Sonoma County Literary Update

Dear Literary Folk,

So many Sonoma County literary events to kick off your summer reading and writing! Take a look at the calendar page where I know you’ll find something to inspire you, from workshops on memoir, readings, open mics, storytelling, a chance to hear humorist David Sedaris read from his new book, The Land and Its People: Essays, the art and politics of home gardening, writing and body-movement, and opportunities to celebrate three of Sonoma County’s literary venues

Rivertown Poets Celebrates Thirteen Years
Though founder Sande Anfang now lives in Las Vegas, she’ll be “home” in Petaluma to host the June reading and celebrate the anniversary of Rivertown Poets on Monday, June 1, 6:00 p.m. live at the Aqus Café. Featured readers are the 2026 Sixteen Rivers Press poets Dane Cervine, Carolyn Miller, and Lenore Myers, followed by open mic. The cafe’s address is 189 H Street in Petaluma. See Facebook page for details. Email: rivertownpoet@gmail.com.

Come early to enjoy Aqus’s excellent menu and to sign up for the open mic.

Sitting Room’s Annual Birthday Party
The Sitting Room celebrates its 45th birthday with a party for all at 2025 Curtis Dr., Penngrove. Copies of the Sitting Room’s latest anthology: Who is She? Remarkable Women You Want to Know will be available along with past issues, samplers, free books, and all sorts of lovely “merch.” Tours of the always surprising library and archives will be offered, and there will be cake! No need to rsvp, but if you have any questions, email us at sitting.room.library@gmail.com.

Please park in the church parking lot adjacent or on the street. Those needing assistance should park in the driveway.

Visit the Sitting Room website (sittingroomlibrary.org) to learn more about this fabulous library devoted to work by women, and especially to see what’s coming up in their events, new podcast, and round table discussions.

Also check out this recent feature in the Press Democrat (pressdemocrat.com/2026/04/09/south-county-library-celebrates-women-authors/).

Two Poetry and Music Events at Café Little Deer
(formerly Café Frida)
The first of two June events is on Sunday, June 7, 12:00-2:00 p.m. with Jam Band Poetry, hosted by Sonoma County Poet Laureate Emerita Gwynn O’Gara and the LushCattPark Trio,

The second June event is on Sunday, June 28, 1:00–3:00 p.m. when Café Little Deer hosts a poetry festival featuring Gwynn O’Gara, Anika Snyder, Dan Barth, Sidney Regelbrugge, Michael Riedell, Marjorie Stein, Adrian Lürssen, Blake More,Raphael Block with cellist Wendy Climan.

Both events are at Café Little Deer, 300 South A Street, Santa Rosa. Come early for lunch and chilling. Kitchen closes at 2 p.m.

Poem for June
I recently came across this quote from Kahlil Gibran: “Between what is said and not meant, and what is meant and not said, most love is lost.” A few days later, I read the poem “Diastema,” which local poet Lew Buchner sent in for the monthly poem/short prose feature in the Literary Update (scroll down for details about submitting your work). Lew’s poem explores the potency of the space between memory and loss, action and intention, between what we say and what we mean, between one line and the next.

________

Diastema
by Lew Buchner

There is a word for the gap between teeth:
diastema.

But what do you call the space between
the things we knew we had
and the things we lost?
that blue sock
my favorite wool hat
an old friend’s kindness?

And there’s the gap 
between what we say 
and what we mean: 
sunlight on the branch 
the spider waiting in the shadow —
the shape of the stone 
that alters the way the water flows —
“Yes of course” when I really meant 
“I’m afraid to say no”.

All disappearing into that big smile
and the little space 
where even music stops to breathe 
even the wind leaves room between gusts 
even this line
waits.

________

Lew Buchner is a cabinetmaker and poet living in Sonoma County, California. A longtime practitioner of Zen koan meditation, he writes poems rooted in work, family, community, and the surprising depth of ordinary moments.

Send Us Your Poetry/Short Prose Selections
In 2024, I began featuring a different Sonoma County writer 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). Be patient, as I sometimes have a backlog of poems I’ve selected to publish.

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.

Terry Ehret, co-editor
Sonoma County Literary Update