photo by Katy Brown, Davis
each one i tucked carefully beneath the required soil
added a bit of bone meal, compost
knowing i would forget where... after a day or two...
then a magic surprise at blooming time.
smiling, grasping their tiny colorful faces
in the cusp of my hands
as if a child finding easter eggs
everyone painted, planted especially for me
on this cool winter's day in the sun
dreaming of spring.
—Song Kowbell, Penn Valley
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Thanks, Song! I thought we could use a little color today, a few glimpses of Spring. And look for Song Kowbell's rattlechap, Lick Your Wounds and Want Again, in The Book Collector.
Speaking of Song and her home of Penn Valley (which is just outside of Grass Valley), Kim Addonizio will be the featured reader tonight at 7:30 PM at the Nevada County Poetry Series Annual Fundraiser. Kim Addonizio is a passionate poet, fiction writer, and teacher, finalist for the 2000 National Book Award, and recipient of a Guggenheim fellowship, two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, a Pushcart Prize, and a Commonwealth Club Poetry Medal. Kim has authored four collections of poetry, most recently What Is This Thing Called Love (2004, W.W. Norton). Her previous three books of poetry are from BOA Editions: The Philosopher's Club, Jimmy & Rita, and Tell Me, which was a finalist for the 2000 National Book Award. A book of stories, In the Box Called Pleasure, was published by Fiction Collective 2. She is also co-author, with Dorianne Laux, of The Poet's Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry (W.W. Norton). With Cheryl Dumesnil she co-edited Dorothy Parker's Elbow: Tattoos on Writers, Writers on Tattoos (Warner Books). Her first novel, Little Beauties, was published by Simon & Schuster in September 2005. Check her out at blueflowerarts.com or kimaddonizio.com. Tickets can be purchased at The Book Seller in Grass Valley, Cherry Records in Auburn and at the door for $10 general, seniors and students, and $2 for those under 18, refreshments included. The show will be in the Main Theater at the Center for the Arts, 314 W. Main St., Grass Valley, CA. Info: 530-432-8196 or 530-274-8384.
•••Also tonight (Friday, 1/19), 7 PM: Our House Poetry Series features Elsie Whitlow Feliz and Don Feliz. Our House Gallery is in the El Dorado Hills shopping center; take the Latrobe exit south. Open mic after. See yesterday's post for samples from these two fine poets, both of whom are Snake pals. Don's littlesnake broadside is available free at The Book Collector (or send me an SASE); Elsie also has a littlesnake broadside, as well as her rattlechap, Tea With Bunya.
Later this weekend:
•••Saturday (1/20), 7:30 PM: "Raíces Latinas" (Latin Roots): Los Escritores del Nuevo Sol presents Adrián Arias, a Spanish-language poet from San Francisco’s Mission Cultural Center, who is also a graphic artist. More on him at: http://adrian-arias.blogspot.com. Joining Adrián as MC and co-reader will be our member Jim Michael. Cost is $5 or as can be afforded; no one turned away for lack of $. Info: Graciela at 916-456-5323; more info at the website: www.escritoresdelnuevosol.com. [NOTE: Sacramento Poetry Center's Poetry Now listed this reading for Friday, Jan. 19; then the reader called to say he would have to shift it to Saturday. Hence some confusion. The reading is Saturday.]
•••Also Saturday, 11:30 AM to 3:30 PM: Artists Embassy International presents Confluence of the Arts: Poetry Reading, Art Show, Dance Performance with Notable Poets, Laureates, Dancing Poetry Festival Grand Prize Winners, Poetic Dance, Poetic/Visual Art, refreshments. The Alameda Historical & Art Museum, 2324 Alameda Ave., Alameda, CA. Info: 510-235-0361 or naticaaei@aol.com. (This event is not to be confused with their annual Dancing Poetry Contest, which is held each Fall.)
•••Also Saturday, 2-4 PM: The Central California Art Association & Mistlin Art Gallery announces a poetry reading at the gallery, 1015 J St., downtown Modesto. This reading will feature Mark Nicole Johnson, author of 3x3, Salvatore Salerno, author of Sunleaf, and Gordon Preston, author of Violins. Reception following. The public is welcome.
•••Also Sat., 7-9 PM: Underground Poetry Series at Underground Books, 2814 35th St. (35th & Broadway), Sac. Open mic; $3.
•••Sunday (1/21), 12-2 PM: Sacramentans Chip Spann and Elizabeth Robinson will be reading at Vesuvio in San Francisco, 255 Columbus Ave. at Jack Kerouac Alley (between Broadway and Pacific), San Francisco, CA 94133. Vesuvio, world-renowned saloon (across from City Lights Bookstore) in San Francisco’s North Beach, remains a historical monument to jazz, poetry, art and the good life of the Beat Generation. Chip and Elizabeth say: Each year we gather at Vesuvio to rattle our raucous souls, scream against the injustices and celebrate the joy of being alive. Join in the fun with business people, foreign visitors, healers, philosophers, mythologists, cab drivers, wise elders, off duty exotic dancers and bon vivants. Info: www.vesuvio.com, (916) 446-6160, chipspann@sbcglobal.net or elizabethmyth@sbcglobal.net.
•••Also Sunday: Molly Fisk's January's Boot Camp begins on Sunday (1/21) and runs through Friday, 1/26. You can join the regular camp and write new poems, or you can work on revisions by yourself (same format, same price). This is a great time of year to look at older poems and see what they might need to be presentable. If you don't know about Poetry Boot Camp, here's where you can find out: http://www.poetrybootcamp.com. It's a six-day workshop conducted via e-mail. Molly says it's enormously productive, and tons of fun.
•••Monday (1/22), 7:30 PM: Sacramento Poetry Center features Meg Withers and Truong Tran at HQ for the Arts, 25th & R Sts., Sac. Meg, who is currently working on her MFA at San Francisco State, is a poet, teacher, and mixed media artist from the San Francisco Bay Area who is also the author of Must Be Present to Win (Ghost Road Press, 2000) and a recent winner of the Open Windows award. Her work has appeared in New Millennium Writings, American River Literary Review, Nimrod, Poetry Now and others.
_______________________
CHRISTMAS POEM
—Song Kowbell
It was overwhelming
the flood of consuming
flowing through the streets of local cities
filling the highways and side roads.
it flowed out before them as if it was invisible
and they willingly went with it
completely unaware they were going to drown
in the waste of dogma
wrapped in paper and sealed with tape.
parents giving the gift of future land fills,
oceans floating color coated waxed paper
with smiling santa's and frosty snowmen.
In so deep, they don't even know
they are wet.
________________________
A POEM...
—Song Kowbell
I wanted to write you a poem
of flowers
with no thorns
or broken twigs
but perfect
to heal
pretend it never hurt
in the first place
I wanted to write a poem
that would erase the pain
between us
a poem to unite the broken mangled
pieces of our souls
a poem to squelch the fires
burning in the memory
of our bodies
where anger found a
stopping place
when hurled from mean mouths
of those we've loved.
I wanted to write a poem for you
opening myself
for viewing
_______________________
—Medusa (who dreams of Spring...)
Medusa encourages poets of all ilk and ages to send their poetry, photos and art, and announcements of Northern California poetry events to kathykieth@hotmail.com for posting on this daily Snake blog. Rights remain with the poets. Previously-published poems are okay for Medusa’s Kitchen, as long as you own the rights. (Please cite publication.)
