28th Poetry Month, NELA the First

Back in April 1996, the Academy of American Poets declared the first National Poetry Month. Twenty-eight years of growth and having become the world's largest literary celebration, National Poetry Month comes to Northeast Los Angeles with the first annual NELA Poetry Festival. 

 Literary Festivals don't just happen. This initial foray into a large scale event reflects organizing prowess by unnamed members of host VCP SoCal Poets, helmed by Teresa Mei Chuc with James Evert Jones. 

I just returned from the 5th annual San Diego Writers Festival, a one-day event centered around a tent city of vendors. This first NELA Poetry Festival is all about the poets and their work. 

The two day schedule from 11:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. features two readers every twenty minutes. Five- and six-voice collectives read for an hour. 

It's a massive undertaking best appreciated by attending the free event next year. Visit the festival's website (link) where the list of readers with bios and photos likely represents hours of labor and multiple messages to gather such an extensive, yet partial, list of poets. 

The festival site, Los Angeles College Prep Academy, welcomes visitors with an agricultural work area, mural-adorned retaining walls, and a beautiful amphitheater. 

Another mural covers the main entrance to the instructional building. Visit the school website (link) for a more thorough introduction to this unique high school. 

I enjoyed only a short visit to the lively festival, intending to photograph The Rose Poets, Teresa Mei Chuc, Gerda Govine Ituarte, Shahé Mankerian, and Carla Sameth. These poets have work in the upcoming book, Altadena Poetry Review; Anthology 2024, edited by Peter J. Harris. When the anthology launches, I anticipate they will read and I can take their portrait. 

Holding the floor before the veteranas of Southern California poetry are younger voices such as Rhys Langston Podell who read from his unpublished manuscripts.

That big microophone is a vital element of the superb sound system NELA Poetry Festival provides. The speakers emit clean, crisp renditions of what's being said up front in the room's poor acoustics. What poets need to remember is the mic pics up sound in a big three dimensional clover leaf pattern. Lower the mic to chest level. and speak straight ahead. The mic hears you just fine and the photographer is all happy to see faces.

Teresa Mei Chuc 

Carla Sameth

Shahé Mankerian

Gerda Govine Ituarte

Christian Perfas (aka. 'Soul Stuf' within poetry circles)