Dr. Andy's Poetry and Technology Hour Dr. Andy Jones

On the 5/1/24 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:


Mario Ellis Hill shares his love of advocacy work and how this guides his writing as a poet. Dr. Andy and Hill share their love of jazz and how the protean and improvisational music genre can inspire, inform, and shape poetry. Hill reads a poem about becoming a poet and comments upon the balance between memorization and improvisation that he utilizes in live performances. Michael French joins the episode and shares his preference for the cinema industry over interactive gaming. French then informs listeners about the many upcoming events coordinated by the Arts Department, like an art talk with Maria Maea, exhibits, noon concerts, and a cultural exhibit about contemporary design in China. Dr. Andy then reads a poem to commemorate Karim Abou Najm's life.


Mario Ellis Hill began writing & performing poetry in the early 1990’s, and has since made an impact as a featured poet/spoken word artist throughout the Sacramento region, California & beyond. He is the founder & leader of the Poetry Machine - a performance group of rotating artists that fuses spoken word, live music, movement & song. Mario served as a co-host of Joe Montoya’s Poetry Unplugged! Open Mic Series in Sacramento, CA, and host of Open Stage Open Mic Series in Davis, CA. Besides featuring at poetry venues & open mics, Mario also delved into the world of slam poetry. He was crowned the 1994 San Francisco ‘Aloud’ Anthology Poetry Slam Champion, and 1998 KALX FM Poetry Slam Champion. He also served as a slam team member representing San Francisco (1995) & Chico/North Valley (1997) in the National Poetry Slam. Events & venues that Mario has performed at include the Nuyorican Poets Cafe (NYC), The Knitting Factory (NYC), University of the Philippines - Diliman, California State Fair, Yoshi’s (Oakland), San Francisco Jazz Festival, Sacramento Music Festival, Floricanto Poetry Festival, UC Davis Whole Earth Festival, Watershed Environmental Poetry Festival, and California State Summer School for the Arts. Published works can be found in Sacramento Anthology: One Hundred Poems, Jive’s In The Jug, Poetry Now, Paleoanthology, Sex In Public, The Flatlander, New Poets Revolution, and Nevada County Poetry Series: Year 2001 Anthology.


Michael G. French is an arts and theatre events marketing specialist for the UC Davis College of Letters and Science. He promotes performances and events for the departments of Art and Art History, Cinema and Digital Media, Design, Music, and Theatre and Dance. French previously held similar positions at Southern Utah University’s College of Performing and Visual Arts, American Musical Theatre of San Jose, Pacific Conservatory Theatre and the Walnut Street Theatre. He earned his bachelor’s degree at New Jersey City University.


The Poetry Night Reading Series is excited to feature Sacramento poets Mario Ellis Hill and Bill Carr at 7 PM on Thursday, May 2nd, 2024, on the first floor of the John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st Street in Davis.



Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.

On the 4/17/24 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:


Jeri Howitt begins the podcast episode by sharing her love of reading, which inspired her to found the reading series Stories on Stage Davis. This recurring event showcases the stories of emerging and established authors to make the art of storytelling more accessible through visual means. The storytelling frequently intersects with the art in the Pence Gallery, where this event takes place. Nooneh Gyurjyan is the next guest and she discusses her role as Editor in Chief for the creative writing and art journal Open Ceilings. She explains their strategy of compiling two publications a year, each given a thoughtful theme selected by members of the team to aid in the curation process. Robi Castaneda, a second-year music and political science major, closes out the podcast by sharing information about his upcoming piano recital at the Ann E. Pitzer Center on May 3rd at 5 pm.


Many Davis, California parents and their children will fondly remember the author, Jeri Howitt, as the Founder/Director of Partners in Learning for over twenty years. Others know her for her work as the founding director of Stories on Stage Davis, the successful event that presents established and emerging authors, with selections of their work performed by professional actors at the Pence Gallery.


Nooneh Gyurjyan is a third-year student studying English and Professional Writing at UC Davis. She is an editor by trade, a writer by passion, and a baker by necessity. She is currently working as the Editor in Chief of Content for Open Ceilings, a local literary magazine run by UC Davis undergraduates. Nooneh also works on campus at the ASUCD Coffee House bakery.


The Poetry Night Reading Series occurs on the first and third Thursdays of the month at the John Natsoulas Gallery (521 First Street), beginning at 8pm. An open mic follows the featured performer. Come early to find a seat or a spot on the open mic signup sheet. The Poetry Night Reading Series is hosted by Dr. Andy Jones, The Poet Laureate Emeritus of Davis.
Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.

On the 4/3/24 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:


Dr. Andy is joined by the Poet Laureate of Davis, Julia B. Levine, and shares the intersectionality between the natural environment and the difficulties of her grandson’s experience with leukemia that she has recently been exploring through her writing. She then reads a poem that captured her time at a lavender farm, and another poem, inspired by her husband, about the relationships between wasps and figs. Rebecca Foust is the next guest, and she shares her deep love for reading to live audiences. She shares a poem about marriage and slow erosion. She raises points about awareness and intuition, and their incredible value in the world of writing. Foust refers to this collection of details as fodder for future poems as “gestation.”


Julia B. Levine’s poetry has won many awards, including a 2021 Nautilus Award for her fifth poetry collection, Ordinary Psalms, (LSU press, 2021), as well as the 2015 Northern California Book Award in Poetry for her fourth collection, Small Disasters Seen in Sunlight, (LSU, 2014). Recently she has won the 2024 Hippocrates International Prize for Poetry and Medicine, the 2023 Oran Perry Burke Award from The Southern Review, the 2022 Steve Kowit Poetry Prize, the 2020 Bellevue Literary Review Poetry Award, as well as a 2022 American Academy of Poetry Poet Laureate Fellowship for her work in building resilience in teenagers related to climate change through poetry, science and technology. She received a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MFA in poetry from Pacific University. Currently, she serves as Poet Laureate of Davis.


Rebecca Foust's fourth book, Only (Four Way Books 2022), earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly and was recently reviewed by Mark Jarmon in The Hudson Review. Her poems appear in journals including Narrative, POETRY, Ploughshares, and Southern Review, and in 2023 won the New Ohio Review prize and were runner-up for the Missouri Review Editors’ Prize. Past recognitions include the James Hearst, Pablo Neruda, and Poetry International prizes, fellowships at Hedgebrook, MacDowell, and Sewanee Writers’ Conference, and a Marin County Poet Laureateship where Rebecca’s program, “Poetry as Sanctuary,” featured readings by local immigrant poets.


The Poetry Night Reading Series is excited to feature Davis Poet Laureate Julia B. Levine and Rebecca Foust at 7 PM on Thursday, April 4th, 2024, on the first floor of the John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st Street in Davis. 
Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.

On the 3/27/24 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:


Anthony Xavier Jackson discusses his time in the Baptist church and his love of music, which inspired his poetic journey. Jackson began writing without knowing academia was there, mostly taught by culture and upbringing instead. He found that poetry served as a medicine that assuaged the challenges he faced in life, such as homelessness and addiction. Jackson also shared his dedication to writing poetry as a Black man in a culture and community that fosters writing. He then reads a poem about time spent with his dying father.


Anthony Xavier Jackson is a self-taught poet and musician who has been creating songs, poems, and albums of spoken word for several years. Relatively new to the Sacramento poetry scene, Anthony has been featured multiple times at Luna’s Cafe, as well as Sacramento Poetry Center. Anthony has been recently published in Tule Review 2023 and has plans to begin self-publishing his poetry via Amazon self-publishing. Anthony’s influences include Nikki Giovanni, Octavia Butler, William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, Edward Ka-Spel, and a variety of writers from all genres and eras, including Sappho. Anthony reads his work Thursdays at The Silver Lining piano bar in Sacrameto, and will be joining in Dr Andy’s Poetry Night on future Thursdays. Having written about addiction, trauma, and homelessness, Anthony is actively involved in recovery and works as a certified substance abuse counselor. Anthony also dabbles on speculative sci-fi themes, as well as about spirituality, race, culture, LGBTQ themes and history.  As he says, “To me the most revolutionary act is self love.”


The Poetry Night Reading Series is excited to feature Davis Poet Laureate Julia B. Levine and Rebecca Foust at 7 PM on Thursday, April 4th, 2024, on the roof of the John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st Street in Davis. Please dress warmly.
Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.

On the 3/20/24 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:
Laurie Glover begins the episode by sharing details about her semester at sea, and the inspiration provided by the nautical environment. While sailing in the Atlantic, Glover finished revising her book, studied translations, and explored her fascination with things left behind. She then reads a poem. Kim Stanley Robinson is the next guest, and he imparts the usefulness of the ecological and philosophical perspective in writing and connecting with the community. Dr. Andy and Robinson discuss Muir, Emerson, and Thoreau. Robinson shares his observations about how these writers return poetry to the people. Susan Wolbarst is the final guest, and she reveals her submission process and the importance of poetry communities and accessibility before reading a poem about mountain lions.


Laurie Glover’s poems have appeared in journals such as Terrain, Woman's Studies, and California Quarterly, and her essays have appeared in journals such as Zyzzyva and Boom. In fall 2022, Laurie was one of 28 artists on a tall ship art and science residency in the Norwegian Arctic and in Fall 2023 she spent the fall of 2023 teaching writing and literature courses for Semester at Sea.


Kim Stanley Robinson is an American science fiction writer. He's the author of about twenty books, including the internationally bestselling Mars trilogy, and more recently Red Moon, New York 2140, and The Ministry for the Future. He was part of the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Artists and Writers’ Program in 1995 and 2016, and a featured speaker at COP-26 in Glasgow, as a guest of the UK government and the UN. His work has been translated into 28 languages, and won awards including the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards. In 2016 asteroid 72432 was named “Kimrobinson.” 


Susan Wolbarst has been on a roll with publishing for the last couple of years. She won second place in the California State Poetry Society's annual contest in 2022 and tied for second place in 2023. She has been published in many print and digital literary magazines and anthologies you have ever heard of, in the U.S., Canada, and Germany. One of her most exciting achievements was to be short-listed for the Fish Poetry Prize, judged by former US Poet Laureate Billy Collins. The winner gets to read at a literary festival in County Cork, Ireland.


The Poetry Night Reading Series is excited to feature the multi-genre author Kim Stanley Robinson at 7 PM on Thursday, March 21st, 2024, on the first floor of the John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st Street in Davis.
Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.

On the 3/13/24 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:


Michael Gallowglas kicks off the episode by discussing his favorite aspects of teaching and his methodology when it comes to showing writers how to reach their full potential. Gallowglas features 10 books that have revolutionized the way he writes, the last being his recently published The 4 Principles of Engaging Writing. Before signing off, Gallowglass shares his love for slow writing, details about his Twitch-based writing circle, and the tricks of the trade that can be unlocked on his Patreon. Chio Saetern, the spearhead of a budding Sacramento-based poetry group called “Sac Poetry Society,” is the next guest of the hour. Saetern shares that she now channels her journaling proclivities into poetry. Her experiences at Sacramento Open Mics and poetry classes held at the Verge Center for the Arts have cemented her love for poetics, and that love has pushed her to continue creating poetry opportunities for herself and others in her community. She then reads a closing poem titled “Cosmos.”


Michael Todd Gallowglas is a hybrid author (with mainstream and alternative publications), storyteller, and educator from Northern California. He has written over 20 books including novels, short story collections, poetry collections, and non-fiction books. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University, a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction from Sierra Nevada College, and a Master in Fine Arts in Poetry from the University of Nevada Reno, Tahoe. His traditional storytelling show at Renaissance Faires, Celtic Festivals, and geeky conventions has mesmerized audiences for over thirty years.  


Chio Saetern is a poet making her debut in the Sacramento area. She can be seen performing her poetry at local open mics. She is also the co-founder of Sac Poets Society, a new organization that welcomes poets of all levels to join in the community and share their love of poetry.

The Poetry Night Reading Series takes place at 7 PM on the first and third Thursday of every month, on the first floor of the John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st Street in Davis. Kim Stanley Robinson will feature on March 21st with Laurie Glover.
Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.