Listen & Be Heard Weekly Archives

The sixth annual Poetry, Prose & Arts Festival last Saturday was hosted by the City of Pleasanton and its Cultural Arts Council. Located at CarrAmerica Conference Center, about a mile from Pleasanton BART, the all-day event attracted hundreds of writers, readers and their families, and featured something for everyone who appreciates the arts. For a [...]

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Done for a Dime Murder mysteries, and police dramas may feel like a dime a dozen, but that just makes it that much more satisfying to find one that stands out from the ordinary. “[tag]Done for a Dime[/tag]” by [tag]David Corbett[/tag] doesn’t skim the surface of what are, in reality very complex issues. Stereotypes are [...]

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The Cat Lady, by Laura Stamps, is a delightful and inspiring read. It follows a year in the life of Mirabella, an abstract artist living in North Carolina. The reader watches as Mirabella overcomes challenges of faith, flowers and finances in positive and life affirming ways. While I would label this an “easy read” (no [...]

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?[tag]Fistful at Fifty[/tag]? (China Coaster Press, Benicia, CA) contains over 30 selected poems by Micheal Merris. Its focus is mainly on his life in the seamy parts of the Far East – Kobe, Kowloon, Yokahama, and especially, Olangapo (The Philippines). This poetry is not for sissies. And you damn sure wouldn?t want your kid sister [...]

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Disasters on the scale of hurricane Katrina produce a series of effects. The greatest and most devastating effect occurring at the core, in this case New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It doesn?t stop there, however. The pain rippled outward in waves that reached the hearts and minds of people very far away, people who [...]

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The alphabet soup that flows from a writer?s veins, through the pen and out on paper is as magical a process as the delivery of a really good joke. Prime Time Apparitions is really just that?a collection of journalistic prose and poetry with great delivery which offers readers a delightful joyride on the bouncy road [...]

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Smuggling Cherokee by Kim Shuck is a collection of poems covering a variety of topics from her background, life events, and seemingly random thoughts. However, it is not the large, life-changing events that provide the main focus. Instead, almost mundane, everyday occurrences are the center of attention. The details in life are delved into, evoking [...]

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by kara hartz Fans of the ?Outlander? series know that author Diana Gabaldon has many strengths as a writer, but brevity isn?t one of them. As if to prove it she recently published a novel length work that was originally intended to be a short story. Apparently as the plot twisted and progressed, it turned [...]

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by kara hartz In the book Big Black Penis: Misadventures in Race and Masculinity, Shawn Taylor manages to analyze a variety of serious social issues with due respect, yet infuses them with humor at every turn. The combination produces a hysterical and entertaining read that also leaves thought provoking ideas behind. Primarily using examples from [...]

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