Iris Jamahl Dunkle and Allegra Silberstein

On the 8/16/23 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:

Iris Jamahl Dunkle explores her developed interest in Dust Bowl literature as a result of her grandmother's experiences with the disaster, as well  through her own study of Sanora Babb as a biographer. Dr. Andy and Dunkle discuss the importance of rediscovering talented female writers of the past. Dunkle shares the connections she makes through her work as a biographer and poet, using poetry as a response to documents and artifacts as means of processing the story. She then shares her poem “Artifact” about Charmaine London (wife of Jack London) and the loss of her own mother through imagery associated with the Vasa ship located in Stockholm. Her second poem is about the fires in Sonoma county and “ground truthing.” Dunkle defines herself as a “poet of place,” using her careful attention to natural history and human history to examine the subsurface and make sense of the present. Next, Allegra Silberstein shares a Valentine poem she received from Ted Kooser. She goes on to discuss her involvement with a Sacramento poetry group and the workshop community they have cultivated. She then shares a poem from her new book which incorporates images and tropes from a mythic story. Allegra tries to write at least once a week amidst her busy schedule as a dancer, performer, and avid presence at Dr. Andy’s Poetry Nights.

Iris Jamahl Dunkle is an award-winning literary biographer, essayist, and poet. Her poetry collections include Interrupted Geographies, Gold Passage, and There’s a Ghost in This Machine of Air. She obtained her MFA in poetry from New York University, and her PhD in American Literature from Case Western Reserve University.

Allegra Silberstein was the first poet laureate of the City of Davis. Originally from Wisconsin, Silberstein has lived in California since 1963. In addition to three chapbooks of poetry, she has been widely published in print journals and online publications. Her first book of poems, West of Angels, was published by Cold River Press in March of 2015, and in 2022, Kelsay Books published her chapbook Dancing with the Morning Breeze. Admirably productive, Silberstein has recently (2023) published the book Lyra’s Song, courtesy of Cold River Press.

The Poetry Night Reading Series is excited to feature Iris Jamahl Dunkle and Allegra Silberstein at 7 PM on Thursday, August 17th, 2023, on the air-conditioned first floor of the John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st Street in Davis.

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.