Jacalyn Eyvonne Vallejo Co-Poet Laureate
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BACKGROUND/BIO: Jacalyn Eyvonne began writing poetry early in a home where books lined the walls, and found solace through reading and writing. In a world that often seemed plagued by turmoil and injustice, her early poetry mimicked the struggles surrounding the civil rights movement. The voices of Nikki Giovanni, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Maya Angelou inspired her artistry. However, Jacalyn writes across a range of poetic themes and topics. She was later drawn to the camera, where she became a photographer, gravitating to film and eventually overlapping her talents. Most recently, creating an art photography display exhibited at the McCune Rare Book and Art Collection during the Vallejo Open Studios. The project "The Unyielding Weight of Words" intertwined photography with poetry from her upcoming book "The Unyielding Weight of Words - Poems for Reflection, Healing, and Love."
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Jacalyn’s first published poem appeared in the Oakland Tribune. It was a tribute to Magic Johnson, titled “It’s Magic,” after his announcement that he had HIV in November of 1991. Thereafter, she became the founding editor of “In The Company of Poets Magazine,” an international publication that later followed with a cable access poetry show under the same title. She is the author of “I Am Not An Inconsequential Word – A Collection of Poetry and Remnants” and “From Venting To Verse – How To Turn Anger Into Poetry.” She has also finalized a new collection, The World of Black and Words,” and has had
work appear in ‘Sistah’s With Ink Voices’ and, most recently, Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 3, Wheelsong Books, United Kingdom. Her poetry is not limited to any particular subject but encompasses all that moves her, all that consumes her mind. It is an outlet for her deepest thoughts and reflects her journey. Working with her non-profit KidsNFilm Multimedia, along with the monologues that students currently learn and present on camera, she will be incorporating poetry on film into the workshops, and as a Teaching Artist, she already has a spring project scheduled to work with poetry on film with students through VTA, Vallejo Teaching Artists. She has also produced and hosted the Monologues and Poetry International Film Fest, an online festival screening in its 3rd year, and will take place this December 16. The festival screening is free to attend, and you can register for the event at her website, www. MonologuesInternational.com. Poem: Note this poem is from an upcoming collection scheduled for next spring, so your readers are getting an early peek. RISE AND SHINE Awake each morning to greet the dawn, as the sun peeks over the horizon and the sky turns a soft hue. A mesmerizing work of art transforms magically across the early morn, revealing an untouched day of fresh promises of hope looming colors of life to fill hearts with wonder and grace, and the radiance of a brand-new day.