Alta Poetry 2020

We continued our love affair with poetry, publishing works from Anastacia-Reneé, Sara Borjas, Robert Frost, Forrest Gander, Robert Hass, Jane Hirshfield, D.A. Powell, Tess Taylor, and Matthew Zapruder.

alta, poetry, 2020
Alta

If, as Gary Snyder says, “three-fourths of philosophy and literature is the talk of people trying to convince themselves that they really like the cage they were tricked into entering,” then we posit that poetry is a key for escaping it. In 2020, we celebrated our passion for poetry with compelling verse from some of the West’s best poets.

Editor’s note: Some of these poems were included in Alta articles.

Not Without
artwork by ashwini bhat is designed to complement forrest gander's poem
ASHWINI BHAT

By Forrest Gander

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“Aunt Jemima is the Picture of the American Dream”
a two time pushcart nominee, anastacia reneé is the author of five books of poetry
BRAD CURRAN

By Anastacia-Reneé

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To the Woman Who Said She Could Hear My Accent
poet sara borjas lives in los angeles but stays rooted in fresno
Sara Borjas

By Sara Borjas

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Imagines*
da powell

By D.A. Powell

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A Peck of Gold
robert frost san francisco illustration steve carroll
ILLUSTRATION BY STEVE CARROLL

By Robert Frost

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XO Is My Aloha (for Joanne Kyger)
poet matthew zapruder
B.A. VAN SISE

By Matthew Zapruder

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Downhill White Supremacists March on Sacramento
poet tess taylor is the author of several acclaimed collections of poetry, including rift zone
ADRIANNE MATHIOWET

By Tess Taylor

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Summer Storm in the Sierra
robert hass
CARICATURE BY STEVE CARROLL

By Robert Hass

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A Cemetery in Southwest Montana
brigid reedy
SCOTT BAXTER

By Brigid Reedy

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Cold, Clear
bay area–based poet jane hirshfield has also published two collections of essays
CURT RICHTER

By Jane Hirshfield

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Paint
poet jane hirshfield stopped writing for eight years to study at the san francisco zen center
Jane Hirschfeld

By Jane Hirshfield

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Beth Spotswood is Alta's digital editor, events manager, and a contributing writer.
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