THREE DECADES OF POETRY FOR THE PEOPLE

BY MAYRA MARTINEZ

EDITOR

Abas Idris, 22, reads during the open microphone in class. ALEX HYDE / GUARDSMAN

The Poetry for the People Program at City College, begun as an idea inspired by 1930s mural art on the streets of Mexico, celebrates its 31st anniversary this year.

Leslie Simon, chair of City College’s women’s studies department, was traveling through Mexico when she was inspired by the murals of painters like Diego Rivera who presented their art on buildings for all to enjoy.

She was struck by the vision of publicly presented art and the concept for the class, Poetry for the People, was born. Simon began to build on the idea that “poetry comes from and is for everyone,” as Janet McCandless wrote in her book “Pulse of the People.”

“It was poetry that was accessible and that you didn’t have to go to a museum to see. It made poetry public,” Simon said.

She put together a proposal for a poetry course designed to garnish public appreciation and sent it to 15 community colleges. African-American Studies Department Chair Glenn Nance liked the proposal and approved it in 1975.

“It is very much emphasizing the oral tradition because people need to get the poetry right away, so it has to be challenging but accessible immediately,” Simon said.

The class is currently taught by Lauren Muller, who came to City College from the Poetry for the People program at the University of California at Berkeley started by the late June Jordan in 1990.

“It is a very exciting class and a kind of community is always created where people learn to respect different voices as well as their own voices,” Muller says. “It is enlivening.”

The class touches on all forms of poetry, from when it was first used to pass down oral history to blues, hip-hop, “Ghazal” from the Middle East and “Tanka” from Japan. 

The poetry studied expresses the ideas of those from the Native American, African-American, Chicano, Latino and disability rights movements.

“What’s amazing is that the vitality of the class spills outside and keeps going in all different directions,” Muller said, citing student-published chat books and community poetry workshops like the Poetistas, who teach Balboa High School students poetry through the Service Learning Project.

Projects underway include the collected works of the poetry by City College students and a collaboration with City College’s Horticulture and Metal Arts clubs to build a poetry-reading garden in the eucalyptus grove near Cloud Hall.

In keeping with the spirit of making poetry accessible to all, the garden will have a wooden box where people can either submit their own poetry or read what their peers have written.

The 31st anniversary celebration will be held at the Diego Rivera Theatre on Nov. 30 and was organized by former students who continue to participate with the Poetry for the People Club.

The festivities will honor Simon, feature music, food, poets from the early days of the class and of course, an open microphone.

e-mail: a_e@theguardsman.com

THE ENVIRONMENT AS MUSE FOR 13 BAY AREA ARTISTS

BY DESMOND MILLER
STAFF WRITER

Nadium Sabella, a City College alumnus, is one of the 13 artists with work featured at the SF Moma Artist's Gallery exhibit. NINA ROBINSON / GUARDSMAN

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Artist Gallery at Fort Mason is showcasing “Our Planet, Our Home,” a display of works by 13 Bay Area artists who are concerned about the relationship between humans and the environment.

Marian Parmenter, the gallery’s director and curator, believes that Chris Paine’s film “Who Killed the Electric Car?” brings up apprehension about global warming and damage being dealt to the environment and catalyzed the exhibit’s creation.

“This issue is close to my heart because as life goes on you become more aware of nature and the environment,” Parmenter said.

“Artists and writers show us the way because their vision can cut through to the truth.”

The 13 artists were selected for their individual artistic styles and presentations; Martin Lasack painted portraits of birds to give them a “voice” explaining the loss of their habitat.

“These 13 artists were chosen because of their unique vision toward this subject,” Parmenter said. “Each one of them made a body of work that was specific to this issue.”

Artist Nadim Sabella focused on photographs of the natural world, documenting abandoned homes and schools where families vanished but left their belongings behind.

The City College alumnus traveled to six different states for the photos, to show that abandonment can happen anywhere.

Sabella, who received a scholarship from the photography department in 2001 to attend the Art Institute of San Francisco, received his master’s degree in fine art with an emphasis on photography.

“I have always had a strong interest in environmental issues,” Sabella said.

“Art has the power to move and inspire people. It is not just decoration that should be hung over someone’s couch.”

For his current project, Sabella has built miniature models of important San Francisco buildings and homes, which he will then submerge into water and photograph to educate people on global warming and rising ocean levels.

Steve Pon, the exhibit’s coordinator, said this was one of the most innovative shows he has helped complete.

“After three smaller shows, the installation for this show was massive,” Pon said.

“There were a lot of little details that were revolutionary for this gallery, like the text boxes by each exhibit with words from the artists about their work. Marian really put her heart into this show.”

The exhibit’s run has been extended by one month due to its subject matter and size; the final day to view it will be Dec. 21.

“There are no plans to make this an ongoing theme for other artists, but with incorporating different avenues like film, one could do different exhibits for a whole year,” Parmenter said.

e-mail:dmiller@theguardsman.com

ENTERTAINMENT