Sonoma County Literary Update

Dear Literary Folk,

Greetings from LA where I’ve spent four days at the annual gathering of the writing tribes known as AWP. Sonoma County was well represented there, not only by our authors, but also by our culinary products, like Cowgirl Creamy cheeses, Sonoma wines, Lagunitas beers, all prominently featured at every restaurant I ventured into.

It is always fun to hang out at the book fair (600+ vendors), meeting up with old friends and getting to know new acquaintances from all over the country. I found some panels and readings that intrigued me, too, on topics like translation, writing about aging, silence, and addressing climate/ecology issues. Keynote speaker was Roxane Gay, whom I wasn’t familiar with prior to this conference.

A child of Haitian immigrants, Gay hails from Omaha, Nebraska. She gained widespread acclaim in 2014 for her book Bad Feminist, a collection of essays that reflect on her personal experiences, pop culture, and social issues. Gay writes with wit and empathy, which has earned her a devoted fan base. She has also published works of fiction and memoir, served as an editor for various literary journals, and written an opinion column for The New York Times. But perhaps the reason for Gay’s appeal to the younger writers at this conference is that in July 2016, Gay and poet Yona Harvey were announced as writers for Marvel Comics’ World of Wakanda, a spin-off from the company’s Black Panther title, making them the first black women to be lead writers for Marvel.

She is a literary hero to many, and a powerhouse writer who engaged us all as writers and as citizens in dire times. “The pen is not mightier than the sword,” she said. The pen IS the sword.”

When I wasn’t at the conference and book fair, my daughter, who lives in Burbank, introduced me to some of the downtown sites, like Grand Central Market and a used bookstore called The Last Bookstore, which was a fabulous place to pass a few hours: three floors of books of every genre, each with its own theatrical decor: life-size mammoth, Egyptian sarcophagus, bird cage with a raven and skull. Part of the LA vibe is the theatricality of the place.

Another off-site outing was to a literary-themed pub called Catcher in the Rye where Sixteen Rivers held a book launch for our 2025 publications, as well as an open mic for all our friends and guests, such as Santa Rosa poet Jodi Hottel, pictured here.

One of the highlights of the conference for me was the tribute to poet and teacher Brenda Hillman. In my conference notes, I jotted down this Hillman quote: “To live in metaphor is to be eternally hopeful.”  I’m not sure I know what this means, but I feel its truth. Metaphor is the engine of creative thought, the acknowledgment of multiplicity of realities, which may be what we have in English in place of the subjunctive.  How else to speak of what isn’t, but might be? Hope nestles in that “might be.” And we are surely in need of hope right now. 

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International Day of Protest

Throughout the conference, I repeatedly heard talk of a grassroots international day of protest scheduled for Saturday, April 5, 2025. Here’s what I know:

“Tens of thousands of people in the United States and around the world are preparing to take to the streets on Saturday, April 5, in what organizers are calling the largest single day of protest since Donald Trump was sworn in for a second term. With more than 600 events planned across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and multiple international cities, the message is unified and urgent: Hands off our rights, our resources, and our democracy.” (https://thetimesweekly.com/2025/03/global-protests-on-april-5-cities-unite-against-trump-and-musk/)

Keep your eyes and ears open for word of local gatherings and join them if you are able.

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Phyllis Meshulam’s New Book (Re)Creations

Congratulations to Sonoma County Poet Laureate Emerita Phyllis Meshulam on her new book (Re)Creations. The poems in (Re)Creations reframe and reclaim women and the Earth in response to texts like E.O. Wilson’s, The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth, and our heritage of cultural traditions and sacred myths.

“This book offers what is most needed – a deep, personal and challenging journey into Humanity and its visions, lives, questions, and wonders. An incredible accomplishment, a visionary span, a warm-hearted dedication to all life.”
–Juan Felipe Herrera, United States Poet Laureate emeritus

To order your copy: send an email to jerrym@sonic.net, $28 ($23 + $5 shipping)\

Kelsay Books, February 2025, 104 pp.
ISBN #978-1-63980-680-5

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Sixteen Rivers Book Launches in April

April is National Poetry month, and it comes with a flurry of book launches and readings. Here is the information about the Sixteen Rivers North Bay and East Bay book launches. Hope you can join us for one or more of these! Others are listed on the calendar page.

(I realize that the Saturday reading coincides with the national day of protest, but I promise you, we will be making our voices heard through our poems.)

Saturday April 5 at 1 pm
North Bay Book Launch
Readers: Moira Magneson, Patrick Cahill, Bonnie Wai-Lee Kwong, Terry Ehret and Nancy J. Morales
Location: Book Passage Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera

Sunday April 6 at 3 pm
Poetry Flash East Bay Book Launch
Readers: Moira Magneson, Patrick Cahill, Bonnie Wai-Lee Kwong, Terry Ehret, and Nancy J. Morales
Location: Art House Gallery
2905 Shattuck Ave Berkeley

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Here’s a Quick Sampler of What’s in the April Calendar

Uncovering Sonoma County’s History Through Poetry
This is a free workshop with Poet Laureate Dave Seter at the Sonoma County History and Genealogical Library in Santa Rosa on Saturday, April 5, 1:00-3:00 p.m. Learn about documentary poetry, Sonoma County historical topics of interest including past and ongoing injustices, and how to utilize the resources available at the library to make your poems about Sonoma County history impactful. Details and registration: events.sonomalibrary.org/event/placeholder-history-poetry-workshop-dave-seter-73125

Sitting Room Celebrates Black Women Writers
Also on Saturday, April 5, 2:00-4:00 p.m. the Sitting Room Library will host a presentation for National Poetry Month: Conjuring the Past, Speaking to the Present, Celebrating Black Women Writers. Presenters will be Kim Hester Williams & Barbara Beatie. Limit 8. RSVP to JoAnn Borri: joannborri@gmail.com.

Rivertown Voices Presents Two Sonoma County Poets
Rivertown Poets presents a live reading at the Aqus Café on Monday, April 7, 6:15 p.m. The features are Larry Robinson and Fran Carbonaro. Open mic follows the features. Sign up at the cafe. Come early for good seats and dinner. The cafe is located at 189 H Street in downtown Petaluma.

Check out the Calendar page for more events, workshops, and readings.

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2025 Writers Conferences Accepting Applications

Napa Valley Writers’ Conference — July 20-25, 2025
Applications are now open for the 44th Napa Valley Writers’ Conference, napawritersconference.org. The admissions deadline for all applications, including requests for financial assistance, is April 21.

Mendocino Coast Writers Conference — July 31-August 2, 2025
General Registration is now open for our in-person conference taking place from July 31-August 2, 2025 in Mendocino. Reserve your spot in April and save on the conference fee! Registration is open until June 30, 2025. Learn more here.

All conference registrants are encouraged to submit to our writing contest which will be open for submissions until June 30, 2025. There is no entry fee. However, the contest is only open to registered participants of the full three-day conference. Winners will have the opportunity to read their work at the conference, receive credit to the conference bookstore, and winning entries are considered for publication in Noyo Review

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Poem for April

I have been featuring poems by Sonoma County writers each month, but this month, I wanted to offer a poem of resistance and hope. This one is by Tomas Transtromer, and was featured in the anthology America, We Call Your Name: Poems of Resistance and Resilience, published by Sixteen Rivers Press in 2017, in response to the first Trump administration. The poems in this collection are profoundly relevant to our times. You can purchase a copy through our website, using this link: https://shop.sixteenrivers.org/products/america-we-call-your-name-poems-of-resistance-and-resilience

If you have a poem or short prose piece for our next or upcoming Literary Update posts, please scroll down for the submission guidelines.

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Allegro

by Tomas Tranströmer
translated by Ingar Palmlund

I play Haydn after a dark day
and sense an honest warmth in my hands.

The keys are willing. Mild hammers strike.
The tone is green, lively and still.

The tone says that freedom exists
and that someone does not pay the emperor tribute.

I push the hands deep into my haydnpockets,
mimicking one who quietly watches the world.

I raise the haydnflag — this means:
“We do not surrender. But want peace.”

The music is a glasshouse on the slope
where stones fly, stones roll.

And the stones roll right through
but each pane remains whole.

Original poem

Jag spelar Haydn efter en svart dag
och känner en enkel värme i händerna.

Tangenterna vill. Milda hammare slår.
Klangen är grön, livlig och stilla.

Klangen säger att friheten finns
och att någon inte ger kejsaren skatt.

Jag kör ner händerna i mina haydnfickor
och härmar en som ser lugnt på världen.

Jag hissar haydnflaggan — det betyder:
“Vi ger oss inte. Men vill fred.”

Musiken är ett glashus på sluttningen
där stenarna flyger, stenarna rullar.

Och stenarna rullar tvärs igenom
men varje ruta förblir hel.

From Den halvfärdiga himlen, Bonniers 1962
Copyright © Tomas Tranströmer 1962

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Send Us Your Poetry/Short Prose Selections for 2025

Starting in January of 2024, I began featuring a different Sonoma County writer each month at the end of the Literary Update Post. Here’s how to participate.

The theme can be anything you feel is appropriate to the season. I’ve adjusted the subject line so you won’t feel limited to sending lineated verse. In fact, prose poems, flash fiction, creative nonfiction are all welcome, as long as the piece you send is no more than a page in length.

Send your submission to me at tehret99@comcast.net, with “SCLU Poem/Prose of the Month” in the subject heading.

Send me just one submission, no more than a page (or less).

These can be previously published, provided you identify the publishing source. If the piece is not your own, provide the author’s name and source. The author should be a Sonoma County voice, and if contemporary, please ask the author’s permission to submit.

Deadline: You can send the submission any time during the month, but I’ll need to receive your submission a few days before the month’s end to give me time to read, make my choice, and contact the author of the piece selected.

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Terry Ehret
Sonoma County Literary Update Co-Editor