Oakland Local Poet: Meg Day


Oakland Poet: Meg Day
Originally uploaded by OBermeo

Many thanks to all the Susan Mernit and everyone at Oakland Local for inviting me to blog for them. As part of my blogging duties, I’ll be highlighting poets and poetry events in the Town.  Good times.

My first profile is on Meg Day, a recent Mills College MFA grad, who I got to hear read her work at the recent Hold the Light for Haiti, Chile and Tibet reading in Oakland.  I was immediately wowed by Meg’s intense imagery and masterful meter which resulted in the perfect storm of poetry—strong writing, spirited delivery, and true urgency.

She’s also deeply committed to educating the youth of Oakland while also learning as much as she can from them.  Take a peek:

So much of that momentum is coming from the young folks, the students, the artists. Voice means something here and being a part of that, through teaching and performing and real-live activism, has really changed the way I think about my own work. It doesn’t stop at the page — it can’t.

Word. For more on Meg, a sample of her poems, plus a YouTube of her on the mic; take a peek at her Oakland Local profile.