Multi-Cultural Poetry Reading and Pot Luck Lunch
August 13, Noon to 4:00
at the Redwood Empire Chinese Association Center
cosponsored by Artists Embassy International,
Redwood Empire Chinese Association
and the Poets of the Vineyards
Chapter of California Federation of Chaparral Poets
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| A festive afternoon of poetry and friendship was shared by about 35 poets and audience. We even had a poetry cake as we do each year. |
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| Food included everything from Viet Namese Spring Rolls to fried chicken and watermelon. |
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| Poets gathered around the bilingual book table with poetry books in many languages plus English. Poems and partners were chosen for the Pick-a-Partner poetry read-around. |
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| Poets and audience participants had a good time getting to know each other, including Lily (black dress left-back) who was newly arrived from China. |
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| Can we stay if we are not poets? Yes, of coarse. Mothers of the RECA Teen Cultural Dancers joined us. |
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| We gathered in the air-conditioned RECA dance studio for a performance of the RECA Teen Cultural Dancers, then our read-arounds. |
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| The RECA Teen Cultural Dancers gave a beautiful performance of their new fan dance which will be danced at the Dancing Poetry Festival on September 24, 2011, at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. |
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| For our Pick-A-Partner Read-around, David Chung of RECA joined Arlene Mandel, a local Santa Rosa poet reading her original poem "Colors of China" which had been translated into Chinese. |
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| Lily Li from China read an original poem in Chinese. This was translated into English and read by Nancy Wang and Cheryl Brown of RECA |
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| Tanya Joyce from Emoryville read a poem in Middle English. It was read in modern English by David from Santa Rosa Junior College. |
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| Mother and son team Cindy and Arthur Levinson from Oakland read from Carlos Gutierrez's book in English and Spanish. Carlos Gutierrez was the President of the 21st World Congress of Poets held in Managua, Leon and Diriamba, Nicaragua in 2009. |
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| When the Pick-A-Partner readings were over, we had the second read-around with each person reading poetry of their choice--original or favorites by others, solo or with additional voices. Richard Angilly recited his poetry, some of which would be used in the up-coming Dancing Poetry Festival. |
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