Featured Readers
Wednesday, May 2
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Hosted by: Nanette Deetz
Featured readers: The Mighty Pens (Student poetry club from Alameda Community Learning Center)
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Hosted by: Nanette Deetz
Featured readers: The Mighty Pens (Student poetry club from Alameda Community Learning Center)
Back row: Gavin Barron, Killian Connolly, Oxford Lewis, Cayden Lewis-McCabe
Middle row: Miranda Rittenbach, Truly Edison, Liam Foster, Sophie McCain-Novakowski.
Front row: Tay Lew, Cathy Dana
The Mighty Pens
In 2012, with the hope of sharing a lifelong love of poetry and the exquisite beauty of words, Cathy Dana, teacher of Creative Expressions at charter school, ACLC, founded a school-wide poetry club called The Mighty Pens. The group meets weekly to write and share poetry, culminating each year in a book of student poems, entitled “Wandering Minds, Dancing Words.” Ivy Nebeker, student editor of this year's book says it represents the poetry of 25 students. Cover artist is Nina Lovejoy; graphic artist is Izzy Penston. Books will be on sale at the reading.
Dana, current Alameda Poet Laureate, also established a student Poet Laureate program at ACLC. Current ACLC Poets Laureate are Truly Edison and Tay Lew. Each week, the Mighty Pens choose a “poet of the week” to read a poem to the entire school. Students have read poetry at Berkeley's Poetry Express, ACLC Multicultural Night, Books, Inc., the Ina Coolbrith Circle, and the Dancing Poetry Festival at the Palace of the Legion of Honor.
In 2012, with the hope of sharing a lifelong love of poetry and the exquisite beauty of words, Cathy Dana, teacher of Creative Expressions at charter school, ACLC, founded a school-wide poetry club called The Mighty Pens. The group meets weekly to write and share poetry, culminating each year in a book of student poems, entitled “Wandering Minds, Dancing Words.” Ivy Nebeker, student editor of this year's book says it represents the poetry of 25 students. Cover artist is Nina Lovejoy; graphic artist is Izzy Penston. Books will be on sale at the reading.
Dana, current Alameda Poet Laureate, also established a student Poet Laureate program at ACLC. Current ACLC Poets Laureate are Truly Edison and Tay Lew. Each week, the Mighty Pens choose a “poet of the week” to read a poem to the entire school. Students have read poetry at Berkeley's Poetry Express, ACLC Multicultural Night, Books, Inc., the Ina Coolbrith Circle, and the Dancing Poetry Festival at the Palace of the Legion of Honor.
Here is a sample poem: The Ocean Depths by Liam Foster
I live in a little house on an island in a great black sea.
Every night, I dive into the inky darkness beneath the stars.
I search for the dim lights of the fallen, like dying quasars.
I know not where they come from, nor where they go.
But I bring them to shore, solid rock and a warm glow.
That's enough for me.
I live in a little house on an island in a great black sea.
Every night, I dive into the inky darkness beneath the stars.
I search for the dim lights of the fallen, like dying quasars.
I know not where they come from, nor where they go.
But I bring them to shore, solid rock and a warm glow.
That's enough for me.