Petaluma's Poetry Walk Starts Sunday With Love

PETALUMA, CA — Each September for nearly a quarter century, poets and those who seek their words, traverse the streets of Petaluma through bookstores, cafes, and tucked-away corners on the annual Poetry Walk.

The annual event has evolved since 1996, when poet Geri Digiorno decided that Petaluma needed a day devoted to poetry and that it should happen in theaters, restaurants, bookstores, bars, and — in the early days — the kitchen of a local bakery.

Others agreed with Digiorno year after year. Only a pandemic could stop the walk.

Poet Kary Hess, the new director, called the event a tradition built on the delight of language and expressing viewpoints through art.

The poets weave memory, political, and cultural transformations through their work amid a changing political and physical landscape in Sonoma County as well as across states, borders, and continents.

Hess said she once sat on the deck of the Apple Box Café, listening to poets like Digiorno, Diane di Prima, and Terry Ehret, and being thrilled to see in person that women could really be poets.

Until then, she had experienced the world of literature and poetry as more male-dominated.

"I hope that attendees this year can also feel that kind of inspiration from our poets," she said, "whether it be the youth voices or the performance poets, the bilingual translators, or beyond."

The Shape of Love

Sunday will mark Hess's debut as director of the Poetry Walk, which now counts as one of Northern California's longest-running literary events.

The eighth and final stop will be Aqus Café in the warehouse district on the banks of the Pelaluma River.

The theme of the grand finale is "The Shape of Love."

Poetry Walk volunteer, Ingrid Keir, envisioned a couple of hours focused on love in today's difficult world, Hess said. "Art and poetry are great ways to communicate love in its many unique forms."

This season, Hess added a Substack newsletter to keep people connected during the rest of the year with the Petaluma Poetry Walk, and arranged to have the poets' books for sale at Copperfield's Books.

She also created a magazine, Petaluma Poetry Walk, published annually to highlight the work of the 26 poets who will be reading Sunday.

Hess said her goal is to carry on the rich tradition and highlight the many voices of poetry in the unique spaces of Petaluma.

The poets have different styles, perspectives, and even generations represented, and they will be embedding their voices throughout our town, she said. "I hope people will be inspired and energized as I was so many years ago."

The Poetry Walk will be held Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Petaluma. The schedule and details are available on the Poetry Walk website.