For lovers of poetry and the written word, what better way to spend a summer day than to come to the Kelley House Museum event on August 22 for “A Sunday Afternoon with…Mendocino Coast Poets of the 70′s and 80′s”.
If poets Bill Bradd, Gordon Black, Sharon Doubiago and Deveraux Baker added their years of poetry writing together readers would have a century of poem making. Many of these poets have books of their works available at local shops and libraries and they have hosted innumerable poetry readings. Life in Mendocino over the years has given each poet a unique voice.
A friend recently commented Bill Bradd’s book “Notebooks from the Emerald Triangle” wasn’t a memoir but actually was a long narrative poem. Bradd says he has been writing and making poems for 50 years. He might have worked as a laborer but his poems taught him self awareness. He’s proud of his long association with the California Poets in the Schools program.
Poet Gordon Black arrived on the coast in 1972 and was working then on a prose novel. After attending some poetry readings he states, “I turned to the short form”. In May 2010
local poets celebrated the 35th anniversary of the Mendocino Spring Poetry Reading. Black believes a steady schedule of part-time work, low rent and reliable transportation are essential to a poet’s life.
Devreaux Baker has been involved in teaching poetry to folks of all ages for decades. She has worked with the California Arts Council, Poets in the Schools, and KZYX’s Voyagers Poetry Program producing original student writing for the radio. Baker has published three books and created award winning poetry. The poet came from a family where literature, storytelling and poetry recitation were an important part of family life. “I am in awe and amazement of the power of poetry to heal”, she states.
Sharon Doubiago found her voice in poetry inspired by a visionary counterculture here after arriving on the coast in 1974. She is the author of numerous books and edited “Wood, Water, Air and Fire: An Anthology of Mendocino Women Poets”. Doubiago’s poetry is prize winning and she has been nominated for a National Book Award twice. This poet states “…that place-community, culture and landscape- are the roots of my poetry”.
So if locals and visitors are curious as to how living on the Mendocino Coast shapes a poet’s life, come to the Kelley House on August 22 at 3 pm for an interesting Sunday afternoon. $5 members; $7 non-members Call 707-937-5791 for more information.
