Warrior Poet Prose

“I’ve been to every single Watershed Environmental Poetry Festival, and now this is going to be the 17th.”  I guess that makes this year his 18th…

He also writes:

“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.”

Dennis’ thoughts on the event the year before last:

“Yesterday was a mixed bag. Each year the event has had a featured speaker, a featured poet, and a River of Words component. This years featured speaker was going to be Peter Berg, founder of Planet Drum, but he passed away before the event and no one replaced him. Someone from EcoCity Builders was usually there, but not this year.

The featured poet is usually a high profile guest poet like Joy Harjo, Linda Hogan or Lawrence Ferlinghetti. This year we had a list of very good but less high profile poets, and the implicit environmental theme of the day was usually, but not always, muted in their presentation. With Jane Hirshfield this works; not so well with others. We always have the high profile Bob Hass, but since the event is his baby, he’s expected to be there.”

28 SEPTEMBER 2013 — SATURDAY:

 
• Strawberry Creek Walk, part of the Watershed Poetry Festival, led by poet/eco-educator Chris Olander from University of California campus through downtown Berkeley to the Watershed Festival site, with readings by poets Jennifer Elise Foerster, Mary Mackey, Barbara Jane Reyes, John Shoptaw, and commentary by creek restoration expert Tim Pine, meet at Oxford and Center Streets, Berkeley, free, 10:00 a.m. 510/525-5476, mbb@poetryflash.org

 

• 18th Annual Watershed Poetry Festival in conjunction with 100 Thousand Poets for Change features poetry readings by Pulitzer Prize-winning poets Gary Snyder and Robert Hass; Brenda Hillman, Seasonal Works with Letters on Fire; Brian Teare,Companion Grasses; Ann Fisher-Wirth, co-editor of The Ecopoetry Anthology; giovanni singleton, Ascension; Alan Soldofsky, In the Buddha Factory; Matthew Zapruder, Come On All You Ghosts; John Shoptaw, Barbara Jane Reyes, Jennifer Elise Foerster, Mary Mackey; Ozzie Zehner, Green Illusions: The Dirty Secrets of Clean Energy and the Future of Environmentalism; Richard Silberg, and much more, John Oliver Simon with K-12 students from Poetry Inside Out, River of Words, California Poets in the Schools, great jazz by The Barry Finnerty Trio, We are Nature Open Mic, (enter the drawing to read on site at noon); River Village exhibits for literary and environmental mags or organizations, and DIY mags, ‘zines, books on sale by Pegasus Downtown, wheelchair accessible, e-mail to request ASL interpreter by September 20, near Berkeley BART, presented by Poetry Flash, Ecology Center/Berkeley Farmers’ Market, co-sponsored by Moe’s Books, Ecocity Builders, Civic Center Park, Martin Luther King, Jr. Way at Center Street, Berkeley, noon-4:30 510/525-5476, mbb@poetryflash.org

 

• ‘We Are Nature’ -open reading — Enter lottery drawing for six three-minute reading slots at noon (on site at Info Booth) with hosts Richard Silberg and Kirk Lumpkin (Ecology Center)