2 Lake County Poet Laureates’ work goes beyond the written word
When you think of Lake County, its namesake Clear Lake, no doubt springs to mind. But there's an entirely different side to the landscape laden with lakes, hiking trails and wine tasting, that is its burgeoning arts scene — specifically its poets.
Lake County Poet Laureate program began in 1998 through the Lake County Board of Supervisors. The role of a poet laureate is to represent and promote poetry and literacy within the community through outlets like readings, classes, poetry events, book clubs or writer's groups, poetry podcasts and contests.
These two humble and hard-working Lake County Poet Laureates have different stories, but there’s a common thread between Carlolyn Wing Greenlee and Georgina Marie Guardado that goes beyond their love of the written word. It’s their dedication to work in the arts and how they’re overcoming adversity.
The women’s individual projects and poetry styles are distinctive and prolific. They both explore their individual heritages, the paradox of suffering, miraculous surprises in nature, love and grief and more through their poetry.
Guardado, Lake County's current and 11th poet laureate, was raised in Lakeport. She began writing poems for her mother in kindergarten. Then, as a teenager, she discovered and connected with Sylvia Plath’s poetry. The writings made Guardado feel seen and she identified with Plath’s themes of depression, angst and trauma.
"Poetry is truly my passion and it’s such a part of my life that it is ingrained in so much that I do,“ she said. ”Any hardship, intimacy, grief, joy, etc. that I experience at some point ends up in poetry. Or I read poetry for comfort or fulfillment."
In 2018, at 30 years old, she created an initial poetry chapbook, “Finding the Roots of Water” and a second in 2019, called “Treespeak“.
Greenlee, who was poet laureate from 2004–2005 at 57, took a similar approach to her work.
"A poem is a vessel that can hold our sorrows and still leave room for others to climb in and find their place,“ she said.
The poet, who majored in comparative literature with a specialty in poetry at Occidental College, then in creative writing with an emphasis on poetry in grad school at UC Davis, used what she knew as inspiration. Her father, born in the Central Valley town of Lodi, was the son of an acupuncturist and herbalist. She has used that inspiration for her work “Wildflowers in the Snow”, “Inside the Oy Quong Laundry”, “And this is How I Lived” and “Eternal River”. Over her career that spans decades, she has authored dozens of books and owns a publishing company called Earthen Vessel Productions.
“In the early 1990s, I began writing the six-generation memoirs of my mother’s family and it opened doors to speak across the nation on the Chinese American experience,” Greenlee said.
Work as Lake County laureates
Throughout her term as poet laureate, Guardado has held countless poetry readings and events across the county at libraries, museums, schools and art venues.
“Our collaboration with current poet laureate Georgina Marie Guardado over the past year has been wonderful,” said Clark McAbee, curator at Museums of the County of Lake. “Our staff and visitors have thoroughly enjoyed her engaging events.”
When Greenlee was poet laureate she taught poetry at local schools. She was a guest poetry reader at universities, literary festivals, literary gatherings, and read at Women Writing the West conferences.
Using their voice for podcasts, music
On top of her poetry, Greenlee is a musician. She writes, sings, plays piano, guitar and is a percussionist.
She, along with her creative partner, Dan Worley, have collaborated on music and books.
Their latest is a remaster of "Tied To the Stone: Time of Light", is a light rock album with tracks that are uplifting while other are moody with honest looks at lost youth, the power of love and loss.
The two are also working on a sci-fi piece for kids.
"We wanted to write something that is safe for kids to read — something dealing with real life problems where the characters are ordinary humans without superpowers,“ she said, ”They learn, they grow, they do heroic things because they care about their community and their family."
Like Greenlee, Guardado takes to the mic to connect with her audience. She has been able to connect and interview fellow creatives like beat poet Clive Matson on her podcast, “Rooted in Poetry.”
Working hard in their communities
Both women have inclusivity in mind, which goes into their work and beyond.
Guardado, is the president of the Mendocino Coast Writers' Conference, literary editor at the Lake County Bloom and is an advisory member for the County of Lake Community Visioning whose goal is to promote to diversity, equity and inclusion countywide.
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