Richard Merelman, a native of Washington, D. C., is Professor (Emeritus) of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

His research explored the subject of culture and politics in Western societies, including race and popular culture. His The Imaginary Baritone (Fireweed Press) appeared in 2012. It was his first volume of poems. He has published poems in Contemporary American Voices, Main Street Rag, Measure, Stoneboat, The California Quarterly, Loch Raven Review, Common Ground Review, Verse Wisconsin, and Blue Unicorn, , among others. Forthcoming are two poems in Danse Macabre and two in Common Ground.. His most recent publication is The Unnamed Continent, a chapbook from Finishing Line Press, which appeared this February.

The Madtown Poetry Open Mic, hosted by Ron Czerwien at Mother Fool's Coffeehouse, welcomes all forms of poetry. Each month a featured reader is showcased for 15-20 minutes, followed by the open mic. Readers in the open mic are invited to read their original work for up to five minutes. Sign up starts at 7:00pm and the event begins at 8:00pm.

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.