Category Archives: Laureate’s News

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by | April 18, 2012 · 3:40 pm

Wonderful Entries: More Poets on the Move~

Here are more Poetry on the Move contest entries.  You will agree with me that there is much talent on the move in the county.

Enjoy! And if you care to leave a comment, I know the poets would love hearing from you.

Poetry on the Move is a project of the Santa Clara County Poet Laureate. All poems remain the property of the authors.

Sally Ashton
Santa Clara County Poet Laureate

* * *

Mornings at SLAC

Steel-toed next to running shoes
(we run to catch beam),
old work boots to the ankle
with nearby sandals and socks,
the richness of penny loafers.
A pair of European calves’ leathers
joins forces with ragamuffin cousins.
Merveilleux!
Each morning we return,
voting with our tired feet.

Janice Dabney
Mountain View

* * *

Don’t relent, invent
Review an old ethic
Traverse the parking lot
With care, a sweeping politeness.
Never rush your shopping cart
On a tear from produce to fresh fish.
The morning walk, rich in eye contact
Vibrant “hellos” to neighbors
Don’t relent, invent, not a gadget
But the simple moment
Of awareness of the other.

Judy Darling
Sunnyvale

* * *

2 Part Invention

part 1 (prelude):

Orchards => Semiconductors;
Canneries => Computers;
Garages => Geeks;
Electronics => Entrepreuners;
Railroad => World Wide Web;
Valley Oaks => Silicon Valley;

part 2 (fugue):

Plant

Look

Imagine

Take

Make

Change

The

Outside

The

A

It

The

Seed

The

Possibilities

Chance

Happen

Entire

Box

Universe

 

Karen DeMello
Mountain View

* * *

On the Path

Late sun molds the purple hills

where I pass clefts of watercress

and hardy chapparal, coyotes’ home.

I find my proper size–a moving point

along a path, as in those Chinese scrolls

of men on mountain roads, bent figures

almost disappearing in white space.

It is enough to be a part of this,

 hair like grass, stirring with every breeze,

 feet falling in rhythm with my heart.

Maureen Draper
Cupertino

* * *

Invention?

Our fragile minds reel at the prospect.
We can do anything! But can we?
Only if we let the mind sing and listen to the chorus.

Anne Dunham
Saratoga

* * *

Grow the Power

Collards and chard
Stir fried or steamed
Sing praise with garlic
Oh happy bones

Parsley, peppers
Anything goes
Hallelujah hair
Testifying teeth

Urban garden
Patience for parsnips
Born again biceps
Pumpkins for joy

April Eiler
Palo Alto

* * *

The sun comes up;
the engineers and entrepreneurs
daily explore all the implications
of digital forms;
they are inventors and schemers,
not designers;
the Great Designer
of user experience is dead;
what’s left?
the specialized ants
who don’t know the color
of the sky.

Bruce England
Sunnyvale

* * *

Alchemy

Can you tell me
What alchemy
Can turn a blooming cherry tree
And a stream of mercury
Into electric energy?
In this valley, we all know
Is where the mind can undergo
Bright, inventive overflow.
It must be in the earth below
What’s planted here, can’t help but grow.

Anne Ewbank
San Jose

* * *

Focal Point

Landscapes shape shift;
Motion blurs everything to gray.
I long to invent a way
to slow the streaming tints:
Pause time for clarity
of sight and mind.

The movement goes on.
I am carried toward what I fear;
I can’t leave this train until I understand
where I’ve been.

Kristina Fluitt
San Jose

* * *

Ocean

At first it may seem improbable
The fountainhead of civilization
Is but the mere human mind.

Yet like a mountain spring,
ideas trickle forth unending;
Consolidate into streams;
Persist into rivers.

Soon enough the torrents betray
The tranquility of the source.
Man has created an ocean,
Which he cannot tame.

David Fong
San Jose

# # #

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by | April 14, 2012 · 2:34 pm

Wonderful Entries: More Poets on the Move~

During National Poetry Month, I am posting all of the Poetry on the Move contestants’ terrific entries. You will agree with me that there is much talent on the move in the county.

Enjoy! And if you care to leave a comment, I know the poets would love hearing from you.

Poetry on the Move is a project of the Santa Clara County Poet Laureate. All poems remain the property of the authors.

Sally Ashton
Santa Clara County Poet Laureate

* * *

Your Mission

Growth and renewal
The latest techie thing
Yet pause to TASTE a mango
In our eternal spring

Create, Celebrate
On a virtual cloud
Or write it with a pencil
Then sing your song out loud

Old, new combining
Accelerating ride
Striving to invent your SELF
Should not be put aside.

by Karen Booth
San Jose

* * *

Invention

With a loud “Whoosh!”
a boy on a bike plows
through a pile of wet leaves.

The rain does not dampen
his fervor to share
the news of the contraption

that finally works
after three cold weeks
and one roll of duct tape.

by Peter Bosel
San Jose

* * *

Valley of the Dahls

Los Gatos legend
Gary Dahl got it right:
the creative mode
imposes fresh conceit
on what is known;
entertain short-term
madness, consider what
the world needs now,
aha!–Pet Rock
in a Box—genius
tempered with silliness
yields long-term success
& again aha! why didn’t
didn’t  I  think of that?

by Jade Bradbury
Los Gatos

* * *

At the Park in Front of the Sainte Clare Hotel

The jacaranda trees are in full bloom, scattering
lavender petals onto the grass.  The sun lingers

as musicians all over the city raise their violins and oboes,
the singers standing warm-throated in the wings,

their movements as precisely choreographed as the workings
of clocks.  Everywhere, stagehands draw open the curtains.

by Leah Browning
San Jose

* * *

Invention’s Family

If necessity is the mother of invention
then hard work is its father.
Project teams are
its often unruly siblings.
Even that bratty nephew, argument,
Is indispensable.
Sure, having fun and adequate time away
help refresh body and mind,
but invention’s family does not grow couch potatoes.

by Richard Burns
Santa Clara

* * *

Silicon Valley

Spawned from orchard dirt,
ideas that changed our world
first sprouted here.
So, sit back, and relax…
breathe in the fruited air.
We’ll get you there and back,
while you dream innovative  products,
create  new jobs,
and  help get our country back on track.

by William Burns
Palo Alto

* * *

Creativity

~an active word with the potential and power to transform ~ to fulfill.
Original and timeless – it touches others with its breath,
Freeing one to the wonders of discovery.
None remain untouched by its sublime influence.

by Cheryl Chelemers
Milpitas

* * *

How do I board thee?
Inspired by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

How do I board thee? Let me count the ways.

I board thee to the level of new platforms
Alighting is safe and swift.

I board thee with the tap of a card
Smart technology invents thy commute.

I board thee with anticipation
Boundless journeys begin and end with thee.

by Brandi Childress
VTA

* * *

Begin
With what you have.
Your head, your heart.
An inkling, thread, or thought.
Turn on the light
To long nights
Of wonder, of making.
Some small space –
One quiet corner
Of the room. Perhaps
The garage
Could be a portal
To your discovery.

by Kelly Cressio-Moeller
San Jose

* * *

Invention

Spark trips over question
lands on need.
This outsider has room to see
the will to do.
It must be.

Takes what is available,
connects the improbable,
forces experts to perform the impossible.

Now you need it.
Gotta have it.
Will pay whatever to get it.
Another millionaire is born.

by Cathyann Cusimano(Fisher)
Mountain View

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by | April 8, 2012 · 4:58 pm

Car Cards: Poetry on the Move

In case you haven’t had a chance to see them on a bus or light rail car yet, here they are! Local award winning artist Joe Miller, also a poet, created these vibrant designs which themselves convey motion.  Let me know when you see them in county transit. Thanks again to all who collaborated in this venture.

I’ll begin posting contest entries this week. It’s an amazing collection of poems I can’t wait to share with you. I salute the writers of Santa Clara County! Happy National Poetry Month!

Sally Ashton
Santa Clara County Poet Laureate

(images below © Joe Miller; poems are the property of their respective authors)

"From the Platform on First Street," Samantha Lê, San Jose

"Accelerate," Dennis Noren, Campbell

"Gravity," Mark Heinlein, San Jose

"Tangents of Invention Early On," Diana Clarke, Sunnyvale

"The Inventor," Danielle Roberts, Santa Clara

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by | April 1, 2012 · 7:15 am

Coming atcha: Poetry on the Move!

I am so proud and excited to announce the winners of the Santa Clara County Poetry on the Move contest. The contest, which ran from mid-December through January 31st, asked Santa Clara County residents to, “Send your best poem, 50 words or less, that in some way relates to the contest theme, ‘Invention,’ poems that celebrate who we are and what we do in Silicon Valley. Write about ‘Invention’ as a subject or a theme, or think of your poem as an invention. In it, capture the spirit of ‘making new’ that shapes our county.”

Over 100 residents answered the call! Through a careful process I curated of first and second readers and a final judge, Jennifer K. Sweeney, author of two books of poetry and the recipient of the 2009 James Laughlin Award, five poems were selected to appear on “car cards” in VTA buses and light rail cars throughout April, National Poetry Month. YES, ride public transit to see their poems overhead AND on free “Take One” fliers. (take one, and pass it on!)

Of her decision judge Sweeney writes, “I felt these five poems best captured the daily human experience and the unique world of the journey–that strange collective life in transit–while simultaneously celebrating the locale in a striking way.  I am excited for the creative offering of this project and for these fine poems which will live in motion shuttling back and forth across the South Bay.”

As am I~Poetry will indeed be MOVING throughout the county. What a fantastic way to celebrate National Poetry Month. AND, I will post Poetry on the Move contest contributor’s poems throughout the month as well, so stay tuned and subscribe, at left, for updates.

And the winners of the Poetry on the Move contest are:

Diana Clarke, Sunnyvale: “Tangents of Invention Early On”
Mark Heinlein, San Jose: “Gravity”
Samantha Lê, San Jose: “From the Platform on First Street”
Dennis Noren, Campbell: “Accelerate”
Danielle Roberts, Santa Clara: “The Inventor”

# # #

Tangents of Invention Early On
by Diana Clarke, Sunnyvale

Seldom is she smooth
as glossy tile,
graceful as windsong,
more jagged, undefined,
a wildflower sprouting
beside a twisty rail.
No spontaneity—
this, too, can be forced
like a bulb out of season.
She longs to soar on a thermion
in a glowing white mist.

# # #

Gravity
by Mark Heinlein, San Jose

The full moon – golden as December
maple leaves, purity of white
orchids in spring –
possesses enough pull to move oceans,
to maneuver titanic levers of tides.

Down here, we need some heavenly
invention to draw us closer,
body to body, as we move
through the days like the moon.

# # #

From the Platform on First Street
by Samantha Lê, San Jose

a dispassionate rain sprinkles colors
onto glassy morning tracks
faded creatures in shapes of blue and sleeplessness –going

gone the warning whistles of the watchful conductor gone
the smoke that caught the wind
and stained the air

# # #

Accelerate
by Dennis Noren, Campbell

perhaps soon you will span
improbable places
impossibly               spaced
perhaps a gritty clarity
will accelerate from waypoint
to waypoint       perhaps you
will footprint here
to there

# # #

The Inventor
by Danielle Roberts, Santa Clara

You smelled of melted wax and feathers,
and made wings from anything

you could place your palms upon:
typewriter teeth, broken rulers, stained

piano keys, broken helixes of DNA—
grizzled like the steel wool of Einstein’s hair—
scorched from soaring too close to the California sun.

# # #

These poems will begin to appear in public transit as of Monday, April 2. Bravo to these terrific local poets! Bravo to the generous contributions of the  sponsors who made this project MOVE: VTA; the City of San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs; Arts Council Silicon Valley; and my terrific graphic artist Joe Miller who designed these beautiful cards. Please ride public transit and check them out for yourself. And please, let me know what you think. It gets lonely out here.

Note: All are invited to a news conference this coming Friday, April 6, in the News Conference room at County Offices, 70 West Hedding, San Jose, Lower level at 10:30 am.

Wooooooooooooot!
Sally Ashton
Santa Clara County Poet Laureate


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by | March 24, 2012 · 9:51 pm

One week from today: Reading the poetry of Rumi

Please join me, Parthenia Hicks, and David Denny for this free event celebrating the poetry of Rumi next Saturday, March 31st through Silicon Valley Reads. Three poet laureates read together with the film “One Through Love” that celebrates the spirit of Rumi’s writings. See you there! Please visit the website for more events and an introduction to this year’s “Reads.”

Sally Ashton
Santa Clara County Poet Laureate

 

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by | March 22, 2012 · 5:57 am

Juan Felipe Herrera: California’s New State Poet Laureate


Appointed today, March 21st, by Governor Jerry Brown!
Coincidentally, Juan Felipe Herrera will be reading at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library, April 4th at 7pm, sponsored by the Center for Literary Arts and Reed Magazine.

How lucky we are!

Let Me Tell You What a Poem Brings
by Juan Felipe Herrera

for Charles Fishman

Before you go further,
let me tell you what a poem brings,
first, you must know the secret, there is no poem
to speak of, it is a way to attain a life without boundaries,
yes, it is that easy, a poem, imagine me telling you this,
instead of going day by day against the razors, well,
the judgments, all the tick-tock bronze, a leather jacket
sizing you up, the fashion mall, for example, from
the outside you think you are being entertained,
when you enter, things change, you get caught by surprise,
your mouth goes sour, you get thirsty, your legs grow cold
standing still in the middle of a storm, a poem, of course,
is always open for business too, except, as you can see,
it isn’t exactly business that pulls your spirit into
the alarming waters, there you can bathe, you can play,
you can even join in on the gossip—the mist, that is,
the mist becomes central to your existence.

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by | March 7, 2012 · 4:33 am

Favorite Poems: Final project reading at Palo Alto Books Inc.

Don’t worry. I’ll still be posting your favorite poems here until we run through the alphabet of submissions, but yes Wednesday evening March 7 at 7pm is the final public reading of your Favorite Poems. Join me as I host this last group of county residents at Books Inc. of Palo Alto, 855 El Camino Real #74 in Town and Country Village, Palo Alto.

A full list of readers appears in the header above. I’m expecting a SRO crowd, so come early, grab a seat, then browse the books for something to take home. I’ve requested they carry “Bright Wings,” an illustrated  anthology of bird poems edited by Billy Collins that looks pretty cool, but there are other discoveries to make, too.

In the meantime, I’d like to offer a shout out to Sal Pizarro, San Jose Mercury News’ fantastic “Around Town” columnist. He not only included an announcement for the March 7th reading in today’s column and promoted there both of the earlier Favorite Poems readings, but was himself an original “Local Leaders”  contributor to the blog, as well as a reader in the first Favorite Poems reading in San Jose last fall. He’s a superstar and a generous advocate for the arts in our valley. Give him a shout out yourself here for all he does for our community and especially in support of poetry.

And don’t forget to come tomorrow night!

See you there~

Sally Ashton
Santa Clara County Poet Laureate

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by | February 24, 2012 · 6:51 pm

Workshop in Lisbon this summer

Dear Poets~

I’m looking to fill a workshop I’ll be teaching in conjunction with the Disquiet International Literary Program in Lisbon, Portugal this summer.Besides a two-week long series of workshops led by me, the English-speaking program offers a rich and wide variety of lectures, readings, literary tours, excursions, film screenings, and immersion in the life of Lisbon, the “most visitable European city.”

I’ll be leading a poetry workshop described here. I’m able to offer participants a 30% discount off the tuition. Full details are on the Disquiet International Literary Program website.

The program’s mission is to deepen mutual understanding between writers of North America and writers around the world, and to broaden the landscape of North American literature and arts outside of the borders of North America.

It’s a life-changing experience that you won’t forget. Contact me at sally.ashton@zoho.com

Sally Ashton
Santa Clara County Poet Laureate

 

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by | February 22, 2012 · 4:40 am

A favorite poem: Paul Dunlap

Elegy for Jane
by Theodore Roethke

Inherent to teaching is the cycle of loss.  Roethke captures the emotional investment and cost of teaching — and living — poignantly.  “Elegy for Jane” was particularly moving and healing when I recently lost students of my own.

Paul Dunlap, 40
English Teacher, Henry M. Gunn High School
Mountain View



Elegy for Jane

I remember the neckcurls, limp and damp as tendrils;
And her quick look, a sidelong pickerel smile;
And how, once startled into talk, the light syllables leaped for her,
And she balanced in the delight of her thought,

A wren, happy, tail into the wind,
Her song trembling the twigs and small branches.
The shade sang with her;
The leaves, their whispers turned to kissing,
And the mould sang in the bleached valleys under the rose.

Oh, when she was sad, she cast herself down into such a pure depth,
Even a father could not find her:
Scraping her cheek against straw,
Stirring the clearest water.

My sparrow, you are not here,
Waiting like a fern, making a spiney shadow.
The sides of wet stones cannot console me,
Nor the moss, wound with the last light.

If only I could nudge you from this sleep,
My maimed darling, my skittery pigeon.
Over this damp grave I speak the words of my love:
I, with no rights in this matter,
Neither father nor lover.


Theodore Roethke

(Note from Poet Laureate: Paul will be one of our featured readers at the next Favorite Poems Reading Wednesday, March 7th at 7pm at Books Inc. Palo Alto. See full list of readers, above. Don’t miss it!)

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by | February 17, 2012 · 7:12 pm

Mark your calendars: Favorite poems reading 3!

It’s my pleasure to announce the final public reading for Santa Clara County’s Favorite Poems project to be held Wednesday, March 7th at 7pm at Book’s Inc. in Palo Alto . Please join me as I host community residents reading their favorite poems collected through the Favorite Poems project.

Earlier events in San Jose and Morgan Hill have proven to be memorable community gatherings in celebration of poetry. Don’t miss this final opportunity.

In the meantime, I’ll continue to post the collected favorite poems submissions here, working through the alphabet by poets last name.  Theodore Roethke’s “Elegy for Jane” submitted by resident Paul Dunlap is up next, so stay tuned.

I look forward to seeing you in Palo Alto next month!

Sally Ashton
Santa Clara County Poet Laureate

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