Photo by Pam Shea
Pamela Shea was elected to serve as Sunland-Tujunga's Poet Laureate in April 2017. A year has passed and much has been done so far. Here is her reflection, some poems and photos from recent events, and a list of events she participated in. We wish Pam another successful year!
Passing of the Laurels Ceremony, April 2017 with Elsa Frausto, Dorothy Skiles,
Marlene Hitt, Joe DeCenzo, Pam Shea and Maja Trochimczyk
UPDATE FROM PAMELA SHEA
As I celebrate
the one-year mark in my role as the 9th Poet Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga, I am
delighted to reflect on all the activities I have participated in during the
past 12 months.
I am thrilled to
serve our local Foothills community through poetry, and I have enjoyed writing
poems for special events, including the Sylmar Woman’s Club gathering at the
Odyssey Restaurant, the Verdugo Hills YMCA’s Spring Tea, a variety of occasions
at McGroarty Arts Center, and several activities at the Sunland-Tujunga Branch
Library. Taking poetry “to the people” is one of my chief goals as
Sunland-Tujunga Poet Laureate.
I have also
discovered a newfound freedom in my writing. I am honored to have had my poems
selected for publication in the Altadena
Poetry Review 2018, as well as in the Spring 2018 issue of the California
State Poetry Society’s California
Quarterly Vol. 44 No. 1, edited by Maja Trochimczyk.
As Poet
Laureate, I have been privileged to have the opportunity to get to know other
poets while hearing and reading a wide range of poetic styles. In my second
year in this role, I look forward to meeting more wonderful people and
continuing to celebrate our local community and its people, flora, and fauna
through poetry.
~ Pamela Shea
Pam as Betsy Ross for the 4th of July Parade 2017
Poetry Events, Pamela
A. Shea, 2017-2018
- 4/1/17 - Clark Magnet School, Foothills Relay For Life, opening ceremony
- 5/6/17 - The Odyssey Restaurant, Sylmar Woman’s Club Fashion Show & Luncheon, Follow Your Muse
- 5/6/17 - McGroarty Arts Center, Wine Tasting Event - The Wine of Glorietta by John Steven McGroarty, McGroarty Magic by Pamela Shea
- 5/16/17 - The Backdoor Bakery, Relay For Life Fundraising event by The Painter In You, Relay Painting Event Poem Series, Relay poems
- 5/22/17 - Verdugo Hills YMCA, Spring Tea Party, photo and poem combination reading
- 6/3/17 McGroarty Arts Center, 14th Annual Ceramics Juried Open Exhibition, Ceramics
- 7/29/2017 - Oceanview Restaurant, Wine Glass Paint Night Fundraiser for La Crescenta Women’s Club, Summer Wishes 2007, Eulogy For Night
- 8/5/2017 - Sunland-Tujunga Branch Library, Summer Reading Culmination Party, Library Magic
- 8/26/2017- McGroarty Arts Center, 2nd Annual Burgers, Beer & Band Night, BBB Poem
- 8/27/2017 - Bolton Hall Museum, Village Poets Monthly Reading Series, Co-Feature with Lois P. Jones
- 9/13/2017 - The Odyssey Restaurant, Sylmar Woman’s Club General Club Meeting
- 9/24/2017 - McGroarty Arts Center, event honoring volunteers and staff who fought La Tuna Fire, McGroarty Magic II
- 10/21/2017 - McGroarty Arts Center, Sunland-Tujunga Open Studios, 3 sessions of open readings
- 10/22/2017 - The Backdoor Bakery, event featuring Joe DeCenzo and friends 10/23/2017 Verdugo Hills YMCA, Chili Cook-Off, poem “Chili”
- 10/25/2017 - NoHo Arts District, Lit Crawl L.A., participated in First Annual Poet Laureate parade
- 12/19/2017 - McGroarty Arts Center, Hanukkah In the Foothills, Hanukkah Poem
- Jan. 2018 - Two poems selected for publication by California State Poetry Society’s California Quarterly 44 No. 1
- Feb. 2018 - One poem selected for publication in The Altadena Poetry Anthology, 2018
- March 3, 2018 - Sunland-Tujunga Branch Library, Dr. Seuss’s 114th Birthday Party
Photo by Pam Shea
Spring, 2018
Springtime comes tiptoeing in
Speaking of quiet places
Revealing sacred spaces
And peace flows like a river
Tranquility is seeping
Into the landscape and blood
Emotional tides rise and flood
Releasing, seeking the shore
Beauty abounds and astounds
Birds serenade the morning
Flowers burst in bright colors
The earth awakens in bounty
Whispers of hope float freely
Discerning ears are ringing
There is majestic singing
Love rises from the garden
(c) Pamela Shea
In costume with granddaughter, for Dr. Seuss Reading at Sunland Tujunga Library, March 2017.
In Honor of Dr.
Seuss
3/3/2018, on the Occasion
of His 114th Birthday
“My name is
Pamela Ann
You can call me
Pam, you can call me Ann”
So my life as a
poet began
I love poetry,
that’s who I am
Words have
always filled my mind
I write of
nature and being kind
Poems do not
always have to rhyme
All kinds of
writing are very fine
You can write
when you are glad
You can write
when you are sad
You can write
when you are mad
Just keep on
writing on your pad
Poems can tell
the story of your life
Both times that
are good and times of strife
So pick up
something and write, write, write
It will make
your spirit soar like a kite
Dr. Seuss Day the Paige Way
3/2/16 ~ by Paige Gleason & Pamela Shea
I jump, jump, jump on the trampoline
In my
nightgown
I wear my nightgown the whole day long
All around
town
I blow BIG BUBBLES and stomp them flat
On the
backyard ground
I celebrate Dr. Seuss Day with Grandma
She is
such a clown!
Reading at Bolton Hall Museum, photo by Mary Torregrosa
POETS LAUREATE GATHERING WITH DANA GIOIA, OCTOBER 6, 2018
All current Poets Laureate from California are invited by CA Poet Laureate Dana Gioia to participate in a statewide gathering of all current city and county poet laureates, hosted by the California Arts Council. The event will take place at the McGroarty Arts Center in Tujunga on Saturday, October 6, 2018.
The organizers are planning a day of workshops, panels, readings, and presentations to explore and celebrate the important cultural role poet laureates play in their communities. Every laureate will have a chance to read his or her poetry as well as share ideas with other laureates and the public. The McGroarty Arts Center in Tujunga (a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley side of Los Angeles) is the former home of John McGroarty, who served as California’s third poet laureate from 1933 to 1944. Today the beautiful hillside home houses a vibrant community arts center.
All poets who currently hold a civic laureate office (for a city, county, or region) are invited to participate in the morning workshop. Past poets laureate are invited to the afternoon session. The daylong event, including meals, will be free to participants. This event is co-sponsored by the California Arts Council and the McGroarty Arts Center. Robin Coste Lewis, the poet laureate of Los Angeles, will also help host the day’s event.
The organizers are planning a day of workshops, panels, readings, and presentations to explore and celebrate the important cultural role poet laureates play in their communities. Every laureate will have a chance to read his or her poetry as well as share ideas with other laureates and the public. The McGroarty Arts Center in Tujunga (a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley side of Los Angeles) is the former home of John McGroarty, who served as California’s third poet laureate from 1933 to 1944. Today the beautiful hillside home houses a vibrant community arts center.
All poets who currently hold a civic laureate office (for a city, county, or region) are invited to participate in the morning workshop. Past poets laureate are invited to the afternoon session. The daylong event, including meals, will be free to participants. This event is co-sponsored by the California Arts Council and the McGroarty Arts Center. Robin Coste Lewis, the poet laureate of Los Angeles, will also help host the day’s event.
Photo by Maja Trochimczyk
VILLAGE POETS NEWS
CONGRATULATIONS TO DOROTHY SKILES!
For Pushcart Prize Nomination by the Altandena Poetry Review!
Thelma T. Reina and Susan Rogers who both were featured at Bolton Hall Museum
in the past are also nominated. The presentation of their poetry is on April 16, 2018.
MAJA TROCHIMCZYK EDITED THE CALIFORNIA QUARTERLY 44/1
Photo by Maja Trochimczyk
This volume features almost 60 poets, including Village Poets Pam Shea and Marlene Hitt, and poets who featured at Bolton Hall Museum in the past: Kathabela Wilson, Susan Rogers, Margaret Saine, Deborah P. Kolodji and William Scott Galasso. Copies of the CQ may be obtained by ordering online at CaliforniaStatePoetrySociety.org , or by mailing a request for a specific issue together with a check
for $10.00 per copy. Do not forget to name the specific issue you are requesting (this one is 44/1) and submit your order to: CSPS VP/Membership 2560 Calabria Ct, Dublin, CA 94568.
Every poet is invited to join the CSP Society, online or by mail. First fill out the form on the website, then print it and send with payments by mail to:
CSPS Vice President - Membership, 2560 Calabria Court, Dublin, California 94568
And Best Wishes for the Spring to Everyone!
