Position of Honor

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Poet Laureate of Silver City and Grant County, New Mexico  May 2019 - May 2021

Poet Laureate of the City of Davis, California  July 2012 – August 2014

 

 

Awards

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• Finalist Award, New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards, 2022

• Finalist Award, New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards, 2021

• Prize Winner, Desert Exposure Writing Contest, 2018

• Runner up, Georgetown Review Poetry Manuscript Contest, 2015

• Semifinalist, New Millennium Writing Competition, 2015

• Second Place in the Jack Kerouac Poetry Contest, 2008.

• Pushcart Prize Nomination, 2003.

• Second Place Award in the Sacramento News & Review Short Story Contest. 2001

• First Place Award for Poetry in the California Focus on Writers Competition. 2000

• The Kathryn Hohlwein Literary Award. 2000

• Hedgebrook Literary Residency Award. 1997

• First Place Award, The Davis Enterprise, "Sweetheart Sonnet Contest.” 1996

• Gold Award, Blue Shield National Educational Media Series for "Libre Quiero Ser," (Spanish language educational video), Co-producer. 1994

• Silver Award, Blue Shield National Educational Media Series for "The Young and the Breathless," (educational video), Co-producer. 1992

• American Business Women's Association Award. 1979

• Bank of America Achievement Award. 1978

• American Legion Auxiliary Award. 1978

• Rotary Award. 1978

 

 

Published Research Papers

 

"The Helm of Change," Eve B. Bessier, 1989. Vanguardia, Vol 2, No. 4. The Vanguard Trust, Arecibo, Puerto Rico, October 1989.

 

"Con Todo Mi Corazón, Mexican-American volunteers' motives for participation in bilingual community radio: A California case study," Eve B. Bessier, M.Ed. 1990. The Association of Voluntary Action Scholars, London, Great Britain, July 1990.

 

"La Voz Que Rampió el Silencio (The Voice that Broke the Silence). Voluntarism as participation in community radio: A descriptive case study of Radio Bilingue, Fresno, California." Eve Bessier, M.Ed., The University of California, Davis, 1990. Master’s Thesis.

 

"Community Radio as a Tool for Development: A Case Study of Radio Bilingue," Eve B. Bessier, M.Ed., and James Grieshop, Ph.D. The Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education, St. Louis, Missouri, March, 1991.

 

"Evaluating program activities at multiple sites of tobacco prevention education project," Marc T. Braverman, PhD., Valodi Foster, MPH, Eve B. Bessier, M.Ed., The American Evaluation Association, Spring, Los Angeles, 1993.

 

"Using focus groups in the design phase of an educational tobacco prevention videotape," Marc T. Braverman, Ph.D., Valodi Foster, MPH, Eve B. Bessier, M.Ed., The American Evaluation Association, November, Dallas, 1992.

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Media Productions

 

“The Poet Tree: Anthology of Poets,” a documentary film featuring eleven prominent Sacramento area poets, written and produced by Eve West Bessier, 2014.

 

"The Young and the Breathless," (anti-tobacco use educational video for youth), Marc T. Braverman, Ph.D., Eve West Bessier, M. Ed., The University of California, Davis, 1992. (Video Co-producer; music soundtrack composition, performance and recording.)

 

"Libre Quiero Ser," (Spanish-language, anti-tobacco use educational video for youth), Marc T. Braverman, Ph.D., Eve West Bessier, M. Ed., The University of California, Davis, 1994. (Video Co-producer; music soundtrack composition, performance and recording.)

 

"Evolution to Peace," a multimedia presentation, 1985 (revised in 1992), toured extensively in California, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alberta, France and The Netherlands, 1985 - 1989.

 

"Within Our Reach," a multimedia presentation (1989), shown extensively in California and presented at The Desert Rose Bahá'í Conference in Tucson, Arizona, November 1989.

 

"With Our Voices We Lift Our People: Radio Bahá'í del Ecuador, A Participatory Development Project," (© 1989), shown extensively in California, and presented at The Amoz Gibson Center for Bahá'í Media in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, 1989.

 

 

Curricula (developed, written, and utilized)

 

"Write About Now,” a creative writing workshop for 9 to 12 year-old youth, Eve West Bessier, M.Ed., The University of California, Cooperative Extension, 2000.

 

"Big Art Workshop,” a visual arts program for 9 to 12 year-old youth, Eve West Bessier, M.Ed., University of California, Cooperative Extension, 2001.

 

"Songs of Ourselves: Poetry Bridges Project Lesson Plans and Teacher Resource Guide," California Poets in the Schools in partnership with The California Arts Council and The National Endowment for the Arts. Eve West Bessier, M.Ed., and Andrea Ross, M.A., 2002.

 

 

Writing Workshops (designed and facilitated)

 

Poetry residencies for California Poets in the Schools, 1998-2013.

 

The Write Shop: A Creative Writing Workshop, Eve West Bessier, M.Ed., The University of California, Davis, Experimental College, Course #503, January-March, 1996.

 

Write About Now, Volume II, creative writing workshop for 9-12 year-old youth, Marsh Elementary School, Antioch, California, February - March, 1994.

 

Write About Now, a ten-session, creative writing workshop for 9-12 year-old youth, Marsh Elementary School, Antioch, California, October - November 1993.

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Anthologies (Editor)

 

“Hope of the Sky: Poems about Nature and Culture by Davis Elementary School Children,” California Poets in the Schools, Eve West Bessier, M.Ed., and Andrea Ross, M.A. 2002.

 

"Write About Now: The Special Edition Writers Workshop Anthology, Stories by the Authors in the Marsh School Writers Workshop," (Volumes I and II) Eve West Bessier, M.Ed., Editor, The University of California, Cooperative Extension, Fall 1993, Spring 1994.

 

 

Published Columns, Articles, Reviews and Essays

 

Monthly Column, "Sunday Brunch: Poetic Micro Essays" Southwest Word Fiesta, 2023 - Ongoing

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Monthly Column, "The View from Here: Observations and Insights on the Nature of Things," Southwest Word Fiesta,

2021-2022

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Monthly Column, "Write On! Encouragement and Coaching for Writers," Southwest Word Fiesta, 2020-2021

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"In the Photograph," Anthology: We Stand to Represent, 2022

 

"The Big Lights," Months to Years, Summer, 2021

 

"The Poetry Inside, a Tribute to Levi Romero, New Mexico's Inaugural State Poet Laureate," El Palacio, The Magazine of the Museum of New Mexico, Spring issue, 2021.

 

"Spring 2021 Poetry Selections," Curated by Eve West Bessier, El Palacio, The Magazine of the Museum of New Mexico, Spring issue, 2021.

 

"It Started With A Lightning Strike," Southwest Festival of the Written Word. August, 2020

 

“Ambient Alchemy,” Review of Stephen Halpern and Michael Diamond, Awareness Magazine, 2014.

 

Monthly columnist on health and wellness for Natural Choices,1996 – 2013.

 

 

Published Short Fiction

 

"A Ride to the Airport," The Los Angeles Review, September 3, 2021

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"Breakfast at Maggie's," Desert Exposure, September, 2021

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"Fragile," Apple in the Dark, Summer/Fall, 2021

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"The Solo Shoe," (mixed genre) DASH Literary Journal, Summer, Vol. 14, 2021

 

“The Love Tattoo,” Kalliope, A Journal of Woman’s Literature and Art, Vol. 3, No. 1, 2002.

 

“The World’s Largest Ball of Bras,” The Sacramento News & Review, August 30, 2001.

 

"Arroyo Seco," Calavaras Station Literary Journal, Sacramento, Spring 2000.

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Published Books

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"Poems Before Breakfast: Poetic Micro Essays," Falcon West Books, 2023

 

"Pink Cadillacs: Short Stories,"  Falcon West Books, 2021

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"Exposures: Tripod Poems," Falcon West Books, 2020

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"New Rain: a Visionary Novel," Falcon West Books, 2019

 

"Roots Music: Listening to Jazz," Falcon West Books, 2019

 

"Splash," d-Press Publications, 2002.

 

"On a Thin Reed," single-edition including original visual art, 1985.

 

"The Seventh Sense is the Yellowed Leaf of Time," single-edition including photos by Ansel Adams, 1982.

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Published Poetry 

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"Ode to My Friend Allyce," DUO, Poetry By Women, Anthology, Linen Press, London, 2024

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"En Mi Sueno," New Mexico Poetry Anthology, Museum of New Mexico Press, 2023

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"Anointed," The Journal of Radical Wonder, March, 2023

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"Ode to the Gila," and "Gibbous Moons," First & Wildest: The Gila Wilderness at 100, Torrey House Press, 2023

 

"Gila Triptych," and "Mimbres Bowls," El Palacio, The Magazine of the Museum of New Mexico. Fall issue, 2020.

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"How Deeply Does Love Reach," Southwest Festival of the Written Word. August, 2020

 

"Pantoum for the Pandemic: Yin," Southwest Festival of the Written Word. May, 2020

 

"Saunter-Cast-Headway," Writing in a Woman's Voice. July, 2019

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"The Passkey," Desert Exposure, October 2018 (Prize Winner in Writing Contest)

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"Witness" Writing in a Woman's Voice. July, 2018

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"After Your Fatal Jump," Breaking Sad: What to Say After Loss, What Not to Say, and When to Just Show Up, (anthology), 2017

 

“Retake-Tender-Duet,”The Biggest Valley: Poems of the California Heartland (anthology), 2017

 

“Pearl-Soft-Element,” “Flipside-Undersell-Pragmatism,” “West-Lackluster-Convert,”Sacramento Voices Anthology, September, 2014.

 

“Death of the Bull,” Blue Moon Review, Spring, 2008.

 

“Touching Ground,” “Power Money,” and “The Fall of Courtly Love,” Editor's Choice, Rain Ananael, Convergence,Spring 2007.

 

“My Heart Moves Like Water,” “Beneath the Surface,” “Circuitous Root,” and “Wild Perfume,” 

Riparian Writing: Prose and Poetry of the Putah Creek Riparian Reserve, February, 2003.

 

“Dos Gardenias Para Ti,” Americas Review, Number 13, Spring, 2003.

 

“Georgia O’Keeffe,” My Pencil of Dreams,California Poets in the Schools Anthology,2003.

 

“Considering Two Paths in the Wilderness,” The Physik Garden, 2003.

 

“Touching Ground,” Nest of Freedom,California Poets in the Schools Anthology, Fall, 2002.

 

“Zoo You, Boogaloo,” The North American Review, Vol. 287, No. 5, October, 2002.

 

“Listening to Coltrane,” Lyric, Summer/Fall 2002.

 

“Kayak,”RiverSedge, Spring, 2002.

 

“Wet Hair,” Illya’s Honey, Vol. 8, No. 1. Spring 2002.

 

“Kayak,”The Sacramento Anthology, One Hundred Poems, Spring 2001.

 

“Visiting Grace,” Manzantina: Literary Journal of the Motherlode and Sierra, Fall 2001.

 

“The More Sublime Need,”Heart Flip, California Poets in the Schools 2001 Anthology, 2001.

 

“A Small Proof of the Existence of Reindeer,”A Christmas Collection, July Literary Press, 2001.

 

"The Birds," Calavaras Station Literary Journal, California State University, Sacramento, Spring, 2000.

 

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Editorial Positions

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Guest Editor, El Palacio, The Magazine of the Museum of New Mexico. Spring Issue, 2021

 

Poetry Editor, The Flatlander, quarterly publication.1998-2000.

 

Poetry columnist, The Vine, Monthly Publication. 1997-2000.

 

 

Literary Readings 

 

Featured author for 62 events to date.