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Best Local Poets In Sacramento

Sacramento's poets are a diverse group who are active not only in writing poetry, but also in sharing their work through the Sacramento Poetry Center. From books to spoken word captured on CD, you will find a variety of poets in Sacramento. You can also find plenty of hangouts that welcome these local talents, so plan on making an evening out of it and enjoying some homegrown poetry. - Steve Hartsoe

Kim Addonizio
Kim Addonozio (credit: Elizabeth Sanderson/kimaddonizio.com)

Kim Addonizio

www.kimaddonizio.com

Prolific may be too mild a term to describe Kim Addonizio's collection of works. She has written several collections of poetry, including "Tell Me," a finalist in the 2000 National Book Award contest. Her other books include two novels, "Little Beauties," and "My Dreams Out in the Street," plus a book of stories, "In the Box Called Pleasure." She also co-edited "Dorothy Parker's Elbow: Tattoos on Writers, Writers on Tattoos" with Cheryl Dumesnil. In addition, Kim Addonizio has published two instructional books: "Ordinary Genius, A Guide for the Poet Within," and "The Poet's Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry" (with Dorianne Laux). And she has released a word/music CD with Susan Browne, titled "Swearing, Smoking, Drinking & Kissing." Her other accolades include receiving a Guggenheim Fellowship, two NEA Fellowships, and the John Ciardi Lifetime Achievement Award.

Mary Zeppa

Mary Zeppa is a singer, lyricist, poet and literary journalist. She has been active in the Sacramento Poetry Center since 1981 and has served as a board member at the center. Mary Zeppa's poems have appeared in a variety of print and online journals, including Perihelion, Switched-on Gutenberg, Zone 3, The New York Quarterly and Permafrost. Her poems also have appeared in several anthologies, including "Beyond Forgetting: Poetry and Prose about Alzheimer's Disease." She is the author of two chapbooks, "Little Ship of Blessing," and "The Battered Bride Overture." Zeppa has also co-facilitated Poetry Workshops at Shriners Hospital and volunteered in a fourth-grade classroom. She is a founding editor of The Tule Review. Her musical activities include performing as a member of Cherry Fizz, an a cappella quintet. As for honors, Zeppa is the 1996 recipient of the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission Literary Fellowship in Community Arts, and in 2008 she received a fellowship at Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.

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