ABOUT THE POET
To Rowe or not ...
not the quintessential poet
rather a poet of few words
turning them within context
tuning them to serpent harmonies
coiled meanings, twisted finales
seemingly simple he takes our hand
as a child might, or a man, leading
or being led into an alchemist's
retort, a philosopher's stone,
his scant words like dross pile up
suddenly spiraling into gold.
– Tom Odegard 3/12/05
JOHN ROWE
Author of:
Detour (a mini chapbook, Eventuality Press, 2019)
Beyond Perspective (Finishing Line Press, 2015)
Winsome Losesome (Eventuality Press, 2010)
At My Wit's Beginning (Eventuality Press, 2003/2007)
Poems have appeared or are forthcoming in: Bay Area Poets Review, Brevities, Bright Stars 4: An Organic Tanka Anthology, Carquinez Poetry Review, The Crazy Child Scribbler, GRRRRR--A Collection of Poems About Bears (Arctos Press), haikuniverse (online), Hawk & Whippoorwill, Ice Cream Poems (World Enough Writers), Lilipoh, Lilliput Review, Minotaur, Out of Our, The Poeming Pigeon (Oct. 2022), Poetry Depth Quarterly, red lights tanka journal, Remembering (anthology of Poets' Dinner contest winners), Ribbons, San Diego Poetry Annual, San Francisco Peace & Hope (online & 2015 print edition) and elsewhere.
Frequent award-winner in Artists Embassy International's Annual Dancing Poetry Festival Contests, including a Grand Prize (2002) and a First Prize (2010).
Grand Prize winner in the first Bay Area Poets Seasonal Review Contest 2010.
In 2008, served on the selection committee for the first poet laureate of Albany, California: Christina Hutchins.
Co-hosted the Last Word Poetry Reading Series (Berkeley) from 2003-March 2020.
President of the Bay Area Poets Coalition and co-editor of Poetalk journal.
Currently (September 2020-Present) hosts a monthly (2nd Saturdays, 1:00 PM Pacific) online Zoom poetry reading for the Bay Area Poets Coalition.