A Press Democrat Blog

Arts

Dan Taylor on the fine arts scene.

Poet Dana Gioia to speak in Sebastopol

Wednesday, at 7:00 by

The WordTemple Poetry Series will present Swedish poet, novelist and literary historian Kjell Espmark, and Dana Gioia, Sonoma County poet and former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, in a reading Saturday, April 13, in Sebastopol. The program starts at 7 p.m. at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 S. High St., Sebastopol. A former professor in comparative literature at University of Stockholm, Espmark has published 13 volumes of poetry. Goia, who has published four poetry collections,… Read More »

Santa Rosa celebrates ’100 Thousand Poets for Change’

Monday, at 8:25 by

Last year, Guerneville poet and web site editor Michael Rothenberg had an idea. He wanted to use the Web to instigate a loose aggregation of poetry readings all over the world, all devoted to fostering peace and protecting the planet. That idea became the first “100 Thousand Poets for Change” last September, with some 700 events held all on one day, in 550 cities in 95 countries. Now he’s staging the second annual “100 Thousand Poets for Change.” The local… Read More »

Ferlinghetti art and poetry show in Sonoma

Wednesday, at 10:41 by

Best known as a Beat era poet and co-founder of San Francisco’s City Lights book store and publishing company, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, 93, is also a lifelong artist. The Sonoma Valley Museum of Art opens “Cross Pollination,” an exhibit of his writings, paintings and graphic works, on Saturday, June 23. The show also includes some of his notebooks and sketchbooks, on public display for the first time. Ferlinghetti’s first collection of poems, “A Coney Island of the Mind,” published in 1958… Read More »

Student poets recite and read at French Garden

Wednesday, at 11:00 by

Think poetry is tired old stuff from centuries past, repeated only by aged professors? Here’s something fresh. Young students, from second grade through high school, will recite great poetry, and read their own work aloud, at “Voices of Youth,” from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, April 21, at the French Garden Restaurant, 8050 Bodega Ave., Sebastopol. Among the student presenters will be finalists from the Sonoma County Poetry Out Loud Competitions, who have memorized some of the greatest poems written… Read More »

Santa Rosa poet comes out with a new book

Friday, at 7:47 by

Aside from occasional public poetry readings, Santa Rosa poet and playwright David Beckman, former New York professional actor and retired advertising writer, has been a relatively quiet presence in the community since he settled here in 2003. But some of his neighbors took notice when his play, “Becoming Walt Whitman,” a drama about a more famous poet, ran for a month at the 6th Street Playhouse Studio Theater in 2010. Now Beckman is coming out with a new book of… Read More »

Bill Vartnaw named Sonoma County Poet Laureate

Wednesday, at 1:45 by

Petaluma native Bill Vartnaw has been named Sonoma Couty’s seventh poet laureate, and will be honored at 3 p.m.  Jan. 29 at the county’s Santa Rosa Central Library, Third and B Streets. Vartnaw has been writing poetry for more than 35 years. He founded Taurean Horn Press in 1974, and has published 14 books, including his own “In Concern: For Angels,” in 1984. The poet laureate is chosen by a committee including representatives from every Sonoma County supervisor district, Sonoma… Read More »

Poets speak up for the parks

Wednesday, at 10:00 by

The new poetry collection, “What Redwoods Know — Poems from California State Parks,” has two things going for it. First, it contains 43 pages of poems written by 14 poets, most of them from Sonoma County. Second, 100 percent of the proceeds will go to the California State Parks Foundation. The book costs $10. The book, published by Katherine Hastings’ WordTemple Press, was prompted the impending closure of nearly one-fourth of California’s 270 state parks by September 2012. And that,… Read More »

New poetry book speaks up for the parks

Friday, at 11:29 by

When citizens stand up and speak out on public issues, they tend to use the professional skills and resources they have at hand. It’s no different with the impending closure of nearly one-fourth of California’s 270 state parks by September 2012, prompted by the state’s budget crisis. Some 70 parks, including 23 on the North Coast, are on the list. Sugarloaf Ridge, Annadel, Jack London and Austin Creek are among the Sonoma County favorites listed. Sonoma County poet Katherine Hastings… Read More »

100 Thousand Poets for Change goes global

Monday, at 5:38 by

What happens when the ancient art of poetry ventures out on the Internet? Verse goes viral. About six months ago, Michael Rothenberg, 60, a poet and web site editor who lives in a cabin on a wooded hillside at the edge of Guerneville, had a idea. He wanted to use the Web to instigate a loose aggregation of poetry readings all over the world, all devoted to fostering peace and protecting the planet. At random, he set the date as… Read More »

100 Thousand Poets for Change

Monday, at 1:37 by

You wouldn’t necessarily expect a worldwide movement to start in Guerneville, but via the Internet, all things are possible. Michael Rothenberg, a poet and web site editor who lives in Guerneville, has been working on an event he calls “100 Thousand Poets for Change.” It’s actually a collection of events scattered all over the world, all set for Sept. 24, and it’s going to be big. “So far 100 Thousand Poets for Change has over 230 cities and 54 countries… Read More »