AUTHOR
Jeanne Powell's poems have appeared in several print and online journals, including Essence Magazine, Haight Ashbury Literary Journal and the tenth anniversary issue of Drumvoices Revue from SIU-E. Jeanne Powell's poem, "Next Time" won first prize from the Detroit Writers Guild in 2002. Three poems were selected for the Creative Justice Art Show at the University of San Francisco, 2006: "If The Shoe Fits," "Next Time," and "Making Amends." Three collections of her work have been published: February Voices (1994), Cadences (1996), and Tangerine Dance (1999). All three were reprinted in 2003 as Celebration of the Word.

MY OWN SILENCE (poems and haiku) was a finalist in national competition in 2002, shortlisted for the Naomi Long Madgett prize. MY OWN SILENCE was published in 2014, second edition, by Taurean Horn Press.

In 2008 WORD DANCING was published by Beatitude Press -- a new collection of poems, prose and 21 art collages by Jeanne Powell. In 2013, a second edition was published by Taurean Horn Press.

"MY OWN SILENCE is a vibrant, cohesive collection of story poems, with bold beginnings and endings neatly tucked. The writer spins dramatic filaments into poetic gold with a rhythmic ear and a robust voice. Cousin to Whitman, Jordan, Collins -- Jeanne Powell's literary threads are expertly woven into America's tapestry of struggle and redemption."
--reviewed by Stephen Kopel, author of Spritz.

"MY OWN SILENCE is a testament against the worst type of silence -- that of indifference. These are poems of conscience in which the poet ends her silence by transforming her outrage into unforgettable images...Yet, despite the world's cruelty and sorrows, the poet finds much in which she can rejoice...This is a book that looks hard at life...and embraces it in all its complexity."
--reviewed by Lucille Lang Day, Ph.D., author of Wild One and Infinities.

"Jeanne's powerful, finely crafted poems are a treat for the ear, as well as the imagination. I own a copy of WORD DANCING and highly recommend her work. Jeanne is a visual artist as well as a poet, and several of her beautiful and provocative collages adorn the pages of her latest book."
--reviewed by Selene Steese, author of Woman Growing Wings.

"With her new book, WORD DANCING, Jeanne has expanded her horizons.  These new poems move into uncharted territory, both in emotional intensity and subject matter.  WORD DANCING also includes a section of new prose pieces, a direction I find most appealing, and many mult-colored collages by the author to catch your eye.  Jeanne concludes the book with a selection of tried and true poems from her chapbooks (1994-1999).  WORD DANCING is a feast!"

--reviewed by Bill Vartnaw, author of Suburbs of My Childhood.

Regent Press published CAROUSEL, a collection of Jeanne's essays, in 2014. Regent Press also published first edition of TWO SEASONS, story-poems, in 2014.

"At a time when the confessional mode has banished American poetry to one vast self-mirroring island, the work of Jeanne Powell nudges us again and again to break out of our little selves. Whether celebrating the triumphs of Australia's champion Aboriginal athlete Cathy Freeman, berating a hellish vacation in the Sierra Foothills, disclosing the subtle and not so subtle pain of social injustice, or commemorating a powerful, dancing mother reared in the big band swing era, Powell rocks. Unfailingly, the open-hearted spirit of her prose and poetry allows us to re-experience our membership in one another."
--Al Young, California Poet Laureate Emeritus

“Jeanne Powell’s latest collection of poetry entitled TWO SEASONS must rank among her best work, either poems or essays. These poems are inspiring and inspired because of their uncanny ability to transmit genuine feelings of rage and love, justice and injustice, with an eloquence and power that few contemporary American writers can match. Her gifted word dancing comes across forcefully yet gracefully in both oral recitations and on the written page. When I heard Jeanne deliver in public one of the exquisite poems from TWO SEASONS, I was stunned at the impact it had on the audience. Yet no one could have been more deeply moved than I because, as a professor who has often employed poetry to convey complex theories over many years, I could appreciate how, in a single poem, she managed to communicate the fierce emotional realities of the human experience.”
--Dennis Dalton, Professor Emeritus, Political Science/Political Theory,
Barnard College, Columbia University.


PERFORMER
Jeanne Powell performs her poetry and prose in a variety of venues.

2021-2023
Taurean Horn authors at SF Public Library; MoAD All-Stars at Yerba Buena Gardens;
Writers Lunch panelist at Mechanics Institute Library; Rooted & Written Fellows from SF Writers Grotto at Salesforce Park; Juneteenth celebration sponsored by LivingRoomSF at Alton Hotel; Better Ancestors from Quiet Lightning at MoAD; annual Labor Fest celebration by Revolutionary Writers Brigade held at Tenderloin Museum; annual Petaluma Poetry Walk; San Francisco Village feature.

2016-2020
San Francisco Village feature; Folio Books feature; Mission Arts Performance Project (MAPP); Travel Writers at Hotel Mystic; Poetic Justice at 111 Minna; North Beach Library hosted by Jack Hirschman; Rivertown Poets at Aqus Cafe in Petaluma; Poets! series at Bird & Beckett Books; annual Petaluma Poetry Walk; Odd Mondays series at Folio Books.

2014-2015
Celebration for Susan Duhan Felix at Liz Filmer’s Gallery in Berkeley; Celebration in memory of Pat Parker at La Pena Cultural Center in Berkeley; Poetry at the 3300 Club for book release; Rockridge Public Library in Oakland; Left Coast Writers feature at Book Passage in the Ferry Building for book release; Open Mic Reserved feature at Mechanics Institute Library; World of Change anthology reading at Redwood Café in Cotati; Avotcja birthday celebration at La Pena Cultural Center; Taurean Horn anniversary reading at Coffee Catz in Sebastopol; annual Petaluma Poetry Walk; World of Change anthology reading at Beat Museum; Taurean Horn anniversary reading at Bird & Beckett Books; Café Leila in Berkeley; Poets Eleven feature at North Beach Public Library.

2012-2013
Joyce Gordon Art Gallery in Oakland, EJS-USF Law School Creative Justice Art Show; Poetry at the 3300 Club; Books Inc. in Alameda; North Beach Public Library for Poets Eleven; Sacred Grounds Coffee House in remembrance of Jehanah Wedgwood; 100,000 Poets for Change in Santa Rosa; Bird & Beckett Books with Al Young; First Sunday series at Redwood Café in Cotati; Poets Eleven anthology celebration at SF Main Library hosted by Jack Hirschman.

2010-2011
Third Sunday salon in Healdsburg; Odd Mondays series at Noe Valley Ministry; Poetry at the 3300 Club; La Verdad Musical on radio station KPOO at 89.5 FM; Joyce Gordon Art Gallery in Oakland; Bird & Beckett Books; Revolution Café in the Mission; Sacred Grounds Coffee House; Amsterdam Café; Featured with Robert Chrisman at Noe Valley Ministry; EJS Creative Justice Art Show at USF School of Law; Rebound Books in San Rafael; Poetry at the 3300 Club; Books Inc. in Alameda; Thursdays at Readers Cafe in Fort Mason.

2008-2009
Pirate Cat Radio, at the Oakland S.O.U.P spoken word series, the annual Petaluma Poetry Walk, Poetry Salon at SPC in Sausalito, the Last Word series at Caffe Nefeli in Berkeley, Expressions Art Gallery in Berkeley, Frank Bette Cultural Center in Alameda, Blogtalk Radio on the Internet, CityArts Gallery in Point Arena, Silk Road Restaurant in Jack London Square in Oakland, West End Cafe in San Rafael, Priya Restaurant in Berkeley, Cafe Azul in Santa Rosa, Books & Bookshelves, Poetry at Dalva, Trinity Poetry Series at the Abbott Courtyard of the Episcopal Church in Sonoma, Rebecca's Books in Berkeley.

2006-2007
Creative Justice Arts program at University of San Francisco, Anna's Jazz Island in Berkeley, Poetry Express series at Priya Restaurant in Berkeley, Bird & Beckett Books, Labor Fest program at City Lights Books, Oakland Out Loud series at Dimond branch of Oakland Public Library, Cody's Books in San Francisco, Café La Boheme, Red Hill Books, 3300 Club, Sunset Poetry by the Sea series at Northpoint Coffeehouse in Sausalito, Sacred Grounds Coffee House, Listen & Be Heard Cafe in Vallejo, Sonoma Coffee Company in Santa Rosa, annual Poetry under the Dome at City Hall, and Poetry Hotel salon.

2004-2005
Café Bean, Café Prague, Mediterraneum Café in Berkeley, Bay Area Poets Coalition anniversary feature at SF Main Library, North Coast Review feature at Live Worms Gallery, Drumvoices Revue anniversary feature at Marcus Books, Monticello Inn, Literature Expo at Art & Soul Festival in Oakland, Cody's Books on Fourth Street in Berkeley, Zebulon's Lounge in Petaluma, radio station KPOO, Barnes & Noble Bookstore in Emeryville, Lighthouse "Poetry Scene" anniversary reading (radio), Bibliohead Bookstore, and Golden Gate Valley Public Library.


SPOKEN WORD HOST
Jeanne Powell loves the word, and created three spoken word series in San Francisco where poets, playwrights, and novelists could perform and listen to others share their work.
[1] "Celebration of the Word," an award-winning series which started at Polk St. Beans & Café, continued every week for ten years at several venues (1994-2004).
[2] "Word Dancing" was started in the Mission as a special event for National Poetry Month in 1997, and Jeanne later continued for a year at Edinburgh Castle (2002). The series continued at another venue 2007-2009.
[3] "Poetry at the Cosmo" was a weekly series created by Jeanne Powell when the Cosmo was a member of the Kimpton chain of boutique hotels; she also booked the features and was the primary host for that twelve-month series.


TEACHER
Jeanne created a critique group for poets and other writers in 1992. She facilitated that monthly group for 10 years. Jeanne Powell was a panelist for the 2002 National Writers Union seminar on "The Writer as Publisher," held in Oakland CA; audiotapes may be purchased from the NWU in New York. In 2004 she presented a workshop on independent publishing at the San Francisco Zine Fest. For seven years, Jeanne taught at-risk youth in Upward Bound at a major university.


PUBLISHER
In 1996, Jeanne Powell established Meridien PressWorks to assist local writers who wish to be published professionally. Since then, her press has published 20 authors.

Jeanne created the Living Treasures series to publish the work of four poetic elders -- Leonard Irving, Beth McDonald, Jesse Fry and Anne Bacon Soulé. Jeanne wrote a successful grant application for half the funds. Additional money came from a fundraiser at Clarion Music. Meridien PressWorks™ published all four books in 2005.


CULTURAL CRITIC
Jeanne's long-term interest in films, stage plays, cultural events and history gave rise to critical and cultural reviews published on several sites. Her reviews may be found on: red room (now archived), sidewalkstv, wattpad, sfgate, starkinsider.com. Please see Links page.

COMMUNITY ADVOCATE
During a period of community turbulence, Dr. Jeanne organized a neighborhood
improvement association, Nob Hill Urban Neighbors (2004-2014). She recruited 
volunteers to work on issues of mutual concern.  After she persuaded a major medical center to donate conference rooms, she interacted with property owners, property managers and renters in monthly meetings, and then quarterly meetings.
Some 300 trees were planted throughout the area, working with volunteers
from Friends of the Urban Forest.  Dr. Jeanne brought NERT to the neighborhood, with classes taught by Frank Lucier and other members of the SFFD.  Now the NERT concept
is a part of civilian emergency training throughout the U.S.