Sonoma County Literary Update

Dear Literary Folk,

In mid-November, my husband and I went on a Southwest road trip, visiting some of our favorite National Parks: Zion, Bryce, and Grand Canyon. Along the way, we were often greeted by ravens, especially at the Grand Canyon’s Hermit’s Rest.

My husband wanted to buy me a birthday gift, and in the tiny artists’ colony, called Jerome, outside Sedona, I found a carved onyx raven, just two inches tall. He or she came home with me and sits now on my writing desk.

Ravens have many symbolic and spiritual meaning, including mystery, intuitive wisdom, and connection between birth, death, and renewal. When I picked out my raven from among several, it was the expression in its eyes that struck me. I read curiosity, doubt, and patience: three attitudes that work well together, especially in writing.

Just yesterday, at the Dickens Fair in San Francisco, I sat down in the Athenaeum Club to hear Edgar Allan Poe read his short story “The Cask of Amontillado,” and was delighted when he followed the story with a recitation of “The Raven.” And to complete the corvid theme, this month’s poem, by Brian Martens, is called “Merlin’s Wing—Raven.”

By the way, the annual Great Christmas Dickens Fair is a fun event, well worth checking out, especially if you’ve never attended. You do have to buy tickets beforehand online, but for the price of admission, you get hours and hours of entertainment. You may even find yourself in the middle of a Dickensian scene. https://dickensfair.com/

I’ve selected just a few of the December literary events I hope you’ll find room for in your holiday calendar. You’ll find many more on the Update’s calendar page.

Sea Ranch Book Faire, Workshop, and Reading
Mendocino author (and high school friend) Dot Brovarney sends me word of events happening this month at The Sea Ranch Lodge (located south of Gualala on the coast). For more details: thesearanchlodge.com/programming.

1. Saturday, December 6 — Book-It! at The Sea Ranch Lodge
Free event • 12:00–4:00 PM
A first-of-its-kind event! Come see, listen, and feel the energy of this special Book Faire — a gathering of authors, art-book makers, and publishers displaying their work. Enjoy readings, signings, and conversations with the creators themselves. A perfect chance to find unique holiday gifts.

2. December 13 — WRITE-NOW! at The Sea Ranch Lodge
3:00–4:30 PM (note the early end time as we prepare for the Public Reading that follows!)
Our final Write-Now! session of 2025.

3. The Write Now Writers — 2nd Annual Public Reading
5:00–7:00 PM
All are welcome to participate as we celebrate our writers — hearing original work read aloud to an audience for the very first time. Choose a piece (up to 5 minutes) and step up excited and ready. Invite your friends to join us.

This event follows the Write-Now! session; you’re welcome to use that writing time to craft or refine what you’ll read. It’s all fun, on the spot, and energizing — and you are all amazing.

If you plan to read, please send your name to the organizer, Mark Sanford Gross. You can reach him at writeupthecoast@gmail.com.

Mendocino Refuge
Dot Brovarney has written a history of Lake Leonard, which will be featured at the Sea Ranch Book Faire. Based on letters and memorabilia discovered in an old trunk, Brovarney’s brilliant research brings to life the history of the first settlers and the landscape they called home.

Celebrate Jane Austen’s 250th birthday!
Saturday, December 6, 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. The Sitting Room Library celebrates Jane Austen with Raye Lynn Thomas. It will be an afternoon to share with the group noteworthy articles, exhibits, videos you’ve discovered, as well as share favorite characters, scenes, and/or quotes memorable from your own Austen reading. More details: sittingroomlibrary.org/round-tables

A Child’s Christmas in Wales
On Tuesday, December 9, 5-7 pm, Barrel Proof Lounge and Timothy Williams present Dylan Thomas’s holiday classic, “A Child’s Christmas in Wales.” Thomas’s piece will be read by Dave Seter, Chappell Hold, and Annika Snyder. Rob Catterton will perform on piano. There will be a tree lighting ceremony, poetry, and song to welcome the season. This festive event will be held at Barrel Proof Lounge, 501 Mendocino Ave. in Santa Rosa. Come and join the fun!

Are You Listed in Our Directory of Writers?
One of the reasons I started the Sonoma County Literary Update was to help writers in our community find each other. Towards this purpose, the Literary Update includes a directory of Sonoma County Writers. Check it out at https://socolitupdate.com/directory-of-writers/.

I’ve had my listing posted for years, but when I checked it recently, I realized some of the information is out of date (like a landline phone number I haven’t used in quite a while. If you are already listed, it may be time to update your profile with a new photo or contact information, list of publications—whatever you’d like people to know about your writing.

If you are interested in being listed, e-mail the material you would like included: e.g., photo (jpg), a one-paragraph bio with web and/or blog links, and contact information. (Do not ask us to assemble material from your website. The bio is your responsibility.) E-mail to sonomacountyliteraryupdate@gmail.com.

____

Poem for December

Merlin’s Wing—Raven
by Brian R Martens

Iridescent black, glowing colors
speaking the wisdom of myth,
your cawing musical voice
showing the illusive trickster. 

Your trick, playing me,
I gasp as you dive,
speeding like a tucked bullet,
vision carving sky and nest,
wings touch the sound of air.

Sculpting myth to trust the unseen.
Legend follows you as I grow my wings.
Tell me more stories,
dip your wings into gold.

You perch on my shoulder
speaking your language to my hollow ear.
Your antics of flight follow. 
I feel you rise, wings
bursting through fog, light, and air.

___

Brian R Martens: Poet, Author of Three Raven Gate, Creativity Facilitator, International Speaker, Myth Maker, California Poets in the Schools Instructor, Podcaster, www.brianrmartens.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Send Us Your Poetry/Short Prose Selections
Starting in January of 2024, I began featuring a different Sonoma County writer each month 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
Sonoma County Literary Update Co-Editor

Dear literary folk,

Travels in the Southwest
November is my natal month, one of the reasons I’ve always been so fond of Autumn: its scents and flavors, its rich shadows and slanting afternoon light. This year, I turn 70 (Yikes!), and to celebrate, My husband and I are spending two weeks on a Southwest road trip: Zion, Bryce, Grand Canyon, Sedona, and other sites along the way. With no end of the government shut-down in sight, we weren’t sure if the National Parks would even be open. They are, but I know many a park ranger who wishes it were otherwise, as there is no money to pay the forest service to maintain the parks, lead hikes and tours, give talks,  and keep vandals from doing what vandals do. We will tread lightly wherever we go.

Though we have visited all these places before, as teachers, summer was our time to travel, and the heat has sometimes been too much for me. I don’t know what November will bring—possibly rain and dustings of snow. We’ve booked our stays at the National Park Lodges, so whatever the weather, we’ll be fine. We’re looking for an adventure, but a quiet snowy day by the fire sounds good, too.

I’ll report back in my December post.

El Dia de los Muertos
Today is El Día de los Muertos, and all month long the Sonoma County community has been engaged in performances and events, music, skull-making, decorating ofrendas leading up to tonight’s candlelight procession and street fair.

I had the chance to participate in two literary evening in October, both focusing of El Día de los Muertos. The first was the annual Poesía de Recuerdo/Poetry of Remembrance Community Reading at the Historical Museum in Petaluma. Thanks so much to organizers Gloria McCallister and John Johnson; the daughters of Beatriz Lagos, who read her poems so brilliantly; featured poets and open mic participants; and our Sonoma County poet laureate Dave Seter, who emceed the evening.

My thanks also to Timothy Williams, Rob Catterton, and Shawna Swetech for putting together a great evening of music and poetry at the Barrel Proof Lounge in Santa Rosa, which is a great new venue. They have a terrific performance stage and sound system. Keep an eye out for events that will be showing up here in the near future.

NaNoWriMo?
I went looking for the website for NaNoWriMo (National November Writing Month) to see what was up for fiction writers this month. The familiar website appears to be defunct, but it its place is something called “Novel November.”

The pitch is the same: “You’ve dreamed of writing a novel. Now it’s time to actually do it. Join thousands of writers around the world pushing through doubt, distractions, and writer’s block to write 50,000 words in 30 days. ProWritingAid offers to take your story from blank page to first draft in just one month.”

I must admit, it looks like an AI transformation to me, but then. I haven’t participated in NaNoWriMo, so I’m not a fair judge.

So I’m looking for someone in our literary community with a little NaNoWriMo experience to check back in during the month of November and let us know how the “Novel November” is working out. Details: prowritingaid.com/novel-november

Haiku on the River
Haiku Hand-Off :A Night of Collaborative Haiku Poetry Writing on Thursday, November 6 at 7:00 p.m.. Join the Haikuists and Russian River Books and Letters for an evening of haiku poetry writing on vintage typewriters. Wine and light snacks will be served! 14045 Armstrong Woods Road, Guerneville.

Unruly Book Talk
On Wednesday, November 10, 6:00 p.m. Readers’ Books in Sonoma presents the 2025 Annual Unruly Book Talk. This sounds a little like speed-dating with books: Readers’ Books buyers, Jude and Rosie, highlight their personal, curated recommendations for 2025. This rapid-fire talk aims to showcase 60 books within an hour, making it perfect for book clubs or those seeking gift ideas for the holiday season.

Not Just Pretty
Saturday, November 8, 12:00 p.m. The second in the 3-part Zoom series #NotJustPretty. The project, hosted by Karen Pierce Gonzalez and sponsored by Broken Spine Arts (UK),  is a gathering of women poets, filmmakers, and artists around the world who are breaking down stereotypes about what a woman can be. Special guests for the launch: poets Phynne-Belle and Debby Segan, and Artist Sylvia Van Nooten. There will also be an open mic (the list is now filled but do stop by to listen). Join the zoom at: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85794270640 (Meeting ID: 857 9427 0640  Passcode: 987381). More details: karenpiercegonzalez.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_19.html

Book Launch for Giacometti’s Last Ride, by Bart Schneider
My friend and publisher Bart Schneider has a new book hot off the presses: Giacommeti’s last Ride. For this project, a fictional look at Giacometti’s life and work, Schneider has tapped the talents of Sonoma artists Chester Arnold.

The artist Giacometti, born in Switzerland, worked in Paris, and this is where Bart’s novel is set. Bart brings to life this artist’s world with its rich assortment of complicated characters, and creates what Jonah Raskin calls the balancing bookend to Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. In “A Country for Old Men,” Raskin’s review of Bart’s book, he says,” The novel that Schneider and Arnold have assembled with words and images explores a country of old men, white and European, that provides a model for growing old with dignity.”

Bart Schneider grew up in San Francisco and lives in Sonoma. He spent twenty-five years living and working in Minnesota, where he was the founding editor of Hungry Mind Review and Speakeasy Magazine. He is the author of two poetry collections, Morning Opera and Water for a Stranger, and five novels, Giacometti’s Last Ride, Nameless Dame, Man in the Blizzard, Beautiful Inez, Secret Love, and Blue Bossa.

Bart Schneider will read from his new novel Giacometti’s Last Ride (with gorgeous art by Chester Arnold), along with Chester Arnold.

Wednesday, November 12, 6:00 p.m. at Readers’ Books, 120 E. Napa Street, Sonoma.

Friday, November 21, 7:00 p.m., with Dan Coshnear. At Russian River Books & Letters, 14045 Armstrong Woods Road, Guerneville.

More information on the book: kellyscovepress.com/product/giacomettis-last-ride

Staying Alive with David Beckman
Many Rivers Books & Tea, 130 Main Street, Sebastopol, will host David Beckman, Sonoma County poet and playwright,  on Thursday, November 20, 7:00 p.m. for the launch party and reading of his new book, YOU SAY, I SAY — Staying Alive With Literature, Language and Friendship (Rivertowns Books, Irvington, New York, 2025). Co-written with Robert Waxler, the book explores their love of poetry and literature, and how it played a key role in their lives. Waxler, who lives in Massachusetts, will appear by zoom. Signed books will be available. More details about the book on our In Print page.

_____

Poem for November

autumn
by Jackie Huss Hallerberg

days turn down
like a well-worn comforter
inviting you in

chosen fruits,
sweet juices pressed
ferment into wine
while unpicked spoils
plunge cold and hard
to the slumbering
ground

now is the time
for culling, deciding
in afternoon’s low light
what will rise from
dampness after
this long rest

laying out beds,
dreaming the wild
blossom, slipping
under the cover
of one more
season

Jackie Huss Hallerberg was a Sonoma County Poet-Teacher for several years and currently sits on the board of California Poets in the Schools. She holds degrees in science, business and elementary education.  She taught poetry in an experiential manner in public and private schools, Valley of the Moon Children’s Home and summer arts camps. Jackie’s poetry has been featured in anthologies of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, Marin Poetry Center, The California Quarterly, local firestorm publications, California Poets in the Schools, and others. She published a cd, Poems of Motherhood.

_____

Send Us Your Poetry/Short Prose Selections
Starting in January of 2024, I began featuring a different Sonoma County writer each month 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
Sonoma County Literary Update Co-Editor

Dear Literary Folk,

Fall has arrived with a heat wave followed by blessed rain. Fingers crossed, so far the fire season has not brought the kind of devastating fires we’ve experienced in the past, but even the smell of smoke this time of year, however innocent the source, can set our nerves on edge.

A good antidote to this kind of anxiety and its myriad sources is to gather with your fellow readers and writers for a live literary event. This month there are many to choose from.

Petaluma Library Re-Opening
Among the events worth celebrating is the recent re-opening of the Petaluma Regional Library on August 25. 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.

Our Sonoma County Poet Laureate Dave Seter composed a poem for the occasion, which he has posted on the Poet Laureate News page for September 1. Check it out! socolitupdate.com/poet-laureates-news/laureate-archive-2024-2026

No Kings Protest on October 18
I was set to cap the upcoming No Kings day of protests and demonstrations with a Cat Stevens/Yusuf concert at the Masonic in San Francisco. If you came of musical age in the 60s and 70s, songs like “Katmandu,” “Peace Train,” “Father and Son,” “Wild World,” and “Moonshadow” were among the anthems of a generation. Then the news yesterday that the North American book and concert tour has been cancelled because Stevens, who is a British citizen and a Muslim, wasn’t able to secure a visa, though he started the process months ago and paid the hefty visa fee now required.

In so many ways, day in and day out, the lights in the house of our civil rights and civil democracy are going out. I hope many of you will come out to march against the current White House regime on Saturday, October 18. Indivisible Sonoma County will hold two marches and a big volunteer event. Take a long walk from the Junior College (the walk starts at 9 am from the campus on Mendocino). Take a shorter walk from Juilliard Park (the walk starts at 10 am. Both walks will meet on Sonoma Ave. and walk in to Doyle Park. If you don’t want to walk far, watch and cheer along the route and then join us at the park at 11 am.

There will be other marches and protests throughout the North Bay, including Sonoma, Petaluma, and Sebastopol. To find one in your community, check out this website: nokingsmovement.com/pages/no-kings-day-protest.

North Bay Print and Poetry Festival in Graton on October 4
Celebrate the 10th anniversary of North Bay Letterpress Arts at the North Bay Print and Poetry Festival Saturday, October 4, 2025, 10 am—6 pm at the Graton Town Square. Hosted by North Bay Letterpress Arts and ReVillage, this free, one-day event celebrates the power of the printed and spoken word. Featuring local vendors, food trucks, live poetry, music, and the signature Steamroller Print Event, the festival brings together printmakers, poets, and publishers for a vibrant day of community and creativity.

Event Schedule:
10:00 am – Gates Open
Vendors, artists, and printmaking in action all day

11:00 am–12:30 pm – Poetry Readings
Sonoma County Poet Laureate Dave Seter will launch the day, followed by readings by Iris Jamahl Dunkle, judi goldberg, Jodi Hottel, Diane Martin, Terry Ehret, Amanda Moore & Mira Rosenthal

1:00–2:30 pm – Live Music by Sakoyana

2:30–4:00 pm – Poetry Readings
Readings from VOLT Literary Magazine – Alex Mattraw, Erik Soto, Noah Ross, Stefan Kiesbye, Stefan Kiesbye, Domenic Stansberry, Gillian Conoley & erica lewis

4:00 pm – Print Features, Raffle, & MadLibs Poetry

4:30–6:00 pm – Live Music by Spike Sikes and His Awesome Hotcakes

Road Roller Printing and community art activities all day alongside the main stage program. Watch limited edition prints come to life under the paver, make your own posters and zines, print an exquisite corpse, and enter the MadLibs poetry contest!

Eight Stories in Eight Weeks with Ted Gross
Ted Gross is offering an Eight Stories in Eight Weeks group session beginning Sunday, October 5. He is in Sebastopol but the session is online — there is no charge. The idea is each week all the authors write a story based on the same one-sentence prompt, and we post them on a website. Bottom line, the authors end up with 8 short stories in 8 weeks. Suggested length is between 500 and 3500 words. There is no critique or discussion, just the stories. The first 8-week session just finished, and everyone had fun. Hopefully other Sonoma County storytellers might be interested in joining for the new session beginning Sunday. Here is a link to the website for more information or questions: storyauthors.com

Rivertown Poets Featured Readers Shawna Swetech and Nancy Dougherty
Monday, October 6, 6:00 p.m. Rivertown Poets live at the Aqus Cafe (189 H Street in Petaluma). Our features will be our own Rivertown co-host Shawna Swetech and Nancy Dougherty. Sign up for open mic at the cafe. One poem per reader. Please note new earlier start time.

Rattle Magazine’s Chapbook Contest and Upcoming Themed Issues
I will admit to having Rattle-acceptance envy. I have submitted my work to this terrific literary journal in the past, but haven’t been published there yet. But many of my friends have, and some are frequent contributors, which gives me hope. The latest call for submissions felt very welcoming and friendly, so I thought I’d pass these along to the literary community. First deadline is October 15; others are January 15. Check out the Rattle website for details: rattle.com/page/submissions or the Submittable page: rattle.submittable.com/submit. Good luck!

Tribute to Rebels
Deadline: October 15, 2025
Our Spring 2026 issue will be dedicated to literary rebels—those poets who run counter to the literary mainstream. What that means is up to you. We want to hear from poets who publish in non-traditional ways, who hold unusual beliefs, who write what isn’t popular, or feel that they don’t fit in. If you’ve been shunned or canceled by the establishment, this is a chance to tell your story. The poems may be any length or subject, but should be rebellious in some way. We no longer publish essays, but always include a contributor notes section, where we ask in this case why you consider yourself a rebel.

Submit up to four previously uncurated poems (or four pages of very short poems) at the same time, either in a single file or up to four files. Do not include your name or contact info within the file(s) content.

2026 Rattle Chapbook Prize
Deadline: January 15, 2026
The Rattle Chapbook Prize is back and as amazing as ever. Three winners receive $5,000 and 500 author copies—and one of those winners must be a poet who has never published a full-length book. As always, each chapbook will receive full distribution to all of our 10,000+ subscribers, too. It’s a contest to launch a career, and we get to publish a series of incredible books in the process

Tribute to Invented Forms
Deadline: January 15, 2026
The Summer 2026 issue will feature a Tribute to Invented Forms. We’re celebrating poetic forms that poets have created themselves—structures born of intuition, constraint, play, or rebellion. These might follow strict new rules or defy convention entirely. Whether you’re building a form around repetition, rhythm, shape, or sound, we want to see how you’re pushing poetry forward. Send us poems of any style or length—as long as the form is your own invention.

Kim Addonizio and D.A. Powell Guest Poets at 16 Rivers Annual Fundraiser
The Fall Fundraiser for Sixteen Rivers Press is coming up. It’s a lot of fun with great poetry, wonderful food, engaging conversations, and an opportunity to support Sixteen Rivers, now in its 26th year. The event will feature readings by Kim Addonizio and D. A. Powell, plus a silent auction. Admission is free, and donations are welcomed. Sunday, Oct. 19, 2:00 – 5:00 pm at Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda, Berkeley, CA. To let us know you’re coming, and/or make a donation, go to eventbrite.com/e/sixteen-rivers-fall-fundraiser-and-26th-anniversary-celebration-registration-1612693853729

Writers’ Salon at Sebastopol Center for the Arts
Thursday, October 23, 3:00-5:30 p.m. Writers’ Salon: A monthly in-person gathering for literary enthusiasts at Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 S. High St., Sebastopol. Facilitator: Linda Loveland-Reid. Each person will have 5 minutes to read their work (any type of writing is welcome including prose, poetry, essay, etc.). Enjoy sharing feedback and insight. Light refreshment served. $15 per person/ Max 10 attendees. RSVP required, No drop-ins. Details and registration: sebarts.org/classes-lectures/writers-salon-oct-2025

Poetry of Remembrance Community Event
Saturday, October 25, 2025, 6:00 to 8:00 PM
Petaluma Historical Library & Museum
20 4th Street, Petaluma

Please join us for an evening of poetry, lecture and song honoring our departed loved ones.

In the first hour our host, Sonoma County Poet Laureate Dave Seter, will introduce featured speakers who will present poetry and songs and tell us about the history and meaning of Día de los Muertos.

In the second hour, the podium is turned over to participants from the community who are invited to share a brief poem or statement about a loved one in Spanish, English or other language. (Please limit your presentation to 2-3 minutes so that everyone has a chance to speak.)

Admission is free. Traditional refreshments will be served.

This event is part of the Día de los Muertos Petaluma celebration, featuring community altars, sugar skull workshops, music, dance, and a procession with giant puppets.

Philippa Gregory at Sonoma County Library
Wednesday, October 29, 11:00 a.m. Sonoma County Library’s free live-streamed author talk with Philippa Gregory, the queen of British historical fiction. Gregory returns to the infamous Tudor Court with her latest novel Boleyn Traitor (forthcoming October 14, 2025). Details and registration link at: libraryc.org/sonomalibrary/96070

____

Poem for October

Last Watch
by J. L. Berry

I watch myself walk out into an open meadow of tall grass and lie down
              no longer seen
              black soil exhumes my breath
              smooth-sigh

A horse rushes above me, flinging itself forward
              grunting with each leap
              lathered mouth watering the ground
              hoof prints embossed for legacy-legends

Canada geese fly low
             Wings scythe the air
             the clacking of fans snapping shut
             synchrony and off-beat staccato cries

Deer appear and disappear, turning to look over their backs
             “Are you coming? Are you coming?”
              Ever watchful with whirligig-seed ears
              Spirit luminous and single-minded

Heart beats and hoof beats, a receding choir
             Feathers fall-fail to shield my eyes

 

About the Author
Jessica Berry is a retired clinical psychologist who worked in the public sector (federal, state, county) for most of her career in the States and overseas. In addition to writing poetry and mostly short fiction, she has a background in the visual arts. Comfortable addressing serious subjects often gleaned from her professional life, she also enjoys producing satirical writings and graphic works that reflect her metropolitan New York area sensibility. She currently lives in Santa Rosa. 

Ici et Parti (Here and Gone), by Jessica Berry

_____

Send Us Your Poetry/Short Prose Selections
Starting in January of 2024, I began featuring a different Sonoma County writer each month 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).

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
Sonoma County Literary Update Co-Editor

August 1, 2025

Dear literary folk,

Remembering Jo Lauer
Last Saturday, we lost one of our literary community writers in a tragic car accident. It is a devastating loss to us all, and our hearts go out to her family and friends. Here is some information about Jo from her website (see link below).

Jo Lauer, transplanted from the Midwest, was a retired psychotherapist. About herself, Jo wrote, “I come from a long line of mostly technologically-impaired late-bloomers. That’s one reason I chose my first profession as a psychotherapist in my 40s (didn’t need a computer), and why I didn’t begin writing until my early 50s. I think there’s a lot to be said about waiting for age and experience to lend some direction—or perhaps that’s just what we late-bloomers say about ourselves.”

After a 38-year career as a psychotherapist, Jo became a published writer and an active member of the Redwood Writers branch of California Writers Club. She was also a songwriter, and more recently a screenplay writer. Her story, “Roots in My Garden” was adapted in 2022 as an independent film. She was a founding member of Lavender Roses Reader’s Theater, and she sang in the One Heart Choir, the musical ministry branch of the Center for Spiritual Living.

To learn more about Jo and her publications, visit her website: http://jolauer.com.

Poetry at the Fair
I love that, alongside 4-H livestock, prize-winning jams and jellies, and local wines and beers, the Sonoma County Fair also celebrates our local writers. On Saturday, August 9,1:00 p.m., you can hear poets read their original poems entered into the Sonoma County Fair competition. The reading will be held in the E.C. Craft Building at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. For more about this and other Poet Laureate News, check out Dave Seter’s page of the Literary Update: https://socolitupdate.com/poet-laureates-news/.

Brenda Hillman and Norma Cole at NBLA
On Saturday, August 9, 4:00-5:30 p.m. North Bay Letterpress Arts presents an Evening of Poetry with Brenda Hillman and Norma Cole. FREE and open to the public. Light refreshments and fantastic poetry served in equal measure. Handset letterpress broadsides of work by the poets will be printed for the occasion and available with a donation to NBLA (925D Gravenstein Hwy., Sebastopol.). Details: northbayletterpressarts.org/upcoming-events-1

Marin Poetry Center’s Traveling Show
Here’s the August line-up of the Marin Poetry Center’s annual Traveling Show:

August 2nd, 2-3 PM, Fairfax Library
Host: Francesca Bell
Readers: Albert Flynn DeSilver, Janet Jennings, Barbara Swift Brauer, Kate Peper, Ann Robinson, Cathy Shea

August 9th, 2-3 PM, Larkspur Library
Host: Simona Carini
Readers: Judy Crowe, Richard Flout, Marie Henry, Rafaella del Bourgo, Lynn Ireland, Janis Rader

August 16th, 2-3 PM, Stinson Beach Public Library
Host: Sandra Cross
Readers: Donna Emerson, Dotty LeMieux, Kathleen McClung, Sharon Sittloh, Karen Marker, Sandy White

August 23rd, 2-3 PM, Berkeley Public Library – South Branch
Host: David Booth
Readers: Susan Cohen, Jeanne Wagner, D L Lang, Gabrielle Rille, Laurel Feigenbaum, Angelika Quirk

August 24th, 3-4 PM, Mill Valley Public Library
Host: Jayne McPherson
Readers: Laurel Benjamin, Rebekah Wolman, Barry Peterson, Sian Killingsworth, Linda Michel-Cassidy, Tobey Hiller

Sixteen Rivers Presents a Reading and Conversation with 2025 Authors


Please join us for a reading and conversation with poets Patrick Cahill and Moira Magneson, and translators Nancy J. Morales and Terry Ehret, presenting poems in Spanish and English by Ulalume González de León. The free event is on Saturday, August 23, 2025, 3-5 PM, hosted by Sixteen Rivers and Northbrae Community Church. Location: 941 The Alameda, Berkeley, CA 94707.

Petaluma Poetry Walk and Magazine Coming Soon!
(feature by Kary Hess)

The Petaluma Poetry Walk is less than two months away—and in other big news, (drum roll) this year, we have added an annual magazine!

What’s in it?
First of all, our cover art is by Ellen Kombiyil, co-winner with Julie Marie Wade of the Geri Digiorno Multi-Genre Prize. The prize is awarded every two years by Raleigh Review magazine out of Raleigh, North Carolina in honor of our event’s founder Geri Digiorno.

This collectible first edition of the magazine includes a poem from each of the 26 poets reading this year at The Petaluma Poetry Walk, along with poetry-related articles (and photos from last years event!) While we will still have our usual trifold walk guide at the event that tells who is reading where, there will also be a walk guide in the back of the magazine.

When and where can I get it?
The magazine will be available for sale as a fundraiser on our website before and after the event and at the Poetry Walk, where you’ll have the chance to have your favorite poets sign it! I’ll keep you posted as to when it’s available!

How else can I support?
Everything is going to print soon so if you’d like to join our poetry walk sponsors, let me know by August 1, so I can include your name in the walk guide and magazine. Any sponsors added after that will be included on the website only.

Looking forward and see you soon!

Kary

Poetry Walk website: https://petalumapoetrywalk.org/about-2/

Poetry Walk 2025 Schedule: https://petalumapoetrywalk.substack.com/p/the-2025-petaluma-poetry-walk-schedule

______

Poem for August
This month’s literary feature is a poem by LynneAnne Forest, which captures the feeling of mornings in coastal Sonoma and reminds me of the summers I taught writing workshops at Wellspring, a retreat center on the Navarro River. I’d wake each foggy morning to the cooing of mourning doves, and lie half-awake, thinking to myself “First, do no harm,” my Hypocratic oath as a teacher.” “[W]hat wants to be/ first grows in darkness,” the poet writes. May it be so for us all.

If you have a poem or short prose piece you’d like me to consider for a future Literary Update post, scroll down to the end of this post where you’ll find the submission guidelines. They’re very simple, and all are welcome.

Sonoma Weekend
by LynneAnne Forest

Valley hills bake a heated welcome,
soft cat echoes ecstatic purrs,
ears of kangaroo hare watch
while blue jays screech questionings.

Near rustling oak and maple,
newly watered, bright pink flowers,
lies reality, possibility;
they too welcome, watch, inquire.

Ember burned memories glow in fire,
winter chill gray of second day.
Silent space waits expectantly
for encountered knowing.

Furred meow leaps to glass
watching small bird becoming.
It chirps and flits from branch to branch
from past to now, to what may be.

Cat stretches now on hearth place rug,
content completion in all her moves.
I sit and rock and move unhurriedly
from past to now, to that in need of me.

Gray then moves from muted tones
to darkness of the night.
An owl is heard in search and hunt,
while fire’s coal goes cold.

What wills, what needs, what wants to be,
first grows in darkness, thrusts through pain
and then becomes, through choiceful acts
in times like these.

 

LynneAnne Forest is 83 years old and a retired psychotherapist. She has written poetry over the years but never pursued submitting them for publication. Just before the pandemic, she decided to honor what she wrote and began to take ZOOM workshops with Nicole Zimmerman, Ellen Bass and Danusha Lameris. Her first publication was her poem, “The Ark,” with Yellow Arrow Journal in their Fall 2020 issue.

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Send Us Your Poetry/Short Prose Selections for 2025
Starting in January of 2024, I began featuring a different Sonoma County writer each month 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).

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
Sonoma County Literary Update Co-Editor

Dear Literary Folk,

Lately lines from two poems have been much on my mind. The first, familiar to you all, is the opening of “The Second Coming,” by W.B. Yeats:

“Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world. . . .”

The second set of lines comes from the closing of “Jet,” by Tony Hoagland:

“We gaze into the night
as if remembering the bright unbroken planet
we once came from,
to which we will never
be permitted to return.
We are amazed how hurt we are.
We would give anything for what we have.”

These quotes in particular capture the angst and anger and despair of what daily we are losing to a sordid power that aims to rob us of decency, humanity, and hope. It makes me want to devote this Literary Update post to celebrating the creativity that brings us together and the hope and gratitude it can engender.

On a personal note, I have something grand to celebrate. I have just recently returned from two months in Colorado. If you followed my May post, you know that I flew there in April to help out with the arrival of new granddaughter Rosalie, born on May 6, 2025. She was born with a heart defect, one that’s not uncommon for babies with trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome), and with that come some health challenges that have kept her in the neonatal ICU. A few of you have written to Jo-Anne and me wondering about the baby, so here she is. Though she is slowly making progress, there’s a good chance she’ll remain in NICU until she’s strong enough to undergo the surgery needed to correct the defect. Sending a huge thank you to all you NICU nurses, doctors, and staff who care for the most fragile of babies with an astonishing empathy and expertise. We are in your debt!

_____

Literary Birthdays and Anniversaries

Rivertown Poets and Aqus Café have been an integral meeting place for the creative community of Petaluma and Sonoma County. On Monday, June 2, 6:15 pm. Rivertown Poets celebrates its 12th anniversary. There will be three featured readers—Christina Lloyd, Murray Silverstein, and Alice Templeton—presenting from their 2024 publications from Sixteen Rivers Press. The featured readings will be followed by open mic. Sign up early to get a 3-minute slot. Sande Anfang will be back in town for this reading! Location: Aqus Café, 189 H Street, Petaluma. Questions? Contact: rivertownpoet@gmail.com

On Saturday, June 7, 2:00 pm, the Sitting Room Library celebrates its 44^th birthday with its annual garden party featuring lively conversation and local authors.

For over 25 years, the Sitting Room has been my home for writing, reading, and leading poetry and prose poem workshops on a wide range of authors and themes. Here I came to know so many talented writers, and even found a haven for translating the enigmatic poems of Ulalume González de León.

If you haven’t yet discovered this Sonoma County jewel, here are just some of what the Sitting Room has to offer:

• Books aplenty by and about women, LITERATURE, ART, POETRY, ESSAYS, WORLD LIT and oh heck, lots else.
• The underutilized treasure of the ARCHIVES, with files that vary from the slender to the overflowing on women writers from A to Z,
• An oddly fascinating — and beautifully organized — collection of OBITS of women, local and farnwide as well as from the Overlooked series in the NYTimes
• Ever changing exhibits which vividly spotlight strong points of the SR collections
• Space just to do your own too long postponed work + of course, coffee/tea/and wifi

Come join us in the Sitting Room garden on June 7! Copies of the Sitting Room’s latest anthology, WORK, will be available along with past issues, samplers, free books, and all sorts of lovely “merch.” Questions? Call 707 795-9028. At 2025 Curtis Drive, Penngrove. Or visit the website: sittingroomlibrary.org

_____

June Readings and Workshops

On Monday, June 16 at 6 pm, Napa Bookmine hosts a reading by Sixteen Rivers’ 2025 authors, Moira Magneson, author of In the Eye of the Elephant, and Patrick Cahill, author of If We Are the Forest the Animals Dream. Moira and Patrick will be joined by translators Nancy J. Morales and Terry Ehret, reading from the third and final volume of Plagios/Plagiarisms, by Mexican poet Ulalume González de Leόn.

Many thanks to Kary Hess, whose feature article in the May 28th edition of the North Bay Bohemian tells the story of this translation project as it has evolved, culminating in Plagios Volume Three. https://bohemian.com/a-trilogy-in-verse-plagios-volume-iii-released-by-local-translators/

Besides being a free-lance journalist, Kary is also a poet, visual artist, and the current acting director of the Petaluma Poetry Walk. Scroll down to the end of the post to read a poem from Hess’s recent collection of poems, 1912.

Café Frida Poetry Festival on Sunday, June 29, 1:00–3:00 pm, hosted by Gwynn O’Gara, will feature Jack Crimmins, Lisa Shulman, Dave Holt, Melissa Eleftherion, John Duran, Briahn Kelly-Brennan, Audrey Meshulam reading from Phyllis Meshulam’s new book, and Timothy Williams.

This will also be an occasion to celebrate the launch of Sonoma County Poet Laureate Emerita Phyllis Meshulam’s book Re-Creations. Many of you know that Phyllis is living with a degenerative neurological disease, so her poems will be read by her daughter Audrey Meshulam.

Café Frida is located at 300 South A Street, Santa Rosa.

Looking to generate new work this month? Check the calendar of events and the workshop page for a full list of what’s coming up this month. Here are a few of the many opportunities.

On Tuesday, June 17, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 pm writing prompt coach Christina Evans leads the first of two generative writing groups. See Workshops page for details.

On six Wednesdays beginning June 25, 1:00-3:00 pm, Clara Rosemarda leads a series of online creative writing and meditation workshops called TRANSITIONS: Finding Your New Narrative for Healing. Details on Workshops page. Contact Clara Rosemarda: 707-567-7117 or rosen@sonic.net.

And on Sunday, June 29, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Occidental Center for the Arts hosts author and writing guide Susan Hagen for an all-day workshop: Write Your Life Stories: A Women’s Writing Circle. Beginning, experienced, and exploring writers are all welcome. For details, see Workshops.

_____

Two Poems for June

Though technically summer doesn’t start till June 21, our hills have put on their summer gold, and the clock’s leap and earth’s tilt offer us generous evenings of lengthening light. This month I’ve picked two poems that embrace summer in similar ways. The first poem, by Kary Hess, celebrates a familiar haunt for Petaluma folk, as well as the moments from our youth that are transformational without our quite knowing it. It reminded me of “Jet,” by Tony Hoagland, which I quoted at the opening of this post. I’ve included Hoagland’s poem, too.

If you have a poem or short prose piece you’d like me to consider for a future Literary Update post, scroll down to the end of this post where you’ll find the submission guidelines. They’re very simple, and all are welcome.

_____

The Apple Box Café, Petaluma
by Kary Hess

We carry our coffee outside
to sit at a table, speaking French
when a train goes by.

The sound drowns out our speech for a minute
as the grinding metal cars glide over the trestle
built along the waterfront in 1922.

It used to be grain
and eggs here,
transported out of town
to San Francisco
before the Golden Gate.

Now this trestle hosts cups of pour-over coffee
(before anyone did pour-over coffee).

I am always shocked that I can sit
inches away from an active train
and drink a latte.

But it’s the 1990s
and we are all in our twenties
and we don’t even realize how happy we are.

from: 1912: Poems of Time, Place & Memory by Kary Hess. Published by FMRL 2022

Kary Hess, MFA, is a writer, editor, artist, and literary event producer, shaping stories for media, leading women’s writing workshops, and creating her own work, which explores themes of “place” and how it contours our experience. Currently, she’s the editor of Made Local Magazine, and a regular contributor to alternative newsweeklies The North Bay Bohemian, The Marin Pacific Sun, and North Bay Magazine. Her book 1912: Poems of Time, Place and Memory was published by FMRL Press in April 2022 and she currently produces the Petaluma Poetry Walk, an annual all-day poetry festival in downtown Petaluma, CA. As an artist, she’s produced and designed two feature films, created the SparkTarot® Deck + Guidebook, and collaborated on multiple conceptual art installations in the Bay Area.

_____

Jet
by Tony Hoagland

Sometimes I wish I were still out
on the back porch, drinking jet fuel
with the boys, getting louder and louder
as the empty cans drop out of our paws
like booster rockets falling back to Earth

and we soar up into the summer stars.
Summer. The big sky river rushes overhead,
bearing asteroids and mist, blind fish
and old space suits with skeletons inside.
On Earth, men celebrate their hairiness,

and it is good, a way of letting life
out of the box, uncapping the bottle
to let the effervescence gush
through the narrow, usually constricted neck.

And now the crickets plug in their appliances
in unison, and then the fireflies flash
dots and dashes in the grass, like punctuation
for the labyrinthine, untrue tales of sex
someone is telling in the dark, though

no one really hears. We gaze into the night
as if remembering the bright unbroken planet
we once came from,
to which we will never
be permitted to return.
We are amazed how hurt we are.
We would give anything for what we have.

from Donkey Gospel, published by Graywolf Press, Saint Paul, Minnesota, 1998.
© Copyright by Tony Hoagland.

_____

Send Us Your Poetry/Short Prose Selections for 2025

Starting in January of 2024, I began featuring a different Sonoma County writer each month 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).

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
Sonoma County Literary Update Co-Editor

May 1, 2025

Dear Literary Folk,

I’m writing this post from the public library in Golden, Colorado. I’m here because my oldest daughter is poised to give birth to a baby girl, Rosalie, and circumstances make this particular event a challenging one. So, I’m here to keep grandson Connor company and to be on hand at home and at the hospital when the baby’s date arrives. She’s due on May 6.

Among my grandmother superpowers is a willingness to lose at any card game I play with my grandson. These days that’s Uno, Quiddler, and a brain-puzzler called Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza.

There’s also my knowledge of spelling and phonics (a remnant of my Catholic grammar school education), which helps me come up with odd rhymes like “When two vowels go walking, the first does the talking,” or “I before E, except after C, or when sounded like A, as in neighbor and weigh.” Though he’s only in kindergarten, grandson Connor likes tapping into a reading and language arts program called Lexia.

Because I’m often out running errands, like dropping letters off at the post office or picking up groceries, and because I’m not in a hurry the way I often am at home in Petaluma, I’ve enjoyed striking up conversations with clerks, fellow shoppers in line, and walkers at the park. I have gotten to know the owners of the nearby BrynMor Coffee Shop, which means “beautiful mountain.” The two women, Lacey and Amy, met mountain climbing, and Lacey’s family is from Anglesey in Wales, While I waited for my chai latte with oat milk, I shared my story of the rainy afternoon back in 2013 at Bryn Celli Ddu in the countryside of Anglesey with a lovely flock of black-faced sheep, and the group of writers who were there studying DylanThomas, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and Welsh myths. When the rains started pouring down, the writers took shelter in the burial tombs that occupied the field, and which the sheep enjoyed standing atop. The rain didn’t bother them a bit.

Authors in Grocery Stores Program

Yesterday morning, I made the acquaintance of a local writer, Rina Brown, who was selling and signing her fantasy novels in the King Sooper Grocery in Lakewood. When I asked her how she came to be selling her books in a grocery store, she told me about a little-known program called Authors in Grocery Stores, set up by Ray Depew in Texas. The program is in 25 states across the county, wherever there is a Kroger grocery interested in participating. There are so few writers who know about this program, Rina told me, that she pretty much has the entire Metro Denver area to herself. She said her books sell pretty well, and that she’s in a different King Sooper store each day.

Rina and I spent a pleasant half-hour talking about writing, publishing, our mutual love of fantasy, Ursula K. LeGuin’s Earthsea Trilogy, and whether grocery stores might be a good place for poetry book sales. As it turns out, “Rina Brown” is half of a mother-daughter team, Rina and Sharon Brown, who collaborate on the editing and promotion of the books and merchandise. When I got back to my daughter’s house, I looked up the website and discovered that Authors in Grocery Stores is in California, so I decided to sign up and see what happens.

The website says, “Make connections! A community begins with that first hello.” Though I’ve always felt embraced by community in the literary family of Sonoma County, I remember running into students I had worked with in the Poets in the Schools program when I was in the grocery store, and meeting their parents there, striking up conversations about metaphor vs. simile (a distinction I’ve never found particularly meaningful) and haiku over the bins of tomatoes and bell peppers. It seemed the right way to make poetry less lofty, less intimidating.

In his book On Tyranny, which I recommended in my March post, Timothy Snyder encourages us to “make eye contact and small talk.” Such small beginnings help us to make new acquaintances, form spontaneous communities, know who our neighbors are. Thus, we can resist the isolation that tyranny uses to silence and disempower us.

Sixteen Rivers Sonoma Book Launch at Readers’ Books

Those of you who may have missed the book launches in April for the 2025 Sixteen Rivers books will have another opportunity on Wednesday, May 28, 6:00-7:00 p.m. Readers will be Moira Magneson, Patrick Cahill, Terry Ehret, and Nancy J. Morales. Our host will be Readers’ Books, right off the main town square, 130 East Napa Street, Sonoma. Details: readersbooks.com/event/sixteen-rivers-press-poets-back-again-readers-book

More May Events

Be sure to check the calendar page of the Update for all the amazing May events coming up!

Dave Seter presents the final episode of the Spring “Poetry Challenge” workshops on Sunday, May 4, 1:00-3:00 p.m. The workshop is called Interweaving Found Text and is hosted by Sebastopol Center for the Arts. Sliding scale: $20-25. Details for that workshop may be found at: sebarts.org/classeslectures/p/poetry-challenge-interweaving-found-text

Occidental Center for the Arts presents 7MinMAX Storytelling Evening, on Friday, May 9, 7:00-8:30 p.m. This will be an evening of 7 live stories told in 7 minutes or less. Hilarious or sublime, poignant and personal tales told through the ancient oral tradition of storytelling. Interested storytellers will have a chance to throw their name in the hat to present their story. For more info: occidentalcenterforthearts.org or 707-874-9392.

Saturday, May 10, 7:00 p.m. Book Passage, in partnership with Institute for Leadership Studies (ILS), welcomes internationally acclaimed author Isabel Allende in celebration of her new novel My Name Is Emilia del Valle. In this spellbinding historical novel from the New York Times bestselling author of A Long Petal of the Sea and The House of the Spirits, a young writer journeys to South America to uncover the truth about her father—and herself. Hosted by Dominican University of California at Angelico Hall. $40 Ticket includes book. Details and tickets: bookpassage.com/event/isabel-allende-my-name-emilia-del-vall

Saturday, May 17, 12:00-6:00 p.m. Lit Crawl Sebastopol, Sonoma County’s largest free literary event. The second annual literary pub crawl through downtown Sebastopol, brings together over 200+ authors and close to 1,000 fans during its six hours of literary mayhem. Save the date! Presenters, locations and schedule are on the Sebastopol Center for the Arts site: sebarts.org/litcrawl

Wednesday, May 21, 6:00-7:00 p.m. Rosa Lane, poet and architect, will read from her 4th poetry collection, Called Back (Tupelo Press, 2024) at Readers’ Books, 130 E. Napa St., Sonoma. Lane’s Called Back, the last two words Emily Dickinson wrote, brings light to the LGBTQ significance of Dickinson in queer conversation with one of America’s greatest poets. This event is free and open to the public.

________

Poem for May

This month’s poem is by Ginger Brinlee. It’s been my experience during the 35 years I have lived in Sonoma County that the literary community is remarkably supportive and welcoming. Ginger is relatively new to publishing her work, so we celebrate this accomplishment with her. I was drawn to the invitation to listen, something my time with my daughter and grandson and the new acquaintances I’ve made here has taught me.

And if you are interested in submitting a poem or piece of short prose (fiction or nonfiction), please scroll to the end of the post for submission guidelines.

LISTEN
by Ginger Brinlee

If you listen, I will write upon your heart
Mirth and merriment in rhyme,
Anguish, pain, lament in verse and prose.

If you listen, I will pour into your soul
Children laughing in the rain,
Puddles splashing, mud-drops flying,
Dewdrops, raindrops, tears, rainbows.

Listen as I strum my stories new,
Muse and music, two as one;
Poet, dancer, lover, artist, bard
All are yours if you will only hear.

If you listen, I will pass before your mind
Lovers hidden in the night,
Sweethearts torn apart, yet lovers still.
Listen, if you dare, draw near.

Listen, listen if you will.

Ginger Brinlee started reading at the age of three and has loved words from the cradle. She has an alert sense of humor and loves the feel of words as they are spoken. She has two daughters and four grandchildren to whom she has read stories from Celtic hand-me-downs to Mother Goose and Grimm; she has sung and read the “old” stories from her great grandmother and those she has created. She has lived in Forestville for 36 years, and she listens there for the sound of words on the wind.

________

Send Us Your Poetry/Short Prose Selections for 2025

Starting in January of 2024, I began featuring a different Sonoma County writer each month 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).

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
Sonoma County Literary Update Co-Editor

Dear Literary Folk,

Greetings from LA where I’ve spent four days at the annual gathering of the writing tribes known as AWP. Sonoma County was well represented there, not only by our authors, but also by our culinary products, like Cowgirl Creamy cheeses, Sonoma wines, Lagunitas beers, all prominently featured at every restaurant I ventured into.

It is always fun to hang out at the book fair (600+ vendors), meeting up with old friends and getting to know new acquaintances from all over the country. I found some panels and readings that intrigued me, too, on topics like translation, writing about aging, silence, and addressing climate/ecology issues. Keynote speaker was Roxane Gay, whom I wasn’t familiar with prior to this conference.

A child of Haitian immigrants, Gay hails from Omaha, Nebraska. She gained widespread acclaim in 2014 for her book Bad Feminist, a collection of essays that reflect on her personal experiences, pop culture, and social issues. Gay writes with wit and empathy, which has earned her a devoted fan base. She has also published works of fiction and memoir, served as an editor for various literary journals, and written an opinion column for The New York Times. But perhaps the reason for Gay’s appeal to the younger writers at this conference is that in July 2016, Gay and poet Yona Harvey were announced as writers for Marvel Comics’ World of Wakanda, a spin-off from the company’s Black Panther title, making them the first black women to be lead writers for Marvel.

She is a literary hero to many, and a powerhouse writer who engaged us all as writers and as citizens in dire times. “The pen is not mightier than the sword,” she said. The pen IS the sword.”

When I wasn’t at the conference and book fair, my daughter, who lives in Burbank, introduced me to some of the downtown sites, like Grand Central Market and a used bookstore called The Last Bookstore, which was a fabulous place to pass a few hours: three floors of books of every genre, each with its own theatrical decor: life-size mammoth, Egyptian sarcophagus, bird cage with a raven and skull. Part of the LA vibe is the theatricality of the place.

Another off-site outing was to a literary-themed pub called Catcher in the Rye where Sixteen Rivers held a book launch for our 2025 publications, as well as an open mic for all our friends and guests, such as Santa Rosa poet Jodi Hottel, pictured here.

One of the highlights of the conference for me was the tribute to poet and teacher Brenda Hillman. In my conference notes, I jotted down this Hillman quote: “To live in metaphor is to be eternally hopeful.”  I’m not sure I know what this means, but I feel its truth. Metaphor is the engine of creative thought, the acknowledgment of multiplicity of realities, which may be what we have in English in place of the subjunctive.  How else to speak of what isn’t, but might be? Hope nestles in that “might be.” And we are surely in need of hope right now. 

_____

International Day of Protest

Throughout the conference, I repeatedly heard talk of a grassroots international day of protest scheduled for Saturday, April 5, 2025. Here’s what I know:

“Tens of thousands of people in the United States and around the world are preparing to take to the streets on Saturday, April 5, in what organizers are calling the largest single day of protest since Donald Trump was sworn in for a second term. With more than 600 events planned across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and multiple international cities, the message is unified and urgent: Hands off our rights, our resources, and our democracy.” (https://thetimesweekly.com/2025/03/global-protests-on-april-5-cities-unite-against-trump-and-musk/)

Keep your eyes and ears open for word of local gatherings and join them if you are able.

_____

Phyllis Meshulam’s New Book (Re)Creations

Congratulations to Sonoma County Poet Laureate Emerita Phyllis Meshulam on her new book (Re)Creations. The poems in (Re)Creations reframe and reclaim women and the Earth in response to texts like E.O. Wilson’s, The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth, and our heritage of cultural traditions and sacred myths.

“This book offers what is most needed – a deep, personal and challenging journey into Humanity and its visions, lives, questions, and wonders. An incredible accomplishment, a visionary span, a warm-hearted dedication to all life.”
–Juan Felipe Herrera, United States Poet Laureate emeritus

To order your copy: send an email to jerrym@sonic.net, $28 ($23 + $5 shipping)\

Kelsay Books, February 2025, 104 pp.
ISBN #978-1-63980-680-5

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Sixteen Rivers Book Launches in April

April is National Poetry month, and it comes with a flurry of book launches and readings. Here is the information about the Sixteen Rivers North Bay and East Bay book launches. Hope you can join us for one or more of these! Others are listed on the calendar page.

(I realize that the Saturday reading coincides with the national day of protest, but I promise you, we will be making our voices heard through our poems.)

Saturday April 5 at 1 pm
North Bay Book Launch
Readers: Moira Magneson, Patrick Cahill, Bonnie Wai-Lee Kwong, Terry Ehret and Nancy J. Morales
Location: Book Passage Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera

Sunday April 6 at 3 pm
Poetry Flash East Bay Book Launch
Readers: Moira Magneson, Patrick Cahill, Bonnie Wai-Lee Kwong, Terry Ehret, and Nancy J. Morales
Location: Art House Gallery
2905 Shattuck Ave Berkeley

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Here’s a Quick Sampler of What’s in the April Calendar

Uncovering Sonoma County’s History Through Poetry
This is a free workshop with Poet Laureate Dave Seter at the Sonoma County History and Genealogical Library in Santa Rosa on Saturday, April 5, 1:00-3:00 p.m. Learn about documentary poetry, Sonoma County historical topics of interest including past and ongoing injustices, and how to utilize the resources available at the library to make your poems about Sonoma County history impactful. Details and registration: events.sonomalibrary.org/event/placeholder-history-poetry-workshop-dave-seter-73125

Sitting Room Celebrates Black Women Writers
Also on Saturday, April 5, 2:00-4:00 p.m. the Sitting Room Library will host a presentation for National Poetry Month: Conjuring the Past, Speaking to the Present, Celebrating Black Women Writers. Presenters will be Kim Hester Williams & Barbara Beatie. Limit 8. RSVP to JoAnn Borri: joannborri@gmail.com.

Rivertown Voices Presents Two Sonoma County Poets
Rivertown Poets presents a live reading at the Aqus Café on Monday, April 7, 6:15 p.m. The features are Larry Robinson and Fran Carbonaro. Open mic follows the features. Sign up at the cafe. Come early for good seats and dinner. The cafe is located at 189 H Street in downtown Petaluma.

Check out the Calendar page for more events, workshops, and readings.

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2025 Writers Conferences Accepting Applications

Napa Valley Writers’ Conference — July 20-25, 2025
Applications are now open for the 44th Napa Valley Writers’ Conference, napawritersconference.org. The admissions deadline for all applications, including requests for financial assistance, is April 21.

Mendocino Coast Writers Conference — July 31-August 2, 2025
General Registration is now open for our in-person conference taking place from July 31-August 2, 2025 in Mendocino. Reserve your spot in April and save on the conference fee! Registration is open until June 30, 2025. Learn more here.

All conference registrants are encouraged to submit to our writing contest which will be open for submissions until June 30, 2025. There is no entry fee. However, the contest is only open to registered participants of the full three-day conference. Winners will have the opportunity to read their work at the conference, receive credit to the conference bookstore, and winning entries are considered for publication in Noyo Review

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Poem for April

I have been featuring poems by Sonoma County writers each month, but this month, I wanted to offer a poem of resistance and hope. This one is by Tomas Transtromer, and was featured in the anthology America, We Call Your Name: Poems of Resistance and Resilience, published by Sixteen Rivers Press in 2017, in response to the first Trump administration. The poems in this collection are profoundly relevant to our times. You can purchase a copy through our website, using this link: https://shop.sixteenrivers.org/products/america-we-call-your-name-poems-of-resistance-and-resilience

If you have a poem or short prose piece for our next or upcoming Literary Update posts, please scroll down for the submission guidelines.

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Allegro

by Tomas Tranströmer
translated by Ingar Palmlund

I play Haydn after a dark day
and sense an honest warmth in my hands.

The keys are willing. Mild hammers strike.
The tone is green, lively and still.

The tone says that freedom exists
and that someone does not pay the emperor tribute.

I push the hands deep into my haydnpockets,
mimicking one who quietly watches the world.

I raise the haydnflag — this means:
“We do not surrender. But want peace.”

The music is a glasshouse on the slope
where stones fly, stones roll.

And the stones roll right through
but each pane remains whole.

Original poem

Jag spelar Haydn efter en svart dag
och känner en enkel värme i händerna.

Tangenterna vill. Milda hammare slår.
Klangen är grön, livlig och stilla.

Klangen säger att friheten finns
och att någon inte ger kejsaren skatt.

Jag kör ner händerna i mina haydnfickor
och härmar en som ser lugnt på världen.

Jag hissar haydnflaggan — det betyder:
“Vi ger oss inte. Men vill fred.”

Musiken är ett glashus på sluttningen
där stenarna flyger, stenarna rullar.

Och stenarna rullar tvärs igenom
men varje ruta förblir hel.

From Den halvfärdiga himlen, Bonniers 1962
Copyright © Tomas Tranströmer 1962

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Send Us Your Poetry/Short Prose Selections for 2025

Starting in January of 2024, I began featuring a different Sonoma County writer each month 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).

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.

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Terry Ehret
Sonoma County Literary Update Co-Editor

March 1, 2025

Dear Literary Folk,

Uneasy times, to say the least. At moments like this, writing the monthly post feels like fiddling while Rome is burning. How can the literary goings-on in Sonoma County compare to the monumental civil crisis we are in, when our freedoms, self-definitions, civil respect and decency, not to mention the fate of democracy and our planet are all under threat?

And yet, many I have spoken with in our literary community the past few months have found a way to resist, and in that resistance is some sense of creative empowerment, or at least the potential for reclaiming of voice. We can share with each other what helps us face the world we wake up to each day with, if not hope, at least some clarity of vision. Here are some actions, all small in scale, that I’ve engaged in over the last few weeks.

• My husband and I read out loud to each other Timothy Snyder’s book On Tyranny, published in 2017, during the first Trump administration, but even more chillingly applicable to what we are witnessing today. Snyder is a professor of 20^th century history, with a focus on totalitarian, authoritative, fascist regimes. Each short lesson presents a characteristic of tyrannical systems and their leaders, and what ordinary folk can do to resist.
• I’ve donated small amounts to support those whose writing on social media helps clarify my understanding and vision (e.g. Heather Cox Richardson and Robert Reich).
• I’ve stopped ordering or doing business with companies that financially supported Trump’s campaign or Project 2025, and refrained from any shopping on February 28, 2024 to join the national boycott.
• I went onto GoogleMaps and reported an error: the Gulf of Mexico was misnamed Gulf of America.
• I streamed Congressman Jared Huffman’s town hall meeting and felt encouraged by his willingness to call a coup a coup, and a constitutional crisis a crisis. It was good to hear so many other members of the community voicing their calls for opposition by our representatives.
• I took Iris Dunkle’s workshop “Empowering Your Voice Through Multimedia Erasure” and set to work on recent Executive Orders that seemed to me in need to erasing. Sonoma County poet Margie Stein recently tried her hand at this, too, and you can read her erasure of Executive Order 14168 at the end of this post.

As I wrote last December, I encourage you all to write into the uncertainty, and if you are so inclined, please consider sending your work, prose or poetry, to me for possible inclusion an upcoming Literary Update. You’ll find submission guidelines at the end of this post.

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Toss Repeat Wins 2024 James Tate Prize

Congratulations to John Johnson on publication of his chapbook Toss Repeat. The publisher is SurVision Books in Ireland. Toss Repeat is one of the winners of the 2024 James Tate Prize. Use this link for more information about SurVision Books and/or to order John’s chapbook:
https://www.survisionmagazine.com/jamestateprizewinners.htm

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Spring Workshops with Dave Seter

Our Sonoma County Poet Laureate, Dave Seter, will be leading two workshops in March hosted by the Sebastopol Center for the Arts this Spring.

Sunday March 2: Abstraction through Form
Sunday March 30: Documentary Poetry

These workshops form a series of Poetry Challenges because they are meant to help poets expand the boundaries of what they might normally choose as subjects or poetic styles. That said, these workshops are meant for all levels from the beginning poet to the more experienced poet.

Seter is donating his time, so any fees go directly to support programs at SebArts. Follow this link for more details and to sign up: sebarts.org/literary-arts

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Other March Readings and Events

Our March calendar is filled with readings and workshops, many celebrating March as Women’s History Month. Please check the calendar page for these and others.

Russian River Books & Letters presents Haiku-Handoff on Saturday, March 8, 7:00 p.m. The typewriters will be out and the haikuists will be guiding us through this ancient poetry form. At 14045 Armstrong Woods Road, Guerneville. booksletters.com/events/haiku-handoff

Breathless Wines presents Bubbles & Books on Saturday, March 8, 7:00 p.m, celebrating International Women’s History Month with local authors: Rebecca Rosenberg, Jeane Sloane, Judith Starkston, Pamela Reitman, Maria Vezzetti Matson. Breathless Wines, 499 Moore Lane, Healdsburg. Cost: $15 per person (includes welcome pour of sparkling wine). RSVP: breathlesswines.com/Events

Popular public television host and best-selling guidebook author Rick Steves presents his new memoir On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer on Saturday, March 15, 7:00 p.m. Stow away with Rick Steves on the adventure of a lifetime through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Nepal. $36 ticket includes book. At Dominican University of California, Angelico Hall.

Russian River Books and Letters presents Sonoma County Poet Laureate Dave Seter reading from his new chapbook Somewhere West of the Mississippi on Saturday, March 22, 7:00 p.m. At 14045 Armstrong Woods Road, Guerneville.

Sonoma County Poet Laureate Emerita and accomplished biographer Iris Jamahl Dunkle presents her latest biography Riding Like the Wind: The Life of Sanora Babb on Sunday, March 30, 4:00-5:30 p.m. This free event is hosted by Occidental Center for the Arts Literary Series, celebrating Women’s History Month. 3850 Doris Murphy Way, Occidental.

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New Books from Sixteen Rivers

 

 

Sixteen Rivers Press is launching four new publications in April: The Department of Peace, by Bonnie Wai-Lee Kwong, If we are the forest the animals dream, by Patrick Cahill, In the Eye of the Elephant, by Moira Magneson, and Plagios/Plagiarisms, Volume Three, by Ulalume Gonzalez de Leon, translated by Terry Ehret and Nancy J. Morales.

These books will all be available on the Sixteen Rivers website very soon, but you can order Plagios 3 right now from our distributor Itasca. Here’s the link. https://itascabooks.com/products/plagios-plagiarisms-volume-3

There are some upcoming book launches and events, to which you are all cordially invited. To start things off, Sixteen Rivers will be at the AWP Book Fair in Los Angeles. If you’re planning to attend, stop by and say hi. Our authors will be signing books all three days. And join us for our off-site reading on Friday at Catcher in the Rye Pub.

March 26-29 AWP Author Signings
Los Angeles Convention Center

Sixteen Rivers Book Fair Table T717
Thursday, March 27 , 1-2 PM —Terry Ehret and Nancy J. Morales
Friday, March 28, 2-3 PM—Moira Magneson and Patrick Cahill
Saturday, March 29, 10-11 AM—Bonnie Wai-Lee Kwong

Friday, March 28, 5–7 p.m.
AWP Off-Site Reading
Location: Catcher in the Rye (a literary-themed pub),
10550 Riverside Drive, Toluca Lake, CA.

Saturday April 5 at 1 pm
North Bay Book Launch
Location: Book Passage Corte Madera
51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera, CA 94925

Sunday April 6 at 3 pm
Poetry Flash East Bay Book Launch
Location: Art House Gallery
2905 Shattuck Ave Berkeley, CA 94705-1808

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Poem for March

Since Trump took office in January, he has issued more than 70 Executive Orders designed to implement the proposals in Project 2025. One of these is Executive Order 14168: Defending Women from Gender Idealogy Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.

Santa Rosa poet Margie Stein recently took on the task of correcting the language of this order to clarify its real intent.

Here is the result of her editorial work. (Click on image for full pdf.)

And here’s a link to a website where you can read the complete language of the Executive Order: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/01/30/2025-02090/defending-women-from-gender-ideology-extremism-and-restoring-biological-truth-to-the-federal

Marjorie is proud to be part of the LGBTQIA+ community and lives with her beloved wife in Santa Rosa. Her first book, An Atlas of Lost Causes, was published by Kelsey Street Press. Marjorie’s work has appeared, or is forthcoming, in American Poetry Journal, Blood Orange Review, The Denver Quarterly, Interim, Mary, New American Writing, VOLT and other publications.

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Send Us Your Poetry/Short Prose Selections for 2025

Starting in January of 2024, I began featuring a different Sonoma County writer each month 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).

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
Sonoma County Literary Update Co-Editor