!

 

Free & Open to the Public.   Hi Ho!

 

Monday,  March 5th -   FREE WRITING WORKSHOP - The Secret Tells Itself: Writing as a Contemplative Act Martin Memorial Library in York is hosting John as he leads a special 8 week version of his Contemplative Writing class.
The workshop will take place at the Library, corner of Queen & Market Sts. in York, on 8 consecutive Monday nights at 7pm, beginning March 5th & it is free of charge to the Public. To register, phone Martin Library at (717) 846-5300 or at www.yorklibraries.org.  SPACE IS LIMITED - REGISTER EARLY!

Thursday, March 8th, 7PM - Poetry Reading - John Terlazzo will read poems from his upcoming new book, The Secret Work. Poetry Thursdays at the Susquehanna Art Museum, Harrisburg Pa 17101

Wednesday, Feb. 21st at 7pm - Poetry Reading - Frederick Coffee Company  - John Terlazzo will read poems from his upcoming new book, The Secret Work. 100 N East Street, Frederick, MD 21701

Friday, Feb. 2nd at 7:30 pm - JOHN TERLAZZO - Full Moon House Concert at the home of Bill Myers & Sandy Means, 790 Spring Lane, York, Pa. 17403. click here for more info

January 24th - JOHN TERLAZZO - solo concert - An evening of Poems, Stories & Songs at Warren Wilson College, Ashville, North Carolina

The Secret Work : 52 Poems & One Essay
So many people have been asking me about this new book of poems that I've been compiling. It's in the works with the printer right now, and I'm very pleased to say so.  Here's one of the shorter poems, called Hidden:
 
 
                             We think we know
                      Where the sheaves of wheat
                        Are stored away & hidden,
 
                                    But when
                             We break the seal -
                                 Only laughter.

 

I know there's been talk of the book being out in time for the Holidays, but I don't think that's likely to happen.  Possible, but not likely.  We're working on it & will be in touch. Folks have also asked if they can place orders in advance - sure.  Just let me know. Hope your life rises higher & higher into Joy,
 
Friday, December 15th at 7pm - FOR PEACE - A WINTER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of York. 925 S. George St. in York, PA. 17403  FREE & OPEN TO ALL
Friday, November 3rd  - Art Show Opening - Woman Abiding in the Stillness - New & Recent Paintings by John Terlazzo - part of the "First Fridays" events in the city.  John's exhibit is at Zanzibar Cafe, 29 E. Princess St. in York, PA. 17403.  (717) 718-7484
 
November 6th, 13th & 20th (all Monday nights) - Into the Wilderness - Contemplative Tales of the East.  On three consecutive Monday nights, John Terlazzo will tell & discuss folktales from various traditions, including Hinduism, Sufism, Tibetan Buddhism, Japanese Zen Buddhism & more, as part of Martin Library's Look East, a celebration of Eastern cultures.  At Martin Memorial Library, 159 E. Market St. in York, PA. 17401  All ages, Free admission.  Each evening begins at 7pm.

From John ...  "There is sometimes, sadly, a misconception that folktales are only for kids - this is not true.  These old stories are hardwired into the cells of our bodies & our psyches.  They are simultaneously transformative & immensely entertaining.  Some of these tales are hundreds or thousands of years old & yet tell us secrets about what it means to be alive now, in this moment.  They're full of Mystery & Wonder as well as slapstick worthy of the Marx Brothers - and it all leads to Truth".

 

Email John: jterlazzo@verizon.net


photograph by Lori Stahl Photography

 

updated Apr. 2nd  '08 by Bill
Site created by Dawn J. Walton


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