Jennifer D. King is the Director of the Downtown Oakland Senior Center. The book launch for this year’s anthology called WORD MOVERS took place on June 27th. The annual anthologies are a project of the Creative Writing Classes of the Downtown Oakland Senior Center and West Oakland Senior Center with contributions from the Senior Writing Community across the country. Jennifer and Jean Mundy edited WORD MOVERS, the seventh volume in this project. It’s 276 pages has poems, short stories, and memoir essays.
In addition to her work as the center director, Jennifer teaches their Poetry Workshop. She also teaches English and Public Speaking at the College of Alameda and the Allen Temple Leadership Institute in Oakland. She earned a B.A. and an M.A. in English from Mills College in Oakland.
In 2007 Jennifer’s published TURNING MY FACE TO THE SUN, a compilation of her poetry and short stories. A second collection of her work was published in 2013 under the title FIRST I CRIED.
I was pleased to accept her request to be the Mistress of Ceremonies for this year’s event. Thirty-four writers read from their published entries to a full house with standing room only available by the start of the program. Attendees were welcomed by Amy Blasenhaim, Vice Chair of the Oakland Senior Center Advisory Council. Other speakers in the program were Dorothy Poston, West Oakland Senior Center Director, Scott Means City of Oakland Services Manager, Gerry Garzon, Oakland Public Library Director, Annalee Allen, a weekly columnist for the Oakland Tribune and an Oakland Historian. Laura Courtney, the Center’s Volunteer Coordinator spoke about the Creative Writing Project.
Gerry Garzon, as Director of Library Services, oversees one of the Bay Area’s largest public library systems. The Oakland Public Library is second in size only to San Francisco and San Jose. He manages 118 branches and a roving bookmobile. Friday he announced that WORD MOVERS will be available to check out at the City of Oakland’s Library.
WORD MOVERS can be purchased on Amazon soon.
