Poetry is a Network

"The poem is meant to be a network rather than a single rope of thought," says Syrian poet Adonis. Read more about his poetics

October 28 Reading

I will be reading October 28 at the Berkeley Unitarian Universalist Church in a series coordinated by my colleague Mickey Huff. It starts at 7:00, 1928 Cedar St., Berkeley. Donation asked, $5-$10, no one turned away for lack of funds. I will be reading before Nina Barrows-Friedman, journalist and senior producer of Flashpoints investigative radio program.

16 : 1

The fish you see are being tossed out of the fishing boat above. All the fish are dead. In 2008, for every 1 lb. of seafood caught, 16 lbs. of such varied species were killed and tossed back into the ocean.

I read this morning and I felt nauseated. These worthless killings of beautiful species are the cost for me to eat fish?

Read more in National Geographic

Against Multiculturalism?

German's Chancellor, Angela Merkel, this weekend in Berlin declared of a multicultural approach regarding Muslim immigrants: "This approach has failed, totally," she said, adding that immigrants should integrate and adopt Germany's culture and values.
She declared: "We feel tied to Christian values. Those who don't accept them don't have a place here," said the chancellor.

Read the full story

Back from Brazil

Back from Brazil! A fantastic trip!
Now, teaching literature, writing, looking out the window, feeling the air of the clouds. Life is good.

Let's Make A Difference!

One of my students, Jessica Torres-Martinez, during her final research presentation May 17. During her talk on greenhouse gases and their effects, she shared about how both she and her daughter have asthma, movingly linking the personal to our global climate challenge.

I am really proud of the whole class's efforts, with presentations from the worldwide freshwater shortage to how scarcity of clean drinking water disproportionately affects those in poverty in developing nations, especially children.

In her hands is a tree that she made herself from beads! She said that the yellow beads represent the sunlight, the green our forests, the blue the oxygen we need and water we crave, and the brown gnarly trunk the earth we share. Sweet!

I love the photo behind her (which reads "Let's Make A Difference"), highlighting how green the two Americas, connected, can be. The globe is held in the blue swirling dreams of our hopes.

April 19 Reading at Pegasus Books

On April 19, from 7:30-9:00, I will be reading poems at Pegasus Books in Berkeley. Excited to read with Cheryl Dumesnil and Judy Halebsky. Store location All are welcome!