Melinda Palacio, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate 2023-2025
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| Patricia Sanders and Muta Munemo |
In a Santa Barbara way, two of my worlds collided and I was happy for the serendipity. I have been meaning to attend the Low State Writing Salon for at least two years, but earlier this month I finally went. I received a little nudge from Patricia Sanders who cohosted the event along with J.C. and Muta Munemo. Patricia recently started taking Flamenco Dance lessons with Rosal Ortega Flamenco. I rarely go to the beginning class on Saturday but was pleasantly surprised to meet a fellow poet there. Patricia led a poetry workshop in town for seven years, but said she moved on to concentrate on her own writing and other projects. She recently finished a level 2 training as an executive leadership and life coach. After flamenco class, we started talking about poetry and how she had been invited to cohost September’s meeting and offer the prompt. I promised I would meet her at the Blue Owl salon and am glad I went. I met another fellow poet there, Diana Raab who also knew Patricia from Raab’s popular women’s circle at Godmother’s bookstore in Summerland.
The Blue Owl continues to serve excellent food. I love their fried rice salad. I found the venue to be a bit small, noisy, and crowded for a space to encourage writing. However, despite all the disruption, everyone was happy to have a place to gather after the workday. The Low State Salon attracts an eclectic variety of people who value the opportunity to write. The salon used to meet on lower state street, hence the name. It’s been at the Blue Owl for the past two years. It was nice to see some familiar faces and many new ones. For Patricia, being in community with other writers is one of the reasons that keeps her coming back to the Low State Writing Salon. “I can feel the creative energy when writers come together,” she said. “It’s not the same energy I get from other people or other types of artists.” She also enjoys the Blue Owl’s food. The event is free but organizers ask that you purchase something. Despite the noise and the lack of a working microphone, the salon attendees wrote, and everyone stayed to share and listen to each other’s writing. Patricia was surprised by everyone’s enthusiasm. She suspects it had something to do with the fact that the mic was not working and that people needed to huddle closer. “There was beautiful energy and at the end no one wanted to leave; sitting made the evening more intimate and people were more willing to share.” Patricia’s prompt on Blessings elicited heartfelt responses and powerful writings. She chose the theme of Blessings because she is interested in the word’s expanding definition. “There’s no one way to be blessed and most blessings are chaotic,” she said.
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| Diana Raab |
Next month’s Low State Writing Salon will meet on October 13, 5 West Canon Perdido Street, 7pm. The salon meets every second Tuesday of the month and its usual host, Trish Fancher, will take over after her September hiatus. This week’s poetry connection poem comes from Diana Raab.
BLESSING
May you wake up
wanting to play hide and go seek
like a child, baseball like a boy
fetch like a dog
and read as many books as a librarian.
May you count stars in the sky
and make a wish on each,
while a neighbor once again
screams at his kids.
May you walk your dog through
the forest to calm your nerves.
May your friends hug you when needed
and may family leave you be,
especially on days
when you want to be alone.
May you wake up every morning
to a new horizon and possibilities.
May you smile at strangers
and hug those who need you
and bless those who are crying
and honor those
who’ll live for only one more day.
Diana Raab is a poet, memoirist, workshop leader, thought leader, and award-winning author of 13 books of nonfiction and poetry, and editor of three anthologies. Her poems have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and The Best of the Net. She frequently speaks and writes on writing for healing and transformation. Her poetry collection, Walking Myself Home: Haibun & Haikus is due out in May 2027 (Finishing Line Press). Visit https://www.dianaraab.com
*this column was previously published in the Santa Barbara Independent
