San Diego Poetry Annual

William Harry Harding‘s novels include Three Women and the River or The Englishman Who Forgot His Own Name (Lymer & Hart: 2018), Rainbow, Young Hart, Mill Song and a children’s book, Alvin’s Famous No-Horse – all from Henry Holt. He chairs an arts nonprofit, founded Garden Oak Press and is the founding publisher of the San Diego Poetry Annual.

Anthony Blacksher, known as Ant Black in performance poetry circles, took the reins as publisher with the 2020-21 edition. He earned a Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University and is a professor at San Bernardino Valley College. His performance poetry has been posted on YouTube and has appeared in the San Diego Poetry Annual. He serves on the board of directors and as Vice President of the San Diego Entertainment + Arts Guild (SDEAG), a local 501(c)(3) arts nonprofit that sponsors the annual. He also serves as a workshop facilitator for the KSDPA.

Michael Klam also serves as Associate Publisher of the SDPA. He organizes the Poetry & Arts Series, ongoing since 2001, and hosted events for the San Diego Art Institute in Balboa Park. He is also the host of the San Diego Central Library’s Conversations with Poets. His newest collection is Anything for a Dull Moment (Garden Oak Press: 2020). Previous books include The Cheapest Flight to Paradise (Puna Press: 2017) and Emma and the Buddha Frog (Puna Press: 2007).  

Jane Muschenetz is an MIT and UCSD graduate and former Bain & Co. Management Consultant. Jane (Yevgenia!) came to the US as a Jewish refugee from Soviet Ukraine at 10 yrs old. She is a 2023 Exhibiting Artist for the City of Encinitas and winner of The Good Life Review 2022 Poetry Prize. Her debut poetry collection, “All the Bad Girls Wear Russian Accents,” (Kelsay, 2023) was shortlisted for the Jacar Press Chapbook Prize. Connect with Jane’s work at her website, www.PalmFrondZoo.com and in various publications.

Seretta Martin holds an MFA from SDSU.  A finalist for the Philip Levine award, she helps direct Border Voices, co-edits Synesthesia Literary Journal and teaches at San Diego Writers, Ink and in area schools. She also serves the annual as a Regional Editor and is a workshop facilitator for the Kids! SDPA.

Valarie Hastings earned the Steve Kowit Poetry Prize in 2020. Her poetry has appeared in more than
a dozen literary journals including Crab Creek Review, Literary Mama, Marin Poetry Center Anthology,
Paterson Literary Review, and the San Diego Poetry Annual. She was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2019 and earned finalist status for the Steve Kowit
Poetry Prize (2018, 2019), the Knightville Poetry Prize (2019), the Allen Ginsberg Poetry Award
(2020), and the Crab Creek Poetry Prize (2011). She recently moved from the Bay Area to San
Diego.

Ameerah Holliday is a dancer and self-proclaimed poetess from San Diego, California whose pronouns are she/her/hers. She received her Bachelor’s degree in English Literature from San Diego State University. Holliday is a former editorial assistant intern for Poetry International and associate agent with the Serendipity Literary Agency.

Alana Contreras Rodríguez is a creative powerhouse from Chula Vista, Calif. A first-generation graduate from San Diego State University, she holds a B.A. in English. Her work includes an inspiring stint with Poetry International (SDSU) marketing department and has been featured in the literary magazine Unfortunately, the SDPA, Boats Against the Current poetry magazine and elsewhere. Alana is passionate about encouraging young poets in both the Latinx and LGBTQ+ communities to pursue publication and share their work with the world.