Featured Readers
Wednesday, January 8
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Hosted by: Nanette Deetz
Featured readers: .Charles Curtis Blackwell and Mary Loughran
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Hosted by: Nanette Deetz
Featured readers: .Charles Curtis Blackwell and Mary Loughran
- Charles Curtis Blackwell
- Charles Curtis Blackwell studied African American Literature and Art at Sacramento City College. After an accident while hiking in the hills near the ocean at Santa Cruz left him partially blind a month later, Blackwell dropped out of everything, including art.
Back to the world, Charles realized he had two God-given talents, art and writing. He has worked doing art therapy on the west and east coasts, organized a poetry performance troupe while at Chico State, and through the Bulu Project in Washington, D.C. received a Community Service Award for being a community organizer in the cultural arts. He received the same award in Oakland. Blackwell has conducted writers’ workshops in California prisons like Folsom and Soledad. His writing has appeared in over 180 publications.
Past Fascination: Cut to the Bone Real Love Poems is Charles’ current book. Previous books of poetry include The Fiery Responses to Love’s Calling, and Redemption Beyond Blindness. Is, the Color of Mississippi Mud also ran as a theatre play. A 70-minute documentary on Blackwell’s work, THE GOD GIVEN TALENT, premiered in San Francisco and Oakland in June 2019 and was later screened at the Contemporary Arts Center during the Over-the-Rhine International Film Festival, Cincinnati, Ohio in October, 2019. Blackwell currently conducts writers’ workshops for at-risk teens and young adults at Youth Spirit Art Works in Berkeley, CA. There he MC’s ASE, an Evening of Poetry, Spoken Word and Open Mic every month.
Mary Loughran
Mary Loughran, New York City born, received her M.A. in English Literature from UC Santa Barbara and taught writing as an associate in the Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP) at UC Santa Barbara, UC Berkeley, and City College, Santa Barbara.
Mary credits her early love of poetry to her mother who often recited Shakespeare and Lord Byron to her young children, and to a 4th grade elementary school teacher’s lessons on metaphor. She won her first cash prize of $5.00 in a college Adult School poetry writing contest and spent it on coffee with a friend in celebration. Children, grandchildren, and two occupations later, Loughran returned to poetry writing and has been a member of Alameda Island Poets since 2009.
Mary co-coordinated Alameda Island Poets’ “Second Thursday” monthly poetry writing workshops at Frank Bette Center for the Arts, 2013-2018. She co-edited their 2016 Poetry Writing Anthology with poets Vince Storti and Marilyn Flower. Loughran has featured in poetry readings around the Bay Area, and participated in “Bay Area Generations,” and the “Dancing Poetry Festival” at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. Her first book of poems, Scone Mix in a Brown Paper Bag: the Early Years, came out in 2019.
Mary Loughran, New York City born, received her M.A. in English Literature from UC Santa Barbara and taught writing as an associate in the Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP) at UC Santa Barbara, UC Berkeley, and City College, Santa Barbara.
Mary credits her early love of poetry to her mother who often recited Shakespeare and Lord Byron to her young children, and to a 4th grade elementary school teacher’s lessons on metaphor. She won her first cash prize of $5.00 in a college Adult School poetry writing contest and spent it on coffee with a friend in celebration. Children, grandchildren, and two occupations later, Loughran returned to poetry writing and has been a member of Alameda Island Poets since 2009.
Mary co-coordinated Alameda Island Poets’ “Second Thursday” monthly poetry writing workshops at Frank Bette Center for the Arts, 2013-2018. She co-edited their 2016 Poetry Writing Anthology with poets Vince Storti and Marilyn Flower. Loughran has featured in poetry readings around the Bay Area, and participated in “Bay Area Generations,” and the “Dancing Poetry Festival” at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. Her first book of poems, Scone Mix in a Brown Paper Bag: the Early Years, came out in 2019.