Dr. Andy's Poetry and Technology Hour

On the 4/17/24 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:Jeri Howitt begins the podcast episode by sharing her love of reading, which inspired her to found the reading series Stories on Stage Davis. This recurring event showcases the stories of emerging and established authors to make the art of storytelling more accessible through visual means. The storytelling frequently intersects with the art in the Pence Gallery, where this event takes place. Nooneh Gyurjyan is the next guest and she discusses her role as Editor in Chief for the creative writing and art journal Open Ceilings. She explains their strategy of compiling two publications a year, each given a thoughtful theme selected by members of the team to aid in the curation process. Robi Castaneda, a second-year music and political science major, closes out the podcast by sharing information about his upcoming piano recital at the Ann E. Pitzer Center on May 3rd at 5 pm.Many Davis, California parents and their children will fondly remember the author, Jeri Howitt, as the Founder/Director of Partners in Learning for over twenty years. Others know her for her work as the founding director of Stories on Stage Davis, the successful event that presents established and emerging authors, with selections of their work performed by professional actors at the Pence Gallery.Nooneh Gyurjyan is a third-year student studying English and Professional Writing at UC Davis. She is an editor by trade, a writer by passion, and a baker by necessity. She is currently working as the Editor in Chief of Content for Open Ceilings, a local literary magazine run by UC Davis undergraduates. Nooneh also works on campus at the ASUCD Coffee House bakery.The Poetry Night Reading Series occurs on the first and third Thursdays of the month at the John Natsoulas Gallery (521 First Street), beginning at 8pm. An open mic follows the featured performer. Come early to find a seat or a spot on the open mic signup sheet. The Poetry Night Reading Series is hosted by Dr. Andy Jones, The Poet Laureate Emeritus of Davis.Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.

On the 4/3/24 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:Dr. Andy is joined by the Poet Laureate of Davis, Julia B. Levine, and shares the intersectionality between the natural environment and the difficulties of her grandson’s experience with leukemia that she has recently been exploring through her writing. She then reads a poem that captured her time at a lavender farm, and another poem, inspired by her husband, about the relationships between wasps and figs. Rebecca Foust is the next guest, and she shares her deep love for reading to live audiences. She shares a poem about marriage and slow erosion. She raises points about awareness and intuition, and their incredible value in the world of writing. Foust refers to this collection of details as fodder for future poems as “gestation.”Julia B. Levine’s poetry has won many awards, including a 2021 Nautilus Award for her fifth poetry collection, Ordinary Psalms, (LSU press, 2021), as well as the 2015 Northern California Book Award in Poetry for her fourth collection, Small Disasters Seen in Sunlight, (LSU, 2014). Recently she has won the 2024 Hippocrates International Prize for Poetry and Medicine, the 2023 Oran Perry Burke Award from The Southern Review, the 2022 Steve Kowit Poetry Prize, the 2020 Bellevue Literary Review Poetry Award, as well as a 2022 American Academy of Poetry Poet Laureate Fellowship for her work in building resilience in teenagers related to climate change through poetry, science and technology. She received a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MFA in poetry from Pacific University. Currently, she serves as Poet Laureate of Davis.Rebecca Foust's fourth book, Only (Four Way Books 2022), earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly and was recently reviewed by Mark Jarmon in The Hudson Review. Her poems appear in journals including Narrative, POETRY, Ploughshares, and Southern Review, and in 2023 won the New Ohio Review prize and were runner-up for the Missouri Review Editors’ Prize. Past recognitions include the James Hearst, Pablo Neruda, and Poetry International prizes, fellowships at Hedgebrook, MacDowell, and Sewanee Writers’ Conference, and a Marin County Poet Laureateship where Rebecca’s program, “Poetry as Sanctuary,” featured readings by local immigrant poets.The Poetry Night Reading Series is excited to feature Davis Poet Laureate Julia B. Levine and Rebecca Foust at 7 PM on Thursday, April 4th, 2024, on the first floor of the John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st Street in Davis. Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.

On the 3/27/24 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:Anthony Xavier Jackson discusses his time in the Baptist church and his love of music, which inspired his poetic journey. Jackson began writing without knowing academia was there, mostly taught by culture and upbringing instead. He found that poetry served as a medicine that assuaged the challenges he faced in life, such as homelessness and addiction. Jackson also shared his dedication to writing poetry as a Black man in a culture and community that fosters writing. He then reads a poem about time spent with his dying father.Anthony Xavier Jackson is a self-taught poet and musician who has been creating songs, poems, and albums of spoken word for several years. Relatively new to the Sacramento poetry scene, Anthony has been featured multiple times at Luna’s Cafe, as well as Sacramento Poetry Center. Anthony has been recently published in Tule Review 2023 and has plans to begin self-publishing his poetry via Amazon self-publishing. Anthony’s influences include Nikki Giovanni, Octavia Butler, William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Edward Ka-Spel, and a variety of writers from all genres and eras, including Sappho. Anthony reads his work Thursdays at The Silver Lining piano bar in Sacrameto, and will be joining in Dr Andy’s Poetry Night on future Thursdays. Having written about addiction, trauma, and homelessness, Anthony is actively involved in recovery and works as a certified substance abuse counselor. Anthony also dabbles on speculative sci-fi themes, as well as about spirituality, race, culture, LGBTQ themes and history.  As he says, “To me the most revolutionary act is self love.”The Poetry Night Reading Series is excited to feature Davis Poet Laureate Julia B. Levine and Rebecca Foust at 7 PM on Thursday, April 4th, 2024, on the roof of the John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st Street in Davis. Please dress warmly.Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.

On the 3/20/24 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:Laurie Glover begins the episode by sharing details about her semester at sea, and the inspiration provided by the nautical environment. While sailing in the Atlantic, Glover finished revising her book, studied translations, and explored her fascination with things left behind. She then reads a poem. Kim Stanley Robinson is the next guest, and he imparts the usefulness of the ecological and philosophical perspective in writing and connecting with the community. Dr. Andy and Robinson discuss Muir, Emerson, and Thoreau. Robinson shares his observations about how these writers return poetry to the people. Susan Wolbarst is the final guest, and she reveals her submission process and the importance of poetry communities and accessibility before reading a poem about mountain lions.Laurie Glover’s poems have appeared in journals such as Terrain, Woman's Studies, and California Quarterly, and her essays have appeared in journals such as Zyzzyva and Boom. In fall 2022, Laurie was one of 28 artists on a tall ship art and science residency in the Norwegian Arctic and in Fall 2023 she spent the fall of 2023 teaching writing and literature courses for Semester at Sea.Kim Stanley Robinson is an American science fiction writer. He's the author of about twenty books, including the internationally bestselling Mars trilogy, and more recently Red Moon, New York 2140, and The Ministry for the Future. He was part of the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Artists and Writers’ Program in 1995 and 2016, and a featured speaker at COP-26 in Glasgow, as a guest of the UK government and the UN. His work has been translated into 28 languages, and won awards including the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards. In 2016 asteroid 72432 was named “Kimrobinson.” Susan Wolbarst has been on a roll with publishing for the last couple of years. She won second place in the California State Poetry Society's annual contest in 2022 and tied for second place in 2023. She has been published in many print and digital literary magazines and anthologies you have ever heard of, in the U.S., Canada, and Germany. One of her most exciting achievements was to be short-listed for the Fish Poetry Prize, judged by former US Poet Laureate Billy Collins. The winner gets to read at a literary festival in County Cork, Ireland.The Poetry Night Reading Series is excited to feature the multi-genre author Kim Stanley Robinson at 7 PM on Thursday, March 21st, 2024, on the first floor of the John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st Street in Davis.Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.

On the 3/13/24 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:Michael Gallowglas kicks off the episode by discussing his favorite aspects of teaching and his methodology when it comes to showing writers how to reach their full potential. Gallowglas features 10 books that have revolutionized the way he writes, the last being his recently published The 4 Principles of Engaging Writing. Before signing off, Gallowglass shares his love for slow writing, details about his Twitch-based writing circle, and the tricks of the trade that can be unlocked on his Patreon. Chio Saetern, the spearhead of a budding Sacramento-based poetry group called “Sac Poetry Society,” is the next guest of the hour. Saetern shares that she now channels her journaling proclivities into poetry. Her experiences at Sacramento Open Mics and poetry classes held at the Verge Center for the Arts have cemented her love for poetics, and that love has pushed her to continue creating poetry opportunities for herself and others in her community. She then reads a closing poem titled “Cosmos.”Michael Todd Gallowglas is a hybrid author (with mainstream and alternative publications), storyteller, and educator from Northern California. He has written over 20 books including novels, short story collections, poetry collections, and non-fiction books. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University, a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction from Sierra Nevada College, and a Master in Fine Arts in Poetry from the University of Nevada Reno, Tahoe. His traditional storytelling show at Renaissance Faires, Celtic Festivals, and geeky conventions has mesmerized audiences for over thirty years.  Chio Saetern is a poet making her debut in the Sacramento area. She can be seen performing her poetry at local open mics. She is also the co-founder of Sac Poets Society, a new organization that welcomes poets of all levels to join in the community and share their love of poetry.The Poetry Night Reading Series takes place at 7 PM on the first and third Thursday of every month, on the first floor of the John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st Street in Davis. Kim Stanley Robinson will feature on March 21st with Laurie Glover.Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.

On the 2/28/24 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:Dr. Andy begins the episode by reading a recently published essay, “The Many Friends of Tito,” a piece written in memory of both Dr. Andy’s late father and late childhood friend. The first guest of the hour is Emilie Lygren, a panelist from the 2024 San Francisco Writers Conference Poetry Summit. In her poetry writing process, she utilizes scientific observation on both her words and herself in order to bring her poems to the edges of understanding. She also shares the joy she finds in working with children, ways poetry can flourish amidst community, and her upcoming workshop on April 17th. She then reads a poem that explores place, nature, and gender nonconformity. Finally, Anara Guard introduces her newest novel set in 1969 and 1970 about a teenage girl who runs away from her parents. It is titled Like a Complete Unknown. On Saturday, March 9th, Stories on Stage, Davis will be featuring excerpts from this novel at 7:30pm at the Pence Gallery.Emilie Lygren is a poet and educator whose work emerges from the intersections between scientific observation and poetic wonder. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geology-Biology from Brown University, and has published poems in several literary journals and anthologies. Emilie's first collection of poems, What We Were Born For, was selected by Young People’s Poet Laureate Naomi Shihab Nye as the Poetry Foundation’s monthly book pick in February 2022. Emilie has also developed dozens of publications focused on nature journaling, outdoor science education, and social-emotional learning through her work at the award-winning BEETLES Project at the Lawrence Hall of Science. In her writing and teaching, Emilie calls on awareness and curiosity as tools to bring people into relationship with place, self, and community. She lives in San Rafael, California, where she wonders about oaks and teaches poetry in local classrooms.Anara Guard is author of the prize-winning novel, Like a Complete Unknown, a collection of short stories, and two poetry collections. Her poems have received the John Crowe Ransom Poetry Prize from Kenyon College, a Jack Kerouac prize, and first place from the California State Poetry Society. Her work has been published in “Persimmon Tree,” “The Ear,” “Gold Man Review,” “Under the Gum Tree,” and elsewhere. She lives in Sacramento.The Poetry Night Reading Series is excited to feature poets Maceo Montoya and León Salvatierra at 7 PM on Thursday, March 7th, 2024, on the first floor of the John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st Street in Davis.Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.

On the 2/28/24 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:Karin Uphoff is the first guest of the hour. She reflects on prompt collecting and the robust open mic line-up at the 2024 San Francisco Writers Conference. Uphoff  reads a poem about living on the North Coast. Lalit Kumar is the next quest, and he explains the chronicling of his travels and adventures in California that constitute his book, Yosemite of My Heart, Poems of Adventure in California. Kumar shares that his dual-concentration in both creative writing and the tech world have provided balance in his life, as well as a greater dedication to carving out time to explore the outdoors. In conjunction with his beliefs surrounding the natural world, he shares a poem about nature, and mentions the inspiration he gathers from poets such as Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, and Dana Gioia . Teresa Pham-Carsillo closes out the episode by unfolding her selection process when it comes to pairing poems with scenes from the Muppets. She then reads a recently published poem, and reflects on her submission process when it comes to publishing poetry.Karin Uphoff is author of Botanical Body Care; Herbs and Natural Healing for your Whole Body (2007). She has published poems in Noyo River Review, Writers of the Mendocino Coast anthologies Hooked and Erosion, California Writers Club Literary Review and Lake County Bloom. Connect with Karin via www.karinuphoff.comLalit Kumar writes a regular column in 'India Currents magazine' sharing his passion for adventure and travel. His latest book, ‘Yosemite of My Heart, Poems of Adventure in California’ was recently released at San Francisco Writers Conference mid-Feb 2024. The book is available in most online platforms and local Bay area bookstores. His first book 'Years Spent: Exploring Poetry in Adventure, Life and Love' was among top three Selects in the Poetry genre featured in ‘Indie Spotlight’ by Publishers Weekly, July 2022. His poems have also been published in various anthologies including Everything Intensely, San Francisco Writers Conference 2022 and Poetry of Diaspora in Silicon Valley. He lives in San Francisco Bay Area, California working in the Technology sector. Teresa Pham-Carsillo is a Vietnamese American writer based in Napa, California. Her poetry, short fiction, and essays have been featured in numerous publications, including The New York Times, Poetry Magazine, The Southern Review, and Black Warrior Review. The Poetry Night Reading Series is excited to feature poets Maceo Montoya and León Salvatierra at 7 PM on Thursday, March 7th, 2024, on the first floor of the John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st Street in Davis.Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.

On the 2/21/24 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:Maria Breaux shares information about an event to be held on Monday, February 26th at the Compassion Corner in Downtown Davis in honor of her late brother’s birthday. In accordance with David Breaux's own radical kindness and generosity, she will be handing out free slices of Boston Cream Pie from 10:30am-11am to celebrate joy, compassion and positivity. She plans to encourage us to love one another and to publish a book that David had in the works. The next two guests are writers Dr. Andy knows from the 2024 San Francisco Writers Conference, Omar Shaker and Karma Bennett. Shaker discusses how he is fueled by ambition, which led to the development of his own health program centered around gumption. Shaker then reads a poem about his daily work. Bennett discusses story circle writing and scene and sequel techniques in order to maintain structure while writing her memoir. Backed by her experience as a marketing strategist, she shares the importance of blogging and social media use in the ever changing world of authorship. She closes the episode by reading her poem, “Attempting to Fathom the Freeway.”Maria Breaux has been a presence in San Francisco's indie filmmaking sphere for over 20 years with films like "Vulveeta" and "Lucha," recognized respectively with Frameline Audience Awards. Maria is also a seasoned marketing writer for notable organizations like the Greater Good Science Center, Common Sense Media, and Pinterest, leveraging her expertise cultivated through a Master of Fine Arts in playwriting from San Francisco State University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Stanford University. Recently grappling with an unimaginable loss—the tragic passing of her brother, known locally in Davis, California, as "the Compassion Guy"—Maria wants to continue candidly sharing her journey in cultivating compassion amid grief, drawing from her brother's profound legacy of collecting definitions of compassion to navigate through the most challenging phase of her life.Omar Shaker is a doctor who left medicine to explore what health really means. He explores "Nourishing the Spirit of Ambitious People" daily through his Gumption Health program, his Sunday substack at findgumption.com, and his monthly in person podcast The Gumpcast.Karma Bennett has been published in the literary magazine Soren Lit and in the anthology Colossus: Home, a collection to benefit Moms 4 Housing. After two decades living in the South she’s escaped to Oakland, CA where she serves on the board of the Berkeley California Writers Club.  By day she runs Future Is Fiction Communications, building websites and marketing plans for authors and nonprofits. By night she is writing a memoir about growing up in a home with Dissociative identity disorder (DID).Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.

On the 2/14/24 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:Michael French returns to the show with Scott Ebersold to discuss The Laramie Project, which is the current riveting contemporary drama organized by the Department of Theater and Dance. Ebersold describes his casting process, and how he utilizes both acting and directing techniques to explore the depths of the characters. Michael French  shares information about upcoming music and exhibit events which can be found using this link: arts.ucdavis.edu/theatre-and-dance. Cami Rothmuller introduces her upcoming larger works: a manuscript about a woman going crazy in the desert titled Crucible of the Sun, and her chapbook. She then reads a poem about a drive with her fiancé, followed by another poem titled, “Great White.” Rothmuller reflects on the networking aspect of the writing world, which she recently experienced at the Kansas City meeting of AWP. Iris Jamahl-Dunkle pinpoints her goal of talking back to history through her writing, specifically the erasure of Dust Bowl literature. She then reads a poem about the romantic relationship between Harry Houdini and Charmian London. Jamahl-Dunkle expresses her deep connection to Charmian London and the similarities in their lives, despite having lived a century apart.Michael G. French is an arts and theatre events marketing specialist for the UC Davis College of Letters and Science. He promotes performances and events for the departments of Art and Art History, Cinema and Digital Media, Design, Music, and Theatre and Dance. Scott Ebersold is a theatre director and recent Artistic Associate of Off-Broadway's Classic Stage Company.  He enjoys directing classics, contemporary works, musicals, devised pieces and world premieres with a broad palette of theatrical styles from intimate multidisciplinary video performances to large-scale commercial productions. Scott recently directed the Off-Broadway Premiere of Max Vernon’s new Musical The View UpStairs that was nominated for 2 Lortel Awards, 3 Drama Desk Awards, an Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Musical and for which Audelco/The Viv nominated him for a Best Director.Cami Rothmuller is an undergraduate at UC Davis, pursuing a degree in English with an emphasis in creative writing, and a favorite contributor to Poetry Night. She recently received the Pamela Maus Award for Poetry and the Lois Ann Lattin Rosenberg English Department Essay Prize. Her newest manuscript is titled A Crucible of Sunlight.Iris Jamahl Dunkle is an award-winning poet and biographer whose work challenges the American West’s male-oriented recorded history by researching the lives of women. Her fourth collection of poems, West : Fire : Archive, was published by The Center for Literary Publishing in 2021. Dunkle wrote the first full-length biography on Charmian London, Jack London’s wife, Charmian Kittredge London: Trailblazer, Author, Adventurer published by the University of Oklahoma Press in 2020 (now available in audiobook). Her next biography, Riding Like the Wind: The Life of Sanora Babb, is forthcoming from University of California Press in Fall 2024. Dunkle teaches at Napa Valley College, UC Davis, and Dominican University, and is the Poetry and Translation Director of the Napa Valley Writers’ Conference. Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.

On the 131/24 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:Dr. Andy begins this jam-packed episode by speaking with Barbara Brandon-Croft, Tara Nakashima and Micahel French about an exhibit they coordinated called, “STILL: Racism in America, a Retrospective in Cartoons.” Brandon-Croft shares the serendipity of her occupation as a cartoonist, and how the exhibit, and talks of a book centered on it, came to be due to Nakashima’s coaxing and guidance. French provides further details about how to view the exhibit. Next Will Alpers introduces his new poetry book that encapsulates his travels, retreats, and experiences as a substitute teacher. He is the featured poet at Sacramento’s SIlver Linings Piano Bar  on Thursday, February 8th. Alpers reads a poem of his about backpacking in Big Sur. Richard Loranger joins the episode and discusses his return to teaching and the fluidity of poetry before reading a poem from his most recent book “Mammal” that explores gender identity. Finally, Toni Rizzo shares information about an upcoming art competition with a pro wrestling twist called “Art Mania.” The event will take place at Sudwerk starting at 6pm on Saturday, February 10th.Barbara Brandon-Croft was the nation’s first Black woman cartoonist to cross the color line into the mainstream press in 1989 with her cartoon feature “Where I’m Coming From,” which appeared in The Detroit Free Press. In 1991 Universal Press Syndicate began distributing her comic strip in more than sixty mainstream newspapers internationally until 2005. Barbara continues to post new comics online today.Tara Nakashima Donahue curated “STILL: Racism in America, a Retrospective in Cartoons.” She also curated the “From Panel to Panel” cartoon/comic art series for Medialia Gallery in NYC from 2008 to 2020. She has curated and consulted for the Brumsic Brandon Jr. Art Trust since 2015, and is also Director of Blueprint, a Supported Education program in New York City.Michael G. French is an arts and theatre events marketing specialist for the UC Davis College of Letters and Science. Will Alpers recently self-published his book of poems and drawings, “The Demon is Curious About My $45 Lunch.” He was raised in Davis, California, and attended UC Davis and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Richard Loranger is a multi-genre writer, educator, performer, musician, visual artist, and all-around squeaky wheel currently residing in Oakland, CA. Their recent book of poetry and flash prose, Mammal, was released by Roof Books in October 2023. They’ve penned five other books and ten chapbooks, and have writing in over 100 magazines and journals. They are soon to start teaching workshops for the San Francisco Creative Writing Institute. Toni Rizzo is a painter and co-founder of Secret Spot, a local art and music lounge coming to Davis soon. Her signature style combines serene and psychedelic backgrounds with high realism portraiture. The Poetry Night Reading Series is excited to feature poets Cami Rothmuller and Iris Jamahl Dunkle at 7 PM on Thursday, February 15th, 2024, on the first floor of the John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st Street in Davis.Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.

On the 2/1/24 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:Dr. Andy is joined by the two featured readers of this week’s Poetry Night, Alan Williamson and Jeanne Foster. Williamson first discusses how lockdown impacted his creative perspective and his life in Italy. He shares his writing process and the restless endeavor of writing literary criticism. He then reads a poem before providing a vignette of life in his 150-year-old Italian home and the musicality of life and community in Italy. Jeanne Foster joins the episode and begins with a preface of her newest book, Your Form Became My Own, which is centered around her own relationship and the “ubiquitous you.” Foster explains her hesitations when writing the book due to its vulnerability, as well as that the writing process lasted many years. She then reads a poem from her book, and her self-perception as a personal poet rather than confessional poet. Foster imparts some final though about poetry as passivity and activity, writing as an equestrial relationship,  and that real emotion in writing must exist between relaxation and intensity.Alan Williamson is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Davis, who teaches in the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers. He is the author of six books of poetry, most recently The Pattern More Complicated: New and Selected Poems (University of Chicago Press, 2004) and Franciscan Notes (Tupelo, 2019). He has also published a number of books of criticism, most recently Dante and the Night Journey (Anthem First Hill Books, 2023). He is the co-translator, with Jeanne Foster, of The Living Theatre: Selected Poems of Bianca Tarozzi (BOA, 2017).A student of Robert Lowell’s and a favorite interpreter of 20th century American poetry, Professor Williamson was the director of Dr. Andy’s doctoral dissertation.Jeanne Foster grew up in New Orleans. She is Professor Emerita at Saint Mary’s College of California and former minister of the Modesto Unitarian Universalist church. Her poems have appeared in numerous journals: the most recent, Literary Matters 16.1. Others include Hudson Review, The Southern Review, APR, Narrative Magazine, Paris Review. Her first poetry book, A Blessing of Safe Travel, won the Quarterly Review of Literature Poetry Award. Among her other books are Goodbye, Silver Sister, poetry, Northwestern University Press: Appetite: Food as Metaphor (BOA), an anthology of poems by women; and a critical work, A Music of Grace: the Sacred in Contemporary American Poetry (Lang). She is co-translator of The Living Theatre: Selected Poems of Bianca Tarozzi (BOA), which won the Northern California Book Award for Poetry in Translation. Her latest book of poetry is Your Form Became My Own (Kelsay Books, 2023). A selection of her poems translated into Italian are scheduled to be published in 2024. Her passion is ballroom dancing and, in particular, ballroom dancing in Tuscany.Dear Friends of Poetry,The Poetry Night Reading Series is excited to feature poets Alan Williamson and Jeanne Foster at 7 PM on Thursday, February 1st, 2024, on the first floor of the John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st Street in Davis.Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.

On the 1/24/24 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:Dr. Andy is joined by Josh Fernandez, who kicks off the episode by mentioning the countless duties in the ongoing project of anti-fascism and his encounters with American neo-nazis amidst the punk rock scene. The two also discuss their proximity to the straight edge movement. Fernandez discusses teaching in the prison system and community college, and the far more authentic cravings for creative writing and literature he observes in the former. After sharing his affinity for writing satirically, developing a tension and combat in his writing, and honoring his wackiness, the self-proclaimed troublemaker himself shares a passage of his book “The Hands That Crafted the Bomb.” Dr. Andy then reads a recent poem called “Water Crossing.” Dave Self is the next guest, who mentions his inspirations and then reads a new poem titled, “Relieving.” This poem, as well of many of Self’s writings and photography, is about interconnectedness of nature and culture. Self shares the enjoyment he finds in events like Poetry Night and the surprise and spontaneity of poetry. Josh Fernandez is an antiracist organizer, a father, a runner, a fighter, an English professor, and a writer whose stories have appeared in Spin, the Sacramento Bee, the Hard Times, and several alternative news weeklies. His book The Hands That Crafted the Bomb: The Making of a Lifelong Antifascist comes out on PM Press on February 13th, 2024. He lives in Sacramento, CA.Dave Self is an Ecologist with 50 years of experience studying, protecting and restoring habitats. Recently retired, he now focuses on ways to renature culture and habitats on daily walks in north Davis. Finding surprising beauty, wonder and hope on these walks, he especially enjoys testing and sharing tasty recipes that start with habitat care and repair. You can enjoy his photography and occasional bits of poetry on Facebook and Instagram.Dear Friends of Poetry,The Poetry Night Reading Series is excited to feature poets Alan Williamson and Jeanne Foster at 7 PM on Thursday, February 1st, 2024, on the first floor of the John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st Street in Davis.Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.

On the 1/10/24 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:Dr. Andy begins the episode with the poem “Elegy” by Aracelis Girmay in remembrance of Natalie Corona, the late Davis police officer who died five years ago in the line of duty. Leonard Cohen’s song “Democracy,” which doubles as spoken word, follows Corona’s memorial, as well as a recorded reading by Robert Creeley of his poem, “The Long Road.” A reading of “Tours” by C.D Wright and “Gift” by Czesław Miłosz is also shared. “Romeo had Juliette” by Lou Reed plays prior to Joe Wenderoth’s appearance on the podcast. Wenderoth divulges his potential relocation to Texas after retirement and his affinity for waterfront properties. Alongside the relocation, he plans to complete his book in the works titled Agony and to use Andy Griffith show episodes to craft generative poetry. He then reads a poem called “Light the Arrows.” Karen Holmberg is the next guest, and she discusses the origins of her poem “At the Preserve.” She then reads the poem, which is about a moment shared with her mother and the elusiveness of perfection. Holmberg closes out the episode by reading a poem about her daughter Lilly.Joe Wenderoth is a writer, performer, musician, professor, and film-maker. He has published six books: four books of poetry, an epistolary novel, and a book of essays.. Joe Wenderoth has been teaching for the Department of English at UC Davis since 2003. This will be his last reading in Davis.Wenderoth’s work is widely anthologized, and has been published in collections and periodicals such as Best American Poetry 2007, Best American Essays 2008, Poetry 180, The Next American Essay, The Best American Prose Poems: From Poe To Present, The Body Electric, The New American Poets: A Bread Loaf Anthology, Harper’s, The Nation, The Anchor Book of New American Short Stories, and American Poetry: Next Generation.Joe Wenderoth has mentored a generation of UC Davis poets. He will be missed.Karen Holmberg has published two poetry collections, The Perseids and Axis Mundi. In addition to poetry, she publishes lyric essays and art criticism, and her first young adult novel, The Collagist, won the 2021 Acheven Prize and will be published by Regal Press/Fitzroy Editions in the spring of 2024. She teaches British Literature, poetry writing, and letterpress printing at Oregon State University, where she is a faculty member in the MFA Program in Creative Writing.The Poetry Night Reading Series is excited to present Joe Wenderoth and Spencer Rico at 7 PM on Thursday, January 18th, 2024, in the John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st Street in Davis. Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.

On the 1/3/24 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:Dr. Andy was joined by three guests, the first being Brad Buchanan. He discusses his multi-genre literary catalogue, poetry readings, chess and his most recent poetry collection, Chimera. He then reads a Shakespeare related prose poem. Carol Lynn Stevenson Grellas joins the podcast next to share her writing and style development process and her 2024 projects. She reads a nostalgia poem and teases her upcoming collection, A Shared and Sacred Space. The final guest is Tzynya Pinchback, who gives insight into being a literary citizen, workshopping, and her manuscript reading process in her cohort. She then reads a pastoral poem. Brad Buchanan’s  poetry, short fiction, and scholarly articles have appeared in more than 200 literary journals, and has published four book-length collections of poetry, most recently Chimera (Finishing Line Press, 2022). He has also published three academic books, most recently “’Indict the Author of Affection’: Affectation and Catachresis in Hamlet'' (McGill-Queens University Press, 2023). His medical memoir, Living with Graft-Versus-Host-Disease, was published by Armin Lear Press in 2021. As some of these titles indicate, his medical challenges and disability have fueled his creativity. He was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma in February 2015, and underwent a stem cell transplant in 2016, which involved physical disability, a lengthy recovery and temporary vision loss. These health problems led to his early retirement from the California State University, Sacramento, where he taught British and Postcolonial Literature, as well as Creative Writing. Carol Lynn Stevenson Grellas lives in the Sierra Foothills and recently graduated from Vermont College of Fine Arts, MFA in Writing program. She is a twelve-time Pushcart Prize nominee and a seven-time Best of the Net nominee. In 2012, she won the Red Ochre Chapbook Contest with her manuscript, Before I Go to Sleep. In 2018, her book In the Making of Goodbyes was nominated for The CLMP Firecracker Award in Poetry. In 2019, her chapbook An Ode to Hope in the Midst of Pandemonium was a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Awards and her latest collection Alice in Ruby Slippers, was short-listed for the 2021 Eric Hoffer Grand Prize,  Her work can be found online and in print and has recently appeared in Mezzo Cammin and Verse Daily. She has served as the Editor-in-Chief for both the Orchards Poetry Journal and  the Tule Review.  According to family lore, she is a direct descendant of Robert Louis Stevenson.Tzynya Pinchback is a disabled mermaid, writing about the Black woman body in nature, in illness, and in joy as a deliberate act. Her poetry appears in various print and online publications and her chapbook, “How to make pink confetti” was selected for the Dancing Girl Press reading series for women poets in 2021. She is currently working on a hybrid cancer memoir and lives in an impossibly small apartment on a herring pond on the south shore of Massachusetts.The Poetry Night Reading Series is excited to present Open Mic Night at 7 PM on Thursday, January 4th, 2024, on the first floor of the John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st Street in Davis. Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.

On the 12/27/23 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:Dr. Andy is joined by one of the most featured guests of the podcast, his brother Oliver Jones. The two talk movies, the best theaters for cinematic experiences, and underappreciated films. Oliver Jones mentions some of his top films of 2023 before they segue into the topics of teaching, academics, and basketball. This episode also features the late D.R. Wagner from a previous episode of the podcast. Wagner shared his affinity for late night writing and interacting with the realm of fantasy. He loved to abandon logic and the expected, as well as to explore the many different voices used when writing poetry. He then shared a love poem from his new book Vigils. Dr. Andy reads a poem of his titled, “The Entangled Angel.”Oliver Jones has spent the past 20 plus years writing about culture, social justice and breaking news for top magazines and websites. As a staff writer for People magazine for a decade, he wrote about some of the defining social issues of our time, including gays and lesbians in the highest ranks of the military, LGBTQ life in the American heartland, and the crisis of African-American violence in L.A. Originally trained as a culture journalist (he’s covered over a dozen Oscar shows), he is equally adept in the world of social justice, covering topics like the failed drug war, the fight for fifteen, and America's education crisis for the Daily Beast, Yahoo!, and others. He is also a film and music critic and writes extensively about art institutions, including the Getty and The Museum of Jurassic Technology. In addition to his work as a writer, he is a journalism professor at Emerson College, where he teaches social justice and entertainment journalism.Known for his impactful contributions to literature and art, D.R. Wagner’s passing marks the end of a prolific journey. His life’s story unfolded through his work, touching countless hearts and inspiring many emerging writers and artists. Despite a long illness, Wagner’s influence remained undiminished, as did his passion for his craft. Wagner’s passing is a profound loss for Sacramento and the broader literary community. His unique voice and compelling narratives will be greatly missed, but his legacy will continue to live on through his remarkable body of work.The Poetry Night Reading Series will return in the new year, beginning on January 4th at 7pm.Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.

On the 12/20/23 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:The producer of Dr. Andy's Poetry and Technology Hour, Helaina Flores, hosts the podcast with KDVS Sports Director and poetry enthusiast, Dyson Smith. The two take a deep dive into the creative process of Larry Greer, his inspirations, his career journey, and the publication of his novel Our Friend Charley. Greer then reads an excerpt from his novel. John Yarbrough is the next guest, enlightening listeners about the behind-the-scenes work of producing the literary magazine Open Ceilings and creative writing as an undergraduate. He closes out the episode by reading a poem of his own. Larry Greer is a former writing specialist at UC Davis who recently published his first book, Our Friend Charley. John Yarbrough is a third-year English major at UC Davis, an amateur poet, and the current Editor-in-Chief of Production of Open Ceilings, a literary magazine based in Davis.Poetry Nights in Davis will return in January, 2024.Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.

On the 12/20/23 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:Dr. Andy is joined by Father Andrew Lazo, where the two discuss ministry and poetry, specifically in the works of C.S. Lewis. Lazo shares the presence of humor in his journey as a high school teacher-turned-priest, as well as in his studies of Lewis. He then shares the Lewis poem, “The Nativity” and discusses the premise of his own podcast. Jane Beal joins the episode and imparts the discipline that is necessary to write, and the practices of reflective writing and thought mapping. Beal also discusses how her role as a midwife shapes her perspectives and emotional responses. She reads a series of haikus about the Descanso Gardens and a poem titled “Epiphany.” Dr. Andy and Alexandria Rockey explore the usefulness of technology, as well as the usefulness of striving towards accessibility within academic courses. As a professor at Bakersfield college, she follows principles in her teaching and in school policy that foster an open line of communication between students and educators. The Rev. Andrew Lazo is an internationally-known speaker and writer specializing in C.S. Lewis and the Inklings. Andrew earned his BA (with Honors) from UC Davis Masters in Modern British Literature from Rice University where he was a Jacob K. Javits fellow in the Humanities. He is a frequent speaker around the U.S. and U.K. and has written several articles on C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien and co-host of Pints with Jack, a weekly podcast on the works of C. S. Lewis. Dr. Jane Beal is Professor of English Literature and recent past Chair of the English Department at the University of La Verne in southern California. She is also a Lecturer in the University Writing Program at UC Davis. She received her BA, MA, and PhD in English with specializations in medieval and early modern literature. She also received a Certificate in Midwifery from Mercy in Action College of Midwifery. She has taught at Wheaton College, Colorado Christian University, and the University of La Verne, as well as UC Davis, and served as a midwife in the U.S., Uganda, and the Philippines. During the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, she completed a graduate Certificate in Narrative Medicine and an MFA in Creative Writing at Bay Path University. Her poetry collections include Sanctuary (2008), Rising (2015), and Song of the Selkie (2020) as well as seven haiku micro-chaps, Journey, Garden, Bliss, Wide Awake and Dreaming, In the Santa Cruz Mountains, Songs of Water, and Wilderness. She has created three audio recording projects combining poetry and music, “Songs from the Secret Life,” “Love-Song,” and “The Jazz Bird.” Her publications focus on medieval history of the world, the Polychronicon; a medieval dream vision poem called Pearl; and the mythology of J.R.R. TolkienAlexandria Rockey is a professor in Academic Technology at Bakersfield College. She has a PhD in Education from UC Davis. With more than 10 years of experience as an educator in K-16 contexts, she has expertise in teaching and researching mobile design, online education, and emerging technologies. Alex is passionate about the potential of online education and mobile-friendly course design to transform access to higher education.The Poetry Night Reading Series, taking place on first and third Thursdays of the month at 7 PM. Our January 4th event will be an entirely open mic. Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.

On the 12/6/23 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:Dr. Andy is visited by this week’s featured readers for the Poetry Night Reading Series, Elana K. Arnold and Mischa Kuczynski, and an additional guest, Eli Payne Mandel. Elana joins the podcast first, discussing her gratitude for the success of her most recent novel, The Blood Years. She shares her perspective on achieving readership and her philosophy as a translator of teen experiences into words. She then reads a few pages from her book. Next, Mischa Kuczynski speaks on style changes as a writer, her own ritual of writing to either complete silence or minimalist, repetitive classical, and the theme of family in her works. She praises the accessibility of writing as a worthwhile and satisfying endeavor before reading her poems, “Milk” and “Lawn.” Eli Payne Mandel closes out the episode by discussing his new book The Grid, translations, archives, compiling works in the manuscript process, and the inspiration provided by the study of a “human computer.”Elana K. Arnold is the author of critically acclaimed and award-winning young adult novels and children’s books, including the Printz Honor winner Damsel, the National Book Award finalist What Girls Are Made Of, and Global Read Aloud selection A Boy Called Bat and its sequels. Several of her books are Junior Library Guild selections and have appeared on many best book lists, including the Amelia Bloomer Project, a catalog of feminist titles for young readers. Her books stir up significant attention and praise, and sometimes controversy. Elana K. Arnold teaches in Hamline University’s MFA Writing for Children and Young Adults program and lives in Southern California with her family and menagerie of pets. She is an alumna of the graduate creative writing program at UC Davis. Her newest book, The Blood Years, is based on the true experiences of her grandmother's childhood in Holocaust-era Romania.Mischa Kuczynski holds an MA in Creative Writing from UC Davis and a BFA in Photography from the University of Utah. A finalist for the 2009 Ruth Lily Poetry Fellowship, Kuczynski has published work in the American Poetry Review, Gigantic, Fence, Sinister Wisdom, and elsewhere. According to Dr. Andy Jones, “Mischa Kuczynski writes poignant, important, and unforgettable poems that stir the heart.” She lives in Davis.Eli Payne Mandel is the author of THE GRID (Carcanet / Changes, 2023), which was named a "poetry book of the month" by The Telegraph. He holds a Ph.D. in English and interdisciplinary humanities from Princeton and teaches as a lecturer at Columbia. The Poetry Night Reading Series is excited to feature the authors Elana K. Arnold and Mischa Kuczynski at 7 PM on Thursday, December 7th, 2023, on the first floor of the John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st Street in Davis.Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.

This episode features a segment from the Discussing Online Learning and Collaborative Education (DOLCE) meeting on Friday, November 3rd, 2023 presented by Narine Yegiyan.Narine Yegiyan, PhD. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of California, Davis. She began her career as a journalist, and her research expertise is Media Psychology. She uses self-report, behavioral and physiological measures to understand how we can design effective media messages. She oversees the Dynamic Interactions in Cognition and Emotion (D.I.C.E.) Lab. She is a recipient of the UC Global Affairs grant to promote international research and has spent her sabbatical year in Georgia to study the role of ethnicity in information processing and teach media courses, She was recently awarded with UC Davis office of the president grant to improve student attention in  online learning environments. Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.

This episode features a recording of California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick's reading and Q&A segment at Poetry Night in Davis on Thursday, November 2nd, 2023.Lee Herrick is the California Poet Laureate. He is the author of three books of poems: Scar and Flower, finalist for the 2020 Northern California Book Award; Gardening Secrets of the Dead; and This Many Miles from Desire. He is co-editor of The World I Leave You: Asian American Poets on Faith and Spirit (Orison Books 2020). His poems appear widely, in The Poetry Foundation, Academy of American Poets, The Place That Inhabits Us: Poems from the San Francisco Bay Watershed, Indivisible: Poems of Social Justice with a foreword by Common, HERE: Poems for the Planet, with a foreword by the Dalai Lama, and Dear America: Letters of Hope, Habitat, Defiance, and Democracy, among others. Herrick serves on the advisory board of Terrain.org and Sixteen Rivers Press. He co-founded LitHop in Fresno.  He has taught in Qingdao, China, and for Kundiman. He was born in Daejeon, Korea and adopted as an infant. He lives with his family in Fresno, California and served as Fresno Poet Laureate from 2015-2017. He teaches at Fresno City College and in the low-residency MFA program at University of Nevada Reno at Lake Tahoe. He is the 10th California Poet Laureate, and the first Asian American to serve in the role.Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.