For Immediate Release: April 8, 2009

POETS OF THE LIBRARY CELEBRATE NATIONAL POETRY MONTH

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( Oakland, CA)—April is National Poetry Month, and the Poets of the Library intend to “disturb the universe” (to quote T.S. Eliot) by reciting lines of their own carefully crafted verse. Please join in a tribute to American poets at the Oakland Main Library, 125 14 th St. On Saturday, April 25, from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., published poets who work at the Oakland Public Library will read selections from their work.

The Poets of the Library event upholds a tradition that began with Ina Coolbrith, who was both the first Director of the Oakland Public Library and the first Poet Laureate of the State of California. Andrew Demcak (Zero Summer), Nina Lindsay (Today’s Special Dish), Steve Lavoie (Dawn Through a Rear View Mirror), Teya Schaffer (A Ritual of Drowning), and Alan Bern (Waterwalking in Berkeley) will be on hand to share their verse.

All of these accomplished poets work at the Oakland Public Library, with the exception of Bern (who formerly worked for the Oakland Public Library and is now employed at the Berkeley Public Library). The Oakland Library has been a source of encouragement to many writers, including Jack London, Joaquin Miller, and Bret Harte, who were close friends of Ms. Coolbrith.

For information call the library at (510) 238-3136, or visit the Oakland Public Library’s Website at www.oaklandlibrary.org. To request sign interpretation or other accommodation, please contact the number above at least five working days prior to the event. The Oakland Public Library is a department of the City of Oakland.

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