Updated February 11, 2020. The 2019 Jack Grapes Poetry Prize — our 7th annual poetry contest — exceeded all expectations, with 1200 entries, from 47 US states and 75 countries, comprising more than 2,000 individual poems. All poems were read “blind” with all identifying information deleted. Our tireless first round readers whittled that number down …
2019 Jack Grapes Poetry Prize Finalist, selected by judge Tanya Ko Hong Maybe I am biased, but I like this poem because it uses Spanish as well as English in the piece. Creating a multilingual experience opens a whole other part of the mind, soul, and heart. Saying and reading unfamiliar words out loud creates …
Alessandra Bava: “My Son Writes His First Poem in Spanish” Read More »
2019 Jack Grapes Poetry Prize finalist selected by judge Alexis Rhone Fancher The shock of this poem, coupled with the poet’s precise language and brilliant imagery, made for a fantastic read. Each time I read this poem, I was blown away by its audacity and strange logic. It knocked me out. — Alexis Rhone Fancher *** …
Julia Kolchinsky Dasbach: “Practice Children Don’t Survive the Holidays” Read More »
2019 Jack Grapes Poetry Prize finalist selected by judge Eric Morago I love when a poem tells a familiar story in a new way. How the poet reverses a tragedy back to those moments just before everything changes is quite clever—and incredibly relatable. Our own minds often do this when processing a tragic accident; we …
2019 Jack Grapes Poetry Prize finalist selected by judge Tanya Ko Hong While reading this poem, I thought of Edward Hopper’s painting, “NightHawks.” Somewhat dry, subtle, and telling, like reporting on “what it is” while remaining mysterious and complex. The woman talking could be a monologue, because the man never talks. She answers herself, reminiscent …
Jack Grapes Poetry Prize 2019 finalist selected by judge Alexis Rhone Fancher The extraordinary imagery of this poem, its technicolor brutality, spectacle and regret, and its remarkable ending impressed me from the first reading and kept me coming back. I loved its constraint and musicality. Astonishing. — Alexis Rhone Fancher *** The Goat What should …
2019 Jack Grapes Poetry Prize winner selected by judge Eric Morago When an image from a poem sits with me long after I have read it, I know that poem is something special and is one I’ll want to revisit again and again: “rouse the girl I knew, get out—the only net / for such …
2019 Jack Grapes Poetry Prize Winner selected by judge Tanya Ko Hong It was truly a pleasure and privilege to read this poem! I read it again and again, and it’s still surprising me with layers of new depth and emotion with each reading. That’s the beauty of this poem: it’s like a peeling an …
The 2019 Jack Grapes Poetry Prize — our 7th annual poetry contest — exceeded all expectations, with 1200 entries, and over 2,000 individual poems. All poems were read “blind” with all identifying information deleted. Three winners and six finalists were selected, and their poems have been published in Cultural Weekly. This is the list of …
2019 Jack Grapes Poetry Prize – The Semifinalists Read More »
James Tissot was one of the most successful French painters of the late 19th century, a contemporary of Manet and Degas, yet most people now have never heard of him. The Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco has just opened a major retrospective of Tissot’s work, and it’s an eye-opening show. “Tissot: Fashion & …
Going to the theatre can be an act of faith, a search for meaning or simply a search for entertainment. It’s unusual to come across a play that satisfies all three in a production that refuses to leave you long after you’ve left it — the most nourishing of possible outcomes. You will find it …
San Francisco Opera just opened a handsome new production of The Marriage of Figaro, and it’s an energetic take on Mozart’s classic 1786 comedy. The story is both simple and incredibly convoluted. Figaro, (Michael Sumuel), a footman in the household of Count Almaviva (Levente Molnar), wants to marry the beautiful servant girl Susanna (Jeanine De …
Figaro Delivers Sweet Singing, Drawing-Room Comedy Read More »
Halloween themed dance downtown and in Hollywood, classical dance from India in East LA, intimacy explored in Torrance, anniversary concerts in Pasadena and Hollywood, classical Russian ballet in Costa Mesa before heading to LA, and more SoCal dance this busy week. 5. Who is that mystery lady? Andrew Pearson’s solo from last year’s Dearly Beloved, …
I had traveled to Oaxaca 40 years ago, during a 2-week road trip through Mexico, I had visited the archeological site of Monte Albán, capital of the Zapotec civilization from 500 BC to 750 AD. Through the years I had been reading about the flourishing of this city as an artistic and tourist destination, and …
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