Cupertino Poet Laureate: "First Words" and David Denny

Today marked the event,"First Words,' conducted by the Cupertino Poet Laureate, David Denny. He read some of his inspired poetry and was joined by six other local poets during the program.

Dave Denny is a teacher of poetry, literature, and creative writing at De Anza College. He holds the distinction of being chosen as the first Poet Laureate of Cupertino. The motto for his term as Poet Laureate is "Celebrate Creativity."

The other poets who presented their works were Jennifer Swanton Brown, Jack Hasling, Karl Kadie, Ron Miller, Ann Muto, and Laura Oliver. The audience at the outdoor Civic Center Plaza in Cupertino was delighted at the diversity of poetry presented.

I am honored to share that I am invited to participate as a reader of my poetry next time. For more information, please see www.cupertino.org/poet laureate

National Writing Project: Why I Write October 20

This has been copied from http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/events/566?x-t=sites_eos.view

Events

NWP Radio: Why I Write

OCTOBER 20, 2011

One way we're celebrating the National Day on Writing is by talking with writers about writing.

Join us for a conversation with Katherine Schulten , editor of theNew York Times Learning Network and a New York City Writing Project fellow; New York Times education reporter Fernanda Santos ; Dana Goodyear , Figment co-founder and staff writer for the New Yorker; and novelist and Writing Project teacherAshley Hope Perez .

Details

• When: Thursday, October 20, 2011, 7 p.m. EST / 4 p.m. PST
• Where: NWP Radio on Blog Talk Radio

Questions

For more information, contact Tanya Baker at tbaker@nwp.org.

Poetry Foundation

There is a website that is a must-see for poets. It is www.poetryfoundation.org

I learned about it through American Public Media. Garrison Keillor does a spot there called "Writers Almanac," in which he reads a poem aloud every morning.

You can sign up for biweekly messages from poetryfoundation.org online.

To review the Writers Almanac offerings, see http://writersalmanacgather.com/

Poem about September 11 for 10th anniversary

This poem of mine was published in the September issue of "Writers Talk," the newsletter of South Bay Writers.

September 11.2001

by Susan Paluzzi

Are your loved ones O.K.?

On this gruesome day

That's the question we ask

As we face the task

Of clearing the debris

That could herald World War III.

The echoes resound

As the buildings tumble to the ground

Have you seen this person around?

Have you seen my daughter, my brother, my wife?

Or have we lost another life?

People hurtled from windows in terror

The images are imprinted forever.

Center for Writing Excellence & Newsletter & Contest

The Center for Writing Excellence is seeking contributions to the free newsletter, "Excellent Writing." Contributors are encouraged to include their bio and contact information.

There are guidelines at http://janiewrites.com/newsletter/writers-guidelines/

The newsletter is released the first Monday of each month. Subscribers are allowed a free classified ad.

A contest with the deadline to enroll of September 30, 2o11 is also being held. Entrants get five days to write 700-1000 words based on a prompt. See: http://janiewrites.com/writing-contests/a-fiction-in-five-rules/ for more information. There is a nominal entry fee.

The C4WE also offers classes, as well as webcasts, for a very reasonable price.

National Writing Project Is In Danger of Being Cut

The National Writing Project is a non-profit organization and the mission statement is " The National Writing Project focuses the knowledge, expertise, and leadership of our nation's educators on sustained efforts to improve writing and learning for all learners."

To save this nationwide network of teachers go to http://www.causes.com/causes/591544-save-the-national-writing-project It is at risk due to the budget crisis.

The National Writing Project Newsletter e-voice is part of the National Writing Project, which is

dedicated to "improving writing and learning in the nation's schools."

The website is www.nwp.org

Santa Clara County 2nd Poet Laureate Sally Ashton

Sally Ashton, 2nd Poet Laureate of Santa Clara County, began her 2 year stint on April 1, 2011.
She is an excellent, encouraging poetry teacher, attended San Jose State University, and edits the DMQ Review, which is an online journal. She possesses an MFA, which she earned through Bennington. She also received the honor of an Artist Fellowship in Poetry from the Arts Council Silicon Valley.

Ashton has won numerous awards for her fine poetry and been nominated for Pushcart Prizes. She founded and directed the California Poets Festival. She supports the SJSU student group Poets and Writers Coalition. She has been published and this summer led a poetry workshop in Portugal.

Ashton has performed notable readings including with Nils Peterson, the first Santa Clara Poet Laureate, and been part of the Poetry Center San Jose for years.

Her project as Poet Laureate has been a call for the public to choose favorite poems. Readings of these favorite poems, as well as others, will begin on September 18 at 1 p.m. at Barnes & Noble on Stevens Creek Blvd. in San Jose.