Happy Summer! I hope you are able to find and create some peace amidst the daily hype and charade parade. On Summer Solstice I celebrated my 50th year (in this life form)! I am reminded that what we all do to win with LOVE is our greatest force.
Right at the end of the school year, I had the honor of leading a poetry workshop and sharing the POETree with students of The College of Adaptive Arts (CAA) in San Jose. The vision of CAA is “to provide a college campus for adults with differing abilities where they will have opportunities to learn from a diverse and rich curriculum that will enable them to live full and empowered lives as successful, contributing members of the community.”
The students shared amazing energy, stories and poetry written during the workshop. Thank you to Suzanne Williams, DeAnna Pursai and the students for an incredible time!
Here are some poems from the students:
What if my cancer comes back?
I wish all the military men and women would come home safe.
If I could rule the world, I would have no more poverty.
My name is Aine,
I am from San Jose.
I am a person who likes many things,
like Disneyland and coffee.
I am a person who loves my Irish heritage,
roses, and Thai and Filipino food.
I am a person who wishes there was a cure for cancer.
My name means “splendor, radiance, and brilliance”
My family is a funny cultural mix.
The color of my happiness is pink,
the color of my sadness is deep blue.
The city where I live is Half Moon Bay.
When I grow up I want to be a singer and an actress.
Before I die, I want to travel, get married, still have no cancer.
by Aine Kline
7june16
What if I could walk?
I wish I could go to Fiji for Christmas.
If I could rule the world, I would be a president.
My name is Daniel.
I am from California.
I am a person who likes volunteering.
I am a person who loves helping the community.
I am a person who wishes to go home to Fiji.
My name means “God is my Judge”
My family is Fijian.
The color of my happiness is green,
the color of my sadness is black.
The city where I live is Sunnyvale.
When I grow up I want to work at a Fijian radio station.
Before I die, I want to go to the North Pole.
by Daniel Stickney
7june16
What if money grew on trees?
Would we all be much more greedy?
I wish stars could be collected and stored on a shelf.
If I could rule the world, I would make gas less expensive.
My name is Danie.
I am from San Diego or Escondido.
I am a person who likes architecture.
I am a person who loves sappy TV shows.
I am a person who wishes chocolate was okay to eat
at every meal.
My name means “God is my Judge”
My family is Christian American mutts.
The color of my happiness is purple,
the color of my sadness is black.
The city where I live is Morgan Hill.
When I grow up I want to be a mom.
Before I die, I want to publish three books.
by Danie Weaver
7june16
What if Princess Anna went with me to Disney on Ice?
I wish I could teach dance.
If I could rule the world, I would help everyone learn ballet.
My name is Renee.
I am from San Jose, CA.
I am a person who likes school.
I am a person who loves dance recitals.
I am a person who wishes December 14th
can be every day (25 years old!)
My name means “Born again. First”
My family is Mexican.
The color of my happiness is grey,
the color of my sadness is pink.
The city where I live is San Jose, CA, 95148.
When I grow up I want to be a dancer.
Before I die, I want to be a teacher.
by Renee G.
7june16.
What if I did dishes and laundry?
My name is Steph.
I am from San Jose.
I am a person who likes mom love.
I am a person who loves dogs.
My name.
The color of my happiness is red silk.
The color of my sadness is San Jose, CA.
by Steph
7june16
I wish everyone around me could make their dreams come true.
My name is Earl.
I am from California.
I am a person who likes cold weather.
I am a person who loves to sing.
I am a person who wishes he could go back in time.
My name means “nobility”
My family is wonderful.
The color of my happiness is black,
the color of my sadness is orange.
The city where I live is full of life.
When I grow up I want to travel the world.
Before I die, I want to have children.
by Earl
7june16
Poets of CAA! PRESENTE!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please join us on Sunday, July 17, 4-6pm for LitLumpiaFest!
Instead of a formal Poet Laureate reception (I completely lagged on that anyway), come to a celebration of poetry, lumpia, music, art, kuwentos/talk story, friends and FUN.
Flor y Canto style, lots of guest artists performing! Line up TBA. Art activities, all ages.
Oh, and I’m turning Five-Oh so it will be a birthday bash, too 🙂
Please visit the LitLumpiaFest Facebook event page for details and to RSVP.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Two Miles East – Summer Garden Event Series presents
Visit the Half Breed Facebook event page for details and ticket information.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Call for Submissions to Caesura!
Cæsura Call for Submissions is open now! Poetic Games: The World Versus Silicon Valley Issue. Visit Poetry Center San Jose’s page for Submission Guidelines.
Deadline for submissions: August 5th, 2016 for general public. August 21st, 2016 for PCSJ members.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Call for Submissions to Border Cantos Poems: Call and Response
Border Cantos by Guillermo Galindo and Richard Misrach is still on exhibit at San Jose Museum of Art until July 31st. Nine poets created new work in response to the exhibit (along with poems in response to the Tabaimo exhibit that is open through August) and shared their poems at the annual Poetry Invitational in April. The poems and the event inspired many people. I am planning a print collection of these poems, along with other poems selected through this call, to be published in late 2016/early 2017.
Submission Guidelines: I am inviting you to submit ekphrastic poetry: 1 or 2 poems (no longer than 250 words maximum per poem) written in response to your viewing and experience of the Border Cantos exhibit. Please send in Word doc to me at abiala@yahoo.com along with your name, email, address and phone number. Deadline for submissions is August 30, 2016. **You must visit the exhibit before it closes on July 31st**
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Save the Date – August Event, more details coming soon!
ICA Live!
Peter Foucault and Arlene Biala along with guest artists TBA, Friday, August 5
Performance times: 8pm and 8:30pm
Free and open to the public
NextNewPaper artist Peter Foucault will collaborate with Santa Clara County Poet Laureate Arlene Biala for August’s ICA Live! program. Biala will be reading new poems inspired by the exhibition and Foucault’s custom-built robot, armed with drawing tools, will respond to the sound of Biala’s voice, as well as voice/music of guest artists, to create a new, abstract piece.
Santa Clara County Poet Laureate Blog 