Ronnie Holland’s poetry has been published in the 2011 Las Positas College Anthology, Illuminating Echoes, the 2011 California Writers Club Anthology (Tri-Valley Branch) Voices of the Valley: First Press, the 2009 California Poets Laureate Anthology Sometimes in the Open, Best Poets of the 20th Century on Man & Environment 1975, and Peopled Parables. She has twice collaborated with artist Lily Xu – for the Summer 2013 release of “Where a Painter Meets Poets,” a collection Lily’s art and poetry with five poets; and a December 2010 chapbook entitled Where a Painter meets a Poet. Since December 2012 Ronnie has written a private blog, with recent topics of Two Favorite Pacific NW Cities and Summer 2014 Exhibits at San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum. She contributed a photograph and two poems for the January 2015 Ekphrasis CWC Tri-Valley Winterfest celebration.
Ronnie’s work has appeared as a finalist in Common Ground Review’s Tenth Annual Poetry Contest (2009), first honorable mention in the California Federation of Chaparral Poets’ 2009 Annual Contest and first prize in their September 2009 contest. She was a Pleasanton Poetry, Prose & the Arts Festival Literary Row participant 2009-2011, and was one of the featured poets at the 2011 East Meets West reading and exhibit. Ronnie has been a member of the California Writers Club (Tri-Valley) since 2008, and in 2010 presented “Kairos and Chronos: Tapping into the best time for inspiration while meeting deadlines” at the TVW monthly meeting.
Ronnie served as the first Poet Laureate for Dublin, California from May 2008-May 2010. In that role, she acted as a public advocate for the appreciation and advancement of the literary arts by writing poetry for civic dedications, hosting poetry readings, and collaborating with other poet laureates, literary groups, schools and writers of all ages and experience. She wrote poems for Dublin dedications, for Hope Hospice’s annual “Lights of the Valley” event, for Dublin’s 2010 Black History month event, judged poetry contests, hosted poetry readings at Old St Raymond’s Church, and Open Mic at Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Day Festival.
Ronnie began writing poetry in high school. Her degree in English from California State University Hayward/East Bay included studies with Mark Strand (U.S. Poet Laureate 1990-1991) and Timothy Steele. Soon after, her interest in the synergy of arts resulted in the paper A Dancer’s Guide to Poetry and Art. She draws inspiration from folklore, mythology, the environment, relationships and travel.
Connections:
https://www.facebook.com/ronnie.holland.984
http://www.linkedin.com/in/ronnieholland
Poet Laureate Emerita page on the City of Dublin website: http://californiapoets.net/poet_laureates/california_city_and_county_poet_laureates