As part of my April activities, I co-hosted a workshop for teens at the Cupertino Library with David Perez. Read about the fun we had and read the poems written by three students who joined us.
Tag: teen poetry
Poetry Workshop for Teens at Cupertino Library
Please join me and my friend David Perez, the current Santa Clara County PL, this Thursday evening at the Cupertino Library for a poetry workshop. Celebrate National Poetry Month with us!
I’ll warm up the crowd with a poetry warm up full of colors and David will run his part of the workshop in his inimitable way.
Bring a poem of your own, or come ready to write and hang out.
Register at the library website at this link. Hope to see you there!
Photos from Silicon Valley Reads Art & Immigration Event
Earlier in March, I had the honor and pleasure of reading with my friends, past and present Poets Laureate in Santa Clara County, and wonderful wonderful teen poets. The students read their poems on the theme of immigration — some of them related their own experiences of home, experiences of their families, or imagined experiences.
I read a poem I wrote years ago, “Samarth’s Mom” — an observation of a young Indian mother with her children at our local elementary school. You can read it at this link, in the online journal Convergence.
Here are some photos from that evening.

The event took place at the lovely Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose.

Waiting outside the MHP auditorium. If you look closely, you can see Erica Goss waving from inside the window!

Past Poets Laureate of Santa Clara County, Nils Peterson and Sally Ashton, at their book signing table.

Not having my own poetry books (yet!) I sold anthologies and lesson plan books for California Poets in the Schools.
Cupertino Library Teen Poetry Contest Winners
Click through here to the Santa Clara County Library website to read the poetry contest winners’ winning poems. There were winners from each library, and they are lovely poems.
Congratulations to the Cupertino winners (and of course, to all the winners!).
Neelufar Raja, Monta Vista High School (Grade 9) “The Music of Yosemite”
Serena Liu, Kennedy Middle School (Grade 6) “”Wandering Heart”