Poetry of Resilience–From Haiku to Free Verse at Downtown Library

Details and registration here: Poetry of Resilience: From Haiku to Free Verse | San Diego Public Library (librarymarket.com)

Join us on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021 from 4-6 p.m. for a star-studded poetry event at the downtown San Diego Public Library (SDPL). This program, featuring San Diego’s most recognized poets, is part of SDPL’s quarter-long project, The Rebellious Miss Breed: San Diego Public Library and the Japanese American Incarceration. This event is also a companion piece to the Conversations with Poets video program sponsored by the library to spotlight the city’s vibrant poetry scene. To find out more about Miss Clara Breed, visit the Japanese American National Museum and SDPL: The Rebellious Miss Breed.

Here is a bit of history about Miss Breed from the Japanese American National Museum:

Miss Breed was the children’s librarian at San Diego Public Library from 1929 to 1945. When her young Japanese American patrons were forced into concentration camps with their families in 1942, Breed became their reliable correspondent, sending them books, assisting with requests for supplies, and through her actions, serving as a reminder of the possibility for decency and justice in a troubled world. Years later, Breed passed on the collection of letters she received to Elizabeth Kikuchi Yamada, one of the original correspondents. Ms. Yamada, in turn, donated them to the Japanese American National Museum. The online collection includes digital facsimiles of the correspondence as well as full transcriptions of the letters. 

December 11 event Info: Poetry of Resilience–From Haiku to Free Verse. The authors have been invited to perform poems that speak about their lives and the current historical moment of deep national reflection, ranging from social/political discord to a deadly pandemic which locked us down and isolated us from each other. Featured poets include (click to watch and visit author websites):

Ying Wu

Viet Mai

Ant Black

Karla Cordero

Sharon Elise

Rudy Francisco

Olga Garcia

Michael Klam

Katie Manning

Robt O’Sullivan Schleith, reading Mel Takahara’s tankas

San Diego Poet Laureate Ron Salisbury

Gill Sotu

Jeff Walt

Ted Washington

And introducing the mother and daughter team of Chieko Sato and Kai Sakura Pellici:

Register here: https://sandiego.librarymarket.com/events/poetry-resilience-haiku-free-verse

Visit Poetry & Art San Diego (poetryandartsd.com) for more.