Community briefs
Westmont fundraiser
Westmont High School’s Theatre Arts Department is hosting a collection event Saturday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., at the high school, 4805 Westmont Ave.
Acceptable items for the Goodwill truck include toys, books, clothes, shoes and boots, accessories, jewelry, home decor and small household appliances. E-waste will also be collected at no cost to the donor, including computer, audio and stereo equipment; video game systems and parts; VCRS, DVD and CD players, cameras, telephones and cell phones.
All proceeds will support Westmont’s Theatre Arts Department. For more information, visit www. Westmonttheatre.com.
New poet laureate
San Jose resident Tshaka Campbell was named Santa Clara
County poet laureate Jan. 11 for a two-year term ending Dec. 31, 2023.
Campbell is the curator of “Beautiful Black Books” as part of Poetry Center San Jose. He also conducts lectures and workshops in creative writing, spiritual verse and other related topics. He has written four books—”tarman,” “Muted Whispers,” “Tunnel Vision” and “Stuff”— and released three music albums: “One,” “Bloodlines”
Tshaka Campbell has been named as the seventh Santa Clara County poet laureate. Campbell is the curator of “Beautiful Black Books” through Poetry Center San Jose.
and “Skin vol.1.”
Campbell was recommended to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, who appointed him to the honorary position following a call for applications and a two-step review process organized by the county, Silicon Valley Creates, and the Santa Clara County Library District. He is the county’s seventh poet laureate.
Among the programs Campbell is planning is
“In Our Words,” for local youth to write poems that capture the impact the last two years have had on them. Their work will be published in an anthology and displayed at various locations around the county.
Campbell will be formally installed at the Feb. 8 board of supervisors meeting, where he will read a selection of his work as part of the invocation.