By Catherine Marenghi

 

The San Miguel Poetry Café will feature two local San Miguel poets, Carolyn Studer and Subalekha, and one “returning son,” Alan Chazaro, who will read via Zoom on Thurs, Dec 17, 5pm. The online event is free of charge. Pre-registration is required at sanmiguelliterarysala.org

 

Mexican-American poet Alan Chazaro is the author of Piñata Theory (Black Lawrence Press, 2020), which received the Hudson Prize, and This Is Not a Frank Ocean Cover Album (Black Lawrence Press, 2019), winner of the Black River Chapbook Competition. This is his second reading at a San Miguel Poetry Café. He is currently an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco and a columnist at Palette Poetry. He is also raising money for NBA arena workers during COVID-19. To learn more about his fundraising project, visit “Mid 90s Kamikaze” at https://gumroad.com/l/KHuQH, or find him on Twitter @alan_chazaro. His latest book Piñata Theory may be purchased at blacklawrencepress.com/books/pinata-theory

 

Carolyn Studer is a poet and writer from Los Angeles, California. She has lived full-time in San Miguel for four years. At Lewis and Clark College, she studied with Vern Rutsala and William Stafford, and she was editor of the college’s poetry journal. She has published her poetry on Conversations With White People, a racial justice website, and is in the process of publishing her first book of poems. Carolyn is also an ordained Presbyterian minister and accomplished pianist. She currently serves on the board of the San Miguel Prose Café.

 

Subalekha is a poet and computer scientist working at the intersection of man-made systems and empathy. She has read her poetry at PEN International and other literary events. Born in a small town in the South of India, she draws inspiration from nature in approaching complex subjects with a sense of responsibility, inclusion, and equanimity. She enjoys arranging flowers and cooking big meals for friends. Subalekha is perpetually fascinated by the chaos of the world she lives in and invests her time in bringing perception, joy, and a sense of courage to the things she creates and the lives she touches. More information about the poet is available at www.houseoflekha.com.

 

Founded in January 2016, the San Miguel Poetry Café convenes monthly, September through April, and also holds special events. The all-volunteer organization presents local and visiting poets, both established and emerging. If you would like to be considered for an upcoming reading, please submit sample poems and a brief bio to poetrycafe@sanmiguelliterarysala.org.

 

Pre-register for this and all Poetry Café events at sanmiguelliterarysala.org; you will receive a link to the event in your email confirmation.