SAN FRANCISCO POETS

Kim Shuck

ON COLUMBUS Wind and Thick fog blow in Suckle at the heat of the day their Sticky fingers Curl my hair Damp at the neck Behind the ear leaving it a Trap for words Old words Floating past the museum past Strippers Cafes Past the bookstore the Bars New words Dinner plans Stuffed animals Taxis Dizzied to imagine the Tongues Teeth Lips Owned by those words Breath in many cases Stopped what Poets always die of but Later at Home with my tarnished Silver backed brush I tease words from fog damp hair Toss them back © Kim Shuck Kim Shuck is a poet, weaver, educator, doer of piles of laundry, planter of seeds, traveler and child wrangler. Born in San Francisco in 1966, Ms. Shuck attended San Francisco State University where she received both a Bachelor's (in art) and a Master's in Fine Arts (in textiles) and was a member of the board of directors for Califorina Poets in the Schools. Kim Shuck has taught both at the elementary and college level – teaching Native American studies at SF State University. Proud of her Polish and Sauk and Fox as well as her Cherokee heritage, Kim is a storyteller and poet, drawing from her life experiences. Kim Shuck was Indian editor of.Susan Deer Cloud and also New Poets of the American West, Lowell Jager.. Kim Shuck encourages and promotes emerging Native writers by organizing spoke word events in the Bay Area. Kim weaves baskets and textiles, using the skills her great-grandmothers shared with her, and she has shown throughout the United States and Taiwan. Kim Shuck's most recent book Re-Matriation Chapbook Series of Indigenous Poetry#7 Susan Deer Cloud,Editor published in 2014. There is simply no finer poet than the word-beader-warrior, Kim Shuck. She writes with such beauty, defiance, focus and power; this new work pumps the blood and brain in a good way. Her lines linger on me like a fragrance, like lilacs in the spring, wanting more of that … Something always wonderful happens when I read her work, and I hear myself say, "Oh Wow."  Sidewalk NDN is an edgy work, meant to "set a whole new generation ablaze," and this collection is some of her finest master-full writing …Trace A. DeMeyer, poetry reviewer for News From Indian Country and author of One Small Sacrifice

Congratulations to KIM SHUCK, recently chosen as the seventh Poet Laureate of San Francisco. She will succeed Alejandro Murguía, who served as San Francisco’s sixth Poet Laureate. There are many reasons why Kim is admired and respected by so many of our city's poets and poetry lovers. Kim Shuck is a seasoned poet well practiced in all facets of what that means. She has organized and hosted many readings and events, is an educator and an artist who understands the importance of detail.She is inclusive and a good communicator, gifted with insight about people and the times in which we live. She is a warrior desirous of raising consciousness and promoting diversity. Kim is also possessed with a wicked sense of humor which I feel is evidenced in this wonderful photo of her. Visit Kim Shuck's website to learn more about San Francisco's multi-faceted new Poet Laureate...  (Photo: Doug Salin) Rabbit Tales Poetic Matrix Press (February 13, 2013) Poetry Tales is one of most engaging books I have ever read. Kim Shuck's poetic storytelling shares her history of worlds full of spirit and magic and the characters and creatures I met there, plus her marvelous sense of humor often had me laughing out loud. It is a delightful read and the love and wisdom throughout its pages enchanted me.- Nicole Savage, editor SFHeart.com   Clouds Running In, a full-length book of poems Poetry. Native American Studies. Drawings by Marcer Campbell. 'You will know the poets by the dirt under our nails, ' writes Kim Shuck in CLOUDS RUNNING IN, a spirited, witty, moving book of poetry that sings the mystical connections in everyday life. Shuck's vivid imagery balances dark moods and self- deprecating humor. Drawing on her Cherokee and Polish roots.published in 2014. Kim Shuck's book-length manuscript "Smuggling Cherokee", is a collection of poems drawing strongly from her Cherokee heritage, while at the same time, offering fresh insights into the lives and experiences of relocated Indians in large metropolitan areas. It is her first solo book, and was awarded the Diane Decorah first book award by the Native Writers Circle of the Americas in 2005 and was published by Greenfield Review Press in 2006.

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