Since Boston is a city of students, I’m going to assume that most people first touch sole to cobblestone on the way to a local dorm room. If this is the case for you, then this is how to orient your poetic self around town.

First, find yourself a newsstand. Buy these:

The Boston Phoenix, a tabloid that comes out every Thursday. It lists all the poetry slams, readings, book signings, literary lectures and everything else you’ll ever need for the following eight days.

The Boston Globe, if you can get the Sunday edition/Arts section, or the Thursday edition which has a pull-out entertainment listings guide.

Now, while you’re waiting for the T, grab a bench, slide your bag between your legs and chart out your itinerary for the next week.

By the way, on your way around town always remember to keep your eyes open. Fliers for open mike events, slams, lectures, and readings are pasted up everywhere. If you keep a lookout, spur-of-the-moment stuff will rescue some of your otherwise-crappy-days.

And this is cruicial: On your next empty afternoon, make sure to visit the Grolier Poetry Book Shop at 6 Plympton Street in Harvard Square, Cambridge. Opened in 1927, it’s the locus of poetry in the Boston area if not the nation. For starters, it houses over 15,000 volumes of poetry. Grolier also sponsors signings by the aristocracy of world poetry, several reading series, an annual poetry festival, and an annual prize anthology. So far this fall Grolier has sponsored evenings with Donald Hall, Bob Hicok, Galway Kinnell, Stephen Dobyns, Jorie Graham, Mark Strand and a host of other people you need to meet. Go there now.

Anyway, now that I’ve got you going, I must admit that some of the worst weeks for poetry all year long inhabit the upcoming Thanksgiving-to-New Year’s time slot. The big names won’t show up again until January. But there’s plenty of grass-roots events to keep you going until then. And hey, up-and-coming artists need support too!

Readings:

Boston Public Library’s Hyde Park Branch, 35 Harvard Avenue in Boston, is sponsoring a discussion on Philip Levine’s book, What Work Is. Tuesday, November 16th at 10:30 a.m. Virginia Lyons moderates.

Borders in the Atrium Mall, Chestnut Hill is hosting the poets Harris Gardner, Joanna Nealon, Laine Senechal and Billy Barnum on November 18th at 7:30 p.m.

MIT presents a reading by poet Michael Gizzi at 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, November 18th at 7 p.m.

Boston Public Library’s Egleston Square Branch, 2044 Columbus Avenue in Roxbury, is hosting poet Meg Campbell on November 18th at 6:30 p.m. She will read from her new book, Solo Crossing.

Ongoing:

The Blacksmith House, 56 Brattle Street in Cambridge, sponsors weekly poetry readings, featuring various local authors every Monday at 8:15pm, $3.00+ at the door.

The Lizard Lounge at 1667 Mass. Ave. in Cambridge between Harvard and Porter Square sponsors a poetry open mike every Sunday night starting at 9:00 p.m., featuring the music of the Jeff Robinson Trio.

New Poets Collective/Agape Poetry features readings every Tuesday of the year except Christmas from 8-10 p.m. It’s held at the Community Church of Boston, 565 Boylston Street (on 3rd floor above Small Planet restaurant. Unfortunately, there’s no elevator so no wheelchair accessibility.) Moderated by Richard Moore. $1.00 donation.

The Stone Soup Poets host an open reading every Monday night from 7:30 – 10:30 p.m. at the Zeitgeist Gallery, 312 Broadway in Cambridge. $3.00 donation.

Touchable Stories hosts a coffeehouse and open mike at Maxwell’s Community Business Park, 65 East Cottage Street in Dorchester every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. $3.00 donation.