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Getting to Know David Perez, the Newly Appointed Santa Clara Poet Laureate
Contributed by Brian Romaine
 You don’t just talk poetry with David Perez—you talk life in all its fullness through and with the lens of poetry: from Saombo to education to Shkvosky’s theory of de-familiarity to why we love poetry! We spoke about the direction of poetry here in the South Bay and he described his vision for the next two years as Poet Laureate. I asked him only five questions but gathered a lot more.
“What is the most exciting part about being Santa Clara Poet Laureate? And please give us a snap shot of your vision of the next two years.”
Poetry has been with David for a long time; he reminisced about writing his first poems in High School. Though he studied fiction in college and screenwriting in graduate school, he said poetry has always come out more easily for him. Maybe fiction was the weaker muscle in need of strengthening, he suggested. His passion and enthusiasm for poetry and what poetry can do for a community was apparent and present throughout his anecdotes and visions for the future. Becoming Poet Laureate was a “dream come true” he said with a smile, albeit surprising at first he added. The habit of pushing and pushing has finally paid off. David was particularly excited about the upcoming youth workshops in the county libraries, which he told me more about later.
“What’s the ‘call to action’ for poets in the South Bay? Any advice for the budding poet?”
Read, write, edit and edit and edit…then repeat, was the gist of the answer he gave me, but he didn’t stop there. He stressed the importance of re-reading and re-writing; good writers have a thick skin and feed off honest criticism. Breaks from writing are necessary too. He suggested a game to play: read your own poem as if it’s someone else’s that badly needs your help. David was excited to share that there are so many new ways to get involved with him in the upcoming months for those interested in making something happen for poetry in the South Bay. Please subscribe to his blog poetlaureateblog.org where he will be sharing not only promotions and updates but upcoming projects and collaborations, as well as videos and pictures of workshops and readings.
“You said poetry has the ability to connect, transform and heal the community—can you expand on that?”
David asked if I have ever gotten to work and forgotten how I got there, if I have ever forgotten the day’s entire morning sequence and somehow mysteriously “materialized at work.” I was all too familiar with the feeling. He said some “actions become so habitual that we ignore them, the world becomes callused into names, into convenient ways of seeing things—Poetry is the antidote, it’s why reading metaphor in a poem is so pleasurable. The pleasure comes from ceasing to ignore this old something and discovering it once again, activating the way you see the world around you.” He read a few lines from C. G. Hanzlicek’s poem “Egg” to illustrate his point. We discussed how poetry is falling back in love with life once separated from you. The flames have been rekindled through metaphor in a poem.
“What have you been reading recently?”
He has really enjoyed listening to Kay Ryan’s readings, who, in his opinion, is an excellent reader. Additionally, David has been enjoying Jeffery McDaniel’s book Forgiveness Parade and Charles Simic’s Walking the Black Cat, particularly “Emily’s Theme” has recently taken him back, an imagist poem but with a twist that packs a punch. He likes that. He told me to read Adrianne Riche’s Diving in to the Wreck which has a continuous narrative almost like a novel.
“Moving into the year, what is priority number one for you?”
Poetry Month is shaping up to be an exciting time, David told me. He was excited about the upcoming Youth Poetry Workshops that he will be presenting at the County Libraries. His vision is to have a “master class” of poetry that will help inspire and teach the many students that are interested in poetry. It will give them the chance to polish two poems and read them alongside distinguished poets from the area with their community as audience. In April alone he will hold two workshops in Gilroy for both teens and young adults and two in Campbell for 13-17 year old students. David is hoping to fill the gap for those students interested in poetry and the literary arts but who don’t have access to creative writing instruction. Also on April 17th, an Ekphrasis Reading in conjunction with San Jose Museum of Art’s Initial Public Offering: New Works from SJMA’s Permanent Collection will not disappoint, so make sure you are there! And of course, on Saturday March 15th comes the Poet Laureate Launch Event and Reception—an event you do not want to miss. It is free to the public and features a few guest speakers, a poetry reading, food, and jazz. On Friday, June 6 he will be running a poetry booth at the SubZERO arts festival. The booth is poets on typewriters, writing poems on-demand for anyone who stops by. This booth will also make an appearance at San Jose Street Markets on the first Fridays of August and September. Exiting things to come!
To learn more, subscribe to poetlaureateblog.org or follow David’s Twitter @dperezer.
Members Are a Big Deal at PCSJ!
Your member contribution is a vital part of bringing quality poetry programs and events to the community.
We have consistent monthly events such as poetry readings at Willow Glenn Library, co-hosted by Dennis and Christine Richardson which will feature many fine poets in the coming months including Mark Heinlein on March 20th and in November, Ellen Bass, all at 7pm on the third Thursday of each month.
The Well-RED Reading Series continues in collaboration with Works/San José located in downtown San José. Upcoming readings, all starting at 7pm, include Barbara Carlson and J.P. Dancing Bear on March 11th followed by Amy MacLennan with Kim Escamilla on April 16th.
PCSJ is also co-presenting a new reading series with the Billy DeFrank LGBT Community Center, focusing more on honoring writers and how writers inspire each other. The next event as part of this series is a reading in honor of Walt Whitman on Tuesday April 8th at 7pm. A reading in honor of David Sedaris will take place on Tuesday May 13th at 7pm; this event will feature writers reading original work inspired by Mr. Sedaris.
For discussion about poetry visit Poets@Play, an informal gathering that focuses on collaborating with fellow poets about works in progress. This gathering continues with its next meeting at the Markham House on Sunday, March 9th.
The next issue of Cæsura, with its theme of (dis)ability will be released soon. Cæsura consistently provides our members and the public with a compelling mix of work from the established award-winning poet to the burgeoning writer.
As part of the PCSJ family, members enjoy a subscription to Cæsura, discounts for PCSJ workshops and special events. You’ll also be able to enjoy a discount when scheduling use of Markham House to host a workshop or other organized event.
Join us on Sunday March 2nd for our annual membership potluck party starting at 12:30pm in the Firehouse at History Park San José, where you can enjoy good company, good food and learn more about PCSJ and upcoming events.
Whether you are a new member or renewing your membership, we thank you for your generous support and hope to see you soon at our wonderful events that will continue because of your generous donation.
Click HERE to join or renew your membership today!
Welcome New PCSJ Board Members
We are pleased to welcome two new members to the PCSJ Board of Directors. Evelyn So and Sage Curtis bring a wealth of experience as well as fresh ideas to help further PCSJ's mission of nurturing and promoting diverse literary expression in our community.
 For Evelyn So, a poet and writer from New Jersey, writing can be such a solitary experience, and opportunities to be in community with people as well as words can do much to enrich that. She also feels that hearing and reading the work of others and sharing work in kind can be valuable invitations to share in a communal experience of being alive---and being alive with words. As a board member of Poetry Center San Jose, she hopes her service will allow her to support communities served by the Poetry Center and its mission to nurture a wide range of literary expression as a “means of exploring, defining, and enriching the human experience.”
Evelyn is a published poet, writer, and recent graduate of San Jose State University’s M.F.A. Program in Creative Writing and Literature. She previously earned her M.S. in library and information science from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
 Sage Curtis recently graduated from San Jose State University, where she studied journalism and poetry. She worked at the university to promote the local poetry community while on the student newspaper and hopes to continue while on the Poetry Center San Jose Board. Her work has been published in Garbanzo Literary Journal, 34th Parallel Magazine, TWO@SJSU and will be appearing in Perceptions Magazine in the summer.
 Mary Lou Taylor received the 2013 award for outstanding literary achievement from Dragonfly press. Her poem, "Afterimage", was featured in this month's California Quarterly.
Erica Goss won second place for her poem “Encontrado,” in the Soul-Making Keats Poetry Contest. Another poem, “Ode,” was an Honorable Mention in the same contest. Erica is the host of Word to Word, a show about poetry, on KCAT Cable 15. As part of Silicon Valley Reads 2014, Erica hosted Off the Page, a discussion of video poetry featuring the premiere of a video version of “A Family Album,” a poem created by Santa Clara County’s inaugural Poet Laureate, Nils Peterson.
 Connie Post's first full length collection entitled, Floodwater, was published by Glass Lyre Press. In Floodwater, Post dives deeper into the psyche, shaking and unraveling the pain and loss of ordinary life with a fierce and healing passion.
Angie Boissevain published 2 poems about Zen teacher Kobun Chino in the current Red Wheelbarrow, which also contains poems and calligraphy by Kobun.
Calder Lowe was awarded First Prize and 8th place honorable mention in the non-rhyming poetry category of the 82nd Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition. Her poem, "Stage Mother," was featured in the Pen Women Press anthology, Spirit, Peace and Joy, and her poem, "The Christmas Tree in the Hong Kong Restaurant," was selected as a National League of American Pen Women "Poem of the Week" on December 12, 2013. Her poem, "The Old Cowboy," was featured as the June 12th poem of the week on Telegraph, the official blog of Cowboys & Indians magazine. She will be reading her poem, “Elderberry Slumber,” at the Hotel Leger in Mokelumne Hill on May 24th at a release party for contributors to a Manzanita Writers Press anthology.
Kelly Cressio-Moeller's poem "White Stones" appeared in the Fall/Winter 2013-2014: Volume XV, Number 1 issue of Valparaiso Poetry Review. Two of her poems will be published in the Spring issues of Crab Creek Review (print) and one in THRUSH Poetry Journal (on-line). Several of her poems appear in recently released books: Diane Lockward's "The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop" (Wind Publications), and in the anthology, "First Water: Best of Pirene's Fountain" (Glass Lyre Press). She’ll be reading at the Valona Deli Second Sunday Poetry Series reading on March 9th (with co-reader Bill Edmondson) from 3pm-5pm at 1323 Pomona Street, Crockett, CA.
John Landry's poems, "I was That Man in That Tree" and "Dancing to the Music of Spheres" were recently published in New Man International Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies. Several of his poems will also be published later this year in OR from Otis College, Blue Collar Review, and BURP 12.
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