WEALTH OF IDEAS

Featured poets V.S. Chochezi and Rob Anthony It was a night of great performances, like how most Monday nights are at Sacramento Poetry Center. I left the place relaxed and ready to write for the rest of the week. Great audience too (don't you just love people so committed to poetry that they come out on a Monday night and see what we have to offer. Thank you, Sacramento. So now, here are the photos: Lawrence Dinkins (NSAA) opened the session with his signature piece about "getting got". I have heard it so many times that now listening to it is like co-creating. Powerful piece...about..."getting got". Rob Anthony: he recites all his poems, brings them to life on the stage. I liked "I-poet", which reminds poets that what they say dosen't have to be liked: they poet. Both poets kept the audience engaged, each poem followed by applause. Rob and V.S. duo performance. V.S. Chochezi, who calls herself a poet of political consciousness, has performe...

at the Sacramento poetry Center, Feb 15, 2010 Lawrence Dinkins and I, and members of the Sacramento Poetry Center, hung out with dynamic poets: Dawn Dibartolo, Laura Cook, Anna Marrie, and Sean Young. The hosts got to read too: Lawrence read from Langston Hughes, I read Charles Mungoshi and Ignatius Mabasa, and honored Chimanimani by reading my pieces based on Rusitu Valley. It was a great night--very inspiring. Here are some more photos: Dawn Dibartolo. She kicked off the reading with poweful pieces from her new pieces. In her poetry, every word counts and moves. Anna Marie . I stated in a previous post that I love her style--she transforms the stage. She has tentatively agreed to an interview for Wealth of Ideas and Munyori Lit Journal. She treated us to "Poet's Handbag", "Concrete Corners", and a poem about cooking, and many more. Laura Cooks . Dynamite. I first heard her poetry at Queen Sheba restaurant last year, so it was great to listen to her perfo...

We had a great program. Five poets (all dynamic & electrifying performers) and three open mic poets (dynamic too). The room was packed, with some of our audience members standing the whole time. Not too bad for a rainy and chilly night. The reading started at 7:30 and ended at 9:45. Powerful readings get me too excited and I know I will try to spend the a great chunk of the night using the inspiration. That's why I like hosting readings; they act as fuel for creativity. So now I am here thinking about how great the readings were, trying to replay it all over, thinking, perhaps I should revise the poems in "A House for Mother", then finish that one short story about two free-lance journalists who flash their press cards to get service everywhere they go, until they do it in Chimanimani and no one knows what they are doing...., or perhaps post an update about how I am happy about what everyone else is doing: Petina Gappah's official Faber website is up, Ignatius ...

Here is another of our readers on February 16 at Sacramento Poetry Center. Dawn DiBartolo is the mother of three, and resides in beautiful, though legislatively challenged, Sacramento, CA. Several local and online venues have been gracious enough to publish her works, and she has served briefly as guest editor for PoetryNow. In 2005, her book collection of poetry entitled "Love & Other Eternities” was publsihed, and is still patiently awaiting avid readers. In 2007, Rattlesnake Press published a small collection of poems entitled "Blush," and is scheduled to release a chapbook of Dawn's work in November 2009. Dawn DiBartolo is the one the left. I am in the photo too, if you look closely.

Featuring.... Dawn DiBartolo, Khiry Malik Moore, Terry Moore, Indigo Moor, Mario Ellis Hill and more. Hosted by Emmanuel Sigauke …………………………………………………… February 16, 2009 at 7:30pm Sacramento Poetry Center HQ 1719 25th St. in Midtown, Sacramento, California I am still looking for more Northen California Poets interested in participating in this event.