host Blake More celebrates Holiday Poetry and Other Festive Meanderings on Cartwheels on the SkyYou will hear the voices of Mendocino County locals, as well as youth, theatrical readings of famous works and other surprises — shifting us into the spirit of the season with a wonderful mix of poets who answered the call for “seasonal poetry” on Facebook and beyond. One Candle, released by Nymphya on November 14th, but it was born across two Winter Solstices: written on Solstice Eve to capture the night’s magic, and recorded the following Solstice Eve to enhance that same energy. You can find it on Spotify here.

Host Blake More features the poetry of Mendocino county youth, including Frej Barty, current Mendocino County Youth Poet Laureate, Steven Mitchell and Videl Dieck from Pacific Community Charter High School, 5th grade students from Arena Elementary School, Manchester School and 2-3 and middle school poets from the Pacific Community Charter School.  Every year I feature the upcoming voices of our county and highlight the wonderful programs funded by Get Arts in the Schools, the Mendocino County Office of Education, California Poets in the Schools and individual school site funds.  I’ve been teaching poetry in Mendocino County classrooms since 2021, and it never gets old!  Every year, I am inspired, awed, entertained and grateful for each and every student willing to dive in and find the voice within.   I hope you listen closely to the up and coming voices, and even more, I hope you enjoy their fresh and energized voices! 

This week’s Cartwheels on the Sky features a mix of poetry, words and music. A blend of past and present, the next 30 minutes is my way of ushering in the long-anticipated 2021. We made it, and I hope you find this selection inspiring and fills you with the kind of hope we need to gather our courage, strength, and heart so we can ride off into the new new now.

Mark Sanford Gross considers himself “1/3 NY, 1/3 Washington, DC and 1/3 San Francisco.” and for the past 8 years Mark, along with his husband Billy and their two Hungarian shepards, has called Anchor Bay home.He moved to Washington DC to work in radio where he sold advertising for ABC radio’s first FM Rock station, WRQX. During that time he earned his MBA in Management from Marymount University. He moved on to two other radio stations learning radio formats and audience behavior. The Washington Post took Mark out of radio and into the world of newspaper in the nation’s capitol. It was during that time mark was accepted into part-time creative writing at John Hopkins University where he earned his MA over three years of full time work and full time writing fit into part time structure.After 12 years at the Post’s “DC mothership” he was asked to start an experimental remote home office in San Francisco to be the brand ambassador representing The Washington Post and Washington DC. “It was the first time of blending opposite ways of thinking. Silicon Valley was becoming the center of innovation and Washington, DC was the center of policy and regulation. Often one didn’t understand the language of the other”.Over the next fifteen years Mark developed his relationship skills learning how to bring together groups and teams of individuals with all their differences.In 2013, Mark was awarded the Washington Post prestigious Eugene Meyer Award named after Katharine Grahams father for his career contributions and principles. He retired in 2015 when they moved to Anchor Bay.Since coming to the coast he’s been a reporter for the ICO. Volunteer for KGUA. A board member of Gualala Arts Center and the Point Arena Lighthouse. He contributed to the Lighthouse Peddler and volunteered for programs at Action Network. He started a running club. In 2022, he hosted discussion groups on James Joyce, Ulysses.Everything he’s done so far has been a part of learning how to build community across differences. “When I left the Post I returned my laptop and computer. Soon after, I realized my skillset and all I learned about people was mine to own.”He continued his writing development attending significant writing workshops including Cheryl Strayed’s Writers Camp at Esolen, Dorothy Allison’s workshop at Writing x Writers, Alexander Chee at Corporal Writing. Paul Lisciky at Provincetown Writers Offerings, Napa Valley Writers Conference, Summer workshop in Chamonix, France with Pam Houston and Cheryl Strayed.In 2015 he met best-selling author Lydia Yuknavitch. It was a turning point for his writing as he became a regular in her workshops followed by one year exclusive mentorship with her. In 2015, Mark was accepted to Skidmore’s New York Summer’s Writing Institute working under Garth Greenwell and a list of incredible writers.A little bit from him. A little bit from her. A little bit from them. A little bit from everyone including his fellow writers helped Mark put together his own format and program to help writers on every level to get the stories out of them, heard by others. When he partnered with Peggy Berryhill his role in the community grew. Peggy was unconditional in teaching and trusting Mark to help him grow into an integral part of KGUA while strengthening his own skills.During his three cross-country drives in the past two years Mark decided to start “Let’s Go Bookstoring.” A series of interviews with independent local bookstores he discovered while driving.“It gave me a chance to talk with unsung heroes passionate about reading and books who struggled through the pandemic to keep reading alive with people locked-down. It was a fascinating learning experience about the power giving of small used bookstores. Southland Books in Maryville, Tennessee, The Source in Davenport, Iowa, Hooray for Books in Alexandria, Virginia. Just a few.

Host Blake More speaks with musician, poet, artist Harrison Goldberg to discuss Goldberg’s long, interesting, creative career as a jazz saxophonist, poet, artist, and playwright. With his trademark tools of musical expression, his three saxophones: tenor, alto and soprano, Harrison can be seen and heard in several local venues as well as on a variety of CD recordings. He changes these three instruments as easily as one might change hats, which brings something to mind: As the grandson of a Russian immigrant hat maker in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Harrison has “worn a few hats of his own making,” including that of an abstract artist in the Dadaist tradition, a wine label designer, a writer of music education workshops, and a mentor for young musicians. He has his share of awards for his visual art pieces which have found their way into some corporate and private collections worldwide. Harrison is an alumnus of the famed Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, and he has been playing saxophone professionally since the age of 17.Following a series of successful music workshops for children, Goldberg has developed an epic musical edutainment story for young people, …& Music Was King™, which is in the process of being scripted for theater performance. He is also the creator of a cross- cultural music workshop project titled Tapestry International: Celebrating the Living Fabric of Cultures Entwined and its companion performance venue A Sound Vision, which showcases the artistic contributions of children in Tapestry International’s host countries.Playing professionally since age 17, Goldberg enjoyed 12 years in the vibrant Newport, Rhode Island jazz scene, augmented by stints in Miami and on Carribean cruise ships, before relocating to northern California in the 1980’s. Here his expansion beyond mainstream jazz began in 1992 with formation of the performance art collaborative Tabula Rasa. This four piece ensemble undertook an intentional regimen of mental and musical exercises designed to reach beyond the players’ traditional “programming” as jazz musicians, and augment it with the ability to create new music purely by inspiration… through attentive, intuitive listening. (See NeonEgypt.com: Intuitive Music) This thread was later carried forward and expanded with other players in the group Cloudfire (cloudfiremusic.com), and in partnership with computer-electronic musician and visual artist Simon Burnett as Lavender Fog . Harrison’s latest group, BAKU, is dedicated to the art of spontaneous composition, combining contemplative, ambient structures and melodies with a strong, yet relaxing rhythmic pulse. Their “Jambient Soundscapes” embody a fusion of jazz, Afro beat, Middle Eastern, and other world influences and rhythms.Goldberg continues to explore common ground between jazz music and the visual arts, collaborating with other mainstream and experimental artists around the globe from his home north of San Francisco. As he explains in his essay ImproVart: Jazz Musician As Painter, “As a practitioner of the musical and the visual, I embark on a dual creative journey. When I begin a painting I eagerly anticipate connecting heart and soul with a rich inner music. While creating, I observe, and at the same time listen to the painting to hear its underlying melody, allowing shapes, forms and colors to begin their inspired dialogue. And as in true jazz, a song soon emerges.”Committed to sharing the fruits of his evolving artistic journey with audiences and fellow artists alike, Harrison continues to explore new musical expressions that expand the boundaries of his creative imagination. He describes his role in music as “one of many travelers… in concert with one another capable of creating peaceful and harmonious global connections, and building bridges with our neighbors near and far.” Web Site: See Harrison’s artwork with music pairings at: www.HarrisonGoldbergArts.com

This episode of Cartwheels on the Sky features a conversatin with Grant Scroff, drummer for the Polyrhythmics, a Seattle based powerhouse musical group that will be performing at the Arena Theater in downtown Point Arena on Saturday, March 15.(Host Disclaimer: I'm a superfan of this band. I first discovered their sound at the Hangtown Music Festival and have been listening closely ever since. )The Polyrhythmics signature sound originated in Seattle’s underground deep funk scene combining impossibly tight grooves with bold brass and hypnotic percussion that showcased elements of R&B, progressive jazz, and Afrobeat which defined the instrumental group’s early era sound.  Now on their thirteenth year as a recording project and touring ensemble, the band’s sound continues to evolve following six full length albums, several EPs and live releases. The virtuoso musicianship and musical conversation built on a relentless touring schedule of the previous decade has led them to a brand of psych-funk that fills a room with an impending mood where anything could happen - sometimes evoking their brighter and cinematic Fela-influences, and other times a moodier darker turn toward a more progressive Seattle sonic palette. Grant Schroff has been with the band since its inception. The show features a conversation and a musical sampling of the music Polyrhythmics have to offer.

Host Blake More interviews the second Mendocino County Youth Poet Laureate and Mendocino High School Junior Frej Barty. You will hear Frej’s reflections on poetry, writing, the state of youth expression as well as some of his original poetry.

Host Blake More interviews outgoing Mendocino County Youth Poet Laureate and Point Arena High School Senior Sidney Michele Regelbrugge. You will hear Sidney’s reflections on poetry, writing, the state of expression as well as some of her original poetry.

Host Blake More presents a celebration of Mendocino coast poet, longtime host of the Hill House Poetry Reading, and former KZYX classical music programmer Gordon Black. This living tribute show features the poetry of Gordon Black read by Dan Roberts, Joe Smith, Mike Edwards, Janferie Stone, Tom Roberdeau and Gordon himself.

Listen to Cartwheels on the Sky when host Blake More speaks with members of the Mendocino County Poet Laureate Selection committee Michael Riedell, Kirk Lumpkin and Larry Felson. They’ll be talking about the important role poetry plays in Mendocino County, the budding Poet Laureate program, as well as offering insights about their own work and a few poems. Originally aired on KGUA Gualala, FM.