Sonoma County Literary Update

Dear Literary Folk,

Jo-Anne and I produced a rare mid-month Literary Update in the midst of the fire and ashes of October’s tragedy. Today’s post follows up on the fire’s effect on our literary community, as well as our resilient and creative response to it. The photo of the Buddha amid the ashes is by Ed Coletti, who lost his home when the flames roared through the Fountaingrove area in the early morning hours of October 9.

“Rising from the Ashes—the Heart of Poetry”
Please mark your calendars for Sunday, November 12, 1-2:30 for a community reading at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts. The afternoon event will feature Iris Dunkle, our poet laureate; the poetry of local writers who lives were upended by the fires, some who lost their homes to the flames; young writers; and music by Jean Wong and Marc Helfman. You’ll find the names of many of the readers included in the list below.

Refreshments will be available. The event is free. Sponsored by WordTemple with organizing help from Iris Dunkle, Terry Ehret, Katherine Hastings, Larry Robinson, and 100 Thousand Poets for Change.

Location: 282 S. High Street, Sebastopol.

There are so many who were deeply affected by the fires. I present here a list of those who contacted Jo-Anne and me, or who I’ve been in e-mail touch with. Reacting to the outpouring of support from the community, one of these fire victims, Arthur Dawson of Glen Ellen, wrote, “I’ve lost my house, but not my home.”

If you or anyone you know has been displaced by the fire and in need of assistance, let us know how we can help. You can contact us at sonomacountyliteraryupdate@gmail.com.

The following local writers have lost their homes:

Arthur Dawson, one of our CalPoet Teachers lost his Glen Ellen home in the fire and his niece has established a campaign: https://www.gofundme.com/dawson-fire-fund

Ed and Joyce Coletti: looking for a permanent rental and / or purchase situation. Preferably Santa Rosa. Anywhere from Windsor to Petaluma okay.

Charles Markee
Sally and Shane Weare
Lynn and Mark Trombetta
Jane Mead

Countless others were evacuated and lived for a week or more, anxiously awaiting the fate of their homes. Some of these evacuees include Jodi Hottel, Greg Randall, Toni Wilkes, Jackie Hallerberg, Kathleen Winter, Amy Elizabeth Robinson, Maya Khosla, Clare Morris, Vilma Ginzberg, Jean Wong, Mark Helfman, Stephanie Moore, Tonya Ward Singer, Sarah Amador, Eve Goldberg, Wray Cotterill, Laurel Harper.

Tonya Singer has a blog in which she recounts her experiences during the fires. You can check this out at this link: https://tonyasinger.com/writing-from-the-ashes/. Her poem “Santa Rosa Rising” appears at the end of this post.

Ways to Help
In relation to losses in the fires, Jamie Fitzgerald, at California Poets& Writers, has offered to post any gofundme campaigns or fundraisers for writers on her California listserve. She can be contacted at the LA P&W office, jfitzgerald@pw.org.

You might also consider making a contribution to Poets In Need, a non-profit organization founded in 2000 by Board Members Michael Rothenberg, Norman Fischer, and Leslie Scalapino. Lyn Hyjenian, Hal Bohner, and Suzi Winson.

Poets In Need is a non-profit (501(c)3) organization. Donations are tax-deductible. http://www.poetsinneed.org/
Poets In Need
PO Box 5411
Berkeley, CA 94705

Extended Deadline for Redwood Writers Anthology
Editors Fran Claggett, Les Bernstein, and Linda Loveland Reid have announced an addition to their 2018 anthology. They will open the anthology with a section devoted to poems that will be a testimony to the recent fires. They have extended the submission date to November 15th. For submission guidelines, use this link: http://redwoodwriters.org/wp-content/uploads/Poetry_Anthology_Flyer_Draft_3.pdf

If you have questions, send2018poetryanthology@redwoodwriters.org.

Sonoma County Wildfires Anthology – Call for Submissions
This call for poetry and photography just came in from haiku poet Jessica Malone Latham and community activist and environmental advocate Kristin Maharg Suarez. The anthology aims to give Sonoma County residents a forum to share their voice and create a breathing piece of history. Deadline for submissions is December 31, 2017. Please see Calls for Submissions page for details.

Sonoma County in Print
Authors with recent journal publications, please send the relevant information to editor@socolitupdate.com, rather than to Ed Coletti.

Upcoming November Events
Jonah Raskin launches Dark Land, Dark Mirror, his new noir, murder mystery, at Readers’ Books, 130 E. Napa, Sonoma, Thursday, November 9, 7:00 p.m. Free and Open to the Public. Books will be for sale.

Please check the calendar page for a complete listing of events throughout the county and beyond. Here are a few I’d like to spotlight.

Friday, November 10, 7:00 p.m. Interrupted Geographies Book Launch. Iris Jamahl Dunkle at Copperfield’s Books, 138 N Main St., Sebastopol. More details at: www.copperfieldsbooks.com/event/iris-jamahl-dunkle-0

Saturday, November 11, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. First of four weekly writing workshops with Dan Coshnear at the Sitting Room. See Workshops page for details.

Sunday, November 19, 1:30 p.m. Phyllis Meshulam is featured, reading from her new book, Land of My Father’s War, along with students Rebecca Pugmire and Azul Galvan. Free. Healdsburg Literary Guild Series, The Bean Affair in Healdsburg, 1270 Healdsburg Ave. Open mic follows.

Sunday, November 19, 3:00-5:00 p.m. Occidental Center for the Arts Book Launch Series. The Ballet Lover by Barbara Baer exposes the beauty and cruelty in the professional world of ballet, the intense performances, the backstage intrigues, and the stars, Rudolf Nureyev and Natalia Makarova. OCA: 3850 Doris Murphy Way, Occidental, CAFor more info: occidentalcenterforthearts.org or 707-874-9392.

_________

Poem for November

Santa Rosa Rising
by Tonya Ward Singer

I.
southward ash
heaven help you
destroy safety
heavens drop
western region
mourning
the whole land

II.
fighting brothers
go back. LOOK!
save us from death
our lives your lives
GO!– family, anyone
with you–AWAY!

III.
fighting over
you may go back
you will be strong
look over Jericho
house, land destroyed
you show kindness
father, mother, brothers
treat you kindly
let the house go

IV.
With blessing
your strength will equal heavens
your safety secure
new glorious you
from mourning, now wisdom
hands to all
mighty deeds

_________

Terry Ehret
co-editor, Sonoma County Literary Update