An invitation by Alameda Poet Laureate Mary Rudge brought poets laureate together from Lake County and the State of California. Poet Laureate Day was held Sunday, Aug. 6 at the Frank Bette Center for the Arts and Gallery.
“Lake County was so well represented,” commented Rudge in an e-mail correspondence. “Your poets from Lake County are truly fantastic poets in every way ? what a wonderful community you must have to be represented by such talent, such marvelous human beings.”
Poet Laureate Day was co-sponsored by the Alameda Island chapter of the California Federation of Chaparral Poets, Inc. and the Frank Bette Center for the Arts.
Rudge noted that the event would go down in California history as “the first time such a gathering of poets, each of whom has been chosen as the Poet Laureate of a city or county in California, had been held to bring these poets together.”
Lake County Poet Laureate Sandra Wade attended the landmark event, as did Jim Lyle and Carolyn Wing Greenlee, Lake County”s first and third poets laureate. Wade described Rudge as a “true mover and shaker”” who has been to many countries in the cause of poetry, “notably in 2005 to China, whose government is wooing” Western writers in preparation for hosting the Olympic Games.”
Wade reported that from 10 a.m. to noon, the poets mixed and were honored with the arrival of Al Young, poet laureate of the State of California.
“Kevin Patrick Sullivan from San Luis Obispo handed out packs of Major League Poet Cards (Mille Grazie Press, 1995), two sets each of 12 collector trading cards,” Wade stated. “The All Stars set included Lucille Clifton, poet laureate emerita of Maryland; Donald Hall, now U.S. poet laureate; Hawaiian-born Garrett Kaoru Hongo; Galway Kinnell, then-state poet of Vermont; Maxine Kumin, then-poet laureate of New Hampshire; U.S. Poet Laureate Stanley Kunitz; Linda Pastan, more recent poet laureate of Maryland; Adrienne Rich, long-beloved in California; and Bay Area-based Gary Soto.
“Mary Rudge gifed each participant with a copy of her 2002 revised edition pocketbook of poems When the Rapture Comes,” originally a BEATZINE 96 publication. All exchanged business cards and bought each other”s books.”
Following a buffet lunch came three hours of sharing ideas and poetry readings for the public. Artists had been invited to the event and recorded the participating poets through photography, video or drawings. Rudge stated that the photographs and drawings will be installed in a traveling exhibit that accompanies the poets” poems. Rudge reported that Al Young has agreed to write an introduction for the collection.
Wade, Lyle and Greenlee each read from their works. Lyle also read a favorite poem by his successor, James BlueWolf, who was Lake County”s second poet laureate.
Rudge reported that many areas were unrepresented at the Aug. 6 gathering, areas that have not yet recognized the importance of poetry by honoring a poet with the title of poet laureate. “Lake County is impressive for the number of active?poets doing good work with language and the literary arts,” she stated. “We were all very appreciative that we were able to meet them and hear their poetry.”
To contact Lake County Poet Laureate Sandra Wade, e-mail balancesandra@yahoo.com.
Contact Cynthia Parkhill at cparkhill@clearlakeobserver.com.
