Poet Laureate

Poet Laureate Program

About the Program

The City of San Ramon's Poet Laureate Program is a person selected to serve as a public advocate for the appreciation and advancement of the literary arts, particularly poetry in the City of San Ramon.

The poet selected for the position does not receive compensation, as the post is voluntary. They receive the title of Poet Laureate and will be presented with a certificate recognizing them in their official capacity as Poet Laureate at a City Council meeting.  The Poet Laureate serves a two year term following their appointment to the position.

The Poet Laureate is called upon to create and read poetry at civic events such as public ceremonies and dedications. He or she serves as a resource and liaison between the City’s Cultural Arts Programs and local literary organizations. He or she acts as a resource on the topic of poetry should the Arts Advisory Committee need that expertise. He or she may also have the opportunity to conduct poetry workshops or staged readings.

 Each candidate for the position of Poet Laureate must:

• Be a San Ramon resident or work in San Ramon
• Be Age 18 or older
• Be the author of published poetry or be willing to publish poetry during their term
• Be willing to create and read poetry for civic events and dedications
• Be willing to have their poetry posted on the City Web Site
• Be willing to share their love of poetry with people of all ages
• Be ready to serve a two-year term with no compensation
• Be willing to orient and train the next Poet Laureate
• Affiliation with literary organizations is preferred but not necessary

 

Poet Laureate, Jaz Sufi (October 2024-September 2026)

Jaz was born and raised in San Ramon and is excited to share her love of poetry with her hometown.

Jaz graduated UC Santa Cruz with a BA in Literature and from New York University with a Master of Fine Arts. Both had a focus on creative writing. She currently works for Bay Area Creative, providing poetry instruction and after-school enrichment to K-12 schools across the Bay Area.

Jaz has extensive experience in spoken word, first as a performer and then as Showrunner and Executive Director for the Berkeley Poetry Slam. Her written work has been published on more than 30 occasions. Her accolades include National Poetry Slam Finalist in 2015 and winner of the Yellowwood Poetry Prize in 2020.

Jaz has plans to engage the community with a weekly reading and writing workshop where community members can read and discuss a poem, followed by writing based on a prompt from the poem. Jaz is also looking at ways to create Poetry on Demand, asking community members for a prompt and then creating a poem on the spot. 

 

Poet Laureate Emeritus, Jenyth Jo (September 2018 - September 2024)

Jenyth has been a San Ramon resident since 1994 and has witnessed great growth and change in our community, progress she wishes to commemorate and celebrate. As Poet Laureate, her mission is to “Value our Voices” and include the multiple points of view which form the mosaic of San Ramon's diverse citizenry.  Her poetry is commemorative, uplifting at times, and always honest, authentic expression. 

 A lifelong lover of learning, Jenyth earned a bachelor’s degree in English and Creative Writing/Fiction from Stanford University, and an M.A. in Creative Writing/Fiction from U.C. Davis.  She earned a certificate in College Admissions Counseling at U.C. Berkeley and spent many years helping students craft terrific college applications.

 She has served as the co-director of the Poetry Out Loud program at Monte Vista High School since 2008 and has coached many county champions.  After 25 years of teaching, she will be taking a sabbatical from 2019-2020 to pursue an M.F.A. in Poetry at St. Mary’s College in Moraga.

 As the former Poet Laureate of the small community of Serene Lakes in the Sierra Nevada, she wrote about otters and eagles and the history of the Donner Summit.  You may read about her adventures from Nieuwpoort, Belgium, to central France, finding the graves of WW1 poets along the Western Front in 2018, at Jenythink.blogspot.com

Jenyth looks forward to creating and publishing poems specific to our San Ramon Valley during her appointment, as well as expanding poetry opportunities for the arts community.  Follow her on Twitter:  @jenythjo (rhymeoreason)  

>>POEMS WITH JENYTH JO

 

Poet Laureate Emeritus, Kathy Moore (July 2012 - August 2018)

Kathy Moore is honored to be the City of San Ramon’s Poet Laureate for 2012-2018. In this role, in addition to writing poems for civic events, she has written and performed jazz poetry with Lady K and the Kings of Swing and choreographed poetry with the Jumpin’ at the Sun Dance Company. Kathy also teaches poetry writing workshops throughout the greater Bay Area. In addition to her poetry work, she serves as Director of Educational Services for the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. She was honored as SRVUSD Teacher of the Year in 2007 and San Ramon Chamber of Commerce Educator of the Year in 2009.

In addition to holding a Doctorate in Educational Leadership for Social Justice from California State University East Bay, Kathy holds an M.A. in Teacher Leadership from St. Mary’s and a B.A. in English Education from the State University of New York at Albany.

Kathy’s passion is promoting social justice through poetry. Her work has been published in several journals and anthologies including Finding Poetic Justice: How Teacher Inquiry Impacts Elementary Math Instruction, CSUEB Press, 2012; Postcards from the Schoolhouse, NCPEA Publications, 2013; The Exchange, International Reading Association, 2013; Found Poetry Review, 2014; and Digital Paper, 2013, 2015. Kathy blogs at https://eduk8te.wordpress.com/ and her twitter handle is @wordcrazy.

>>POEMS OF THE MONTH

 

Poet Laureate Emeritus Elaine Betts (January 2010- June 2012)

Elaine Betts worked and volunteered much of her time in the San Ramon community. It was her aim to inspire others to enjoy and create poetry in a similar way to how she was inspired. She wanted to pay it forward by bringing poetry alive, to give children a way to express themselves as another channel or outlet, to express their thoughts, feelings and ideas. 

 

Poet Laureate Emeritus, Patricia Perry (July 2006- August 2009)

Patricia Perry was the City of San Ramon's first Poet Laureate and wrote poems for the city before the official position was created.

• Patricia wrote poems for over 40 civic events including Memorial Day, 4^th of July, September 11^th, Park Openings, Facility dedications, Public Art dedications, retirements and many others.
• Served as a literary judge for three (3) annual San Ramon Valley Unified School District speech contests for grades 5-12.
• Hosted two annual “An Evening of Poetry/Poetry Out Loud” in conjunction with the San Ramon Library; which included local poets and Poet Laureates from other local agencies.
• Hosted two “Open Mic” Events in conjunction with the Parks & Community Services Department.
• Two of Patricia’s  poems were included in a 2008 published anthology of poetry written by various Poet Laureates in the State of California
• Pat’s willingness to create poetry that honors and celebrates San Ramon is commendable , her role as San Ramon’s First Poet Laureate has set the bar for all those who will follow in her footsteps.