Poetry in Parks, the statewide spoken-word special event series, returned to Armstong Redwoods State Natural Reserve on Saturday, July 27th. The redwood shade in the historic Forest Theater offered visitors a cool reprieve on a warm and sunny day. Participants enjoyed locally made baked goods and beverages sponsored by Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods and Arts in California Parks.
Curated and hosted by Iris Jamahl Dunkle, Emerita Poet Laureate of Sonoma County and a faculty member at UC Davis, the event began with a welcome from Justin Lindenberg, Executive Director from the Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods. Scott Green, Poetry in Parks program manager and tribal liaison gave a Native American land acknowledgement on behalf of California State Parks to the Pomo people and introduced Elvida “Hannah” Banuelos, Tribal Elder from the Kashia Band of Pomo. Hannah shared beautiful stories to the over 100 attendees about how to love and take care of the land. State Parks Director, Armando Quintero followed with enthusiastic support for the Poetry in Parks program, funded by Arts in California Parks.
Scott started the poetry off with his original poem, The Wreck of the Maggie Ross which commemorates the maritime history of Dog Hole ports of Sonoma County. Lily Morgan, a Santa Rosa High School student and one of the Sonoma County finalists from Poetry Out Loud, a competition where students from across the county memorize poems and recite them in a competition that continues to the state and national level, recited two poems.
Award winning poet, Jan Beatty from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania read from several of her published books in poetry and commented with joy, “we don’t have trees like this in Pittsburgh!”
The poetry readings continued with Dana Gioia, former California Poet Laureate and veteran of multiple past Poetry in Parks events read his, The Apple Orchard poem from his book, Pity the Beautiful:
“You won’t remember it—the apple orchard
We wandered through one April afternoon,
Climbing the hill behind the empty farm.
A city boy, I’d never seen a grove
Burst in full flower or breathed the bittersweet
Perfume of blossoms mingled with the dust.”
Nicholas Xenelis, the principal clarinetist with the Sonoma County Symphony, Ukiah Symphony, and Symphony of the Redwoods played musical interludes in between poets.
The 2019 Pulitzer Prize winner in Poetry, Forrest Gander read next and delivered a lucid piece on American poet, Kenneth Rexroth and the cabin he lived in from time-to-time up Devil’s Gulch in what is now Samuel P. Taylor State Park. The very first Poetry in Parks in 2015 was held in his honor at Sam Taylor.
Iris Jamal Dunkle read from her forthcoming biography on Sanora Babb, in which she revives the voice of a woman writer lost in history but whose notes collected from oral stories of Dust Bowl migrants was the real source for John Stenbeck’s classic novel, Grapes of Wrath.
California Poet in Schools teacher, Brian Martens read poetry from his published book, Three Raven Gate. Brian participated in the first Armstrong Redwoods Poetry in Parks in 2018.
The final poet of the day was Katie Peterson, the author of Fog and Smoke and writing professor from UCD.
