Hello Hong Kong, Belgium, and France. Thank you for the support over the last two months!!
I reflected on whether or not to post this entry and decided perhaps it will help us--you my readers and me, to get a grasp on our lives, in retrospect, before the epidemic turned into the present COVID 19 Pandemic, before our lives in the United States of America became so disrupted and convoluted.
Empty streets and almost empty buses except for first responders traveling in silence to and
from work and others who used the buses to go shopping, or conduct personal business.
Olga Gutierrez Garcia called me in February and asked if I wanted to go to a poetry reading. She knew I had been ill again and that going to listen to other poets usually gave me strength.
San Diego has a unique poetry community with almost every poetry style represented in a variety of open mics around the city and around San Diego county. I said, "Sure. But I will probably just listen."
When we arrived at the Cafe, it was packed and overflowing into the warm outside air. So many writes, editors, publishers, lovers of poetry. As soon as we walked in, we knew yes, the evening was going to be special. With us, sat award winning writer Judy Reeves.
Award winning writers: Olga Gutierrez Garcia and Judy Reeves
All of us were not really aware of the scope of the next month's crisis yet, so we sat, enjoying gathering together as poets, prose writers, and artists usually do. The event theme was special to us. It was a celebration of Valentine's Day and Black History Month combined into one event, a Second Saturday monthly meeting of poets hosted by Ying Wu and Andy P. The features were master poets Reg e. Gaines and Michael Klam. https://www.meetup.com/BrokenAnchorPoetry/events/268232109/
Tony Award winning poet Reg. E. Gaines
Olga Gutierrez Garcia called me in February and asked if I wanted to go to a poetry reading. She knew I had been ill again and that going to listen to other poets usually gave me strength.
San Diego has a unique poetry community with almost every poetry style represented in a variety of open mics around the city and around San Diego county. I said, "Sure. But I will probably just listen."
When we arrived at the Cafe, it was packed and overflowing into the warm outside air. So many writes, editors, publishers, lovers of poetry. As soon as we walked in, we knew yes, the evening was going to be special. With us, sat award winning writer Judy Reeves.
All of us were not really aware of the scope of the next month's crisis yet, so we sat, enjoying gathering together as poets, prose writers, and artists usually do. The event theme was special to us. It was a celebration of Valentine's Day and Black History Month combined into one event, a Second Saturday monthly meeting of poets hosted by Ying Wu and Andy P. The features were master poets Reg e. Gaines and Michael Klam. https://www.meetup.com/BrokenAnchorPoetry/events/268232109/
The event started with an open mic. Some of San Diego's best amateurs and published poets were there, honoring reg. e. gaines and Michael Klam with their best work.
Award winning poet and educator Jim Moreno
Award winning San Diego Beat Poet Chris Vannoy
International poet Olga Gutierrez Garcia
Deciding to read though still feeling weak, prompted by fellow poets, I dedicated the artivist poem
based on Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's bible references "Oh Lord How Long" to Reg. E. Gaines. Always supportive and knowing that I hadn't been performing a lot lately, he whispered in my ear as I went back to my seat,"Now, didn't that feel good?" Yea man, it felt good to be among fellow artists to share.
International blogger/poet Delores Fisher (me)
We took many photos that evening, knowing that it felt like a unique love fest and yet unaware that our lives were in the process of being forever altered.
Ying Wu and Delores Fisher
Jim Moreno and I would in a few months, go on to perform poetry for a World Beat Center event, Under the Crescent Moon right when public unrest over the shooting of young Ahmaud Abery in the Atlanta Georgia, shooting of Breonna Taylor in Louisville Kentucky, and the asphyxiation death of George Floyd in Milwaukee Minnesota.
Calm before the storm, this pre-COVID 19 gathering of poets was indeed one to remember.
Delores Fisher
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