Special Projects of the SPC

California Poet Laureate

The Sacramento Poetry Center sponsored Assembly Bill 113, which established the position of California Poet Laureate. Quincy Troupe was appointed by the Governor to fill the position for its first two-year term.

WORD Poetry Festival

The WORD Poetry Festival was held at the Guild Theater on November 13, 2009 and did a great job raising money for the Center for Fathers and Families. See photos from this event here.

Locks Festival

In 2004, SPC worked with the Jamaican Student Exchange Program (JSEP) in Sacramento and coordinated the space and provided the insurance needs to hold the Locks Festival in May. Part of the festival organization and publicity was taken on by Staajabu and V.S. Chocezi who are both members of SPC. The Sacramento Poetry Center was happy to work with our members and the JSEP to provide an opportunity for the community to share their experiences and come together for such a good cause.

Flor y Canto

In April 2004, SPC had the opportunity to share in the experience at the Flor y Canto Festival. SPC had a booth set up where poets could display literature for upcoming readings, record their voices for the Flor y Canto CD, find out more about the Poetry Center and join as a member.

Landing Signals

The idea of a book and audio presentation of Sacramento poets was born in the fertile brain of B. L. Kennedy in the year 1984. Two years later, midwifed and brought to life by SPC, Landing Signals, a 244 page print anthology and a 2 hour audio anthology, was a reality.

During that long gestation period, The Landing Signals Committee (Fred Dalkey, Victoria Dalkey, Patrick Grizzell, Kennedy and Founder/Executive Director Theresa Vinciguerra) kept the Project on track. Vinciguerra, Victoria Dalkey and SPC’s Board of Directors handled fundraising. Douglas Blazek, C. K. Dobbs and Ann Menebrokers served as editors for the print anthology; Kennedy and Grizzell for the audio.

On October 26, 1986, thanks to the hard work of many poets, artists and community supporters, this long-anticipated, landmark project was released. In recognition of this achievement, then-Mayor Ann Rudin proclaimed October 26, Sacramento Poetry Day.

In Lak’ Esh

In Lak’ Esh, a 1990-91 collaboration between 30 Sacramento poets and 30 Sacramento visual artists, began as an idea in the mind of sculptor Maru Hoeber. Poets Kay Lindsay and Victoria Dalkey were Hoeber’s earliest collaborators. SPC served as co-sponsor and (then-President of the Board of Directors) Mary Zeppa served as SPC/ ILK liaison. The project, supported by many individuals, businesses and organizations was coordinated by a four volunteer committee: Hoeber, Wendy Ginther, Diane Pibbs and Shelly Willis.

Poets and artists were paired (some by choice, some at random) and worked together on projects ranging from Jorjana Holden’s bronze and mirror sculpture inscribed with Joyce Odam’s poem to artist Tom Witt and poet Gene Avery’s “Variety show performance art with music, drama, dancing, singing. Cast of 25.”

ILK culminated in a one month exhibition (at the Southern Pacific Warehouse next to the Amtrak Station) of these collaborative projects. The opening night reception was held on October 26, Sacramento Poetry Day. Performances and poetry readings were held Saturdays during the month of the exhibit.

August Coppola, dean of San Francisco State’s School of Creative Arts, wrote the introduction to the exhibition catalog which, through photographs and participants’ comments on the collaborative process, documents the project.