Permission
[Poem was here.]
Author Archives: Oscar Bermeo
Lyrics & Dirges April Poetry Reading
Lyrics & Dirges
Wednesday, April 20 · 7:30pm – 9:00pm
Pegasus Books, 2349 Shattuck Avenue, Downtown Berkeley
Pegasus Books Downtown is pleased to present Lyrics and Dirges, a reading series that happens on the Third Wednesday of every month. This series features a mix of prominent, emerging and beginning writers each month. Its aim is to highlight various forms of writing in an effort to spotlight the diverse literary community that lives in the Bay Area.
Join us for our fabulous April reading!
Barbara Jane Reyes was born in Manila, Philippines, raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is the author of the poetry collection, Diwata, a 2010 finalist for California Book Award and the Northern California Independent Booksellers Award. Her two previous collections of poetry are Gravities of Center and Poeta en San Francisco, which received the 2005 James Laughlin Award of the Academy of American Poets. She teaches at Mills College and University of San Francisco.
Indigo Moor is a poet, playwright and fiction writer. His first collection of poetry, Tap-Root, was published in 2006 as part of Main Street Rag’s Editor’s Select Poetry Series. His second poetry book, Through the Stonecutter’s Window, was a Northwestern University Press prize-winner. He work poems and prose appear in numerous journals and anthologies and he’s recently staged plays. He’s also currently working on an MFA in Stone Coast, Maine.
Oscar Bermeo was born in Ecuador and raised in the Bronx. He’s the author of the poetry chapbooks To the Break of Dawn, Anywhere Avenue, Palimpsest and Heaven Below. He lives and teaches in Oakland.
Rosa Lane is passions are two-fold: green architecture and writing. When she steals time away from her day job, she writes poetry on growing up in rural Maine and non-fiction on overall conceptual change in architecture and city planning. She’s the author of the chapbook Roots and Reckonings and her work has been published in Spectra Anthology, Passages North, Dark Horse, Shadowgraphs and Milvia Street.
Aisha Stone is an African-American writer, performance artist, and new mother. She has staged both short plays and solo performance pieces. Her current work focuses on developing material within the memoir and fantasy genres.
Refreshments and lots of cheer.
The Blood-Jet Writing Hour featuring Oscar Bermeo
I’m honored to be featuring next Tuesday on the Blood-Jet Writing Hour with host, Rachelle Cruz. Rachelle has done an incredible job of curating and has highlighted some of my most favorite poets. Again, I return to feeling blessed and being so grateful for the chance to share my work with a broad audience. I’ve been in this game for almost ten years and I know for a fact that if I had told my 2001 self all this would happen, he’d laugh his ass off and shake his head in disbelief. Nuff talk, here are the details and I hope you can spread the word.
Episode #60: Oscar Bermeo on Tuesday, April 19th @ 11 am PST / 2 pm EST
Join Rachelle Cruz as she talks with Oscar Bermeo, author of To the Break of Dawn on Tuesday, April 19th at 11 am PST / 2 pm EST. Tune in through Blog Talk Radio.
Keep updated on The Blood-Jet Writing Hour through their blog and Facebook page.
NaPoWriMo #11: A Poem Some People Might Not Understand
A Poem Some People Might Not Understand
In the dark times, will there also be singing?
Yes, there will be singing.
About the dark times.
—Bertolt Brecht[Poem was here.]
NaPoWriMo #10: Pigeon Speak
My pigeon fascination continues. If this poem survives revision, I think it would be my fifth poem where the venerable city bird takes center stage. And why not? Pigeons deserve hella love. All survivors do.
Shout outs to my dude, Roger Bonair-Agard, his list poem “The All-Black Penguin Speaks: 17 Facts You Did Not Know About Me” was definitely in my head as I was putting this joint together. Like the pigeon, the all black penguin deserves his place in contemporary poetry.
Final shout out to Penina Taesali, her poem “Hummingbird” was the foundation of yesterday’s NaPoWriMo offering. Thanks to some forward thinking folks at Mills College, I’ve had the pleasure to work with Penina and its been an honor to have her share her work with me and broaden my perspective on some political/poetry issues.
Shout outs done, time for the poem.
Pigeon Speak
[Poem was here.]