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July 2013
Serving Alamo and Diablo
Danville Poets Society: Sharing the Art of Linguistic Alchemy By Jody Morgan
Members of the Danville Poets Society (Poets Society) meet monthly to share their passion for spinning simple words into complex threads of meaning. Initiated in the late 1980s as an adjunct to the Danville Area Cultural Alliance (DACA), the Poets Society originally exhibited framed poems for sale in the gallery space DACA leased from the town above the Village Theatre. When the second-story fine arts gallery closed and DACA disbanded, founding member Paul Sheckler kept the Poets Society going. During the time the Poets Society operated under the DACA umbrella, the group published a number of anthologies and also sponsored poetry contests. Robert Eastwood, leader of the group for the last ten years, learned about its existence when he entered some pieces of art work in a DACA exhibit. In addition to crafting poems, Eastwood draws and paints in acrylic, watercolor, and oil. When the town reclaimed the 233 Front Street space, Eastwood found space for society meetings in conference rooms, at local businesses and at members’ homes. The workshop element once part of each meeting has yielded to the members’ preference for focusing on feedback. “I have always found that monthly meetings stimulate my writing and that I gain a great deal from the feedback,” Eastwood explains. “Poetry Members listen carefully and give thoughtful comments on each poem. requires a disciPictured left to right: LaDonna Fehlberg, John Barry, Jamuna Advani, pline of revision, and the group input and Mary Lou Haugh. Photo by Jody Morgan. assists that necessary work.” Susan Wilson agrees: “It’s important to have a poet’s community in which to share and trade poems and ideas. Writing is a solitary endeavor and it helps to connect with others who also love the act and the art of writing. Feedback on new work is also very valuable.” Each month 8-10 of the 28 members gather for two hours, exclusive of social time before and after. Each poet brings two pieces to read aloud. Each in turn passes out copies of one of his or her poems to every member present. The group provides thoughtful criticism and enthusiastic encouragement following each reading. Line breaks and punctuation, order of concepts within the piece, phrases that capture the imagination, and images that need re-working are examples of what the discussion may include. Each member comments aloud in turn, but is also able to return the poem to the author with private written comments. Then the second round begins. For the past three years, Jan Hersh has hosted monthly meetings at her home.Amember for the past decade, Hersh takes notes and often discovers new words. “Poems are stories and everyone has one to tell,” she believes. “So the social aspect is precious to me. The members are encouraging and generous in their sharing of what works in our writing.” The variety of voices heard at any meeting may far exceed the number of members
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June 1st was a historic day for the Bounty Garden as the community celebrated the grand opening of this service garden in Hap Magee Ranch Park. The Garden teaches volunteers to raise organic vegetables and all produce raised is donated to the Food Bank of Contra Costa. Pictured above are members of the Bounty Garden board, AKA “The Hive.” Left to right (back): Danville Mayor Newell Arnerich, Danville Councilwoman Karen Stepper, Hive members: Kellee Reed, Sara Marks, Marilynn Gray-Raine, Louise Fredriksson, Joann Oliver, Kathy Torru, and Danville Councilman Robert Storer. (Front) Hive member Cynthia Ruzzi, Co-Founder Amelia Abramson, Contra Costa County Supervisor Candace Anderson, Co-Founder Heidi Abramson and Hive Member Janet Howes. Photos by Rich Reed.
Keep Informed on Alamo Roads Projects By Sharon Burke
Earlier this year, Alamo’s Supervisor, Candace Andersen, set into motion the process required by state law to spend the funds in what is known as the Alamo Area of Benefit Fund (Alamo AOB). Fees accumulating in the Alamo AOB Fund have been assessed on new homes built in Alamo since 1998 and now total over $2,000,000. Funds are intended to mitigate the traffic impacts caused by new development and can only be spent for road projects that improve safety and traffic mobility. Anyone who develops property and adds additional vehicle trips to the road network is subject to AOB fees. The County hired traffic engineering consultants DKS Associates to evaluate and perform cost/benefit analysis on any proposed projects. Three community meetings have now been organized by Sup. Andersen’s office to provide the required community input from Alamo residents. At the June 19 community meeting, DKS presented a detailed slide show analyzing the projects that had been suggested by Alamo residents in the February and April community meetings. Alamo Municipal Advisory Council member Steve Mick has posted the presentations from all three community meetings on his website www.alamore.org, and the presentations make interesting reading for any Alamo resident. On the front page of the www. alamore.org website, click on the link Volume XIII - Number 7 titled “Alamo Area of Benefit Informa3000F Danville Blvd. #117, tion” on the left hand side of the home Alamo, CA 94507 Telephone (925) 405-NEWS, 405-6397 page. This slide show includes detailed Fax (925) 406-0547 See Poets continued on page 29 analyses of Alamo’s traffic safety issues, maps, pictures, proposed projects Alisa Corstorphine ~ Publisher PRSRT STD Editor@yourmonthlypaper.com suggested by Alamo residents, and U.S. Postage Sharon Burke ~ Writer PAID DKS assessment of which projects are sburke@yourmonthlypaper.com Permit 263 legally eligible for AOB funding. For The opinions expressed herein belong to the writers, and do Alamo CA necessarily reflect that of Alamo Today. Alamo Today example, among projects suggested by not is not responsible for the content of any of the advertising ECRWSS herein, nor does publication imply endorsement.
See Roads continued on page 26