Our favorite independent bookstore is turning 5 years old! We are celebrating with an all-star reading on Saturday, August 1st, at 7 pm. I will be joining some of my favorite local poets and story tellers for an epic reading event. RSVP on Facebook for more details!
5535 E. Spring St., Long Beach, CA 90808
On May 17th, I had the honor of once again reading with Dave Williams & MBT at CALB at the Shore. I shared my time with four other female power poets, JL Martindale, Raundi Moore-Kondo, Elmast Kozloyan, and MsT Musze. We were all dazzled by the incredible improvisational talents of Dave’s jazz crew, Magic Bullet Theory. Even though traveling back in time is not an option if you missed it, you can actually hear all the performances on Bandcamp. If that wasn’t enough, you can download them in two volumes for FREE.
Listen or download at mbtmusic.bandcamp.com/album/prose-rhythm-and-noise-muliebrity-vol-1 and mbtmusic.bandcamp.com/album/prose-rhythm-and-noise-muliebrity-vol-2.
Thrilled to once again to have the honor to read poetry with a live jazz band. Not just any live jazz, but Dave Williams and friends. Not only am I reading, but I get to share the stage with other Poety Goddesses: Elmast Kozlyan, Raundi Moore-Kondo, and JL Martindale. Come out to CALB at the Shore (above Shenanigan’s) 423 Shoreline Village Dr. in Long Beach on Sunday, May 17th between 5 and 8:30 pm. Count on some serious enchantment!
My dear friend, Esmeralda Villalobos, is having an art show at our favorite local coffeehouse, Viento Y Agua on Friday, April 17th from 7-10 pm. I have had the honor of using her art on the cover of two of my books, Unanchored and All the Tiny Anchors. I am once again honored to be able to read poetry at her art show, this time with a favorite poet and friend, Raquel Reyes-Lopez. If that was not enough, we will be joined by two incredible musical acts, King Kang and Bearcoon. Find out more information on the Facebook event page, or just come down to 4007 E. 4th St. on Long Beach.
On Saturday, April 11th, Long Beach will once again be taken over by the artistic mash-up that is Louder Than Long Beach. Music, poetry, and art will be dancing together at CALB on Pine Ave from 3-8 pm. Poetry magicians, Larry Duncan, Keayva Mitchell, Nancy Lynée Woo, and Kevin Ridgeway will be casting their spells along with a special dual reading by Raquel Reyes-Lopez and myself. Six bands and several artists, including Fernando Gallegos, will also be strutting their stuff. In addition, Lucid Moose Lit and Sadie Girl Press will have plenty of books to browse. The best part (like there needed to be a better reason) is that all of this is free! The Cultural Alliance of Long Beach (CALB) has the mission of bringing you incredible events like these for free, just to keep Long Beach the cultural bounty it is.
Prose, Rhythm & Noise is a FREE downloadable recording from our poetry & jazz filled night on March 15th. Listen to myself, G. Murray Thomas, Keayva Mitchell, Dave Williams, Shy But Flyy and more performing poetry with a improvisational jazz band. It was an honor to share a stage with these incredible musicians and poets. I promise this will be worth the few minutes to load it on your iPod or burn it to a CD and listen to on your way to work. mbtmusic.bandcamp.com
The new East Jasmine Review is out now! You can download this lovely literary journal for the price of a fancy coffee. It is packed full of amazing authors such as: Sean Gunning, John Brantingham, Kelsey Bryan-Zwick, Natalie Morales, Michael Cantin, and Zack Nelson-Lopiccolo. I am especially happy that two of my poems based around my dysfunctional family, “Both Wolves and Sheep Alike” and “Drawing Maps for the Lost”, are included. You can download it for many e-reader devices or on PDF.
Dave Williams is a fantastic musician, specializing in magical trumpet playing, also hosts Excursions: A Sight & Sound Festival. The event has music, poetry, and poetry with music! I am excited to be invited to participate reading poetry on Sunday, March 15th, from 5-8 pm, at CALB at the Shore located above Shenanigans Irish Pub in Shoreline Village. Even more excited to be joining two of my favorite Long Beach poets and friends, Shy But Flyy and Keayva Mitchell. Check out more details on the Facebook event page!
For the last several months, my poetry partners, Nancy Lynée Woo, Terry Wright, and I have been working on a project very near and dear to us, Like a Girl: Perspectives on Feminine Identity. This second anthology from Lucid Moose Lit received almost 800 submissions of poetry, prose, and art. We struggled to narrow that number down to an amount we can work with, so a grand alternative was found! We created a zine version, Like a Girl: The Pre-Show!, in time for release at the LA Zine Fest on February 15th. Debbie Cho, who helped inspire the project, joined us to help design and layout our precious creation. We are a proud family giving birth to a beautiful zine full of the words and art of many members of our community. I even have a little piece about those silly jelly shoes! You can pick up a special limited release version at the LA Zine Fest or other local events we will be participating in. Perfect bound editions will soon be available on Amazon and in local indie bookstores. To find the most recent information about this or other related projects, go to LucidMooseLit.com!
I’m thrilled to be a part of the annual San Gabriel Valley Literary Festival! Last year, I attended this festival and not only discovered many new poets, but made many new friends. My dear poetry mother, Ricki Mandeville, made a prediction that I would be featuring in the next year. This year, I am honored to be reading among many poets and authors I admire and respect. The two day festival, February 21-22, features writers from all over Southern California and beyond, held at the dA Center for the Arts in Pomona. I’ll be reading on Sunday February 22nd, at 4:30 pm. There will also be open reading time slots, so bring some of your own words to share. Check out the SGVLF Facebook page for more details, a full schedule, and updates. You can also RSVP on the Facebook event page. They could also use your donations to help cover the costs of this amazing free event. Go to their website SGVLitFest.com for more information.
Sarah Thursday 