Warrior Poet Prose

Soon it moved to Berkeley, a more convenient location (Poetry Flash and River of Words are both headquartered in Berkeley), not to mention a less expensive one.

One year it was held on Cal campus because the usual place — MLK Jr. Park on Center street — was undergoing serious renovation. Another year (because of rain) it was held indoors at Berkeley City College.

The Strawberry Creek Walk has been a popular feature for a dozen years or more, with Creek Guardians and poets talking about the natural history of the creek. One year Gary Snyder and Bob Hass traded haiku at the section where Strawberry Creek gets ready to dive into a culvert that will carry it under downtown Berkeley and out to the Bay where it is finally released.

You’re invited to the Watershed Poetry Festival Sept. 29 2012 Berkeley, CA.

One year there was a redwood log carved into the shape of a whale, and that year and for several following there were wood carvings you could make rubbings from.

Another artist contributed fanciful banners, still in use, and for a number of years a t-shirt was produced with the event’s signature artwork (done by the artist who had carved the whale) with a verse on the back by Gary Snyder, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, or other local poet. “Cities should be built on one side of the street” ran one year. “I am waiting for the animals to reclaim the earth as theirs” ran another.

In the early years the Festival was significantly brightened by the appearance of school kids, excited winners of the River of Words contest for poems and artwork. Then the money dried up, at least I think that’s what happened, and fewer kids were brought in to read their poems to us, their captive audience, from the festival stage.

“River of Words” is the behind-the-scenes 500 lb. gorilla at Watershed. Watershed began as a vision that included children having a significant part. Children, as everybody knows, are the hope for the future, and getting them interested and involved in place, or as the festival has it, in their Watershed, is a goal worthy of pursuing.

Besides the contest (who isn’t excited by a contest?) there is always something on the program to excite the crowd.

When Gary Snyder was there, that was enough. Even better than Gary, perhaps, was the year when there was a contest based on affiliation with earth, water, and air (think: terrestrial animals; fish, whales etc.; and birds and bats). (There was a Poetry Slam element to the contest, and in my opinion, bears came out the winner. But that’s just me.) It was called a Totem Reading.

Besides Gary Snyder (one appearance only) Watershed has been gifted by appearances by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Michael McClure, Pattiann Rogers, and a host of other poets from the area, as well as the inimitable and ever-present Robert Hass.

Besides the poetry that is the focus of Watershed, there have been numerous informative speeches about Strawberry Creek and the project to daylight the creek, and similar related stuff. Plus there has always been a little music thrown in. One year the music was even provided by the creek itself, its gurglings miked to a loudspeaker so all could hear.

When the Watershed Festival came along I was delighted. It’s like, “I’m marching alone here now — who will join me?” and they joined me.