Natica Angilly

Natica Angilly is a poet, painter, choreographer, dancer, and co-founder, with Poet Richard Angilly, of The Poetic Dance Theater Company and the annual Dancing Poetry Festival. For over 30 years, these activities have showcased poetry and dance as a unified art form. The motto of the dance company’s parent organization, Artists Embassy International, is “to promote peace and understanding through the universal language of the arts.” Two years ago, after Richard passed away in late 2022, a memorial was held, where his life and achievements were honored with presentations of poetry and poetic dance. Natica continues to direct the Poetic Dance Company, produce the Festival and other performances, and publish books. Natica's poetry anthologies are collections of poetry, dance performance memorabilia, essays, and stories gathered from five decades of poetic pursuit. Author of 15 books, her latest is "Dance for Poetry".

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Her books can be found here.

Ken Peterson

Ken Peterson was introduced to poetry by his mother and grandmother in the 1940s. His adult interest in poetry began in the 1980s when he joined his mother and brother, both accomplished poets, in the Brentwood, California poetry group. He started going to the Alameda Free Library to read and try to understand poetry. His main public activities began in the late 1990s when he would join Mary Rudge,  Alameda’s first Poet Laureate, on her many readings throughout Northern California. A few years ago, Ken published a book of and about haiku. At the conclusion of his 2021 presentation for the statewide poetry organization, Norma Kohute, the revered ninety-nine-year-old poet, said, “Through my many years, I have heard many presentations at conferences and different poetry events on haiku, and I thought James Shuman did a good one, but this is superb. It’s absolutely the most understandable, scholarly, interesting, and instructive presentation on haiku that I have been privileged to hear.“

 

Ken was the second President of our Alameda Island Poets Chapter. During his few years as President, this Alameda chapter grew from being one of the smallest to one of the largest paid memberships in the state organization. Ken was also one of two founding sponsors of the “Write a Poem About Alameda” contest, which continued for several years.

Nina Serrano

Nina Serrano is an active 91-year-old prize-winning poet and media producer in Vallejo, California. She has published three volumes of poetry:  Heart Songs, Heart's Journey, and Heart Strong, and has now published  “Out of the Blue”. She also published a novel, “Nicaragua Way.” Her plays have been produced in the United States and Canada.

 

She produced regular monthly radio programs on literature and Latinx affairs on KPFA (94.1fm) and OZCAT radio ( 89.5fm) for many decades. She has directed the San Francisco Poetry in the Schools program and the Stagebridge Storytelling in the Schools program. She was also a member of the Oakland Arts Commission for 8 years. You can learn more on her website.

 

 

 

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Sehinne Yohannes

16-year-old Sehinne Yohannes is a Habesha poet, and a junior in the Social Justice Academy of San Leandro. She has used poetry as a catalyst of her activism, as well as a means of comfort when the planet feels like it wasn’t meant for her. Her poetry describes the reality of the world we live in, as well as the fantasies she hopes can one day come true. Poetry has helped her break out of her shell immensely since she began writing, and has given her the confidence to be her true authentic self. ​

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