On the 1/29/25 Edition of Dr Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:

The first guest on the show, Katharine Burnett, joins to speak on the Global Tea Institute’s (GTI) 10th Anniversary Colloquialism. The theme for the colloquialism is tea and peace, as one of the institute’s initiatives is to bring community together. Mariam Ahmed then joins the show to discuss the release of her newest poetry collection, Hidden Parts. Ahmed explains why she defines herself as a California poet, and details some of her publication process. She then shares a poem titled, “You belong here,” before the next guest on the show, Maya Sinha phones in. Sinha outlines the success of Stories on Stage Davis’s recent move to Sudwerk. And shares details for their upcoming Flash Fiction night on Sunday, February 9th. Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte is the last guest of the show, and joins to share praise of the upcoming San Francisco Writers Conference. She describes the conference as a place where a diverse group of writer’s join in co-presence to formulate life-long connections and gain confidence in their craft. Bize-Boutte will feature on the conference's Saturday, “Power of Process” panel.

Professor Katharine Burnett is Founding Director of UC Davis’s Global Tea Institute for the Study of Tea Culture and Science. A professor of Chinese art history, her research explores how cultural values are manifested in art, what it means to collect art, and now also, what we can learn about cultures and societies through studying individual and diverse tea cultures.

Mariam Ahmed is a Californian poet. Mariam earned her MFA in Poetry from San Diego State University and her BA in English Literature with a minor in Sociology from the University of California, Davis. Her newest poetry collection, Hidden Parts was published on January 13, 2025 by Broken Tribe Press.

Maya Sinha is a lawyer, writer, and former reporter. For two years, she wrote a humor column for the Davis Enterprise called 'Lowbrow,' which led to a monthly humor column for The Saturday Evening Post. Her award-winning 2022 novel, The City Mother, has been presented at Stories on Stage Davis and The Avid Reader, and she is the current director of Stories on Stage Davis.

Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte is an award-winning, internationally published poet and novelist. She is the co-author of the poetry books, “No Poetry No Peace™” (a poetry reading series), and “Traipsing In Poetry Prose and Vignette,” written with her daughter Angela. Sheryl is the San Francisco Writer’s Conference (SFWC) 2025 “Writing for Change” Track Coordinator and has been appointed as the Poetry Summit Coordinator for SFWC 2026.

The Poetry Night Reading Series takes place on first and third Thursdays of the month at 7 PM, is generously supported by the people and poets of the Sacramento Valley, by John Natsoulas, and by Thea and the other members of the staff at the John Natsoulas Gallery. Your host will be Dr. Andy Jones, the poet laureate emeritus of the City of Davis. Our next event on February 6th will be a wide open mic.

Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, subscribe to his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com.

Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, subscribe to his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com.

On the 1/22/25 Edition of Dr Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:

Jordan Rice joins in to talk on her writing life, meditation, reading habits, and award-winning poetry. She describes the voices of her poems as echoes of other works she adores, as well as linguistic cornerstones of her diction that help her find a starting point in a poem. Rice then shares a poem, “Lost Body.” Next Lissa Provost, Director of the San Francisco Writers Conference, calls into the show. Provost outlines the agenda for the 2025 SFWC, including publishing workshops, panel discussions, and the world's longest (allegedly) open mic. She describes the intimacy of the writer’s conference, offering emerging writers the chance to directly interact with published authors. The last guest on the show is Read Forrest. Forrest details his musical influences, pulling inspiration from genres such as Latin American Pop and Folklore. He also reflects on his musical journey, before sharing the details of his upcoming performance at the Odd Fellows Lodge in Davis..

Jordan Rice is a transgender poet and writer, and the author of Constellarium (Orison Books, 2016), a finalist for the 2017 Kate Tufts Award. Her poems have been published in various literary magazines and online platforms, including The Feminist Wire, Blackbird, The New York Times Magazine, The Verse Daily, and the Academy of American Poets."Rice's work has been recognized with several poetry prizes, including the Indiana Review Poetry Prize, the Gulf Coast Poetry Prize, the Yellowwood Poetry Prize from Yalobusha Review, the Richard Peterson Poetry Prize from Crab Orchard Review, and the Milton-Kessler Memorial Prize from Harpur Palate.

Lissa Provost is the founder and chaos director of New Alexandria Creative Group. She's the author of a poetry book and chapbook and a journal/planner for neurodivergent or medically challenged individuals called Maggie's Planner. A creative dynamo, Provost is also the Director of the San Francisco Writers Conference .

Chilean musician Read Forrest is performing Tuesday January 28 at Odd Fellows Hall, his band Viramundo presenting in Rumsey for Capay Valley Almond Festival on February 23, and his other band Vuela Colibrí at Morgan’s Mill in Woodland, on February 21.

The Poetry Night Reading Series takes place on first and third Thursdays of the month at 7 PM, is generously supported by the people and poets of the Sacramento Valley, by John Natsoulas, and by Thea and the other members of the staff at the John Natsoulas Gallery. Your host will be Dr. Andy Jones, the poet laureate emeritus of the City of Davis. Our next event on February 6th will be a wide open mic.

Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, subscribe to his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com.

On the 1/15/25 Edition of Dr Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:

Amanda Hawkins joins the show to discuss the recent publication of their debut collection, When I Say the Bones I Mean the Bones. Hawkins discusses some of the symbolic pillars of their collection, which include bones, stones, fire, and whales, before discussing their process of getting the manuscript published. They then read the title poem of the collection before further revealing how they distilled their collection to its most potent form. The next guest on the show, Mischa Kuczynski, joins to discuss the thematics of her poetry, which are intertwined with the delights and horrors of being trapped in the human body. Kuczynski outlines how the politicization of the body has been intertwined with her craft, before sharing two relevant poems, “Morning Song” and “I Won the Lottery.”

Amanda Hawkins’ debut poetry collection, When I Say the Bones I Mean the Bones, is out now with Wandering Aengus Press. They are Tin House, Bread Loaf, and Mellon Public Scholar, winner of the Editor’s Prize for poetry from The Florida Review and the Emerging Writer Award from Key West Literary Seminar. Their work has been published in Orion, The Cincinnati Review, The Cortland Review, Honey Literary, Terrain, and Image.

Mischa Kuczynski is a finalist for the Ruth Lilly Fellowship and the Oxford Poetry Prize, Mischa Kuczynski’s work has appeared in American Poetry Review, Pleiades, Fence, Sinister Wisdom, Honey Literary and elsewhere. She holds an MFA from UC Davis

Our January 16th Poetry Night will feature local poets Amanda Hawkins and Mischa Kuczynski. We meet at 7 PM at the John Natsoulas Gallery, and we hope you can join us!

Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com.

Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, subscribe to his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com.