A New Season

A Special Extended Anthology by Jacalyn Eyvonne and Kathleen Herrmann, Vallejo, California Co-Poets Laureate (January 1, 2024-December 31, 2025)

This collection of poetry shares the voices of poets from the Bay Area and beyond. The voices speak in a time of uncertainty and transformation. Each poem becomes a lantern, reflecting individual emotions and unique perspectives on the world inside the noise of an ever-changing political landscape. These writers offer courage in quiet moments, reflection, and hope amidst the chaos of the world around us. They share their lived experiences on a variety of subjects, presenting their personal creative clarity, speaking, witnessing, dreaming, resisting, and imagining through the power of their words.

A New Season - Poems for a World in Flux arrives at a time when the lives all around us are changing so rapidly that it is challenging to keep up with them. We are being assailed with changing politics, attacks on individual freedoms and rights, and threats of war, all of which are targeting us socially, spiritually, and emotionally on a daily basis. Division is spreading across the United States and worldwide. The lack of care for each other as human beings is more evident than ever. However, we all cope with crises differently, and through the poetry within these pages, you will find something that you can relate to. Some contributors look to dreams and hope; others express anger and disdain; still others focus on the beauty of life, family, or the changing seasons. Yet it is during these times that words become the art that heals, providing the release we need to rid our hearts of anger or fear, reminding us that we are not alone. We invite you to step inside these pages and let the words that speak to you give you hope, and maybe encourage you to write your own words as well.