The mind, a dormant stone

So I had this idea... because I want to help and i want to write poetry. Then I think of the Los Angeles Poet Society. I really want to see us stand up and help people... be there for people, and I would love it if we would all write poetry! So I thought further: it's Christmas time and who doesn't love getting a card in the snail mail.  USPS. Thank you. Yes, so the idea sprouted from the ground: The Los Angeles Poet Society announces HOLIDAY POEMS 4 THE PEOPLE! Email LAPS ( losangelespoetsociety@gmail.com ), your holiday poem, and LAPS will write it in a holiday card and mail it for you.   These cards will go to the people that reside in prisons, detention centers, orphanages'. We must. Write we must.   Give we must. Love we must. So there you go. Be in on this! Send us your holiday poems: losangelespoetsociety@gmail.com Bring light and shine on!  WRITE ON!

de Reina Roaring in the tide of change, she waits, Eyes focusing on the light centered above her heart. Each Inch pouring out of her like a liquid that spells your Name in mighty ink. She cannot be removed from her path Art aches in the name of liberty; and she is free.

The Metaphors, 2015 Photo by Alison Masson This Saturday, I'll be joining my friends, Radomir V. Luza (the unofficial Poet Laureate of North Hollywood), and Dr. Mary A. Mann, at UNBUCKLED -- this is the longest serving Literary Series in NoHo! I am super happy to be featured and embraced by these wonderful poets and friends! There will also be an open mic to all creative genres! 7 mins at the mic! WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 5th TIME: 3:45-5:45pm FREEEEEEE ADDRESS:  10943 Camarillo Street   North Hollywood, California 91602 Bring your money for my book, Serious Longing! I'll be selling preorders for $10! That saves you about $4 from shipping and handling.  Or, purchase SERIOUS LONGING online:  www.editionsducygne.com/swanworld-serious-longing2.html I'll be joined on stage with my love, Juan Cardenas! Together, we are THE METAPHORS! We have a wonderful show planned, with song, poetry, and beautiful music! Peace and love! Rocking with The Metaphors Photo ...

Hi amigos! Something amazing has happened! This is a day that I have imagined many years past... from the time I was addicted to reading UC Riverside's Fiat Lux, and Otis College of Art & Design's Alumni spotlights...it's finally my turn! I am the December Otis Alumna Spotlight! That's right! In 2007, I graduated from Otis with my MFA in Poetry! I had such a wonderful experience at Otis. I felt that I found a writing program that nourished the poet that was inside of me, and was not full of it... It was a great partnership! I am so proud to be featured by Otis! Here is the direct link:  http://www.otis.edu/spotlights#overlay=spotlight/alumna-jessica-m-wilson Woohooooooooooo! It's all thanks to Serious Longing and Swan World Press -- a beautiful partnership! This interview contains references to 100 Thousand Poets for Change, Big Bridge, Swan World Press, Editions du Cygne, Juan Cardenas, Los Angeles Poet Society, Edgar Allan Poet, Alexis Rhone Fanch...

Hola amigos... I am so happy to let you all know that Juan and I will be rocking tomorrow afternoon at Stories Books and Cafe in Echo Park! We are THE METAPHORS! That's right! We are rocking at A RRose in a Prose - a Literary Salon with DM Collins, Rick Lupert, and a many fierce cats! Photo by Alexis Rhone Fancher Sunday, Nov. 29th, 2pm - 5pm Free Here's the address:  Stories BooksandCafe 1716 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, California 90026 Facebook RSVP:  https://www.facebook.com/events/1504957616467588/ THE METAPHORS on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/The-Metaphors-1521104531475896/?fref=ts A collaboration of sound and words from the Flute of Juan Cardenas and the word sounds of Poet Jessica Wilson. Juan is a cla ssically trained Flautist and Poet Teacher for California Poets in the Schools. Jessica is also a Poet Teacher for CPITS, and is celebrating the launch of her first book of poetry, Serious Longing , by Swan World Press, Paris, France. Together,...

I am super happy... and Juan gave me the great news, that the latest edition of DryLand Lit is live, and our poems are in it! A poem written over the driest summer I can recall... Power , was published in the Fall 2015 edition. http://drylandlit.org/2015/10/17/power/ I am very thankful to the editors for choosing this piece. It's also so amazing to be published alongside my beloved gentle word shark, Juan Cardenas! His poem of truth telling through immigrant eyes lay down the educational toxicity and belittlement shed on foreign children. Parthenia St Elementary  takes us into the uncertain shoes of elementary school. It is such an honor to be a part of the phenomenal literary richness of LA!

WOW! Happiness is burgeoning and ever so present! Today marks 6 years from the dream of taking action. I stepped onto the Venice Beach boardwalk with my good friend, Christina Granados, and took a stand on a crate, and read poetry. We took turns reading our poetry, standing up on the box, or passing out mardi gras beads with our info on it. That was the first SoapBox Poets Open Mic event! We invited others to join us... We felt that the box was a symbol of the people, coming together to hear truths. This was the step that brought Los Angeles Poet Society to the people of LA! I am so proud of this vision of ours, she is a beautiful 6 year old mama! We are still here and doing it!!! Today we are having our monthly SoapBox Poets Open Mic gathering at Beyond Baroque! It's going to be fun! We're throwing a anniversary/birthday party today, an annibirthday...and i have no idea what I will wear, read, or say... but I know I am ready! haha See you there, hermanos! http...

I was just thinking how great it is to live every year and really live. What I mean by this is that we can all experience different variations of the same day. We have all these opportunities ahead of us and things are mapped out differently each time. We we can't assume that our days will look the same, and we can't assume that each year, a certain holiday will be celebrated the same. W e have a traditions and this is great; this is our culture and our heritage. This is the way we teach our children. But it is OK for variations to exist, and it's OK to embrace them.  What an amazing life! I feel like I'm learning every day, and that's good! I should be learning; there should always be newness to discover. 😍 Happy Halloween, everybody!  Happy Day of the Dead! Embrace your loved ones and enjoy breath.  Peace and love!  Here are some pictures from my Halloween and holiday fun!

OCTOBER 21, 2015 The LAPS will be there and rocking congas during ROUND 1, 7pm at the Metro Station. This is going to be so fun! We are happy to be a part of this annual celebration of Los Angeles literature! There are more than 30 events in this 3 hour celebration, plus a speakeasy event after all the shenanigans take place. For our line up, we have Julio the Conga Poet and Juan Cardenas , the Flutist of LA, making beautiful beats for us to enjoy with words from our featured Poets:  Brenda Petrakos,  Jessica Wilson,  Norman Molesko,  James Berkowitz We are kicking off the fun!

I am so excited to bring my friends and fellow Los Angeles Poets to the Hotel Erwin to present poetry inspired by The Doors. More specifically, we will be sharing poetry inspired by the photographs of Jim Coke! Jim captured The Doors performing in 1967 at Devonshire Downs in Northridge, CA! It's going to be a fun show filled with guests who knew Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek, and it's such an honor to live this history with poets like Joan Jobe Smith, Fred Voss, Brenda Petrakos, Michael C. Ford, Stevie Kalinich, Juan Cardenas, and more! We are going to have an amazing time! OCTOBER 15th at The HOTEL ERWIN Hotel Erwin 1697 Pacific Ave, Venice, California 90291 8pm $5 entry

Dear friends, Juan and I had the opportunity to join the beautiful Poet, Maja Trochimczyk in Venice, California, at the Phoenix House. We were so happy to meet her by the ocean and visit the residents. We read from the No Se Habla Espanol anthology, Edgar Allan Poet Journal #3, and my book, Serious Longing. We connected with so many people during that time. Many came to thank us afterwards. I wanted to share the blog article that Maja wrote on the event; capturing that great time, where we spread love and peace to many. #writeon #soulwork http://poetrylaurels.blogspot.com/2015/09/give-it-all-away-love-and-light-poetry.html

Jessica M. Wilson guests on FULL SPECTRUM, a literary variety show covering the spectrum of imagination and arts! Show Date: October 5, 2015 from 10pm - midnight Tune in online: www.killradio.org Wilson celebrates her new book of poetry,  Serious Longing , published by Swan World Press from Paris, France! In studio are special guests: Patrice Kanozai, Editor -in- Chief of Swan World Press and it's sister French press, Editions du Cygne! www.editionsducygne.com   The Los Angeles Blues sensation, Sayed Sabrina, will be in the studio! Sayed Sabrina will be sure to shake things up! www.sayedsabrina.com  Listen and call in!  213.252.0998 Brought to you by the Los Angeles Poet Society, www.losangelespoetsociety.org

 ORGANIZER: Jessica Wilson CONTACT:  losangelespoetsociety@gmail.com Celebrating 5 years of change...  The moment we stepped together to decide that change was indeed important and it starts within ourselves and expands out into our communities. We are the protectors of the Earth. LAPS is so excited to bring you 2 shows this year - Friday in the San Fernando Valley city of Sylmar at Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural , and on Saturday, 100TPC Day, at our home in Venice Beach, CA, the literary arts mecca, Beyond Baroque  Literary Art Cente r .  Hosted by Poets and Musicians for Change, Juan Cardenas & Jessica Wilson worldwide image 1 by youssef alaoui[/caption]     FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25th at Tia Chucha's Centro Cultural! 8pm featuring Luis J. Rodriguez! All events will be live streamed and broadcast from the POET'S SOAPBOX : http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-poet-s-soapbox   SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 at Beyond Baroque Liter...

WOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! My poem about the colonization and displacement of all of our ancestors... pulled away from their roots and thrown into a hodge podge of madness, is captured with sentiment in The Children . I am thankful to  YAY! LA's Editor, Jessica Ceballos, for selecting my work to be featured, along with an appropriate companion piece of artwork by Alberto Alvarez, titled "Blue bird", shown below. Please do leave a comment, I am happy to hear your words.  Much love, Los Angeles and YAY! LA! Thank you, Jessica C.!