City Of Davis: Julia Levine Appointed City Of Davis Poet Laureate

Press release from the City Of Davis:

September 30, 2021 4:16 pm

The City of Davis is pleased to announce that Julia Levine has been selected as the city's next Poet Laureate. Levine is the city's fifth Poet Laureate. She was inducted at a City Council ceremony on September 21, 2021, and her term will run through September 2023.

In October 2009, the City Council, wishing to encourage reflection upon the richness and diversity of the people, locations and traditions of the City of Davis, established a two-year, honorary position of Poet Laureate of Davis. The Poet Laureate encourages the reading, writing, sharing and celebration of poetry, and brings the power and beauty of poetry to the Davis community while increasing awareness of the literary arts through community education, engagement and outreach. The Poet Laureate is a liaison, advocate and leader who is tasked with leveraging their artistic excellence and literary achievements to inspire the diverse residents of the Davis community to read, write, perform and appreciate the written and spoken word. 

This honorary position celebrates the art of poetry and its impact on the Davis community. Duties of the Poet Laureate include: representing the City of Davis and the art of poetry through outreach activities, presenting original works of poetry at official City events throughout the year, writing and submitting poetry about Davis for publication, presenting and discussing poetry at community events, in schools or with community groups, and acting as a resource for poetry and literary activities in Davis.

Allegra Silberstein held the position from 2010 through 2012; Eve West Bessier from 2012-201; Dr. Andy Jones served two terms from 2014-2018; James Lee Jobe has now completed an extended term from 2018-2021 after graciously continuing his work with the City during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the recent City Council induction ceremony, Jobe expressed his delight in welcoming Julia Levine into the role of Poet Laureate and mentioned his long-time respect of her talents and qualifications that make her an excellent candidate for the position.
 
Julia Levine is an accomplished poet and clinical psychologist who is passionately committed to both poetry and reducing the impacts of global warming as well as working towards ecological justice. She is a longtime resident of Davis who has worked on efforts to support Tree Davis, Yolo Land Trust, Cool Davis and Tuleyome.  She has been published in top tier literary journals, including Ploughshares, The Southern Review, Prairie Schooner and the American Poetry Journal as well as several important anthologies. Levine’s long list of poetry awards includes: the Northern California Book Award in Poetry: 2015, the Tiferet Annual Writing Contest First Prize: 2018, the Public Poetry Grand Prize: 2019, and the Bellevue Literary Review Marica and Jan Vilcek Prize in Poetry: 2020. Levine has worked with diverse populations as a poetry instructor at institutions throughout the country, including several of our region’s schools: UC Davis, California State University Sacramento and University of Pacific, Stockton. In 2002, she was a poet-in-residence in the UCD watershed project directed by Professor David Robertson. 

Levine shared, “I am eager to create a citywide poetic dialogue that supports Davis’ endorsement of sustainable living, rural and open space preservation, and reduction of global warming.”

Levine was selected for recommendation by a review committee consisting of members of the Civic Arts Commission and the public. The Civic Arts Commission passed forward this recommendation to the City Council, which approved Levine’s nomination this summer.  Levine shared the following poem with City Council meeting where she was inducted as Davis’ Poet Laureate: 

Almost Blue

California at the fire-dry end of September.
My old car speeds West to the coast, 
as deer flash by, and quail, 

cow parsnip nodding in wind. 
All day I’ve been listening to Chet Baker, 
amazed at how much he holds back,

how he takes pleasure in the pause 
to still the painful end. Someone new,
someone to remind me of you, 

Chet croons, as if had all the time
in the world.  As if a near miss was nothing 
but regret haunting our last chance 

on earth. This morning I rose 
after my husband had already left, 
to a harsh light skimming the garden, 

figs swollen on the tree, split and rotting 
on the walk. His hands all over the tomatoes 
I will taste tonight. In this crisis, 

the Amazon on fire, the Arctic melting, 
sometimes I have to leave my life 
to know what has been given. Now 

the dirty white of sheep graze gold hills.
Beside them, a farmer dozes in his old truck.
If beauty was ever a defense against grief,

it no longer works—
I see the shine of this brief land 
as an almost paradise, almost gone. 

I steer into fog, the cool sealight. 
So close to blue.  It is terrifying, 
what will—almost—do.

For More Information Contact:
Rachel Hartsough, rhartsough@cityofdavis.org
City Manager’s Office
530-747-5640

#####

This press release was produced by the City Of Davis. The views expressed here are the author’s own.