On the 8/6/25 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:

Partners Robin Ekiss and Keith Ekiss are the first guests on the program. A former colleague of Dr.Andy’s, Robin reflects on her time at UC Davis, mentored by poets such as Sandra McPherson and Sandra Gilbert. Keith discusses his recent book, Burial Fragments, which co-won the Barry Sparks Poetry Prize for 2024 from Gunpowder Press. He describes the collection as his “San Francisco book report,” documenting change in the city since the dot-com bubble. They then both share poems, with Robin reading “The bird of God.” and Keith reading a piece titled “Explaining Shockley.” The next guest on the show is Santi Elijah Holley, who describes his recent publication in the New York Times column Letters of Recommendations, “I don’t believe in God I believe in Gospel music.” He describes his journey with gospel music, and how he came upon the genre later in life. Holley credits listening to music from a critical lens as a reason why he was able to become a successful writer, writing an award winning book about the Shakur family. He recommends the gospel songs “Previous Lord Take my Hand,” “How I Got Over” and “Sit down Servant."

Robin Ekiss earned her MA in creative writing from UC Davis so many years ago that Dr. Andy was actually one of her graduate student colleagues. A former Stegner Fellow in Poetry at Stanford, she’s the author of The Mansion of Happiness, winner of the Shenandoah/Glasgow Prize and a finalist for the Northern California Book Awards. Her poems and prose have appeared inThe Atlantic, POETRY, APR, and elsewhere. She’s a recipient of a Rona Jaffe Foundation Award for emerging women writers, and residencies from the MacDowell Colony, Millay Colony for the Arts, and Headlands Center for the Arts.

Keith Ekiss is the author of two collections of poetry — Burial Fragments, co-winner of the Barry Spacks Poetry Prize for 2024 from Gunpowder Press — and Pima Road Notebook (New Issues Poetry & Prose, 2010), a book about growing up on the edge of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community in Arizona. As a translator, his works include The Fire’s Journey (Tavern Books, 2019), an epic poem by the Costa Rican writer Eunice Odio in four volumes and Territory of Dawn: The Selected Poems of Eunice Odio, published in 2016 by The Bitter Oleander Press. He has been a lecturer in the Creative Writing program at Stanford since 2007.

Santi Elijah Holley is an award-winning journalist and a recipient of the 2019 Robert B. Silvers grant for Work in Progress, and a 2017 Oregon Literary Fellowship for nonfiction. His 2023 nonfiction book, An Amerikan Family: The Shakurs and the Nation They Created, was selected as a New York Times Editors' Choice, an NPR selection for “Books We Love,” "Best Book of the Year" by Kirkus Reviews, and longlisted for the 2024 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction. His book on Black American independent cinema is forthcoming by Mariner Books. He lives in Los Angeles.

The Poetry Night Reading Series takes place on first and third Thursdays of the month at 7 PM, is generously supported by the people and poets of the Sacramento Valley, by John Natsoulas, Robby Nykodym, and by members of the staff at the John Natsoulas Gallery. Your host will be Dr. Andy Jones, poet laureate emeritus of the City of Davis. Robin and Keith Ekiss will read at the 8/7/25 iteration of Poetry in Davis.

Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, subscribe to his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com.

On the 7/30/25 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:

Allison Proffitt joins the show to discuss her upbringing in music and upcoming performances in Sacramento. Proffit outlines how her upbringing in Illinois, and transition to California helped develop her artistic sensibilities and practices. She details the Light Opera Theatre of Sacramento’s iteration of Dracula; or the town of Sibiu, which will show at the 24th Street Theater in Sacramento on August 8, 9, 10, 15, 16 & 17, 2025. Proffit then sings a song, “Corpus Christi Carol,” specifically the Benjamin Britten setting. The next guest of the hour is Joseph Finkelman, who describes his forthcoming solo show at Viewpoint Photographic Art Center which is located at 2015 J St Sacramento, held between 1-4 P.M. on August 10th. He then reads a poem which was published in the Marin Poetry Center’s 2024 Anthology, “The Sacred Plans of Small Spaces.” Finkelman finishes his segment by speaking on his poetic practices, which include writing thirty different poems in thirty different forms this past January.

Allison Proffitt is a classical soprano who performs with the women's vocal ensemble Vox Musica and the Light Opera Theatre of Sacramento. Allison holds a B.S. in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior from UC Davis, where she sang in the Early Music Ensemble. Allison works at UC Davis Health conducting clinical research studies. She also enjoys performing at Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis.

Joseph Finkleman was born in Hollywood California. He was educated as a Photo-Journalist. He was a Literature major both in German and English. In 1973 he changed majors and went to and graduated from the San Francisco Art Institute with a BFA in 1974 and an MFA in 1976. He was a commercial photographer for over twenty years. Finkleman was a credentialed teacher in both photography and animation, and had taught off and on for the last 47 years. He has written numerous feature articles on photography besides having had a regular column for Close-Up Magazine, now defunct. Finkleman has been in 131 exhibitions over the last 57 years of his career. He has been a Spoken Word Poet for the last 30+ years with numerous featured readings. Finkleman and his wife Susan Finkleman developed a Two Voice poetry series, which resulted in a Chapbook by Rattlesnake Press and two CDs. He finished his first Graphic Novel in 2023 titled Happy Tooth and is currently working on his second novel titled Trouble in the Troupe.

The Poetry Night Reading Series takes place on first and third Thursdays of the month at 7 PM, is generously supported by the people and poets of the Sacramento Valley, by John Natsoulas, Robby Nykodym, and by members of the staff at the John Natsoulas Gallery. Your host will be Dr. Andy Jones, poet laureate emeritus of the City of Davis.

Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, subscribe to his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com.

On the 7/23/25 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:

Danielle Collins joins the program to discuss her journey as a burnout survivor. Because of her lived experience with burnout, Collins returned back to school to learn more about coaching others through the ongoing crisis. From their research, coaching experience, and their own journey, Collins wrote the book Work Comes Third:Eradicating Burnout in Overwhelmed Leaders and Their Weary Employees, a rally cry for those faced with burnout. Collins shares the themes of her book, explaining how to manage workloads and set boundaries with demanding bosses. The next guest on the show is Dave Boles, who reflects on his time at Cold River Press. Boles started the VOICES anthology to capture the art of Sacramento Valley region poets, and just published its newest iteration in 2025. Boles also details a special event celebrating the release, which is a five hour reading and potluck in Sacramento on July 26th. He shares two poems, “Circumstances” and a political poem “Inconsequential.”

Danielle Collins is a previous fundraiser and burnout survivor. She returned to school to pursue a career more aligned with her values and then founded Primavera Strategies for Wellbeing. Today, she is a coach, author, and speaker, helping dedicated leaders who are burning out to renew their passions. Danielle believes that burnout affects the most committed employees, not the weakest. Collins recently published her first book titled, Work Comes Third: Eradicating Burnout in Overwhelmed Leaders and Their Weary Employees. You can connect with her at PrimaveraStrategies.com.

Dave Boles has worked as an Alternative Publisher, Writer and Designer since 1982. Founder of the magazine Primal Urge, he also created The Sacramento Free Press and Cruisin' Magazine. He has published, designed, edited and written numerous books, magazines and articles both nationally and internationally. His publishing company, Cold River Press, has helped many new writers, artists, poets, illustrators and photographers further their careers.

The Poetry Night Reading Series takes place on first and third Thursdays of the month at 7 PM, is generously supported by the people and poets of the Sacramento Valley, by John Natsoulas, Robby Nykodym, and by members of the staff at the John Natsoulas Gallery. Your host will be Dr. Andy Jones, poet laureate emeritus of the City of Davis.

Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, subscribe to his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com.