Sacramento poets shine during inaugural Poetry Week

By Marie-Elena Schembri | Solving Sacramento When Andru Defeye became Sacramento’s Poet Laureate in February 2020, he hadn’t yet heard of Sacramento Poetry Day, declared more than 30 years ago by Sacramento Mayor Anne Rudin. Last week, however, Defeye was an integral part of expanding on Rudin’s 1986 vision; turning the city into a platform for poets and performers with daily open mics, free poetry curriculum and other events during the first-ever Sacramento Poetry Week.The week-long celebration was a collaboration between Defeye and Allison Joe, a senior policy advisor in the mayor’s office. “We wanted to highlight the poets and the events that are really making Sacramento the Poetry Capitol of California, which it was officially declared two years ago by city council,” Defeye said.Sacramento Poetry Week included the launch of a pilot program offering mental health resources for poets through a collaboration with Sacramento Native American Health Center and free K-12 poetry curriculum for educators. The curriculum was designed to meet core California education standards for poetry, language and comprehension. Including works by musician and NPR Tiny Desk Winner The Philharmonik,& former Sacramento Poet Laureate and artist/activist Jose Montoya, bilingual lessons and optional live Zoom sessions with local poets,...