Two Black History Month Events, Back to Back

February is Black History Month (BHM). There are celebrations in many spheres of (black) life in America, but nowhere are the celebrations highly evident than in colleges and arts organizations. In line with this spirit, I will be involved in two black poetry events next week.

On Monday, I join Sacramento poet Lawrence Dinkins, popularly known as NSAA (pronounced "ensa"), at the Sacramento Poetry Center, where we will co-host the BHM reading/performance. One mic, four dynamic poets, and as my friend Terry Moore would say, "some of Sacramento's hottest poets". Names like Anna Marie, Laura Cooks, Sean King and Dawn DiBartolo.



If you haven't seen Anna Marrie in action, you better show up on Monday. She performs/recites most of her poetry, and as you are tranformed by the words (transformed on the spot) you see the poet transforming too (seizing not only the stage, but also the entire space inhabited by poet and audience). Dawn DiBartolo has a new publication. I have worked with her in the past and have come to trust that her words will convince you that poetry is here to stay.


NSAA. I know I will read too (forget about hosting for a second and read/perform too); and I will try to convince NSAA to perform as well, and then we will open it to the open-micers. See you there!

Tuesday, February 16: Poetry Festival at Cosumnes River College. I will host three of Sacramento's most vibrant poets, Indigo Moor (does he ever rest?), Terry a O'Neal, who is also very busy this February presenting her Black History Bee contest in schools around the Sacramento and Stockton areas, and Lawrence Dinkins, who never fails to move his audience.... I know the students will love him. For some reason I keep thinking of a Kwasa-kwasa intermissions after each poet, but I will not do that because I will end up being tempted to dance....which could be a good thing.

Indigo Moor

Due to the overwhelming interest in this event, we moved its venue from the Hawks Nest Bookstore to Library 111 at CRC. All are welcome.

Terry a O'neal, will read at CRC on Tuesday, with Indigo Moor and NSAA.

Other Events

There are a lot other BHM-related events throughout the Sacramento County, and I know I will not be able to attend all of them, yet when I do attend some, I will be reading poems from State of the Nation: Contemporary Zimbabwean poetry. I usually start with Ignatius Mabasa's "Cavities", which I introduce as a poem about teeth, but when the reading begins, I like how the audience's eyes widen....

State of the Nation

I always try to fit in some Dambudzo Marechera, Chenjerai Hove, Charles Mungoshi, because you have to do that...honor those who paved the path for themselves, and for us, and we gave ourselves permission to walk on the path, walk along it, all over it, and we are still walking, forever letting ourselves go.

Forever Let Me Go

Then I read my pieces: I find that the piece about bees stinging the green out of a little boy in Mazvihwa is always a shock, but my all-time favorite is "A House for Mother" because it does things to me,and it brings total silence to the audience; then I move on, like nothing has happened, to pieces by other poets.

March promises, threatens rather, to be another busy month. On the 8th I am hosting Heidy Steidlmayer and Jim Powell, national award winning poets. More details on this later.

On April 12, I am hosting Catherine Daly from Los Angeles, and a local poet at the SPC, and remember, April is also the month of writers' conferences and workshops in this area. A conference at the Sacramento Poetry Center (all I need to do this year is show up...well, help out by moving chairs, showing people where things are and nibbling on the ideas shared by the talented presenters); then on April 24, I am teaching two fiction sessions at the "Our Life Stories Writers Conference" at CRC.

In the background of all this, 2010 seems to be the year the Mukoma stories will....find their voice; I am enjoying the revision process.