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2002 Featured
Presenters WATERSHED Saturday,
September 7, 2002
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Noon to 5:30 pm
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Free Coming this year on
Saturday, September 7, noon to
5:00---in Civic Center Park, Martin
Luther King Jr. Way and Center Street in
Berkeley as is the tradition---the
Seventh Annual Watershed Poetry
Festival spreads a healing, a
salvation, of poetry and of water, streams
and rivers and lakes, around the
anniversary of 9/11. The theme of this
year's festival is "Stewards of the
Earth." Robert Hass, founder of the
festival, U.S. Poet Laureate 1995-97,
author of Field Guide,
Praise, Human Wishes, and
Sun Under Wood, will read his work
and share the stage with Mexico's greatest
living poet and internationally recognized
environmental activist Homero
Aridjis, author of Eyes to See
Otherwise/Ojos de otro mirar, Selected
Poems, just published by from New
Directions; legendary poet, anthologist,
and ethno-poeticist Jerome
Rothenberg, author/editor of the
classic collections Shaking the
Pumpkin: Traditional Poetries of the
Indian North Americas, Technicians
of the Sacred, and over sixty volumes
of his own poetry; Native American poet
and novelist Linda Hogan, National
Book Critics Circle finalist in Poetry for
The Book of Medicines, author of
Power, Mean Spirit, and
Solar Storms; acclaimed nature
writer and novelist Brenda
Peterson, author of Singing to the
Sound: Visions of Nature, Animals &
Spirit, and co-author with poet Linda
Hogan of Sightings: The Gray Whales'
Mysterious Journey, and famed Beat
poet Michael McClure will read from
his new book of poems, Plum Stones:
Cartoons of No Heaven, with flutist
Larry Kassin. Bay Area poet and
naturalist Patti Trimble---who was
featured this year at the Tuolumne Meadows
Poetry Festival in Yosemite---will perform
poems from her new work with jazz
guitarist Bill Horvitz and their
CD, Small Craft Advisories, and
many other surprise guests. The day will begin,
again according to 'eco-tribal' tradition,
with the Strawberry Creek Walk,
starting at Oxford and Center Streets at
10:00 a.m. The public is invited to join
the featured poets and creek restoration
advocates, including Robert Hass,
Malcolm Margolin of Heyday Books,
Adam David Miller, and Janet
Byron, head of Friends of Strawberry
Creek, in the three block walk along the
creek route, flowing down under the
concrete---marked by a curving blue line,
to the festival stage. There will be
readings along the way, insights,
discussions of plans to 'daylight' it,
open it back up to the air and sky, and a
preview of the City of Berkeley's new
"Poetry Walk." Many other poets,
environmentalists, and events will start
weaving the main festivities in Civic
Center Park at noon sharp, leading up to
the featured performances. Sign-ups begin
for the "We Are Nature" open reading at
noon (sign up early, as the reading will
begin early in the program--readers will
be chosed by an on-stage drawing). Nevada
City poet Chris Olander will lead
the series of special Totem Readings,
presenting many individual poets reading
to natural themes in smooth, orchestrated
sets, including many well-known Northern
California poets including Duane Big
Eagle, Thekla Clemons,
Arthur Dawson, Russell
Gonzaga, Maria Melendez,
Jean Steward, Susan
Woolridge, and others. Jarid
Manos, founder and Executive Director
of the Great Plains Restoration Council
will speak on environmental metaphor,
among other environmental updates.
Children will read their poems from the
River of Words Poetry Competition
along with student poets from
California Poets in the
Schools. And it all will take
place in the park ringed by literary and
environmental exhibits, hands-on art and
nature activities, and book sales and
author signings, as well as the lively
Berkeley Farmers' Market. Pick up
sunflowers and veggies at the same time!
The event is wheel chair accessible and
will also be Sign Language interpreted.
Watershed is sponsored by Poetry
Flash, Ecology Center/Berkeley
Farmers' Market, and EcoCity Builders. To
exhibit in River Village (literary or
environmental organizations are welcome)
or to answer specific questions not
answered elsewhere on this site, please
call (510) 526-9105. |
