Hazel Reading Series – May Edition

May is approaching, and Hazel Reading Series is blooming with its wonderful line-up of writers. Join us at The Mission Cultural Center for our May edition.

Featuring:
Guest Reader: Natasha Dennerstein

Natasha Dennerstein was born in Melbourne, Australia, to a family originating in Belarus. She worked as a psychiatric nurse for many years, which gave her an interesting perspective on the human condition. She has an MFA from San Francisco State University. Natasha has had poetry published in many journals including Landfall, Snorkel, Shenandoah, Bloom, Transfer, Red Light Lit, Spoon River Poetry Review and Foglifter. Her collections Anatomize (2015) and Triptych Caliform (2016) were published by Norfolk Press in San Francisco. Her recent chapbook Seahorse (2017) was published by Nomadic Press in Oakland.

Jennifer Barone nominated by Ingrid Keir

Jennifer Barone is an Italian-American poet and artist. She is the author of three books of poetry, her most recent: “Saporoso – Poems of Italian Food & Love.” She is known to collaborate with artists and musicians as founder and co-host of the WordParty Poetry & Jazz Series and as Creative Director for FeatherPress. She has been a featured poet at the SFJazz Poetry & Jazz Festival, The SF Public Library, The Red Poppy Art House, SF MoMa, DeYoung, and The Beat Museum. She was a winner of the 2007 and 2012 SF Public Library’s Poets Eleven contest for North Beach where she resides and has been published in literary journals such as The Haight Ashbury Literary Journal, and Quiet Lightning’s sPARKLE & bLINK. She is currently working on a new collection of poetry. Visit thewordparty.comfor more.

Alexandra Mattraw nominated by Sarah Rosenthal

Alexandra Mattraw is a poet and educator whose Celtic maternal great grandparents settled in Oakland and its vicinity in the early 1900s. Her full length book, small siren, emerges from Brooklyn’s Cultural Society in 2018. Alexandra’s various collections have previously been named finalists at 1913 Press, Colorado Review, Nightboat Books, and elsewhere. She is also the author of four chapbooks, including flood psalm, which is forthcoming in mid May from Dancing Girl Press. You can find her poems and criticism in places including 1913 Journal of Forms, American Letters & Commentary, Denver Quarterly, Eleven Eleven, Fourteen Hills, The Poetry Project, The Volta, and VOLT. A Bay Area Correspondent School member and co-founder of Artists for Sustained & United Resistance (ASUR), Alexandra also curates an art-centric writing and performance series called Lone Glen, now in its sixth year: http://loneglen.wordpress.com/. She hopes you will join her and several other poets at Octopus Salon on May 16th to celebrate “A Poetry of Ritual.”

Jenny irizary nominated by Lisa Gray

Jenny Irizary is currently working on a memoir about growing up along the Russian River. Her work has been published in Sick Lit, Squalorly, District Lit, Communion, Lavender Review, and other journals. Her poem, “If You Want Any More Proof She’s Not Puerto Rican,” was the winner of Green Briar Review’s 2016 poetry contest.

The Poetician nominated by Thea Matthews
(Bio to follow soon)

Stacy Carlson nominated by LJ Moore
(Bio to follow soon)

No one turned away for lack of funds, but donations are very much appreciated ♥