by Portia Choi | Jun 1, 2022 | Events, Interviews, Poems
First Friday Open Mic at Dagny’s, May 6, 2022 We gathered at Dagny’s to share our creations on First Friday. The poets who performed were Heather Ponek, Jill Egland, Carla Martin, Samuel Rain, January Joyce, Ayana Abdallah, Sareenah Mason, Anna Marco, and Ruth...
by Portia Choi | May 29, 2022 | Events, Interviews, Poems
In-person First Friday Open Mic returns to Dagny’s Coffee! After two years as a virtual event, First Friday Open Mic (FFOM) was held in-person at Dagny’s Coffee on April 1, 2022. The event occurred on the first day of National Poetry Month. The host for the Open...
by Portia Choi | May 15, 2022 | Events, Interviews, Poems
Writing Covid – Interviews with Matt Woodman and Rachel Stratemeier Interview of Matt Woodman about Writing Covid By Carla Joy Martin On Friday, May 13th, 2022, there was a public reading as contributors to Matt Woodman’s publication, Writing Covid, gathered in...
by Portia Choi | May 14, 2022 | Events, Interviews, Poems
A transformative new publication, The WASTELAND The Wasteland is an exciting new publication by and for our community. It is a “collaborative project made up of local artists and writers from Bakersfield and the surrounding Kern County communities.” Its “goal is...
by Portia Choi | May 5, 2022 | Events, Interviews, Poems
First Friday Open Mic on February 4, 2022 For another evening of poetry, poets gathered to share their creations virtually. The poets included Carla Martin, Chris Nielsen, Christopher Robert Craddock, Jill Egland, Portia Choi, Sandra Hughes, and Shelley Evans. The...
by Portia Choi | May 3, 2022 | Events, Interviews, Poems
First Friday Open Mic by ZOOM on November 1, 2021 For another evening of poetry, poets gathered to share their creations virtually. The poets who performed their poetry were Anna Marco, Ayana Abdallah, Carla Martin, Chris Nielsen, Christopher Robert Craddock, Irene...
by Portia Choi | May 1, 2022 | Events, Interviews, Poems
First Friday ZOOM Open Mic, June 4, 2021 The First Friday Open Mic welcomes creative expression through poetry, music and spoken word. This month, Fabian Tolan shared his original songs and was interviewed. Another performer interviewed was poet Heather Barnett...
by Portia Choi | Mar 28, 2022 | Events
Unleashed meets at 6:00 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month at Dagny’s. All forms of art are encouraged – spoken word, music, visual art, dance, performance art, comedy, acting, storytelling, and whatever else you might think of as art. Unleashed is hosted by...
by Portia Choi | Mar 28, 2022 | Events
Your Poem on the Writers of Kern Blog April is National Poetry Month if you’d like to include a poem in our blog for that month, please send an original poem. Established poets, emerging poets, and would-be poets all have the possibility of being published...
by Portia Choi | Mar 16, 2022 | Events, Poems
Hello All, Since 2016, I have edited an annual themed anthology featuring work by writers in and around Kern County. The first anthology was Writing the Drought, followed by Writing Work, Writing Flora/Fauna, Writing Sound, and Writing Fields. Writing Fields was...
