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Bob Stanley leads poetry seminars online.

Bob’s Poetry Seminars help writers appreciate a wide range of poets and poetic styles. Tuition goes to support small Northern California nonprofits. For more information, contact Bob at stanleybob2010@gmail.com. Here are some of the classes we’ve held over the years:

California Poets – based on Dana Gioia’s anthology, this class provided an historical overview of poets from the Golden State from 1700 till today.

Black Nature – working with Camille T. Dungy’s remarkable anthology, we spent 6 weeks exploring both old and new voices from Black poets in America.

Seven American Women Poets – Starting with Emily Dickinson, we covered 7 poets including Bishop, Rukeyser, Bogan, Lorde, Giovanni, and Ryan.

Yeats and Eliot – a six-week review of two critical 20th Century writers.

Robert Frost, Marianne Moore, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and William Carlos Williams

Wallace Stevens – Six weeks in depth on the quirky poetry and philosophy of the reclusive Hartford insurance man

Poetry Summer Camp – two meetings a week for six weeks, looking at a historical overview of poetry from Gilgamesh to Gluck. Plus writing prompts and small-group workshops. Poetry Summer Camp fills your summer with poetry and poets!

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Warrior Poet

Warrior Poet
Selected Poems of NSAA – Lawrence Dinkins, Jr.

67pp. Paperback

Warrior Poet includes poems from NSAA’s previous books,
which were published by little m press. This collection reveals
the passion of his poetry, and shows how the wide scope of his writing style ranges from ferocity to humor. A perfect introduction to one of Sacramento’s most important poetic voices.

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Mike Owens’ The Way Back

Bob Stanley and Mike OwensThe Way Back, by Mike Owens, should be an essential part of your poetry collection!

Essayist, poet, and youth crime prevention advocate, Mike Owens is currently serving a Life Without Parole sentence in the California State Prison system under California’s mandatory minimum sentencing law.

Mike lives in Mule Creek State Prison where he facilitates self-help groups and volunteers in a juvenile diversion program, working closely with at-risk youth. In 2016, Mike began working toward his degree in Behavioral Sciences from Coastline Community College, as well as a Counseling Certification from Folsom Lake College.

Originally from Sacramento, Mike has been writing for nearly twenty years.
His wife, Maurita, lives in Sacramento with their three sons, Kendrik, Samarii, and T.J.

For his poem “Black Settlement Photo: Circa 1867,” Mike won the 2010 PEN American Dawson Prize, and his writings have been featured in numerous collections and journals. He self-published Foreign Currency, a full-length poetry collection in 2012, and is currently working on an experimental memoir.

Random Lane Press is proud to have the opportunity to publish Mr. Owens’ work. We welcome any inquiries about Mike, his poetry, and his other endeavors. Please contact us at randomlanepress@gmail.com.

Mike encourages all questions, comments, and opportunities to exchange poetry. Please contact him directly via US Mail at:

Mike Owens #J-25599
MCSP C11-226
P.O. Box 409060
Ione, CA 95640