Margaret Saine, author of two books published by Moonrise Press, "Lit Angels" and "Gardens of the Earth: According to Nature", has recently retired from her decades of volunteer work for the California State Poetry Society. The "Poetry Letter" No. 1, 2021, included the following in appreciation of her selfless service:
"After 18 years of service to CSPS as California Quarterly Editor, Secretary/Historian and Poetry Letter Editor, Margaret Saine decided to step down and focus on her own poetry. As her replacement as Poetry Letter Editor and CSPS President, I am especially grateful that she introduced me to the CSPS. Margaret’s contributions to our Society are immeasurable. To me, she is the embodiment of extensive, expert knowledge of all the arts (poetry, literature, painting, sculpture, and architecture), as well as languages, and history. I admire her deep, unyielding love of poetry in as many languages as can be brought together for the cause of peace and coexistence without violence, without wars – to seek beauty, inspiration and appreciation of the world as is, in all its darkness and light, in all its riches.
She writes and publishes poetry in English, her native German, as well as French, Italian and Spanish. She translates an international group of poets, giving them a space to share their insights. As a photographer, she depicts the world in motion - blurry, misty, ambiguous, yet enticing with mysterious patterns. Her erudite, thoughtful and passionate poems reflect her keen attention to detail, ability to see the large picture, find wisdom in nature and art. I am glad my Moonrise Press published Margaret’s two poetry books, Lit Angels (2016) and Garden of the Earth: According to Nature (2018). I am profoundly grateful for all the gifts Margaret brought to my life – richness of vivid language, sharp focus on quality of words expressing a thought or impression clearly and succinctly.
John F. Harrell, CSPS Past President and Editor, current Treasurer and Webmaster, writes: “My years with Margaret spanned three decades or so, from Board meetings and poetry readings at Jerry Palley's place in Irvine all the way through to our last drive up to your place in Sunland for a Board meeting. I never have to guess at what she thinks. I like the fact that she can be brutally honest, but that the quality of the art and the writing is always her first concern. During the eight years I was responsible for publishing the CQ, she came up to Yorba Linda from her home in Orange as often as she could--she was frequently not just out of town, but out of the country—to help assemble the quarterly packages for mailing. She volunteered to help because she thought doing the work alone would be ‘depressing" for me. I enjoyed sharing the time with her, as our conversations often ranged over a wide landscape of interests. I didn't discuss rocket science with her, but almost everything else—and even when we had to agree to disagree. She is a longtime and lovely friend, truly a Grand Dame of poesy and art.”
Alice Pero, CSPS Monthly Contest Chair writes: “I know Margaret as a wonderful poet, facile in several languages. Her translations have always come as fresh breezes through a rather stagnant world and we want to stop to listen to her poems. I feel as though she has taken the time to savor the love of words, while others rush through, unhearing and unseeing. Sorry to see her talents go from CSPS, just as I am getting more involved with the society."
Ute Margaret Saine was born in Germany. After a Yale Ph.D. in French and Spanish, she taught languages, literature, and culture in California and Arizona, while writing and translating poetry in five languages. Since 1991, she has been a board member of the CSPS and a CQ editor since 1994. She also edited the CSPS Poetry Letter and served formerly as the CSPS Annual Contest Chair. Her poems have appeared in many journals here and abroad. She has published four books of poetry in English – Bodyscapes, Words of Art, Lit Angels and Gardens of the Earth – as well as six haiku chapbooks in five languages. Three books of poems and a Postwar childhood memoir appeared in Germany – Das Flüchtige bleibt (The Ephemeral Remains), Das Weite suchen (A Yen to Travel), Atem der Stille (The Breath of Silence), and Das ungeschickte Kind (Awkward Child). Searching for Bridges is a bilingual English-Arabic collection edited by poet and critic Nizar Sartawi. In 2020, Saine was nominated for the Pushcart Prize by Editors of the California Quarterly.
No comments:
Post a Comment