Maya Khosla, Sonoma County Poet Laureate 2018-2020!
Our guest speaker for March 4, 2021 was Maya Khosla, wildlife biologist, poet, and film maker. Maya is the immediate past Sonoma County Poet Laureate for 2018 – 2020. She spent years observing and documenting, in scientific works, film and poetry, the natural world, and especially the renewal of fire-damaged habitat. Maya also spent a number of years documenting biodiversity in the post-fire forests of the Sierra Nevada Mountains region, ultimately publishing her work “The Sierra: A History.” Maya discussed her role as Poet Laureate (which began shortly after the October 2017 fires), including her efforts to document renewal and bring the works of Sonoma County poets to wider audiences through poetry reading and film.
As Poet Laureate, Maya reached out to students and experienced poets to discuss the wonders of post-fire renewal. They read poetry under surviving oak trees, shared their stories, marveled at the beauty of the natural world, and explored the amazing renewal naturally occurring after fires. Maya also reached out to students and families with films and poetry during the shelter-in-place restrictions. She showed us her film “Rejuvenation” and read her poem of the same name, which explore the amazing renewal that followed our 2017 fires. Maya published her book “All the Fires of Wind and Light,” while Poet Laureate, and read us several pieces from the book, including “Blue Oak.” The book is a collection of poetry revolving around fire as a concept in nature and the beauty that comes after fires.
Maya also read us her off-the-cuff and beautiful Haiku, which she wrote just for Sunrise Rotary!
“Oatmeal warms a bowl,
Steam rising like pale flower,
Searching for the light.”
Maya also read other poems, including “Sierra, A History” and another poem about the arrival of sea turtles from her work on the Andaman Islands on the east coast of India.
Thank you, Maya, for bringing your poetry, film, and perspective to Sunrise Rotary. Your poetry and film are wonderful and enriching! (And thanks for giving us our very “own” Haiku!).
View a recording of the Zoom presentation HERE. It will only be available for a week or so.
