We Are Here: Village Poets Anthology - eds. Maja Trochimczyk & Marlene Hitt
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Village Poets is pleased to announce the publication of its 10th anniversary anthology. Edited by Marlene Hitt and Maja Trochimczyk, and entitled We Are Here: Village Poetry Anthology, this collection presents 80 poets featured during the monthly readings at Bolton Hall Museum in Tujunga, CA as well as the group of current and former Poets Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga who organize the readings. The Village Poets have also had occasional visits to the McGroarty Arts Center, the former home of the California Poet-Laureate in 1933-1944, John Steven McGroarty. His Poet-Laureate title inspired the local Poet-Laureate program, initiated in 1999. The anthology's editors are both former Poets-Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga: Marlene Hitt was the First, in 1999-2001 and Dr. Maja Trochimczyk served as the Sixth in 2010-2012 when the readings were initiated. The book consists of two parts: Guests and Featured Poets, represented by 1-3 poems each; and Poets-Laureate, with 10 local poets, represented by 6-8 poems each. A list of Village Poets Readings, a brief history of the program, and biographies of the poets are also included. The 290-page anthology is published in two formats, as a paperback and an e-book in ePub format. The colorful cover, designed by Maja Trochimczyk, features artwork by Polish-American poet and painter, Andrew Kolo, who appeared at the readings to present both his art and his poetry. The painting, entitled “Landscape with the Palm Tree” (oil on canvas), is a mosaic of vivid, saturated colors, contrasting, yet somehow in harmony with each other. This is a great metaphor for a poetry reading filled with numerous, distinct poetic voices.
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From the Review by Michael Escoubas, Quill and Parchment, September 2021
We Are Here resonates with me on two levels. For over a decade Village Poets of the Sunland-Tujunga community have borne witness to Californians about the magic of poetry. They organize poetry readings, write poetry, and publish books keeping the art and craft of poetry alive for generations yet unborn. On another level, I found myself taking notes on those poems which spoke to me as my parents did long ago. We are Here, became for me, a series of windows which nourish my life here and now.
Organization. The volume is attractively organized under two headings: Part 1. Featured and Guest Poets; Part 2. Poets Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga. Contributor’s names appear in all-caps followed by their poems on successive pages. With some 80 participating poets, the designers have done a masterful job of pagination for optimal aesthetic appeal. At the end, each contributor is featured with an interesting biographical sketch.
Craftsmanship. If the pure love of poetry is your thing, We Are Here, will not disappoint. The Village Poets use virtually every poetic device in their well-stocked toolkits: end-rhyme, alliteration, assonance, consonance, prose poems, wild and exciting indentations such as Peggy Dobreer’s “Exquisite Harmonics.” There are metaphorical connections, which had me smiling with Ah! Ha! moments all the way through. In addition, I was impressed with both the complexity of some creations as well as many poems which featured simplicity on the page.
We Are Here—Opening Windows to Life. Christopher Askew opened a window to outer and inner “place” in this excerpt from “There Is a Place.” Humor is a delightful window opened by Beth Baird in “Ode to a Temporary Relationship." An impressive range of subject-matter and depth of thought are revealed by interesting titles: Madeleine Swift Butcher’s “What She Cries,” treats the very personal theme of parental disappointment, Butcher, “carries her mother on her back.” Educator, Don Kingfisher Campbell’s poem “Showing a DVD on the Galapagos to a Ninth Grade Class,” is irresistible in its showcasing of diffident students. Jerry Garcia invited me along, “While Walking the Dog Last Evening.” You won’t believe where this poem takes you. Another title, “The Magic of Mom,” held me at gunpoint. In each of these poems and many more, I came because of the title; I stayed because of the content.
Windows opened by the Poets Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga. First off, I was struck by the interesting history of former and current poets-laureate. This section features photos, brief biographies, and selected poems by each. Marlene Hitt’s “Arrival,” displays tender pathos as she anticipates the return home of her first-born son. “I will open my arms / to you, my firstborn child / so long traveling.” Katerina Canyon’s “Feet,” is a riveting poem that took me to places, times, and memories that surprised me all the way through. Wherever I looked among these poems, the windows I opened never failed to nourish my life-sensibilities, adding to my life the fresh air of love and wisdom. Maja Trochimczyk’s “What I Love in Sunland,” provides ample proof. [...] It is little wonder that the Village Poets have served their community and the larger world of letters with singular distinction.
Organization. The volume is attractively organized under two headings: Part 1. Featured and Guest Poets; Part 2. Poets Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga. Contributor’s names appear in all-caps followed by their poems on successive pages. With some 80 participating poets, the designers have done a masterful job of pagination for optimal aesthetic appeal. At the end, each contributor is featured with an interesting biographical sketch.
Craftsmanship. If the pure love of poetry is your thing, We Are Here, will not disappoint. The Village Poets use virtually every poetic device in their well-stocked toolkits: end-rhyme, alliteration, assonance, consonance, prose poems, wild and exciting indentations such as Peggy Dobreer’s “Exquisite Harmonics.” There are metaphorical connections, which had me smiling with Ah! Ha! moments all the way through. In addition, I was impressed with both the complexity of some creations as well as many poems which featured simplicity on the page.
We Are Here—Opening Windows to Life. Christopher Askew opened a window to outer and inner “place” in this excerpt from “There Is a Place.” Humor is a delightful window opened by Beth Baird in “Ode to a Temporary Relationship." An impressive range of subject-matter and depth of thought are revealed by interesting titles: Madeleine Swift Butcher’s “What She Cries,” treats the very personal theme of parental disappointment, Butcher, “carries her mother on her back.” Educator, Don Kingfisher Campbell’s poem “Showing a DVD on the Galapagos to a Ninth Grade Class,” is irresistible in its showcasing of diffident students. Jerry Garcia invited me along, “While Walking the Dog Last Evening.” You won’t believe where this poem takes you. Another title, “The Magic of Mom,” held me at gunpoint. In each of these poems and many more, I came because of the title; I stayed because of the content.
Windows opened by the Poets Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga. First off, I was struck by the interesting history of former and current poets-laureate. This section features photos, brief biographies, and selected poems by each. Marlene Hitt’s “Arrival,” displays tender pathos as she anticipates the return home of her first-born son. “I will open my arms / to you, my firstborn child / so long traveling.” Katerina Canyon’s “Feet,” is a riveting poem that took me to places, times, and memories that surprised me all the way through. Wherever I looked among these poems, the windows I opened never failed to nourish my life-sensibilities, adding to my life the fresh air of love and wisdom. Maja Trochimczyk’s “What I Love in Sunland,” provides ample proof. [...] It is little wonder that the Village Poets have served their community and the larger world of letters with singular distinction.
About this Book
"This anthology is a treasure and I'm honored to be part of it! Over the last ten years, the Village Poets of Sunland-Tujunga, along with the faithful support of the Little Landers Historical Society and the McGroarty Arts Center, provided a place, not only for local poets to gather, but for poets from well beyond our town to come together as a community and enjoy conversation and share their work. This anthology is a wonderful tribute to all who participated over the years."
~ Dorothy Skiles, Seventh Poet Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga
"This is a lovely anthology, my fellow Americans! We are all Village Poets, in one way or another. And we are all Little Landers, also called “los terrenitos,” the utopian colony of collective agriculture established in and around Bolton Hall Museum in the early 20th century. Let us cultivate our poetic land!"
~ Margaret Saine, author of Lit Angels and Gardens of the World (Moonrise Press)
"The busy poetry circles of mountain communities cohabiting the threatened southern rim of our forests, has produced a series, celebrated in this gorgeous anthology which artfully embraces power of place. These are the precious words of lyrical poets from everywhere, who joined the Valley Poets inside the halls of the pioneer settlers of Tujunga, joining in a decades-long tribute to and embodiment of the democratic community practices of the founding ancestors, gathered within the walls of monumental Bolton Hall."
~ Ed Rosenthal, survivor www.poetbroker.com
~ Dorothy Skiles, Seventh Poet Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga
"This is a lovely anthology, my fellow Americans! We are all Village Poets, in one way or another. And we are all Little Landers, also called “los terrenitos,” the utopian colony of collective agriculture established in and around Bolton Hall Museum in the early 20th century. Let us cultivate our poetic land!"
~ Margaret Saine, author of Lit Angels and Gardens of the World (Moonrise Press)
"The busy poetry circles of mountain communities cohabiting the threatened southern rim of our forests, has produced a series, celebrated in this gorgeous anthology which artfully embraces power of place. These are the precious words of lyrical poets from everywhere, who joined the Valley Poets inside the halls of the pioneer settlers of Tujunga, joining in a decades-long tribute to and embodiment of the democratic community practices of the founding ancestors, gathered within the walls of monumental Bolton Hall."
~ Ed Rosenthal, survivor www.poetbroker.com
About the Editors
MAJA TROCHIMCZYK, Ph.D., is a Polish American poet, music historian, and photographer. She published seven books of poetry: Miriam’s Iris (2008), Rose Always – A Love Story (2008, rev. 2020), Slicing the Bread (2014), The Rainy Bread (2016), Into Light (2016), and three anthologies, Chopin with Cherries (2010), Meditations on Divine Names (2012), and Grateful Conversations (2018). Her poems appeared in: California Quarterly, Cosmopolitan Review, Ekphrasis Journal, Epiphany Magazine, Lily Literary Review, Loch Raven Review, Lummox Journal, Quill and Parchment, Pirene’s Fountain, Pisarze.pl, Poezja Dzisiaj, The Scream Online, Spectrum and anthologies by Poets on Site, Southern California Haiku Study Group, and others. As a Polish music historian, she published seven books, most recently Górecki in Context: Essays on Music (2017). She is the founder of Moonrise Press, President of Helena Modjeska Art and Culture Club, and President of the California State Poetry Society. Her research studies, articles and book chapters appeared in English, Polish, and in translations in ten countries. She read papers at over 90 international conferences and is a recipient of honors and awards from Polish, Canadian, and American institutions, such as the American Council of Learned Societies, the Polish Ministry of Culture, PAHA, McGill University, and the University of Southern California.
MARLENE HITT is a poet, writer and retired educator with local history as an avocation. She served for many years as Archivist, Museum Director and Historian at the Bolton Hall Museum in Tujunga. She is a native Californian and a graduate of Occidental College. As a member of the Chupa Rosa Writers of Sunland for nearly 30 years, she has worked with this small group of poets from whom has sprung readings at the local library, the Poet Laureate Program of Sunland-Tujunga, and the Village Poets. Ms. Hitt, elected Woman of Achievement for the Year 2001, served a Poet Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga in 1999-2001. She has published a book on local history, Sunland-Tujunga From Village to City (Arcadia, 2000, 2005) based on columns written for the Foothill Leader, Glendale News Press, North Valley Reporter, Sentinel, and Voice of the Village since 1998. Her work appeared in Psychopoetica (UK), Chupa Rosa Diaries of the Chupa Rosa Writers, Sunland (2001-2003), Glendale College’s Eclipse anthologies, two Moonrise Press anthologies, Chopin with Cherries (2010) and Meditations on Divine Names (2012), Sometimes in the Open, a collection of verse by California Poets Laureate, and The Coiled Serpent, anthology of Los Angeles poets, edited by Luis Rodriguez (2016). She published chapbooks Sad with Cinnamon, Mint Leaves, and Bent Grass (all in 2001), as well as Riddle in the Rain with Dorothy Skiles, a stack of poetry booklets for friends and family, and most recently a critically acclaimed poetry volume, Clocks and Water Drops (Moonrise Press, 2015).
MARLENE HITT is a poet, writer and retired educator with local history as an avocation. She served for many years as Archivist, Museum Director and Historian at the Bolton Hall Museum in Tujunga. She is a native Californian and a graduate of Occidental College. As a member of the Chupa Rosa Writers of Sunland for nearly 30 years, she has worked with this small group of poets from whom has sprung readings at the local library, the Poet Laureate Program of Sunland-Tujunga, and the Village Poets. Ms. Hitt, elected Woman of Achievement for the Year 2001, served a Poet Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga in 1999-2001. She has published a book on local history, Sunland-Tujunga From Village to City (Arcadia, 2000, 2005) based on columns written for the Foothill Leader, Glendale News Press, North Valley Reporter, Sentinel, and Voice of the Village since 1998. Her work appeared in Psychopoetica (UK), Chupa Rosa Diaries of the Chupa Rosa Writers, Sunland (2001-2003), Glendale College’s Eclipse anthologies, two Moonrise Press anthologies, Chopin with Cherries (2010) and Meditations on Divine Names (2012), Sometimes in the Open, a collection of verse by California Poets Laureate, and The Coiled Serpent, anthology of Los Angeles poets, edited by Luis Rodriguez (2016). She published chapbooks Sad with Cinnamon, Mint Leaves, and Bent Grass (all in 2001), as well as Riddle in the Rain with Dorothy Skiles, a stack of poetry booklets for friends and family, and most recently a critically acclaimed poetry volume, Clocks and Water Drops (Moonrise Press, 2015).
Table of Contents
Preface – vii,Table of Contents - viii, Poetry in the Foothills – A Look Back - x,Listing of Featured Poets and Artists – xii.
Part 1. Featured and Guest Poets - 1: Lida Abramian - 3; Millicent Borges Accardi – 5; Sharon Alexander – 8; Eliécer Almaguer – 10; Christopher Askew – 12; Beth Baird – 14; Judy Barrat – 16; Cile Borman – 18; Madeleine Swift Butcher – 20; Elena Karina Byrne – 22; Don Kingfisher Campbell – 23; Ross Canton – 25; Gloriana Casey – 27; Jackie Chou – 29; Teresa Mei Chuc – 31; Jeanette Clough – 33; Beverly M. Collins – 35; Brendan Constantine – 37; Bill Cushing – 39; Marsha De La O – 41; Peggy Dobreer – 42; Linda Dove – 44; Alexis Rhone Fancher – 45; Mary Fitzpatrick – 47; Michael C. Ford – 49; Joyce Futa – 50; William Scott Galasso – 52; Jerry Garcia – 54; John Guzlowski – 55; Charles Harmon – 57; Lloyd Hitt – 59; Lois P. Jones – 62; Georgia Jones-Davis – 63; C.E. Jordan – 65; Mandy Kahn – 67; Mina Kirby – 69; Andrew Kolo – 72; Deborah P Kolodji – 74; Mariko Kitakubo – 76; Sharmagne Leland-St. John – 78; James Levin – 80; Wayne Allen LeVine – 81; Stephen Lindsteadt – 83; Elline Lipkin – 84; B.D. Love – 86; Rick Lupert – 87; Radomir Vojtech Luza – 89; Suzanne Lummis – 91; Shahe Mankerian – 96; Mirjana N. Radovanov Matarić – 97; Maria Elena Mahler – 99; Gabriel Meyer – 100; Naia – 102; Toti O’Brien – 104; Cece Peri – 106; A.R. Peterson – 108; Thelma T. Reyna – 110; Cindy Rinne – 112; Susan Rogers – 114; Sharon Rizk – 116; Ed Rosenthal – 118; Mary Kay Rummel – 120; Sonya Sabanac – 122; Margaret Saine – 124; Shaymaa – 126; Param Sharma – 128; Rick Smith – 130; Kathi Stafford – 131; Julia Stein – 133; Melissa Studdard – 134; Konrad Tademar Wilk – 136; Ambika Talwar - 138; Judith Terzi – 140; Bory Thach – 142; G. Murray Thomas – 144; Mary Torregrossa – 145; Yun Wang – 147; Mari Werner – 149; Kath Abela Wilson – 152; Mariano Zaro – 155.
Part 2. Poets Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga - 157: John Steven McGroarty –159; Marlene Hitt – 161; Katerina Canyon – 170; Joe DeCenzo – 179;Damien Stednitz –188; Ursula T. Gibson – 197; Maja Trochimczyk – 204; Dorothy Skiles - 212; Elsa Samkow-Frausto – 219; Pamela Shea – 225; Alice Pero - 233.
Part 1. Featured and Guest Poets - 1: Lida Abramian - 3; Millicent Borges Accardi – 5; Sharon Alexander – 8; Eliécer Almaguer – 10; Christopher Askew – 12; Beth Baird – 14; Judy Barrat – 16; Cile Borman – 18; Madeleine Swift Butcher – 20; Elena Karina Byrne – 22; Don Kingfisher Campbell – 23; Ross Canton – 25; Gloriana Casey – 27; Jackie Chou – 29; Teresa Mei Chuc – 31; Jeanette Clough – 33; Beverly M. Collins – 35; Brendan Constantine – 37; Bill Cushing – 39; Marsha De La O – 41; Peggy Dobreer – 42; Linda Dove – 44; Alexis Rhone Fancher – 45; Mary Fitzpatrick – 47; Michael C. Ford – 49; Joyce Futa – 50; William Scott Galasso – 52; Jerry Garcia – 54; John Guzlowski – 55; Charles Harmon – 57; Lloyd Hitt – 59; Lois P. Jones – 62; Georgia Jones-Davis – 63; C.E. Jordan – 65; Mandy Kahn – 67; Mina Kirby – 69; Andrew Kolo – 72; Deborah P Kolodji – 74; Mariko Kitakubo – 76; Sharmagne Leland-St. John – 78; James Levin – 80; Wayne Allen LeVine – 81; Stephen Lindsteadt – 83; Elline Lipkin – 84; B.D. Love – 86; Rick Lupert – 87; Radomir Vojtech Luza – 89; Suzanne Lummis – 91; Shahe Mankerian – 96; Mirjana N. Radovanov Matarić – 97; Maria Elena Mahler – 99; Gabriel Meyer – 100; Naia – 102; Toti O’Brien – 104; Cece Peri – 106; A.R. Peterson – 108; Thelma T. Reyna – 110; Cindy Rinne – 112; Susan Rogers – 114; Sharon Rizk – 116; Ed Rosenthal – 118; Mary Kay Rummel – 120; Sonya Sabanac – 122; Margaret Saine – 124; Shaymaa – 126; Param Sharma – 128; Rick Smith – 130; Kathi Stafford – 131; Julia Stein – 133; Melissa Studdard – 134; Konrad Tademar Wilk – 136; Ambika Talwar - 138; Judith Terzi – 140; Bory Thach – 142; G. Murray Thomas – 144; Mary Torregrossa – 145; Yun Wang – 147; Mari Werner – 149; Kath Abela Wilson – 152; Mariano Zaro – 155.
Part 2. Poets Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga - 157: John Steven McGroarty –159; Marlene Hitt – 161; Katerina Canyon – 170; Joe DeCenzo – 179;Damien Stednitz –188; Ursula T. Gibson – 197; Maja Trochimczyk – 204; Dorothy Skiles - 212; Elsa Samkow-Frausto – 219; Pamela Shea – 225; Alice Pero - 233.