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. test, submitted her resignation for personal more personal writing. Every year Benicia’s Historical Museum reasons. She assures us that she will work The job does not require a lot of attention has a Love Poetry contest celebrating an early closely with whoever assumes that role for except during the contest season itself. California romance. It is the tragic love story the 2006 Contest season, and intends to pro- Norma was able to manage it with some as- of Concepcion Arguello (daughter of the vide physical assistance whenever possible. sistance from other chapter members in her commandante of the Presidio in San Fran- She has lists and templates computerized, area. It is an excellent opportunity for a small cisco) and Nikolai Resanov (a visiting Rus- which should make it fairly easy for another group to get to meet teachers and students sian nobleman) Their plans to marry were person to step in and manage things. from throughout the state. Anyone interested shattered by his death, Concepcion entered Norma has been a dedicated member of in helping CFCP in this capacity should ap- the convent, became a teaching nun and died the CFCP board for three years, and her ex- ply to President James Shuman as soon as in Benicia. Their love story has inspired a perience and loyalty will be missed. We wish possible. continued on page six: ‘Address’
PAGE 2 Chaparral Updrafts Copyright 2005 California Federation of Chaparral Poets, Inc. All rights reserved. Poets retain rights to their poems. Monthly Contest Winners on the topic of Portraits Spider Woman Too late I see you advance, apologizing your way to claim the center of attention, spin a web of your achievements. Since I could, but do not run away, I want to make you disappear, go elsewhere to fill your cloying emptiness. You’ve become so needy that my guilt at not addressing your ancient wounds festers and grows to immobilize me. The threads of your poverty wrap around me, and I am angry with myself for once again, being caught in your web.
—Margaret M. Hamilton, San Diego, CA —First Prize, February
The Drifter The Portrait of the Perfect Child
I was born old, older “Angelic,” a woman uttered. than dirt, never learned “Superb,” somebody cried. how to be young. I’m “Enchanting,” another muttered. hungry and tired and in “Perfection,” someone sighed. a hurry, though there’s nowhere I need to be. The pastels of the paintings like falling petals merged. Its pigments bleeding, flowing artfully converged, My one true love checked Lines and strokes united without angles, edges, ends, out and moved on, To form an opus magnum of curves and color blends. no candles in any windows, Trapped within the brush strokes, beneath the frosty glaze, nobody is waiting for me. Was the poignant image of a sweet girl’s wistful gaze. Docile and submissive, eager to comply, I’ve sung all my songs, She surrendered up her boundaries into the background sky. used up my wishes, How was each subtle tint pawned my best scheme. So flawlessly combined? There’s no fire in my belly, Was the inspiration sent I’d trade my future Or craftily designed? for a hot bowl of beans. Why was the faultless child, So beautifully portrayed, I’m too sore to hurt, too hurt With sadness reconciled? to be sore, but one thing How was the image made? I’ve learned; nothing is as easy or as hard, or quite the way A secret seemed to hover, that it seems, and you’re not A silent sense of pain, a loser ’til you give up your Yet no one would discover last dream. It had been left out in the rain.
—Billie L. Marsh, Tulsa, OK —Norma K. Green, Fairfield, CA —Second Prize, February —Third Prize, February
MAY 2005 PAGE 3 Copyright 2005 California Federation of Chaparral Poets, Inc. All rights reserved. Poets retain rights to their poems. Monthly Contest Winners on the topic of Off the Wall For the Ghosts (After Edward Hirsch) Cucumbers, etc. Today I want to tell you about the presence of ghosts who I read a poem published in a prestigious magazine appear in our garden about a wild cucumber by the fountain in early morning and the guy picking it by the fence, faint misty images that how he stood there watching the field. come out like a chill It was simple and bland, but not so terribly special. in the dark without premonition or warning I wrote a poem about my lover slipping away with volition and motion after midnight while the moon hid, and all their own one about the ritual of dancing in white gloves unaware of our presence not at cotillion, then years later in a sweaty bar, and even knowing they are dead then one about the gods I carry around and wrestle inside of me. as they raise their arms And none of them were published. to breathe like butterflies
And when I think about my rejections, with hearts rooted to the I begin to imagine that cucumber earth of an unobstructed universe. all green and wild and sweaty-looking, That’s why we should all become crystals: wielding a fence pole like a sword, spectrums of refracted light slicing and dicing my words into giant chunks. prisms with geometrical relationships; And then like a god it chews each piece, mirror images of ourselves spitting syllables into the sky like undigested seeds. to be held in the hands of ghosts to light their way home The cucumber grins into my window, then floats away laughing. trust the crystals I take a pile of leftover phrases from a basket, trust the ghosts dump them on the page, who rise in the garden mist and slowly sort them one by one into the night. trust what we cannot see look for colors —Catherine Moran, Little Rock, AR watch the flower —First Prize, March trust our power in darkness wake to light
—Norine Radaikin, Sacramento, CA —Second Prize, March
Driving Backward on an Unpaved Road Uncharted barriers Unwavering deer stare Raindrops pearl into parched earth No longer standing Large brown eyes Through oblivious heat Muted blue overhead Hawks in mid swoop gawk Moss grows south side Elongated white strands Red tails follow Nudging up dry Dust billowing Compasses quake Long road back in Settling shrouding Winds shift Less and less traveled
—Marnelle R. White, Copperopolis, CA —Third Prize, March
PAGE 4 Chaparral Updrafts Copyright 2005 California Federation of Chaparral Poets, Inc. All rights reserved. Poets retain rights to their poems. Monthly Contest Winners on the topic of Historical Remembering the Silence (Piskaryouskoye Cemetery Fifty Years Slinging Hash I daydream behind the counter after the Siege of Leningrad) before the customers arrive for breakfast special. Now it all looks so simple, this Santa Maria del Fiore— Wind howls Brunelleschi dashes hard the brittle brain of an egg; The iron sea he cheats a little to claim his cupola, Haunts their nameless grave the dome-egg enclosed shell, Dreaming dark roses. the ego of Duomo: Birch trees weep a simple principle mortared, Their lost-leaf dead pietre serena e fortissimo, Sleeping the swordswept artisan with trowel, Silence. (of woman born from ova, her hair netted, no doubt) Hungry stones scaffolding to heaven. Swallow the horizon More egg play— Digesting a million memories Donato Donatello, Their names unknown carrying eggs in his apron, For ever. Eh, Filippo, Filippo, Skulls crack awe-struck falls, Their death masks beholding Brunelleschi’s Still muttering cruelty crucifix of our Lord, Implacable as time. and scrambles them. She also serves who only stands and waits. Comprehension Her oeuvre. Besieged by enormity Mister, how do you Snaps like your eggs, Like charred twigs basted, over easy? Smouldering the Inferno —Ariel Smart, Saratoga, CA And bone-dead shadows —Second Prize, April Splinter the beseeching Cross As a meadow lark Trills spring In St. Petersburg. Like Going to the Moon (Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery) —Elizabeth A. Bernstein, Paradise, CA Thomas Jefferson spread the oxygen of sun, moss could have grown on their —First Prize, April exploration, and Lewis and Clark trod dreams, but they didn’t permit it. land no white man had seen before. They Triumphant tales waited to be told. rowed the Missouri’s sparkle, and rode where horses’ manes drifted like flax Back home again, did they yearn in the wind. In seas of singing grass, for the plains where vistas wedded skies to horizons? Lewis, Clark, days sweet as wild plum jelly followed the men and Sacajawea owned days dull as pemmican, or harsh as a moment in history, and they, as hardtack. Hands went raw, feet bled, well as anyone along the way who and voices became wispy as campfire had seen them, talked to them, smoke. But they pressed on. Past helped them or hindered them, the death grip of the Rockies, the were never the same again Columbia exploded like gunfire into the ocean. In a winter untouched by —Cleo Kocol, Roseville, CA —Third Prize, April
MAY 2005 PAGE 5 Copyright 2005 California Federation of Chaparral Poets, Inc. All rights reserved. Poets retain rights to their poems. Address: Poetry’s affect on a City Initiative for public continued from page two late and they have built in BS detectors. They poetry by Kooser choose their words with care and express lugubrious poem by Frank (Brett) Harte, two continued from page one books by Gertrude Atherton, a play by Eve themselves clearly. Most poets have a well Iverson and a Russian rock opera. See de- developed sense of history and culture and ism, said, “As Poet Laureate I want to show tails on the internet. This love story contin- they usually know what is correct, what is the people who read newspapers that poetry ues to inspire poets each year in Benicia and fair, what is moral. They are uniquely quali- can be for them, can give them a chuckle or in Russia. Two years ago, soil from the grave fied to comment on a range of topics — lo- an insight.” Poetry was long a popular staple of Nikolai in Krasnoyarsk, Russia was cal government, the teaching of language, the in the daily press. According to Kooser, brought to Benicia to be mingled with the arts, and politics. “Readers enjoyed it. They would clip verses, soil at Concepcion’s grave. Poetic? You bet Mary (Zen Master) and all you honorable, stick them in their diaries, enclose them in — even though the Department of Agricul- enlightened bodhisattvas, I answer the koan letters. They even took time to memorize ture insisted that the soil be zapped in a mi- not with facts, but with feelings, like this. some of the poems they discovered.” crowave. The annual in Benicia’s Historical • Poetry affects a city in diverse, subtle, per- In recent years poetry has all but disap- Museum draws a crowd to listen to Russian sistent ways. peared from newsprint. Yet the attraction to and Spanish music, to buy chapbooks, to hear • The important ways are not measurable. it is still strong. Kooser observed that “Po- the contestants love poems and watch the • The measurable ways are not important. etry has remained a perennial expression of awarding of the trophy for the year’s out- Now I’d like to tell you how I feel about our emotional, spiritual and intellectual lives, standing love poem. Benicia’s Poetry is con- my town. as witnessed by the tens of thousands of po- tagious but still nothing like Elko’s. ems written about the tragedy of September National Poetry Month is celebrated in My Town 11 that circulated on the Internet. Now I’m Benicia with a Poets’ Picnic in the Park. Po- hoping to convince editors that there could My town is a river town at the edge of land, ets, families and an enthusiastic audience all be a small place in their papers for poetry, where Sierra water, tired from working in converge in one of our gem-like parks. We that it could add a spot of value in the eyes of rice fields, have an open mic and gorge on stuffed eggs, readers. Best of all, it won’t cost a penny.” meets the Pacific — then swirls off salad, sandwiches, sestinas, and sonnets. We in current, fog and cloud. Kooser personally chooses each poem, read, listen, slap backs, exchange chapbooks selecting ones that are brief and that will be and spread the poetry virus among other po- My town’s front yard is three miles wide enjoyable and enlightening to newspaper etry lovers. Our fourth annual Poets’ Picnic with fishing boats and deep draft tankers. readers. Each week a new column is posted in the Park is coming up on the 30th of April. Seals play here, barking and calling at night, at
PAGE 6 Chaparral Updrafts Copyright 2005 California Federation of Chaparral Poets, Inc. All rights reserved. Poets retain rights to their poems. Convention highlights and delights reviewed continued from page one ers who provided several Hawaiian Language The afternoon featured the Annual Con- The Convention formally opened at 3 pm interpretations, led by dancer Alberta Jay. test Awards, recognizing the authors of the with a Welcome given in several different The Youth Contest Awards were presented outstanding poems in this year’s contest. languages, greetings and proclamations from at 1:30, with chair Norma King Green mod- Moderated by contest chair Lisabeth Shu- the mayors and other officials of Bay Area erating. The room was filled with students, man, each of the three to five winning po- cities, and concluded with an address by Joel parents, and teachers, as well as regular at- ems in each of twelve categories was read Fallon, which he graciously agreed to have tendees at the Convention. Readers were aloud, either by the author, or by a poet- included in this issue. debee loyd, Jeremy Shuman and Don Feliz. reader. As we have done in recent years, tak- ing a 15-minute break about half-way Two panel discussions concluded the af- This was followed at 3:30 by a Tribute to through kept the session manageable. Read- ternoon: one from publishers and editors, Poets Laureate, beginning with a 15 minute ers were James Shuman, Laverne Frith, Joyce followed by one on the difficulties of trans- Celebration of the Muses dance presentation Odam, David Lapierre, Lee Collins, Katha- lating poetry from its original language. from the Poetic Dance Theater Company led rine Wilson, Jim Gibson, Donna Honeycutt, by Natica Angilly, followed by a panel dis- Evening Keynote Speaker David Alpaugh Jeremy Shuman, and Ursula T. Gibson. warned of The Challenge to All Poets of the cussion with poets who have held the laure- The evening concluded with the Golden Professionalism of Poetry at 7 pm. Among ate title for their community. Included were Pegasus Banquet, the highlight of the Con- his many other Bay Area “hats,” he is a per- Rod Clark, Pacifica; Dorothy Lee Hansen, vention. Featuring Keynote Speaker Judy manent member of the board of trustees of Napa County; Marline Hitt, Sunland/Tu- Wells, a member of the faculty at St. Mary’s The Ina Coolbrith Circle. junga; Penelope La Montagne, Healdsburg’ Meredith Karen Laskow, Placentia; debee College, speaking on Voices That Changed Four very different poets presented their loyd, Modesto; Kirk Ridgeway, Pleasanton; California Literary Tradition, Education — own thoughts under the topic Viola Weinberg, Sacramento; and mary and Me, the sixty-five in attendance ap- Sound, Substance, Style — Poetry Diver- Rudge, Alameda. plauded the installation of CFCP Officers for sity. Mosetta Rose London, known to area the 2005–2007 term, and cheered enthusias- Classroom teachers enjoyed a panel on school children as “Mama Rap,” the poet tically as each of the special awards were an- How I Get Students Interested in Poetry with known as Paradise, Jimmy Lyons, and Peter nounced. Tom Myers, Modesto elementary teacher, Lim each spoke and gave us a taste of their and Linda McCarty, Fairfield middle and Table decorations featured the “postcard” type of poetry. The traditional Bardic Circle high school. design containing “stamps” of famous Cali- read-around closed the evening’s activities. fornia poets, but also included “blossoms” The evening began with Poetry Into Saturday opened with the Children’s Po- of CFCP members which had been cut from Rhythm and Song featuring Nanette Bradley etry Fair Exhibit in one room and in another, photographs. Deetz as Redbird Giving and the Native authors’ exhibits of books and periodicals, A gathering of nearly two dozen poets American Fusion Band, using both poetry as well as archival materials including pho- convened for one more bardic circle, shar- and music. This was followed by another tographs, old documents, and other items of ing a few more choice bits with one another read-around to close the event-filled day. historic interest, were on display. before saying goodnight. Sunday morning offered a choice of Writ- A choice of sessions at 9 am offered a An optional Monday morning tour of Sites ing for Spirituality with Susan Anderson- roundtable by Poetry Education Committee of Historical Literary Significance in Ala- Coons, a POV member living in Oregon, or chair Linda McCartney in one room and a meda, was conducted by Mary Rudge, who Poets in Wartime with Sherman Pearl, a noted writing workshop on “Finding Poems” led gave those who accompanied her a final taste southern California author, followed by the by Cleo Griffith in another. of the richly varied and wonderful sessions General Membership Meeting. Keynote Speaker, Katie McAllaster at California Voices. Weaver, addressed the group on Writing with Children in Mind. Her children’s poetry has 2 Connecticut teenagers win prose, poetry awards been featured in numerous magazines and her LITCHFIELD, CN — Two students at for her efforts. They also were awarded children’s picture book, Bill in a China Shop the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts $1,000 each in April after being named Hart- has won awards both in the U.S. and U.K. were awarded the top statewide prizes in ford County winners. The Haiku Poets of Northern California, prose and poetry June 5 in the eighth annual The awards dinner featured keynote speak- represented by Garry Gay, president, and Paul IMPAC-Connecticut State University Young ers Ravi Shankar, poet in residence and pro- O. Williams, past president, gave an inter- Writers competition. fessor of English at Central Connecticut State esting discussion on the work their organi- Charlotte Crowe, 16, of Canton, CN, won University, and Jennifer Steele, of Middle- zation is doing to encourage contemporary for her story, Korean Laundry. Jessica Roth, town, CN, a Howard University senior and writing in the haiku form, and was concluded also 16, of Granby, CN, took home the po- county poetry winner in 2001 and 2002. with Haiku 4 U by President James Shuman. etry prize for her poem, Growing Citrus. The program has given more than The Poets’ Luncheon on Saturday was At the annual awards dinner Sunday at the $118,000 to teenagers since 1998. graced with the Keakealani Wahine Ui Danc- Litchfield Inn, each student received $1,000 Copyright June 6, 2005 by The Associated Press.
MAY 2005 PAGE 7 Copyright 2005 California Federation of Chaparral Poets, Inc. All rights reserved. Poets retain rights to their poems. Pulitzer-winning poet Richard Eberhart dies at 101 Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Richard graduated in 1926, went on to earn bachelor’s landed in heaven,’’ his daughter, Gretchen Eberhart, admired for mentoring generations and master’s degrees at St. John’s College at Cherington, said last year. Being hired to raise of aspiring writers and one of the foremost Cambridge University and published his first the stature of poetry at his alma mater was writers of lyric verse in the book, A Bravery of Earth, “as much as he could ever have hoped for,’’ 20th century, died at his in 1930. she said. home in Hanover, NH on Returning to the United Although he officially retired in 1970, he June 9 after a short illness. States in 1929, Eberhart continued to teach part-time until the mid- He was 101. spent a year as tutor to the 1980s. Eberhart was the author son of King Prajadhipok Eberhart also was admired for encourag- of more than a dozen books of Siam (now Thailand), ing young poets, including many at of poetry and verse during who came here for eye Dartmouth College, where he taught for a career that spanned more surgery with his family nearly 30 years. Even in his ninth decade, than 60 years. He received and 600 pieces of luggage Eberhart would call the school’s director of nearly every major book in tow. creative writing to say he’d discovered some award a poet can win, in- He began studying for wonderful poet and to urge her to consider cluding the Pulitzer, which his doctorate at Harvard bringing that person to Dartmouth. he received in 1966 for his University, but a lack of Among Eberhart’s other awards are a Selected Poems, 1930- The poet Richard Eberhart money ended his studies Bollingen Prize, awarded by Yale for distin- 1965 and a National Book Award in 1977 for after one year. He spent the Depression teach- guished achievement in American poetry Collected Poems, 1930-1976. ing English at a private prep school near (1962, shared with John Hall Wheelock); and In his 1977 acceptance speech for the Boston, where he met his wife, Helen Eliza- the Frost Medal of the Poetry Society of National Book Award, he said: “Poetry is a beth “Betty’’ Butcher. Married in 1941, they America (1986, shared with Allen Ginsberg). natural energy resource of our country. It has spent 52 together years until her death in A fellow of the Academy of American Poets no energy crisis, possessing a potential that 1993. and a member of the National Institute of Arts will last as long as the country. Its power is During World War II he was an officer in and Letters, Eberhart was the consultant in equal to that of any country in the world.’’ the United States Naval Reserve. After the poetry at Library of Congress from 1959 to “Poems in a way are spells against death,’’ war, he worked for several years as an ex- 1961. Eberhart once told the Concord Monitor. ecutive at the Butcher Polish Company, His other books include The Quarry: New “They are milestones, to see where you were owned by his wife’s family. He later built an Poems, 1964; Shifts of Being, 1968; and The then from where you are now. To perpetuate academic career, teaching at the University Long Reach: New & Uncollected Poems, your feelings, to establish them. If you have of Washington, Harvard, Princeton, the Uni- 1948-1984, 1984. The author of a number of in any way touched the central heart of versity of Florida and elsewhere. verse plays, Eberhart was a founder, in 1950, mankind’s feelings, you’ll survive.’’ He returned to Dartmouth in 1956 as a of the Poets’ Theater. Richard Ghormley Eberhart was born on professor of English and poet-in-residence. Information for this article came from the Associated Press April 5, 1904, in Austin, Minn. He discov- “Coming to Dartmouth, it was as if he June 12, 2005, and the New York Times, June 14, 2005. ered his love for poetry as a high school stu- dent, when an English teacher asked students to write poems for homework. “When most Top Six Questions Writers Ask of the students would bring in one poem the from the Poets & Writers, Inc. web site at
PAGE 8 Chaparral Updrafts Copyright 2005 California Federation of Chaparral Poets, Inc. All rights reserved. Poets retain rights to their poems.
Save this page! 2005 CFCP, Inc. Monthly Contests It’s not too late to enter this month’s contest on Exploration, Nature & Science, but check Except where otherwise indicated, poems are limited to 28 lines. All forms accepted for all categories. the category each month before entering. JANUARY — Changes R U L E S Contests are open to all poets in the Unit- With a new category every month, there FEBRUARY — Portraits are 30 chances a year to win recognition. But, ed States and Canada. Each submission MARCH — Off-the-Wall! must be typewritten on standard size pa- of course, it is necessary to actually send your per with the contest month in the upper poems in to the Contest Chair! Be sure to dis- APRIL — Historical right-hand corner. Send ONE COPY of card any copies of previous years’ contests each poem with author’s name and ad- MAY—Light or Humorous Verse dress in the upper left corner of the re- rules, and be thinking of entries for 2005. Pin verse side. Address labels are accept- a copy of this page to your bulletin board for JUNE — Exploration, Nature & Science able. Multiple entries are welcome. quick reference. JULY — no contest Only UNPUBLISHED POEMS and po- The topics and rules are new for 2005, ems not previously awarded a money AUGUST — Short Poem 12 lines or fewer prize are eligible. A fee of $2.00 must since the Board authorized some changes last accompany each poem submitted (3 for October at the meeting. Most notable is the SEPTEMBER — Fun with Numbers $5.00). Send cash or make checks to CFCP, Inc. DEADLINE is the last day fee per entry, which is now $2 per poem, or OCTOBER — California 3 poems for $5. of the contest month. Envelope must be NOVEMBER — Family postmarked no later than 12 midnight Also, several of the topics have been of that day. Print contest month on out- changed, to provide a bit more variety and DECEMBER — no contest side of mailing envelope. challenge to your creative juices! Several NOTE: In any month wherein insufficient entries are received, those poems which were submitted people suggested other topics, as well, so we will be held over and judged with the entries for the following month. ended with more than enough for ten con- tests. No fixed form contests were included, 1st prize: $25.00 2nd prize: $15.00 3rd prize: $10.00 since in recent years these have seen a very Poems will be returned only if a stamped, self-addressed envelope is enclosed. Allow one month after closing date limited number of entries. of contest before sending poems elsewhere. Winning poems will be printed in the Chaparral Updrafts newsletter. Keep copies of this page handy to share ➸ when people ask how to join CFCP. Also, think CALIFORNIA Cleo Griffith mail contest Monthly Contest Chair, CFCP, Inc. in terms of carrying copies to give to inter- FEDERATION entries to 4409 Diamond Court ested friends or acquaintances. And maybe OF CHAPARRAL POETS, INC. Salida, CA 95368-9632 leave a few at your library or on the bulletin
✔ How to Become a Member I definitely want to be a member of the check the appropriate item: YES! Membership Annual/Renewal ...... $1500 California Federation of Chaparral Poets, Inc. for the year 2005. New Member (February 1 to April 30) ...... $1200 New Member (May 1 to July 31) ...... $750 1 50 00 75 NAME Spouse ( ⁄2 regular member) ...... $7 , $6 , or $3 Junior (under 21; show proof of age)...... $300 ADDRESS Donation (specify amount) ...... I am interested in joining a Chapter in my area (name of Chapter)
CITY STATE ZIP I wish to join as a Member-at-Large. We wish to form a Chapter of our own (5 or more PHONE ( ) FAX ( ) Regular Members are required to form a new Chapter) to be called E-MAIL Members-at-Large: Clip this form and mail along with a check I PREFER TO RECEIVE MY UPDRAFTS NEWSLETTER BY: E-MAIL US MAIL or money order made payable to CFCP, Inc. to: Your membership includes all issues of the newsletter, Updrafts, free entry in the Annual Frances Yordan, Members-at-Large Chairman, 2575 W. San Contest, Monthly Contest information, and Membership Roster every 2 years during the Jose Avenue, Fresno, CA 93711-2733. membership period. All memberships renew between 8/1 and 12/31 yearly. Persons All Others: Send this form along with a check or money order joining between February 1 and July 31 will use the pro-rated formula. New memberships made payable to CFCP, Inc. to: received between August 1 and December 31 will be extended for the following full year. CFCP Treasurer, P.O. Box 806, Tujunga, CA 91043-0806. * Those who desire to continue membership with a chapter, please remit dues to your local chapter treasurer.
MAY 2005 PAGE 9 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. Next Board Meeting set for July 23 in Fresno It will soon be time for the next CFCP, Inc. Board an opportunity to see it first-hand. At the and butter, coffee and tea, and dessert. Choose Board Meeting, which has been set for July 23 January meeting, the Board agreed to recom- one of the following entrées: at the Piccadilly Inn, 2305 West Shaw Avenue, mend it to the General Membership in April, Chicken Marsala: sautéed chicken breast Fresno, 93711. The telephone number is 1 559- where it was approved on a trial basis for the with shallots, garlic and mushrooms in a 226-3850. next two years. Marsala wine sauce. All chapter presidents (or their designated The July meeting is especially important, Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad: grilled representatives) are urged to attend, as well as since that is when the Board reviews and ap- chicken breast, romaine lettuce, parmesan state officers and committee chairs, since they proves many details for the coming convention. cheese, tomato, avocado, croutons and classic are voting members and their input is needed Among these are the Theme of the Convention, Caesar style dressing. in planning events for the future. In addition, the various categories for the annual contest, All options are the same price, which is $16 all other CFCP members are welcome to attend, and the overall budget. Additional volunteers per person, including service charge and sales tax. especially members of local area chapters. for the Convention Committee are still needed, NOTE: Please RSVP to Host David The meeting will begin at 11 am, with a to help implement the ideas and plans that will Lapierre at
hotel on the right, at 2305 W. Shaw Avenue.
January meeting at the location, to provide the salad, potatoes or rice pilaf, vegetables, rolls
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