Poetry

Poetry will save the world.

Sometimes people write poetry about me.

More often, it surrounds me, seeps into me, comes out of me. (What part of me? I don’t know.)

What greater gift, to be carried with grace / to be curious, clear, and inspired by each / beating heart, breathing soul from the reaches of time/that revels in nature’s deep and pulsating rhymes?

To be carried by grace to a loftier place? / To inspire, give insight, to teach and amuse? / Served by fingers and feelings that fly like the birds / to rhythms, to pictures, or well-chosen words?

A loftier place guides the whole human race / to a happier place in the elegant web; / what greater treasure could anyone choose / than to have, and to be, a generous muse?

—“Generous Muse” by Kristen Caven, 6/12/16
for inaugural issue of “The Museletter Project”

Published

No published poetry!

Blogged

Performed

  • Invocation (spoken), Bay Area Generations, San Francisco May 2019
  • Sweat Wish & Women at the Well, LitCrawl, San Francisco, May 2019
  • “The Kiss” Featured reader at Dirty Old Women literary salon October 2018
  • Little Thing, Little Nothing at Blood Magic Ritual Show & Tell; Tara’s Temple ,October 2016
  • So I Married a Simian at my 25th Wedding Anniversary Party, August 2018
  • #Combustionfast at AltBeast, Oakland, October 2018
  • Hymn to Asphaltia at Heart of the Muse 1.0,
  • The Sleach at Blood of the Hub, October 2015
  • Chrisramakwanzannukah at Dimond Winterfest 2006

Major Awards

  • Hoogasian Flowers Valentine’s Day Poetry Contest 1990

Poet Actions

  • Founded Poetrope CWC poetry writing group, 2017
  • Organized 100,000 poets for change ZORGOS event 2016
  • Organized To Build a Fire social/reading for Jack London Centennial Year
  • Co-produced The Heart of the Muse Salons for Creatives 2015-2016
  • Bay Area Generations team #40 thru #54

Lyrics

Here’s my Poetic License.

(Here, I made you one, too. Just fill in your name and own it.)