Berkeley High English teacher Alan Miller delivered another successful program to students in September, bringing three outstanding poets from this year’s Watershed Environmental Poetry Festival. An annual event cherished by Berkeley poetry enthusiasts, Mr. Miller worked with the organizer to bring some of the poets to Berkeley High, including U.S. Poet Laureate Emeritus Robert Hass, spoken word artist and poet MK Chavez, and performance poet Chris Olander. Check out video and photos.
Watershed Environmental Poetry Festival Reading at Berkeley High 2015 Photos
Watershed Environmental Poetry Festival Reading at Berkeley High 2015 Video
The Poets:
Robert Hass, U.S. Poet Laureate Emeritus, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning poet and essayist, is professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley, and also a grandparent of current BHS students.
MK Chavez, an Oakland-based spoken word artist and poet, has served on many boards and as a fellow at several prestigious writing camps, and has legions of passionate followers. She has had numerous books published by Zeitgeist Press, and is a BHS parent.
Chris Olander is a performance poet, known for incorporating the sounds of birds and other animals into his work. He has published several books, and is a regular reader at the Watershed Poetry Festival.