San Ramon's Poet Laureate | The Observer | Roz Rogoff | DanvilleSanRamon.com |

Local Blogs

The Observer

By Roz Rogoff

About this blog: In January 2002 I started writing my own online "newspaper" titled "The San Ramon Observer." I reported on City Council meetings and other happenings in San Ramon. I tried to be objective in my coverage of meetings and events, and...  (More)

View all posts from Roz Rogoff

San Ramon's Poet Laureate

Uploaded: Jul 5, 2012
I used to read a lot of poetry when I was younger. I mostly read the classics in Elementary School and High School. I even wrote poetry in Jr. High and College. I recall having a poem published in a teen magazine, maybe "Seventeen," when I was about 13 or 14, which was the target age for readers of "Seventeen" back then. I doubt anyone 17 would actually be reading "Seventeen."

The last poem I wrote was back in 1979. It was about my doctoral research at the Edison National Historic Site in New Jersey. It was published in the first issue of "Sheaf," a British poetry magazine. My sister had a poem published in the same issue. I can't find a copy of that magazine to reprint either of our poems, but my sister has had many poems published since then and is a professional poet.

I used to snicker at the notion of Alice as a "professional poet," but over the years she's had many of her poems published, published a book, won some awards, and Edited the Haight Ashbury Literary Journal since 1984.

I didn't realize how important she was to this publication until I read an online history of the Haight Ashbury Literary Journal. My sister Alice is mentioned about half-way down. Heretofore I considered my sister to be somewhat flaky, but compared to the other free-spirits editing the HALJ, Alice appears to be the most organized and professional member of the Editorial team!

My sister's poetry is mostly free verse. I'm more traditional and prefer the classics: Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, Emily Dickenson, Langston Hughes, and William Wordsworth among a long list of well-known poets.

So what is a poem? Many people think a poem is something that rhymes. "I'm a poet and I don't know it," kind of thing. That's verse or doggerel, but not poetry. Poetry isn't rhyme or meter, or verse. Poetry is imagery through language.

The best poetry in my opinion (and this is my opinion blog), is simple and elegant and stirs the emotions. It takes you somewhere with words that you can't get to any other way. A few blogs ago I quoted from Shel Silverstein's "The Giving Tree," which is considered a children's story but is secretly a profoundly moving poem.

My sister wrote a poem about the loss of a tree in "The sound of a tree gone."

The water falls and falls and falls.
Like the om in Tibetan ritual,
Its highs and lows,
Like a slit-drum,
The pond at the bottom,
Like a clear night,
And another sound of falling,
Further into the forest,
Sharp, quick, buzz, snap,
A rush of wind,
Hit, rumble,
The toppling of a great tree,
And stillness at the bottom,
But no continuity,
And only an empty night
As the tree is hauled, rattling, away.

Rogoff, A. E. (2005). Mural: Poems by Alice Elizabeth Rogoff. Austin, TX: Blue Light Press. p. 35.

Great poetry can be simple, and seemingly childlike, like Silverstein or Dr. Seuss, or grandiose and florid like Wordsworth's I wondered lonely as a cloud. I liked that one so much I set it to music 40 years ago.

Why am I suddenly blogging about poetry? Well I volunteered to be the Arts Advisory Committee's member on the Parks Commission's interview team for San Ramon's next Poet Laureate. Interviews will be held this Monday evening. We have three applicants, but at this point in time I don't know who they are yet.

The Poet Laureate position was created six years ago. San Ramon's first Poet Laureate was Pat Perry, who was appointed for two, two year terms. The current Poet Laureate, Elaine Betts, was appointed for 18 months. Elaine also writes the Reaching Out blog in the San Ramon and Danville Expresses. Dublin and Pleasanton and several other local cities have Poet Laureates now too. Poetry is gaining a foothold in communities across the country.

Some duties of the Poet Laureate are to:
? create and read poetry at civic events such as public ceremonies and dedications
? serve as a resource and liaison between the City's Cultural Arts Program and local literary organizations
? act as a resource on the topic of poetry should the Arts Advisory Committee need that expertise
? conduct poetry workshops or staged readings
? compile an anthology of poems by San Ramon Poet Laureates and make it available on the web.

The interview committee will make a recommendation to the City Council for the appointment at their meeting on Tuesday night. While the City Council usually follows the Commission's recommendations, it doesn't always. So even those of us on the interview team will not find out who San Ramon's next Poet Laureate will be, until the Council votes on the appointment.
Local Journalism.
What is it worth to you?

Comments

Posted by Roz Rogoff, the San Ramon Observer,
on Jul 6, 2012 at 6:00 pm

Roz Rogoff is a registered user.

I just looked at the City Council Agenda for this coming Tuesday and the Poet Laureate appointment isn't on it. I suppose our recommendations go to the Parks Commission first and then go to the City Council.

Roz


Posted by Whit Waltman , a resident of Alamo,
on Jul 9, 2012 at 10:52 am

There once was a blogger named Roz,
Who pled an appropriate cause.
A San Ramon poet laureate,
Who could rhyme to excoriate,
The town for its fireworks pause!

There. Do I win?


Posted by Roz Rogoff, the San Ramon Observer,
on Jul 9, 2012 at 12:13 pm

Roz Rogoff is a registered user.

You are quite a Whit, Mr. Waltman, but did you apply? We can only consider applicants this afternoon.

Roz


Posted by Whit Waltman, a resident of Alamo,
on Jul 9, 2012 at 1:01 pm

Nah -- but here's another:

A fair-going drunkard and lout,
Slapped a pig and then pulled on its snout.
Not just a boozer,
This loser/abuser,
Should be crowned "Biggest Pig," and thrown-out!
--or--
Should be told all the stalls to clean-out.


Posted by Whit Waltman, a resident of Alamo,
on Jul 11, 2012 at 12:06 pm

Must be tough to be a San Ramon-er --
You have to be some kind of loner.
The RozBlog aside,
This board?s on the schneid,
With nary so much as a groaner.


Follow this blogger.
Sign up to be notified of new posts by this blogger.

Email:

SUBMIT

Post a comment

Sorry, but further commenting on this topic has been closed.

Stay informed.

Get the day's top headlines from DanvilleSanRamon.com sent to your inbox in the Express newsletter.

Common Ground
By Sherry Listgarten | 3 comments | 1,962 views

Tri-Valley Nonprofit Alliance grew from chance meeting
By Tim Hunt | 1 comment | 299 views