My Poetry Voice

Continued Poetry Readings

2010-03-11T07:53:00.001-08:00

Poetry Read Around

"Poets and poetry lovers unite! If you are a poet or love poetry, come read some lines of yours or of others-round and round."

The Sunday readings at the St. Helena Library continue! Even though the library is going through some major rennovations, the Read Around is still being held.

Next One:

Sunday, March 21 at 3:00pm
Moderated by Gary Silva, Napa Poet Laureate

St. Helena Poetry Reading

2010-02-11T14:24:00.000-08:00

St. Helena Library Poetry Reading

Sunday, February 21, 3:00pm

Poetry Read Around

If you are a poet, or love poetry, come to read some lines---written by you or others---around and around. This poetry loving group will be lead by Gary Silva, Napa County Poetry Laureate. Hope to see you there!

St. Helena Library
1492 Library Lane, St. Helena

Tree Davis Fundraiser Event

2010-02-04T21:35:00.000-08:00

Support Tree Davis and local artists!

Reception and silent auction:

Friday, February 12, 2010 from 7:00-9:00pm.

Place: IOOF Building
415 2nd Street
Davis, CA 95616

Tree Davis is dedicated to ehhancing and expanding urban forest. Their volunteers have been planting and caring for trees in Davis for over 17 years. Over the past four years, ArtisTree, their annual silent auction has become their major source of fundraising for TreeDavis.

The Pre-Valentine's Day event will benefit Tree Davis and local aritst as guests enjoy wine, appetizers and a silent auction of artwork related to trees. The proceeds go to Tree Davis, a nonprofit tree foundation to help plant new trees in Davis this year.

The event will feature artwork from dozens of local artists including Davis resident Jeremy Lipkowitz, an amateur photographer and research assistant in evoluation and ecology at UC Davis. He grew up in the redwoods in Santa Cruz and decided to participate because of his love of photographing trees.

Fairfield artist Janet Manalo and poet Suzanne Bruce felt a similar intrigue with trees and decided to enter their ekphrastic artwork "Shrouded by Fog/Gratitude" combined piece, an acrylic painting with the poem integrated in the painting.

ArtisTree tickets are $25 in advance of $50 at the door. To purchase tickets, contact TreeDavis at ruth@treedavis.org or 530-758-7337.

2010 New Beginnings

2010-02-02T13:01:00.000-08:00

Due to family issues and travel involved with that, I have not been keeping up on this blog very well. Now, it is 2010, a time for new beginnings and fresh ideas. Do send me anything you would like posted as far as events or readings. That is the whole idea of this blog....to share.

Below are some upcoming events in Napa, Benicia and Solano County:
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Monday, February 8th, Napa Public Library Read-Around 7:00pm

Sunday, February 21, St. Helena Public Library Read-Around-3:00pm

For more info. e-mail Gary Silva, Napa County Poet Laureate: GSILVA@napavalley.edu

(For both of these, bring a poem or two of your own, or from one your favorite poets, to read.)
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Benicia Reading: Saturday, February 13 from 2:00-4:30pm
Dona Benicia Room at the Benicia Library
Featured Readers:
Christina Hutchins, Albany Poet Laurete
and
Leonore Wilson, Napa teacher/Poet

(Open Mic will follow their readings)

Info: Robert Shelby, Benicia Poet Laureate: rmspoet@comcast.net
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Lynch Canyon: Arts Invitation

On Saturday, March 13, The Solano Land Trust invites you to bring your creativity and artistic vision to Lynch Canyon for:
"Through the Artist's Eye- A Day at Lynch Canyon"
Paint, create, share. The Land Trust plans to showcase work from this event at an artist's reception.
Please RSVP by March 1st
For more info contact: Teri Engbring at 707-432-0150 ext. 200 or teri@solandlandtrust.com
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I am going to use events like these to be the catalyst for challenging me to experiment with poetry form, styles, sounds. I hope you are also inspired to join in with my new beginnings!
Suzanne

"Read Around" Event

2009-09-02T08:14:00.000-07:00

Poetry readings are as varied as clothing styles, but this next post is an event I have found that can fit almost everyone's needs. The readings are held the third Sunday of each month at the St. Helena Library. Gary Silva provides a casual, relaxed (yet organized) atmosphere allowing each poet to present their poem with its individual voice. I encourage those who enjoy a variety of poetry form and content to come to this reading!
----Suzanne

On Sunday, September 20th, 3 p.m., at the St. Helena Public Library, we will be having the "regular" poetry "read around."Please bring a (about one page) poem of your own authorship or one written by another poet to read aloud to the group. We will read one poem each until we have gone around the circle once. Then if there is time, we will go around a second time, usually depending on how many people show up.The event is "free," but your admission is reading a poem to the group.
If you have any questions, you can contact the St. Helena Library at 963-5244.
Gary SilvaNapa County Poet Laureate

Bilingual Poetry Reading, August 20, 2009

2009-08-19T08:22:00.000-07:00

Dear Poets and Friends of Poetry,

This is just my usual reminder about our next poetry reading:Our major poetry event for this month is a bilingual poetry reading at the Napa Main Library. (There will be no "read around" at the St. Helena Library until next month.)Napa County Poet Laureate Gary Silva and the Napa City-County Library will present a Bilingual Poetry Reading in the Library’s Community Meeting Room on Thursday, August 20th, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Several featured local poets and readers will read their own poems and poems by others in Spanish and in English translation. If time permits, an “open mike” will be offered to persons in the audience who are invited to bring a favorite poem and translation to read aloud. This presentation is open to the public and is free of charge. Seating and assisted-listening devices will be available on a first-come first-served basis. The Napa City-County Library is wheelchair-accessible and is on VINE route 2. For further information, please call 235-4235.I hope you can attend!

Gary Silva, Poet Laureate, Napa

St. Helena Poetry Reading

2009-07-03T16:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Poets and Poetry Fans,

July 19th there will be a Poetry Read Around at the St. Helena Library, at 3 p.m.

Please bring a poem of your own creation or one by another poet to read aloud at the event. (Poems should be relatively short, about one page, no longer than five minutes).

Admission is FREE, though your "ticket" is a poem to read aloud.

The last event was a great success, with seventeen poets (like seventeen syllables in a haiku?) reading poems they wrote or by other "well known" poets.

Thanks again, and hope to see you on the 19th.Gary Silva, Poet Laureate of Napa County

Art and Poetry, Share Voices: Ekphrastic Expresssions Exhibit

2009-07-03T15:44:00.000-07:00

One of the things I do with my poetry is collaborative work with artist Janet Manalo. We have had several exhibits and presentations in the past. Our goal with these it not only the thrill of sharing our works, but to encourage others to find their creative voice as well.

We invited other Vacaville Art Gallery members to bring in pieces of art that they have done that were inspired by a poem or music.

The exhibit is now up! We are excited and hope people will stop by and share their opinions. Maybe they will even have some creative energies ignited for their own work!

Art & Poetry, Shared VoicesEkphrastic Expressions by Janet Manalo & Suzanne Bruce

Location: Vacaville Art Gallery 718 Monte Vista Ave. Vacaville, CA http://www.vacavilleart.com/

July 3~July 25, 2009

*Party on the Patio Reception: Saturday, July 11 FREE ~ Public Invited 7 ~ 9 pm

Wine by Winterhawk Winery; Jazz by the Bob Jacobs Trio

Also Exhibiting:VAL Member Art inspired by Music & Poetry
"Veiled Turmoil" by J. Manalo....... "Living Death" by S. Bruce

Visit EkphrasticExpressions for details

New Poetry Read-Around

2009-06-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

"If you are a poet...If you have the soul of a poet...If you love poetry..."

The St. Helena Public Library will now be hosting a Poetry Read-Around on the third Sunday of each month. The first one will be held on Sunday, June 21 at 3:00pm.

Where: St. Helena Public Library
1492 Library Lane
St. Helena, CA

Date: June 21, 2009

Time: 3:00pm

Information: 707-963-5244

A Writer's Challenge

2009-06-10T15:34:00.000-07:00

A Writer’s Challenge

To step into the space of a blank page,
collage it with imaginary color.

To walk hand-in-hand with wonder,
wrap souls with magical warmness.

To inhale the breezes of fantasy’s breaths,
create fabrications in the wind.

To embrace feelings of hidden meaning,
to reap unearthed ideas.

To celebrate vivacious voices,
release inhibitions from shy silence.

To seduce bare paper with passionate words,
then to dare someone to read them.

Suzanne Bruce
© A Writer’s Challenge, 2008

Voices through Poetry

2009-06-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

Several years ago, I discovered how much I enjoyed writing poetry. Not only was it a way for me to be creative, but it also became a voice through which I could express many things that I otherwise could not. Now it is a daily part of my life. Whether it is in private journaling or reading at an organized event, writing my own, or enjoying someone else's work--it has a place in my life every day. That's what this blog is all about. To share work, ideas, events, or even to post a poem. I hope you will join in with your own creative voice.