Event Details
Saturday, April 08, 2023
Doors: 4pm
Event: 4:30pm-7pm
Tickets processing fees may apply
General Admission: $15
Students: $5
All ages event!
Children 10 & under free
Venue
Sebastopol Community Cultural Center
Main Hall
390 Morris St., Sebastopol, CA 95472
Questions
Tickets@seb.org
(707) 823-1511
Customer Service hours: M-F 10am-4pm
Join us for an inspiring afternoon of music and poetry with present and former Sonoma County Poet Laureates and performances by Onye & The Messengers!
ONYE & THE MESSENGERS
Onye & The Messengers are an electrifying 7-piece Afrobeat and Global Groove Dance Band! Led by renowned Nigerian percussionist and songwriter, Onye Onyemaechi, these diverse and professional musicians play music that is a celebration of body and soul. With a captivating blend of influences ranging from Afrobeat, Funk, Jazz, and other global grooves, The Messengers perform nationally and internationally for a wide range of audiences including festivals, clubs, universities, corporate functions, parties, and other concerts.
Visit their website HERE
THE POETS
All the poets will be reading their own poems from The Freedom of New Beginnings: Poems of Witness and Vision from Sonoma County, California, an extraordinary anthology assembled by Phyllis Meshulam with Gail King, Gwynn O’Gara, and Terry Ehret.
Gwynn O’Gara’s books include Snake Woman Poems and the chapbooks Fixer-Upper, Winter at Green Haven, and Sea Cradles. She served as Sonoma County poet laureate in 2010–2011 and taught as a California Poet in the Schools for twenty-five years. This year, Finishing Line Press published her collection We Who Dream.
Bill Vartnaw, a Sonoma County poet laureate emeritus (2012– 13), is the publisher of Taurean Horn Press and the present director of the Petaluma Poetry Walk. He is the author of two books of poetry and several chapbooks, including The Nile to the Milky Way (SharpGiving, 2021).
Terry Ehret, a writer, teacher, and translator, has published four collections of poetry, most recently Night Sky Journey (Kelly’s Cove Press, 2011), and has co-translated two volumes of poems by Mexican poet Ulalume González de León. She is a founding member of Sixteen Rivers Press, and from 2004–2006 she served as poet laureate of Sonoma County.
Elizabeth Carothers Herron, author of Insistent Grace, 2020, and In the Cities of Sleep, 2023, both from Fernwood Press; The Poet’s House; Desire Being Full of Distances; and five chapterbooks, Elizabeth C. Herron also writes articles about the importance of natural systems in the well-being of all life. The Mesa Refuge for Writers, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Foundation for Deep Ecology have supported her work. She is a Fellow of the International League of Conservation Writers and lives with her husband on the edge of the Atascadero marsh in Northern California. She is the current Poet Laureate of Sonoma County.
Phyllis Meshulam, poet laureate emerita of Sonoma County, is the author of Land of My Father’s War, winner of an Artists Embassy International Prize. She has written four other titles and has taught for California Poets in the Schools for two decades, nine of those years as area coordinator, thirteen as coordinator of Poetry Out Loud.
Maya Khosla was Poet Laureate of Sonoma County (2018-2020). Her first book of poetry, Keel Bone, won the Dorothy Brunsman Poetry Prize and was published by Bear Star Press. Her chapterbook, Heart of the Tearing, was published by Red Dust Press. A field based biologist and a writer, Maya’s concerns for the natural world have led her through the wild, to the page and to the screen. Her acclaimed first film, Searching for the Gold Spot is about the wilds of the American West after wildfire.
…and more!
We look forward to having you join us! Below is information to help you plan your evening with us.
This will be an ALL AGES, seated event with room for dancing. Ages 10 & under are free!
Timing:
Doors open at 4pm
Event starts at 4:30pm
Event ends at 7pm
** Onye & The Messengers performances will be interspersed with the poetry recitations **
Parking:
There will be two parking lots available, and street parking. All parking is free for the evening. WE HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO CARPOOL!
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- Main Hall Parking – 390 Morris St
- Annex Parking – behind 425 Morris St
Tickets:
You will receive a confirmation email with your QR code – that is all you need. If you are not arriving together as a full party – that is FINE! We have all the registered names.
There are no refunds, however if you cannot make it to the show you may transfer your tickets to another person! Simply forward the email with your QR code to them and let them know the name the tickets are under.
If you have any concerns, please email tickets@seb.org. Customer service hours: M-F, 10am-4pm (707) 823-1511.
Concessions:
Drinks and snacks will be available for purchase inside the Main Hall. There is no dinner or hot food onsite. No outside food or drink is allowed except for water bottles.
Restrooms:
Restrooms available in the Main Hall.
Covid:
Sonoma County guidelines in place at the time of the event will be followed. Currently masks are not required but recommended. Please see below for more information regarding COVID protocols.
Security:
All persons and items entering the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center are subject to search. No weapons, outside food or drink or drugs will be permitted. This is a drug free zone/venue.
Certain types of bags and/or cases are prohibited, including but not limited to:
• Backpacks
• Luggage
• Computer Bags
• Camera Bags/Cases
• Instrument Cases
• Briefcases
• Large Totes and Duffel Bags
• Any Purse or Bag exceeding 12”x12”x6”. Backpack purses must be worn on one shoulder. If a purse is worn as a backpack, it will be considered as such and will not be permitted in the venue.
Patrons with prohibited bags, cases, or other items will asked to return the item to their vehicle.
Items prohibited to enter Sebastopol Community Cultural include, but are not limited to:
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- Firearms of any size or type
- Other weapons and knives of any size or type
- Pepper spray, mace, or other chemicals*
- Animals other than Registered Service Dogs
- Alcohol, illegal substances, or drug paraphernalia
- Professional-grade audio, photo, or video recording equipment
- Cans, bottles, or outside food and beverage
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Frequently Asked Questions
Members of my ticket group are arriving separately, do we have to wait to enter together?
You do not need to wait! We’re able to check in each individual ticket within a ticket order. If you’re a group of 3 and your 3rd person is running late – no problem! Just make sure they have the QR code/know the name the tickets were bought under and we will check in the remainder of your group when they arrive.
I don’t have the QR code for my tickets, what do I do?
Don’t panic! We can look up your ticket order by the ticket purchaser’s name, email address, or the purchase confirmation number.
Do you have ADA seating for individuals with wheelchairs, walkers, etc.?
Yes! For seated events we have several locations marked for ADA seating. If all ADA spots are already occupied when you arrive, please see an usher or other member of staff to assist you.
I can’t make it to the show anymore, do you do refunds?
There are no refunds, however you may transfer your tickets to another individual by forwarding your QR code/confirmation email or letting them know whose name the ticket(s) are under.
NOTE: People often use social media (Facebook, Instagram, NextDoor, etc.) for ticket transfers. Please use caution and, whenever possible, only do ticket transfers with people you know and/or trust.
Donate to the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center
GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY
GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY
COVID – 19 PROTOCOLS
Anyone who does not comply with the policy in place will not be allowed into the venue.
Please do not attend an event if you are experiencing any unexplained, Covid-19 related symptoms as listed here on the CDC website, or if you have had recent close contact with an individual who is confirmed as having Covid-19.
