WEALTH OF IDEAS

 

  Presents Unbarred Words: Works of the Incarcerated Writers from Folsom Prison with Bob Stanley, Traci Gourdine, Sean King, Alexa Mergen, Lawrence Dinkins, Nancy Gonzalez, Graciela Ramirez, Minerva Daniel, and Martha Garcia, and JoAnn Anglin    Monday, Sept. 9 at 7:30 PM 1719 25th Street at SPC Host: Emmanuel Sigauke    Rolling Shadow,  by Carlos   My father’s like a shadow that you can never use for shade. Hotter than hell in July, attempting to catch it, but it keeps running away.   My father’s like a rolling stone, rolling on down the hill, past the home. Picking up speed as it goes, so watch it go, and go alone.   Just like a shadow that you can never grasp, but always around Until dusk, when the sun goes down.   He watched a woman raise his three boys while he stayed away, So I was left playing soccer by myself day after day.   When he finally showed up, my anger and disappointment went away. He came...

This is a publication the Sacramento Literary Community has been waiting. It is an eclectic anthology of poems by 117 local poets, and at over 200 pages, it's a  big book, quite a treat for the seeking to get a taste of Sacramento Valley's poetry. In October, there will be several launches and readings from the book. Below are details for some of the upcoming events. Rancho Cordova Library : Book Launch and Reading on Thursday, October 18, 6PM. Free event. Copies on Sale: $20.00. All proceeds go to thge Sacramento  Poetry Center. Antiquite Maison Privee : Contributing Poets read from book  on Saturday, October 20, 6:30 PM. This venue is located at 2114 P. Street, in dowtown Sacramento, CA 95816. I am planning to show up as one of the readers. CSUS Library Gallery:   Thursday, November 4, 4PM. Reading. My poem "Teach Me African" is one of the pieces in this anthology.

FEB 16 -- Bolo and Bullshit: The Other TS Eliot. Josh McKinney is the author of two award-winning books of poetry: Saunter , co-winner of the University of Georgia Press Poetry Series Open Competition in 2002, and The Novice Mourner , winner of the Dorothy Brunsman Poetry Prize in 2005. He has also published two poetry chapbooks: Saunter (Primitive Publications, 1998) and Permutations of the Gallery (Pavement Saw Press, 1996), winner of the Pavement Saw Chapbook Contest. His poems have appeared in over one hundred national journals such as American Letters & Commentary, Boulevard, Colorado Review, Denver Quarterly, The Kenyon Review, New American Writing, Ploughshares, Poetry International, Prairie Schooner , and many others. His other awards include The Dickinson Poetry Prize and a Gertrude Stein Award for Innovative American Writing. He is a four-time Pushcart Prize nominee. Joshua is currently a professor of English at California State University, Sacramen...

Today we feature Bob Stanley, Sacramento's Poet Laureate. Often described as "a passionate member of the poetry community", Bob Stanley is also the president of the Sacramento Poetry Center Board. He teaches Creative Writing and English at CSU Sacramento and at Sacramento City College. His poems have won a number of awards, including the California Focus on Writers prize in 2006 and have been published in numerous journals and anthologies. He recently published his first chapbook, Walt Whitman Orders a Cheeseburger , and he has edited several books, including a collection of poems by poet laureates from different cities in California. I know Bob Stanley as a very busy person, always involved with one event or another, but he set aside a little bit of time to share his reading list and to answer a few of my interview questions. Bobby's Reading List Summerland , by Michael Chabon – A fantasy with a baseball theme. Two Jane Austen novels for the wonderful Sacramento Libr...

Sacramento poets are converging on New Dimension Saturday, September 25 to celebrate an event that has brought poetry to the people for over ten years. The popular poetry series, "The Show at Wo'se" is moving to a new venue. More than 15 prominents poets with showcase their best from 7 to 10 PM. Among the features are Sacramento Poet Laureate Bob Stanley, NSAA, Supanova, Immobme, Terry Moore, Andy Jones, the vibrant Nikki Brock and many more. Music will be provided by Mr Garret Perkins, a smooth jazz artist, and singers Clarenze Davis and Lisa Gardenia will perform. I will read a poem or two as well. Below is my brief interview with Terry Moore,nationally renowned performance poet and coordinator of this event: 1. How long have you been involved with The Show? I have been involved for the entire 10 years. 2. What are some of the most memorable events? Standing on stage and seeing the place completely packed when we have invited guest poets and singers from out of tow...

Poetry Reading, Monday, August 2, 7:30 p.m. Seventeen of 38 contributors from California and beyond will read from the Tule Review 2010 (one poem per poet): Gillian Wegener William O'Daly Lenore Myers Allison Meraz Kathleen McClung Katie McCleary Devi Sen Laskar Penelope La Montagne (also reading a poem by Connie Post) L. A. Jones Taylor Graham Tom Goff Susan Flynn Margaret Duarte Clark M. Dixon Moses Sandra Bozarth Naomi Benaron Franciso X. Alarcón Edited by Linda Collins and Theresa McCourt. Host: Bob Stanley, Sacramento's Poet Laureate Copies of the summer Tule Review (perfect bound) on sale after the reading for $10 (bring check or cash)--all proceeds go to community projects related to poetry. Street Address: 1719 25th Street Sacramento, CA 95816 (Between R and Q streets) SPC Website: www.sacramentopoetrycenter.org The Sacramento Poetry Center is a nonprofit organization, and all contributions to the SPC support poetry readings and many other community projects.

Bob Stanley © SMAC Sacramento poet laureate, Bob Stanley, runs the website County Lines, which is part of the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission. When I talked with Bob earlier today, he said he hopes the website will inform readers about the poetic richness of Sacramento. The website features a different poet every week, and has so far displayed information about eighteen poets. The first post on July 20, 2009 featured Bob Stanely, who describes the function of the website as follows: You may not know this, but Sacramento is full of poets. From Elk Grove to South Natomas, from Folsom to downtown, there are hundreds of people who write, read, and share their poems. Teenagers in Oak Park, retirees in Citrus Heights, college students, state workers, people young and old share this ancient art form. If you know where to look, you can find them, working on their craft, because Sacramento is full of poets. As the new Poet Laureate of the city and county of Sacramento, my goal is to h...

The event was inspiring. I read a Dambudzo Marechera poem first, followed by mine. Then I got to introduce other performers. Well-attended event. For those who may not know the full story, Bob is the newly-installed Sacramento Poet Laureate, who is also the president of the Sacramento Poetry Board, which I am part of. Actually, it was Bob who introduced me to the Sacramento poetry commmunity since I had lived in the city for ten years without participating in poetry events. We were colleagues at Sacramento City College, and one day we started talking and I mentioned something to the effect that I scribbled poetry ( I was seriously putting together my collection), then he told me about the Sacramento Poetry Center, invited me to attend an event. I soon realized I had found an artistic home. More details about the event have been covered by Kate Asche on her blog .

Here is an event I am looking forward to, the installation of Bob Stanley as the new Sacramento Poet Laureate on Sunday October 4. I will be reading a poem or two with other poets that include the former Sac Poet Laureate,Julia Connor, to celebrate Bob's new role.