No Poetry No Peace: a reading & celebration of human expression & peace hosted by Sheryl Bize-Boutte
Channel: Mechanics' Institute
Date: 24/05/2022

Join us and a selection of poets – some local, some far flung - to explore how "poetry provides pathways for creative and cathartic human expression and peace." The No Poetry No Peace series happens twice a year and the title comes from a collection written by Sheryl Bize-Boutte and her daughter Dr. Angela Boutte.

Award-winning author and Pushcart Prize nominee Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte is an Oakland multidisciplinary writer whose autobiographical and fictional short story collections, along with her lyrical and stunning poetry, artfully succeed in getting across deeper meanings about the politics of race and economics without breaking out of the narrative.  Her first novel, Betrayal on the Bayou, was published in June 2020 and a poetry collection she has written with her daughter Dr. Angela M. Boutte, titled No Poetry No Peace, was published in August 2020.  An inaugural Oakland Poet Laureate runner-up, she is also a popular literary reader, presenter, storyteller, curator, and emcee for local events. Find out more at www.sheryljbize-boutte.com

Mireya S. Vela is a Mexican-American creative non-fiction writer, storyteller, and artist in Los Angeles. In her work, Ms. Vela addresses the needs of immigrant Mexican families and the disparities they face every day. She tackles issues of inequity and how ingrained societal systems support the injustice that contributes to continuing poverty and abuse. Ms. Vela received her Master of Fine Arts from Antioch University in 2018. She is the author of Vestiges of Courage, available through Amazon. Ms. Vela is also a visual artist. Find her on Twitter @mireyasvela; Instagram: mireyasvela; and her Visual Art is here: mireyasvela.com

Douglas Cole has published six collections of poetry and the novel, The White Field, winner of the American Fiction Award. He is a regular contributor to Mythaxis, an online journal, where his interviews with notable writers, artists and musicians such as Daniel Wallace (Big Fish), Darcy Steinke (Suicide Blond, Flash Count Diary) and Tim Reynolds (T3 and The Dave Matthews Band) have been popular contributions. He also writes a regular monthly column called “Trading Fours” for Jerry Jazz Musician and has recently been named the editor for “American Poetry” in Read Carpet, an international, predominantly Spanish-language journal produced by Maria Del Castillo Sucerquia from Columbia. He lives and teaches in Seattle, Washington. His website is https://douglastcole.com/.

Grace Marie Grafton’s most recent book, LENS, from Unsolicited Press, features poems inspired by California artists, 1853-2010. Her themes range from lyrical sonnets to experimental prose poems, with a concentration on response to fine art.  She was named Teacher of the Year by the River Of Words annual student poetry contest co-sponsored by Robert Hass, United States Poet Laureate. Born and raised in California’s San Joaquin Valley of a Finnish American farming family, she now lives in Oakland with her husband and their extended family. Find her poems here - https://gracegrafton.wixsite.com/poems

Gini Grossenbacher, novelist, poet, certified editor, educator, publisher, founded Elk Grove Writers and Artists and JGKS Press in Sacramento County. She has thirty-six years of experience teaching English/language arts to adolescents and adults. Glimpses, her first poetry collection, will be released in September 2022. Gini provides developmental, copyediting, and collaborative publishing services to novelists and poets as well as offering weekly virtual fiction and poetry workshops.  A happy grandma, Gini lives in Elk Grove with her husband Karl and faithful dog, Murphy Brown. Please visit her website ginigrossenbacher.com; find her on Facebook, and learn more about JGKS Press https://www.jgkspressmystrikingly.com/

Award-winning and widely published poet, author, journalist, & activist Aqueila M. Lewis-Ross uses poetry as a catalyst for healing.   Her work has been featured in newspapers, magazines, reviews, radio broadcasts, and 15 anthologies. She has published a book and is working on other manuscripts for poetry, memoir, and children’s picture books. Check out her book, Stop Hurting and Dance published by Pochino Press.