Sonoma County Literary Update

County News

The Update welcomes announcements of interest to the Sonoma County literary community. Send text only (no attachments or PDFs please) by noon on the last day of the month to: editor@socolitupdate.com. No workshops, classes or readings, please. (Those are posted on the calendar or workshops pages.) An archive of announcements may be found at: https://socolitupdate.com/county-wide-news/county-news-archive

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Petaluma Regional Library Re-Opened August 25, 2025

Following an extensive modernization that blends fresh, functional upgrades with the building’s classic charm, the renovated library will be open seven days a week and invites visitors to explore vibrant new spaces for children and teens, private study pods and updated amenities designed to make the library more welcoming and accessible. Details at: sonomalibrary.org/visit/locations/petaluma

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March & June 2025 Café Frida Poetry Festivals on youtube.com

Thanks to Rob Catterton filming the poets and musicians, we can watch these poetry readings at home. The links are below.

June 29th, 2025, Set One: https://youtu.be/91EktPymniI

Jun 29th 2025, Set Two: https://youtu.be/FOeaqdCABDE

March 30th, 2025, Set One: https://youtu.be/JmOwhvm4HMg

March 30th, 2025, Set Two: https://youtu.be/R1zK8zWxeSo

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Sonoma County’s Lit Zines in 2025

Russian River-based Nualláin House, Publishers began print on demand publishing eleven years ago, slowly shifting emphasis away from the production of print volumes of poetry and fiction to the wider readership accessible through the internet. Per poet, translator, editor and publisher Pat Nolan (founder of the Black Bart Poetry Society), “Small presses utilizing mimeograph machines were at the heart of the poetry revolution of the late sixties through the mid-eighties. A blog is equivalent to the mimeo magazine in the 21st century, basically continuing in the old mimeo tradition of fast and cheap, except that the technology is considerably more sophisticated.” Neo-Mimeo Editions is the latest addition to Nolan’s considerable repertoire, publishing work by Andrei Codrescu, Steven Lavoie, Joel Dailey and  Mark Young. Read them here: nuallainhousepublishers.com/neo-mimeo-editions. 

Petaluma-based Wordrunner eChapbooks, a hybrid of online literary journal and chapbook collections, celebrates its 15th anniversary in April. These publications are the contemporary equivalent of pamphlets of popular tales hawked in the streets for pennies a few hundred years ago. The annual anthology, usually themed, features fiction, CNF and poetry; the novella-length chapbook collections are either fiction or nonfiction (memoir). Authors may be local or from anywhere on the planet where English is written, and they are all paid. On the editorial team now are: Susan Bono, Dan Coshnear, Richard Gustafson, Jo-Anne Rosen, Linda Saldaña, Mark Tait, Nick Valdez and Amanda Yskamp. Beginning in 2024, Wordrunner began publishing micro-prose, small collections of gemlike fiction and CNF. Be sure to check out the archives where a wealth of wonderful writing awaits you: echapbook.com/archives.html

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Allen Ginsberg Award for Donna Emerson

Kudos to Donna Emerson whose poem “Who Am I?”  will receive an Allen Ginsberg award at the annual Allen Ginsberg award ceremony in Paterson, New Jersey.  Her selected poem will appear in the Paterson Literary Review, Issue 53, Spring 2025.

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A Poem by Rafael Block Is Now a Film

A 3-minute film of Rafael Block’s poem, Meeting Light/Encontrando La Luz, is now on the Welcome Page of his website in two versions; one with English subtitles, and one with Spanish subtitles.  The poem comes from his book At This Table (published 2023), which is also available as a free audio download. The film may also be viewed on YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=0J8HBqrAl-A&t=1s

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Awards for Poet Karen Pierce Gonzalez

Karen Pierce Gonzalez was recently awarded Best Historical Poem recognition by Four Feathers Press for her poem “P’qualat:en” and a Best of the Net nomination by Broken Spine Arts for “Winter Herd.“

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Armando Garcia-Dávila: Writing With Prisoners

Marlene Cullen posted an article on The Write Spot Blog (9/12/24) about former Healdsburg Poet Laureate Armando Garcia-Dávila’s writing retreat for prisoners at San Quentin State Penitentiary.

“I interacted with inmates over three-day retreats. An unexpected takeaway; there are many decent people, some admirable, that are serving sentences from two years to life. I had an interaction with one particular inmate that was life changing for both of us.”
—Armando Garcia-Dávila

Read more and watch the video of Armando discussing his experience here: thewritespot.us/marlenecullenblog/armando-garcia-davila-writing-with-prisoners

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Voice of Lincoln Poetry Award to Pamela Heck

Pamela Heck’s poem, “On Being Swallowed by a Snake,” won third prize in the 2024 Voices of Lincoln Poetry Contest under the heading Look Before You Leap.  

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Petaluma Regional Library Closes for Modernization

The Petaluma Regional Library closes June 30 for a top-to-bottom remodel, a project that will update the library and improve your experience. The Petaluma Mini Library will open next door (Kenilworth Teen Center) on July 8 at 10:00 am.

The week of July 1-July 7, both locations will be closed while the essentials are moved to the temporary location. Details at: sonomalibrary.org/visit/librarymodernization

Remember that the Online Library never closes. Enjoy thousands of eBooks, eAudiobooks, films, TV shows, databases, magazines, newspapers, classes, and more. Check out these amazing resources at: sonomalibrary.org/elibrary

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