Poetry Unbound

Poetry Unbound is a monthly reading series dedicated to presenting new work in a broad range of styles and genres, and to bringing together writers from different circles and communities, to strengthen and unite. This month, we are celebrating the release of Joan Gelfand’s new book, The Long Blue Room, a piece which is both summons and recollection of the inherent activism underlying all forms of art: Gelfand’s is a book of love poems, of hunger poems. In support of this theme, David Shaddock brings the night to life with explorations of the spiritual. And Todd Temkin is the architect of the group, shaping and supporting the flow of the evening’s conversation with the hard buttresses of his experiences and context as a uniquely Chilean poet.

Poetry Unbound presents passionate wordsmiths on the first Sunday of each month, with a brief open mic, at the Art House Gallery in Berkeley. Hosted by Oakland writers Clive Matson and Richard Loranger.


Poetry Unbound Reading Series

featuring:
Joan Gelfand
David Shaddock
Todd Temkin

with a brief open mic

hosted by Clive Matson and Richard Loranger

Sunday, March 2, 2014
signup 5 pm
start 5:15
$5 donation, no one turned away
Art House Gallery
2905 Shattuck Ave.
(one block north of Ashby, and close to Ashby BART)
Berkeley


PERFORMER BIOS

Joan Gelfand’s poetry, fiction and reviews are in national and international publications. Joan is the Poetry Editor for the “J,” the Development Chair of the Women’s National Book Association and a blogger for the Huffington Post. Joan’s newest collection of poetry, “The Long Blue Room,” is forthcoming from Benicia Literary Arts, 2014. Previous books are: “A Dreamer’s Guide to Cities and Streams,” San Francisco Bay Press,” “Here & Abroad,”(winner of Cervena Barva’s Fiction Award) and “Seeking Center,” Two Bridges Press. You can check out her website at http://joangelfand.com.

David Shaddock’s poems have won the Ruah Magazine Power of Poetry Award for a collection of spiritual poems, and the International Peace Poem Prize, among other honors. His poems have appeared in such journals as Tikkun and Mother Jones. His books include “In This Place Where Something’s Missing Lives” with an afterword by Rabbi Arthur Waskow, and “Dreams Are Another Set of Muscles,” with an introduction by Denise Levertov. His play, “In A Company of Seekers,” was performed at the 2012 Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy. He is the author of two nonfiction books on relationships and couples therapy, and maintains a private psychotherapy practice in Oakland.

Todd Temkin was born in Milwaukee, but has lived in the historic Chilean seaport of Valparaíso since 1994. In Chile, Temkin is known as a poet, urban activist, and Sunday columnist for El Mercurio de Valparaíso, the oldest Spanish language newspaper in continuous publication in the world. His poems have appeared in magazines throughout the US and Latin America and he is the author of two books, “Crazy Denizens of the Lost World” (University of Valparaíso) and “Moriré en Valparaíso” (Mercurio Aguilar), which was nominated for Chile’s prestigious Altazor Prize—the only non-Chilean author ever nominated for the award. Other awards include the “Premio Ciudad de Valparaíso” and the Juana Ross de Edwards Prize. In 2003, the Chilean National Society of Architects named Mr. Temkin “Honorary Architect” in honor of his contributions to the preservation of Chile’s national heritage. Since 2011, he has been a member of Chile National Art’s Board (Consejo Nacional de la Cultura y las Artes), the only non-Chilean to be so designated.