GERALD HASLAM at Sacramento City College

Gerald Haslam appeared at the Little Theatre Stage at Sacramento City College wearing a striped shirt and a gray fleece vest with a “volunteer” patch for the National Parks Service on it. It was kind of like Piet Mondrian’s Broadway Boogie-Woogie meets a Cabela’s catalog.

True to form, Mr. Haslam’s salt-of-the-earth persona shown through in his reading. He perched his glasses on the top of his head while he provided the intros to his stories and peered at the audience. Then he scooted them down over his eyes to read, offering up a sly, knowing grin at the parts in the story where he was reeling his audience in. Bait cast, he kept reeling until most in the crowd were assured of his master fisherman status.

He started out reading the prologue from Grace Period, Haslam’s recent novel about a soured love affair which then leads to a second chance for the male character in the book. The prologue featured the story of two young souls finding each other in college and eventually tying the knot. However, over the course, of the prologue, the audience was given several hints of the not-so-rosy future-to-come for the couple.

Then he read another section from Grace Period where the main character goes to watch a Portuguese bullfight that takes place in the middle of the Valley at Eskalon.

The third section of the Grace Period that Haslam read took place after the main character was battling cancer as a senior and staying at the home of one of his grown-up children.

By far, though, the highlight of the reading was Haslam’s “Mal de Ojo” a wonderful character-driven romp through the old neighborhood in the eyes of young Gilbert Sullivan whose future appears bright to the crazy Armenian visiting from out of town.

Haslam then read a short piece with a self-imposed 500 word limit about the importance of public libraries entitled “What Horton Hatched.”

The final offering by Haslam was the story entitled “Homecoming,” which featured a Japanese-American soldier who had returned home to California after the Second World War and feels slighted by the prejudice he encounters.

Running slightly over the allotted time, Haslam, always a man of modesty and one who is thoroughly considerate, apologized for his excess. He also wanted to make sure that he knew that students might have to go before he finished and that that would be all right.

His version of California signed, sealed and delivered, Haslam exited the Little Theater ready to take up his position as another character in the great deadpan Valley, perhaps even as a track coach from many years ago for Albert Garcia’s wife, Terry.

SACRAMENTO POETRY CENTER's Writer's Conference

April 20
FRIDAY NIGHT READING
AND RECEPTION 7-9PM
Free!

Hors d’oeuvres and
drinks 7 - 7:30 pm

Reading 7:30 – 9:00pm
Heather Hutcheson,
Andy Jones,
Danny Romero,
Brad Henderson,
Gail Entrekin

April 21
SATURDAY WORKSHOPS 9AM TO 4PM
8:30 – 9:00 Coffee and muffins
9:00 – 9:45 Panel discussion:
Andy Jones, Camille Norton,
Gail Entrekin, Danny Romero
10:00 – 11:45 Small workshop sessions
■ Andy Jones & Brad Henderson
■ Gail Entrekin – “The Taste of Poetry”
■ Camille Norton
■ Heather Hutcheson – “Where Poems Start"
■ Tim Kahl – “The Speaking Voice as Poetic Tool”
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch break
1:00 – 1:20 Group performance
!X — Sac City Ethnic Theatre Workshop
1:30 – 2:45 Afternoon workshop sessions
■ Danny Romero – Writing Memoir
■ Angela Dee Alforque – Performing Spoken Word
3:00 – 4:00 Participants group reading and celebration.

Registration fee
$25 for SPC members
$35 for non-members
(combined registration fee and
annual membership is $50)
Friday night reading is free—
donations requested.

Sacramento Literary Calendar for April 2007

1 Sunday
PoemSpirits featuring guest
reader Tim Bellows, Sierra
College professor. Co-host JoAnn
Anglin will also offer a brief
presentation on renowned poet
Jane Hirshfield.Free. Open mic,
light refreshments provided.
Bring a favorite poem to share,
yours or another’s. UUSS, 2425
Sierra Blvd. www.uuss.org. Info:
Tom Goff or Nora Staklis: 481-3312, or
JoAnn Anglin: 451-1372.

2 Monday
Sacramento Poetry Center hosts
“Poetic Justice,” a fundraiser for
frank andrick. HQ for the Arts.
1719 25th St. Bob Stanley
hosts. $10 at the door. Raffle,
poetry, reception, and music at 6
pm; reading starts at 7:30 pm.

3 Tuesday
SPC Poetry Workshop, 7:30pm,
Hart Senior Center, 27th & J.
Bring 15 - 20 copies of your one-
page poem. Info: Danyen, (530)
756-6228

5 Thursday
Poetry Unplugged features
Sacramento Poet Laureate, Julia
Connor at Luna’s Café.....
1414 16th Street. Info: 441-3931
or www.lunascafe.com. Free.
Festivities begin at 8pm and
there will be an open mic as well.
Hosted by Mario Ellis Hill.

7 Saturday
All are invited to Escritores del
Nuevo Sol’s writing group
workshop and potluck. 11am. at
La Raza Galeria Posada, Bring
up to 3 pages of your work to
read if you wish. 1024 22nd
Street, Sacramento. For info call
Graciela Ramirez, 456-5323 or
joannpen@comcast.net

9 Monday
SPC Board of Directors meets at
HQ for the Arts; 1719 25th Street.
5:45-7:00pm.

Sacramento Poetry Center
presents 2007 Poetry Contest
winners. 7:30 pm at HQ for the
Arts. Bob Stanley and Indigo
Moor host. Readings by
Cathleen Williams, Marie
Reynolds, Frances
Kakugawa, Tom Goff,
and more.

10 Tuesday
SPC Poetry Workshop, 7:30pm,
Hart Senior Center, 27th & J.
Bring 15 - 20 copies of your one-
page poem. Info: Danyen, (530)
756-6228

Bistro 33 Poetry Series. 8:30 pm
Open Mic after. Bistro 33 in
Historic Davis City Hall, 226 “F”
Street, 3rd and “F” Streets in
Davis.

11 Wednesday
Dr. Andy’s Poetry and
Technology Hour, host Andy
Jones, 5pm, KDVS-90.3 FM or
subscribe to podcast at
www.kdvs.org.

Rattlesnake Press will celebrate
its third birthday by presenting
D.R. Wagner at The Book
Collector, 1008 24th St.,
Sacramento. 7:30-9 PM to
celebrate the release of his new
chapbook of poetry and art,
Where the Stars are Kept. Also
released that night will be a
littlesnake broadside and
interview from Ann
Menebroker, to launch the
new Rattlesnake Interview
Series. Refreshments and a
read-around will follow; bring
your own poems or somebody
else’s. More info:
kathykieth@hotmail.com

12 Thursday
Luna’s Poetry Unplugged
features TBA. Open mic before/
after. Hosted by Geoffrey Neill.
8pm at Luna’s Café, 1414 16th
Street. Info: 441-3931 or
www.lunascafe.com. Free.

15 Sunday
Third Sunday Writing Group
Free creative writing workshop.
10th & U, Sacramento.
Contact Nancy Walker
oolalaparee03@yahoo.com

16 Monday
Sacramento Poetry Center
presents 2007 High School
Contest winners. Hear the next
generation of Sacramento Poets!
7:30 pm at HQ for the Arts.
Rebecca Morrison hosts.

17 Tuesday
SPC Poetry Workshop, 7:30pm,
Hart Senior Center, 27th & J.
Bring 15 - 20 copies of your
one-page poem. Info: Danyen,
(530) 756-6228

19 Thursday
Poetry Unplugged features poet
B.L. Kennedy. He melds
poetry and picture poems that
bring painting, illustration, and
wordplay into a visual context,
and is also a reviewer and
columnist of poetry and prose.
Begins at 8 pm and there will be
an open mic as well. 1414 16th
Street. Info: 441-3931 or
www.lunascafe.com. Free.
Hosted by frank andrick.

21 Saturday
Underground Poetry Series.
Open mic. 7-9pm, $3.00.
Underground Books, 2814 35th
Street (35th and Broadway.
Hosted by Terry Moore.
www.terrymoore.info)

23 Monday
Sacramento Poetry Center
presents Peter Grandbois.
7:30 pm at HQ for the Arts. Tim
Kahl hosts.

24 Tuesday
SPC Poetry Workshop, 7:30pm,
Hart Senior Center, 27th & J.
Bring 15 - 20 copies of your
one-page poem. Info: Danyen,
(530) 756-6228
Bistro 33 Poetry Series. 8:30 pm
Open Mic after. Bistro 33; His-
toric Davis City Hall, 226 “F” St,
3rd & “F” Streets. Davis.

25 Wednesday
Dr. Andy’s Poetry and
Technology Hour, host Andy
Jones, 5pm, KDVS-90.3 FM or
subscribe to podcast at
www.kdvs.org.

26 Thursday
Borders in Laguna presents An
Evening of Poetry to celebrate
Poetry History Month. This is a
joint event sponsored by the
CRC English Department and
Borders Books. Featured poets:
Indigo Moor, Lawana
Cager, Lisa Abraham,
Leslie Gale, and Emmanual
Sigauke. 7:00 pm. Borders
Books. 7215 Laguna
Boulevard, Elk Grove.

Poetry Unplugged features
poets D.R. Wagner and Neeli
Cherkovski — 2 famous and
accomplished poets, publishers,
educators, and mentors. 8pm;
includes an open mic. Hosted
by B.L. Kennedy. 1414 16th
Street. Info: 441-3931 or
www.lunascafe.com. Free.

28 Saturday
Sal Mimeo & The Process
Rebels without Applause
Tour of Words 2007
John Dorsey, S.A. Griffin,
Bill Roberts, David Smith,
Scott Wannberg. 8pm. The
Book Collector. 1008 24th St.
www.poems-for-all.com

“The Show” Poetry Series. 9 pm
at Wo’se Community Center (Off
35th and Broadway), 2863 35th
Street, Sacramento. $5.00.
Info: T.Mo at (916) 455-POET.

29 Sunday
Luna’s hosts The Pomo
Literati, a two hour poetry/
spoken word radio program
series to celebrate National
Poetry Month. Extreme poetic
rarities, pre-beat, to beat, to way
past beat with beyond post-
modern spoken word, poetry
and soundscapes. Also a
tribute honorarium of works by
S.F. Poet Philip Lamantia. 2-4
pm. Hosted and produced by
frank adnck.

30 Monday
Sacramento Poetry Center
presents Jeff Knorr’s Sac City
poetry class. 7:30 pm at HQ for
the Arts. Bob Stanley hosts.

RICARDO STERNBERG and STEPHEN YENSER

Ricardo Sternberg and Stephen Yenser read at the Sacramento Poetry Center, coming together with SPC host Bob Stanley, after a long hiatus of 32 years since Sternberg and Stanley were students in Yenser’s creative writing class in 1975.

Bob Stanley even had some dittos that he had kept from that class and dittos of one of Sternberg’s poems that he had written for a workshop. That poem “The Ant” was in Sternberg’s most recent book Bamboo Church (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2003).



Sternberg led off the evening and read a series of poems from his earlier books The Invention of Honey and The Map of Dreams. He started with “Meal,” “The Prince Soliloquy,” “In the Metro,” and a poem addressed to an unkind reviewer. He followed with “The True Story of My Life,” and “The Pelican in the Wilderness,” He also read some sections from his long book-length poem sequence “Map of Dreams” before he read selections from Bamboo Church, such as “Two Wings,” “First Dance,” “Plateia Kyriakou,” and “Supply=Demand.”



After a lengthy intervening open mic session (during which yours truly contributed to the tedium), Stephen Yenser opened the evening with selections from the book of poems devoted to Dorothea Tanning’s surreal paintings of imaginary flowers. The first piece he read was derived from 3 lines of a James Merrill poem, and the piece was given the title of the Latin genus and species name appended to Tanning’s fictitious flower, namely “Merrillium trovatum.” Yenser then went on to read a piece from the same collection that he had written for on of Tanning’s fictitious flowers (which coincidentally opens his new collection “Blue Guide.”) The poem was entitled “Love Knot.” Yenser proceeded to read several other poems from Blue Guide. He read “Paradise Cove,” “Helen’s Zen,” “MRI: A Trance,” “Variations on Ovid” and selections from Skafian Variations.”

INDIGO MOOR BOOK RELEASE PARTY

The incomparable Indigo Moor brings his smooth callouses to The Space at 25th and R (part of the HQ for the Arts complex)

Monday March 12 (7pm)
Book Release Party and Reading for

Indigo Moor's

Tap-Root



Main Street Rag Editor's Select Reading Series

Also,

Special Guest Reader: Jennifer Sweeney.
Author of "Salt Memory" -

2006 Main Street Rag First Book Award


Limited Edition Broadsides available

Hosted by Art Mantecon

And this just in from Indigo Moor's personal page

"Limited edition broadsides of work by Indigo Moor
and Jennifer K. Sweeney will be available on a first come basis."

You better believe I'm going to get there first to get a shot at Jennifer.

Oh, wait, I get it. Both of their broadsides will be available on a first come basis.