The Madtown Poetry Open Mic w/ Amy Elizabeth Gaeta

Art in the cafe...

Laurel Statz


"The Spectator"


December 2025



Laurel Statz is a painter and Madison area native. Her work, while figurative, is influenced by abstraction and minimalism. The paintings often have a quick and instinctual nature, capturing just what’s needed. While she often times herself to eliminate extra details and over-precision, she has ventured into more detailed works as well. Laurel does not attach narrative to her pieces. Rather, she thinks of them like a journaling process for her scatter-brained psyche. The figures in the pieces are meant to be processing tools for the artist and the viewer. She hopes that seeing these figures helps the...
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Ruth Comfort


"The Metaphysical Affect"


January 2026



A diverse collection of mixed mediums, extensively encapsulating my heart and soul concerning the dreams of the human condition. ARTISAN RUTH COMFORT My given name is Ruth Comfort. Named after the amazing artist Louis Comfort Tiffany. I hail from a very long line of artisans and musicians. Even dating back to the great German philosopher...
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Friday, November 4, 2016
8:00 pm

Amy Gaeta is a Boston local who moved to Madison last year to study in the English PhD program at UW. She’s been writing poetry and reading way too much Frank O'Hara since high school. Her creative work overlaps with the themes of her scholarly interests. She deeply considers the potentials of contemporary art, miscommunication, and embodiment. In both poetry, art, and literature she poses and and attempts to answer this question: “Where do our messages go when the sender is unavailable?” In other words, how to treat meaning that occurs without intent and when we least expect it.

For over ten years Ron hosted poetry readings as well as an open mic at Avol's Bookstore in Madison. His poems have appeared both on-line and in print journals. His manuscript, "The Office of Uncomfortable Admissions," received an honorable mention in the Concrete Wolf Chapbook Contest. Ron serves on the board of The Council for Wisconsin Writers, and sells used and out-of-print books on-line under the name Avol's Books LLC. If you have questions about the open mic, call Ron at 608-255-4730, or email him at avols@chorus.net.