May 2005 Updrafts
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Chaparral from the California Federation of Chaparral Poets, Inc. serving Californiaupdr poets for over 60 yearsaftsVolume 66, No. 4 • May, 2005 President How Does Poetry Affect a City? James Shuman, PSJ Following is the Address given by Joel Fallon to Chaparral Poets on 22 April 2005. First Vice President David Lapierre, PCR Mister President, distinguished panelists, honored guests and fellow poets, I was sur- Second Vice President prised and flattered at Mary Rudge’s invitation to address you today. Like a wise zen Katharine Wilson, RF master Mary posed this koan for me, “How does poetry affect a city?” Third Vice President I began studying the koan by looking at the key Dan Saucedo, Tw terms of the question. CITY is defined as a center of population, com- Fourth Vice President merce and culture. Ah…ha “… and culture.” Donna Honeycutt, Ap Trying to define POETRY is a shortcut to insan- ity so I skipped to the other terms. I consulted other poets. Kirk Ridgeway, poet lau- Treasurer reate of Pleasanton, gave me good advice. I left a Ursula Gibson, Tw AFFECT means “to bring about a change or to message on Ferlinghetti’s answering machine at his Recording Secretary influence.” It has another specialized meaning in the house in Bolinas. He didn’t call back. A good poet Lee Collins, Tw realm of psychology. It has the meaning of “a feel- pal immediately zeroed in on the problem saying, Corresponding Secretary ing or emotion as distinguished from cognition, “How Does Poetry Affect a City? Well take Troy…” Dorothy Marshall, Tw thought or action.” Great! Feelings and emotions Hmmm, Yes Where would poetry be without Troy? Members-at-Large Chair count. Frances Yordan, FG Pushing on with the koan, it seemed best to dis- cover how poetry, whatever that is, has changed or Monthly Contest Chair ‘California Voices’ a influenced a city - particularly its culture. Ideally, it Cleo Griffith, PSJ would be useful to find a city with two pictures, one Convention Chair, 2006 delightful convention “before poetry” and the other “after poetry.” Donna Honeycutt, Ap From first-timers to long-timers, reaction to the Convention Program Chair Before that however I turned the koan upside down April 22 – 24 CFCP, Inc. Convention was the same: — it was clear that cities affect poetry: Dan Saucedo, Tw it was a grand time! The theme of California Voices, Annual Contest Chair developed by Program Chair Mary Rudge, seemed Chicago, hog butcher to the world, Lisabeth Shuman, PSJ perfect for the wide diversity of outstanding sessions, San Francisco, open your golden gate, Youth Contest Chair held in the Clarion Hotel in Oakland, formerly known Everything’s up to date in Kansas city, etc. as the Holiday Inn. Turning it right side up again I tried to find a ma- Children’s Poetry Fair and From the opening address by Joel Fallon, Benicia jor and visible impact that poetry has on a city. One Education Committee Chair Linda McCarty, VW Poet, to the special awards on Sunday evening, mem- continued on page two: ‘Address’ bers found each session to be a delightful experi- Publications Chair ence. James Shuman, PSJ ‘American Life in Poetry’ The Colt Trophy was awarded on Saturday after- Roster and ByLaws Chair initiative launched by Poet noon to Inez Feltscher from Palo Alto High School Jeremy Shuman, PSJ for her insightful poem, Piano Hands. Laureate Ted Kooser Archivist and Librarian Saying “Newspapers are close to my heart and my Katharine Wilson, RF On Sunday evening, the Beth Martin Haas Award went to Claudia Cobleigh, for her dedicated efforts family,” Poet Laureate Ted Kooser announced a free Millennium Poetry weekly column for newspapers and online publica- C. Joy Haas, RF on behalf of poetry education, and especially to work- ing with children. tions featuring a poem by a contemporary American Web Site poet and a brief introduction to the poem by Kooser. www.ChaparralPoets.org The Roadrunnerup trophy went to Laverne Frith Called American Life in Poetry, the sole mission of for his poem, Eyes of a Woman, and the Golden Pe- this project is to promote poetry, which he believes FEDERATION gasus trophy was awarded to Katy Brown for Open- can add value for newspaper and online readers while ing the Curtains, a touching and unique poem in two of seeking to re-create a vigorous presence for poetry in voices. our culture. There are no costs or obligations for re- CHAPARRAL Because of the extensive variety of offerings this printing the columns. year, it is difficult to name them all in a few short Kooser, whose wife and son both work in journal- paragraphs. poets CALIFORNIA inc. continued on page seven: ‘Convention’ continued on page six: ‘Initiative’ Copyright 2005 California Federation of Chaparral Poets, Inc. Chaparral Updrafts, Volume 66, No. 4, May 2005. All rights reserved. Poets retain rights to their poems. Copyright 2005 California Federation of Chaparral Poets, Inc. All rights reserved. Poets retain rights to their poems. Address: Poetry’s affect on a City Chaparral continued from page one against property than Pleasanton has. No cor- relations of poetry and crime rates seemed updrafts example sprang to mind – Elko Nevada – the apparent for the other cities either. Editor & Publisher .......James Shuman home, for over twenty years of the National Cowboy Poetry Festival. Once a year the Maybe something else is operating here – 2521 Meadow Rue Drive Perhaps the SORT of city and the TYPE of Modesto, CA 95355-3910 population of Elko increases by about fifty poetry involved must get jiggered into the 209-523-6954 FAX 209-521-8778 percent for a three day festival. That would be like Oakland having an additional 150,000 analysis. After all, Not all cities are equal. Treasurer .................. Ursula T. Gibson poets for a long weekend. The affect? Well, Violent crime is low in Vatican City and high P O Box 806, Tujunga, CA 91043 Such a temporary increase in population in Baghdad. Love poems inspire different 818-353-7174 might be good for Oakland’s commerce but reactions than “The Charge of the Light Bri- Corresponding Secretary I don’t know about its impact on culture. gade.” Ouch, The model for answering the ........................... Dorothy Marshall koan was getting very complicated with all I put Elko into a set of other cities, large these variables and lack of hard historical 430 Eleventh St, Pomona, CA 91766 and small, with which I could associate po- data. 888-308-7488 etry, Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Please send news and information items to New York, Pleasanton, Chicago and my So, I looked at my own home town, Beni- the editor one month in advance of intended home Benicia. I figured that if poetry en- cia. Would you believe it that in Benicia po- publication date. hances culture, Elko and other cities’ crime etry has reduced crime by eleven percent, For questions involving membership, either statistics would reflect a gentle sane life. Yet, increased tourism sixteen percent, and has new or renewal, please contact the treasurer. based on FBI furnished figures of violent made all the women strong and the men good Be sure to visit our new web site: crime per hundred thousand inhabitants, Elko looking? If you’ve written down those fig- http://www.ChaparralPoets.org has almost twice as much violent crime as ures please scratch them out. Those figures Pleasanton and a third again more crime don’t exist. No luck answering the koan, “How does CFCP, Inc. Officers installed for next two years poetry affect a city?” Then I remembered the The report of the Nominating Committee Corresponding Secretary Dorothy Marshall other definition of AFFECT “… a feeling or emotion as distinguished from cognition, having been accepted at the General Mem- Members-at-Large Chair ... Frances Yordan bership Meeting, committee member Nan- thought or action.” Ah…ha! Feelings and The lack of a nominee for the position of cee Maya performed the installation at the Emotions count. Treasurer was discussed. Ursula T. Gibson, close of the Golden Pegasus Banquet in a Instead of hard statistics, I have the feel- who has been treasurer for nearly eight years, flameless candle ceremony (due to hotel ing that poetry works in Benicia, my town, has said that for health reasons she cannot regulations). The following officers were in- that it exerts a civilizing influence, that po- continue to serve, but has agreed to stay in stalled for the 2005–2007 term: etry makes people more cordial and gracious. the position briefly to ease the transition. President ............................. James Shuman Yes, I feel that Poetry impacts on Benicia in Although the Nominating Committee was subtle but real ways. Here are some examples First Vice President ............ David Lapierre unsuccessful in finding a candidate, a quali- Every month fifteen or twenty Poets from Second Vice President..... Katharine Wilson fied person has since been located and is will- Benicia, and other cities meet on the First Third Vice President .............. Dan Saucedo ing to serve. This person will be appointed Tuesday in Benicia’s public Library. We read at the meeting in July, subject to approval of Fourth Vice President ..... Donna Honeycutt and discuss poetry, drink coffee, schmooze the Board, and will begin duty immediately. Recording Secretary .................Lee Collins and have a grand time. Each month we’re seeing a gradual influx of younger poets. We Youth Contest chair, Norma Green, steps down inspire each other. Poetry is contagious. Like At the close of the convention, Norma her well in her other pursuits,including typhoid Mary, these poets return home and King Green, chair of the Junior-Senior Con- spending time with her family, and doing spread poetry.