A Year of Saying Yes to Poetry

 Melinda Palacio

La Bloga has a new Poet Laureate in town. Congratulations to Gustavo Hernandez, named Poet Laureate of Orange County earlier this week. Previously in the Santa Barbara Independent, I have recapped my year so far as Poet Laureate of Santa Barbara. 

As we wrap up 2023 and resolve to make changes in 2024, my first year Poet Laureate is still in play. The term began in April and in three months, a second year begins. I’m just getting started. 

 

A reflection on 2023 reminds me that I did something I have never done before, say yes to every opportunity that came my way, from workshops to being an emcee to street performances. Since the beginning of my term, I’ve had the opportunity to connect with readers of this column. You’ve sent in your poems for possible publication and I have had the honor of meeting you many of you at workshops and poetry readings. While 2023 was challenging, especially being in the public eye, I am happy I pushed myself to say yes to so many opportunities to show up for poetry in Santa Barbara County and beyond.

 

Thanks to the examples of our state and national poets laureate Lee Herrick and Ada Limon, I felt that my schedule was manageable compared to theirs. The key is to be in charge of your own schedule and do things you love.

 

The exciting part of this year has been incorporating music into the position as poet laureate. What started as a hobby, playing guitar and ukulele, is now a more serious endeavor as I’ve used my poetry skills to write songs. 

Incorporating music into my poetry presentation at UCSB.

 

While the past year has been about surprises, opportunities, and personal growth, not all has been rosy. 2023 also included deaths of two close friends, including Poet Laureate colleague Sojourner Kincaid Rolle. Sojourner’s celebration of life will be on January 15 at from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm at First United Methodist Church, 305 E. Anapamu Street. 

 

As for 2024 and the three months left in my first year, I have some presentations and poetry readings lined up and some surprises for National Poetry Month in April (stay tuned for the poetry surprise. Hint, it involves a grant from the city). I also have an exciting personal adventure coming up this year, I will be going on a ukulele safari in Kenya. As far as new year’s resolutions go, this is the year I finish a new book. I’m also looking forward to connecting with more of you and reading your work. Send your poetry events and poems to poetry@independent.com  for possible publication in this column. Whether you’re someone who makes new year’s resolutions or not, know that the more you speak your wishes out loud and let others know your desires, the more likely those dreams and resolutions will come true. Happy 2024. 

The Border and Migrant Children on My Mind: New Song and Poems

Melinda Palacio

Somewhere in the Sonoran Desert

While I continue to revise my next novel, I am also writing poems and studying music. At first, my guitar practice was intermittent and relegated to when I remembered a song I wanted to learn. Two years ago, I became serious about learning how to play. That's when Steve bought me the beautiful guitar in the photo. I take it everywhere and practice whenever I get a chance, whether we are on the road or at home. I've given a handful of presentations along with my poetry readings, including earlier this year at Pueblo Community Community College, where I sang the Bird Forgiveness theme song, a song I wrote to accompany my latest poetry book, Bird Forgiveness. I never thought my interest in learning guitar would be accompanied by singing and writing songs. Learning music is a never ending rabbit hole because everything is connected and there is so much to learn. Steve used to urge me to write songs because I am a poet and he saw a natural fit. I was skeptical, thought the idea a joke, and laughed it off. Now that I've written several songs, I'm glad I have added another creative outlet to my repertoire.

Many of my recent poems have been about the situation at the border. I keep thinking about the children separated from their families, abused, and jailed. At this moment, I'll hold off on sharing the poems, but will have a follow up post once they are published. However, I can share the song that I wrote. An example of this rabbit hole is how learning the guitar led to learning how to read music and write it. My working title for my new song is All at the Border or When La Llorona Meets the Devil. I don't think I have to spell out who the devil is in this story.

For me songs are stories. La Bloga's own Michael Sedano calls songs Poems with Wings, a fitting description. This song about the border is my newest song. I wanted to wait to share it, but with the latest indignations which included shooting migrants in the legs and moats with alligators, along with current immigration atrocities, I couldn't wait to dress up the song with a more polished production. Let's just say this is a work in progress and very much a first draft. Last month, I sprained my broken ankle and was disabled for several weeks. The good news about being forced to slow down is that the experience produced new writing and a new song. My friend Lora suggested I write a new song during my convalescence, so this one is dedicated to her. I'm glad I didn't spend the entire time bent out of shape because I couldn't walk. I challenged myself with this latest song. I threw in some difficult bar chords. This isn't an easy song to sing either. The production is a video selfie with me singing and playing into the recorder on my iPad. I have yet to fall into the Garage Band black hole or into the art of movie or video making. If there's interest I will post polished versions of this and other songs.

For more information on why Immigration is such an important topic and why we need to celebrate creative contributions in moments of crisis, read about Reyna Grande's literary metamorphosis in her essay, Immigration and Transformation in World Literature Today. Although I am very familiar with Reyna Grande's work and her story, reading her essay inspired me to share this song. Grande says that as a writer she has learned to see writing the way James Baldwin saw it: as a tool to change the way people see the world. "As an artist, I've learned to hear the call to action, to be deeply aware of when our society is in distress, of when human rights are at risk. I've learned that artists do as Toni Morrison once said: 'We speak. We write. We do language and help our civilization heal'." Reyna Grande's words reminded me that the poems and songs pouring out of me lately are a response to our community's collective trauma.


Here's my latest song: All at the Border.

If video is not playing, view on my Youtube channel.

What To Do When Stage Fright Strikes

Melinda Palacio

I understand your stage fright, but not my own. This newfound rack of nerves is something I am owning up to in order to squash my fear. As a writer, reading my work in publish has always been a breeze. I write the stuff and reading it aloud to others is fairly easy, even when my middle-aged eyes fail me and I have trouble seeing the words when there is little light. I have a good idea of what the text should say and therefore can usually fill in if necessary. However, recently, I’ve dipped my toes into waters deeper than my comfort zone. I’ve started singing and playing the guitar, something I didn’t think I could ever do, let alone perform in public. I’ve blogged about my journey in learning the guitar and writing songs. The first song I wrote was an accompaniment to my poetry book, Bird Forgiveness. You can hear it on you tube. Although I said I would put up new songs on my channel, I have yet to do it. Part of it has to do with this shy stage fright business I need to nip. 

While I don’t get nervous speaking in public, singing in public sets on a whole set of nervous reactions. First, my voice becomes very thin and barely audible. I have difficulty summoning the outdoor voice I am sometimes famous for. Stage fright takes over and I start to make mistakes in my guitar playing, knowing I’m making mistakes me me even more frightened and nervous.

Although songwriting and poetry have something in common, ask Bob Dylan, performing those songs is not as easy as reading my own poetry. Two weeks ago, at the Core Winery in Orcutt, I decided to take a leap of faith and perform the Bird Forgiveness theme song. As a featured reader, along with Toni Wynn, I figured I would take advantage of the extra time I had and work in a song into my presentation. The Core Winery is an intimate  and relaxed tasting room and the proprietors, Becky and Dave Corey treat everyone like family. The tasting room serves as Orcutt’s community center and hosts all kinds of events in addition to poetry and music (they’ve even held discussions with a doula (a person that assists with the final hours of life). I knew that the comfortable space of the winery was where I wanted to debut the Bird Forgiveness song in public. 

At least I’ve learned some tricks over the years that have helped me become a better speaker, and hopefully, a better singer and guitarist. I can share three helpful tips with you. The first is something Becky Corey pointed: no one but you knows you’ve goofed. After performing my song and replaying all the mistakes I made, I mentioned the fact that I had made mistakes and she said that no one but me knew that I had made a mistake. This is something that’s important. When you are reading prose or poetry, if you stumble on a word or a line, it’s acceptable, and sometimes helpful, to repeat the line so the overall meaning will not be lost. This repetition is not necessary in a song. And never start all over, unless you are Patti Smith. Number two is volume. Saying it loud, singing it loud, can trick you and the audience into thinking you have all the confidence in the world. My last tip is to over prepare. Even if you are reading just one poem or singing one song, knowing the material backwards and forwards will help you make an adjustment, should you stumble or miss a beat. 

Article in the Santa Maria Sun on the Core Poetry Series

When Poems Fly: Adventures in Songwriting and Bird Forgiveness

Melinda Palacio

I wrote a song. Not only did I write a song, but I came up with the chords and lyrics all on my new guitar, something that impressed me and my friends. My husband, Steve, was the only person who was not surprised by my sudden interest in all things musical. He's the one who took me guitar shopping for my birthday last November and he's the one who kept saying, 'you're a poet, you should write songs'. Every time he'd mention the songwriting idea, I simply chuckled to myself. Thinking, I can't even sing, let alone write a song.

When we went guitar shopping, I noticed there were several people who like to hang out at guitar shops and show off their skills. Then there was me; I'd pick up a guitar and play the handful of open chords I knew very well. At Jensen's in Santa Barbara, the small shop is very laidback and the owner, Chris Jensen, showed me all of their inexpensive guitars before busting out the big guns. Even before hearing the Martin Road Series, I knew it would be a guitar I would be super happy with. The beautiful rose wood had a dark red body. It was love at first strum. The guitar sounded just as rich as it deep mahogany color, like a fine wine and chocolate all rolled up in one perfected instrument. Last March, I wrote my first song on that guitar.  

Poem: What the Birds Know by Melinda Palacio

You're probably wondering just how did that magical moment happen. I had been putting the final touches on my latest poetry manuscript, Bird Forgiveness. It was a Saturday when I walked down to the Santa Barbara Roasting Company. That coffee shop always has a long wait. You could do an errand while you wait for them to pour your coffee into a paper cup, but Steve likes it. While I was reading Casa Magazine, the first lines of the chorus floated before me. I took out my pen and wrote the lines on the magazine. I had no doubt that I was writing a song, partly because I heard the melody in my head. The words were familiar to me because they were based on my poem, 'What the Birds Know' from my new book. Because the poem is now associated with the Bird Forgiveness book, the line I kept hearing was, 'because forgiveness begins with a bird, flying high, flying high, waiting for a lonely hand to say goodbye, say goodbye, say goodbye'.

Bird Forgiveness, the song by Melinda Palacio

I had a chorus and two versus. Now, what? Steve advised me to grab my guitar and work out the chords, something that sounded like a very tall order, but ended up working out like a charm. I chose the key of D because I was learning a Bob Dylan song in the key of D, 'Don't Think Twice'. Because I heard the song in my head and had chosen an easy key with all open chords, when I finished the song, I recorded it and wrote everything down to make sure I wouldn't forget it. Two months later, I recorded myself playing my song on my new guitar. It's a great feeling to see one of my poems turned into a song. I look forward to writing more songs. I know I will be able to write more songs because I had the same anxious feeling about writing my first poem. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to write another poem. Three books later, I can assure anyone who wants to write or learn guitar that secret is daily practice.

Special thanks to Susan and Dennis Chiavelli for hosting the location of these videos and for their hospitality. Although I'm noticing several hiccups and mistakes in both the video of the poem and the song, I'm leaving them here for viewers. How many poetry books have their own theme song?

Bird Forgiveness, new title from 3: a Taos Press

Praise for Bird Forgiveness

As a lover of birds, I am a lover of Bird Forgiveness.  As a lover of poetry, I love these poems because though beaked and winged, in pain and in joy, they also take flight out of their occasion. With a focus on birds, the world is renewed, and the poet reminds us it is we who need forgiving. Melinda Palacio's birds touch us everywhere they fly: from the drowning of a homeless woman in Audubon Park to the oil spill damage to a duck. Like the birds she loves and mourns, Melinda Palacio migrates her songs between two coasts, Gulf and West, Latino and Anglo—and she asks for the poetic freedom birds have. Sometimes the poems appear as near sonnets, sometimes in utterly free shapes, but always this is a book of fierce mourning for the birds that fall at our feet and for a grandmother who dies under her watchful care while caged birds quarrel. In the end Melinda Palacio sets all her birds free, and we remember what birds and poets have most in common—their wild song. 

—Rodger Kamenetz, To Die Next To You

How wonderful to think that Melinda Palacio is writing poems so delightfully human, so unexpected in their movements  from wit to profundity, so uncompromisingly honest. Who else would recognize a bluebird as Elvis? Who else ask birds for forgiveness? Her finest book yet, Bird Forgiveness is a work of great modesty, invention, and abiding respect for all the living world.

—Rodney Jones, Village Prodigies

Bird Forgiveness is a deeply nourishing and exquisite book about living. Melinda Palacio

masterfully explores confinement, liberation, freedom, and flight. Abundant joy and wonder run through the poems—from the harpy eagle, to a bluebird named Elvis, to instructions on how to wash a duck—and they examine human behavior and relationships with wisdom and grace. This is a delightful, unforgettable book from a marvelous talent at the top her game.

—Lee Herrick, Scar and Flower

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Happy Saturday. If you are reading this today, May 19, come to the La Bloga panel at the Pasadena Lit Fest at 5:30 pm at the Andalucia, 686 E. Union St. Bring any comments or questions.