"We Are the River": Commemorating Southbury's Rejection of the Nazis in 1937

Poets Cindy Davis and Sam Cross hosted a magical evening of poetry and music at the Jewish Community Center in Sherman, Connecticut, on Friday, 3 October 2025.  I had the pleasure of working with retired educator and Master musician Bernie Kaplan, who accompanied me with his dulcimer, flute, and guitars on five poems.  It was a lively gathering with an open mic that showcased the diverse talents of many poets in the area.  It was a delight to be there!

I had the honor of reading new poems at the Danbury Cultural Commission at 256 Main Street in Danbury, Connecticut, on August 9.  The event was part of the Danbury Street Festival 2025.  The building housing the Cultural Commission is the old Danbury Library, where there is a dreamy WPA mural by Bethel artist Charles Federer on the first floor, which was once the children's department before the library moved to its new, very grand, building at 170 Main Street. I am grateful for the opportunity to share poems about growing up in Danbury, about the mural, and about Rogers Park's eight-grade science teacher and my friend Bernardo de Castro.