<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">You are cordially invited to join us for the first of monthly series of virtual poetry readings beginning with Maya Spector<div class="">Saturday, July 23 from 10:00 to 10:30 AM PST.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">There is no charge for this event and no need to pre-register, just click this link: <span class="" style="color: rgb(35, 35, 51); font-family: Lato, Helvetica, Arial; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial;"> </span><a target="_blank" href="https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89802520728?pwd=Y01La2g2bVJ6bzhlOVROMnFqZW9lUT09" class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(9, 86, 181); text-decoration: none; font-family: Lato, Helvetica, Arial; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; overflow-wrap: break-word;">https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89802520728?pwd=Y01La2g2bVJ6bzhlOVROMnFqZW9lUT09</a></div><div class="">and enter the passcode: <strong id="displayPassword" class="hideme" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; color: rgb(35, 35, 51); font-family: Lato, Helvetica, Arial; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial;">978901</strong><br class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><font face="BookAntiqua" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div class=""><div class="" style="margin: 0in;"><font face="BookAntiqua" class=""><font color="#381808" size="3" class="">Maya Spector lives in Oakland, CA. She is a retired children<span class="">’</span>s librarian, the mother of two sons, grandmother of three girls and the author of a book of poetry, </font><i class="" style="color: rgb(56, 24, 8); font-size: 12pt;">The Persephone Cycle (</i><span class="" style="font-size: 12pt;">available at <a href="http://www.barryandmayaspector.com/" class="">www.barryandmayaspector.com</a><i class="">.) </i><span class="">Her poetry</span></span><span class="" style="font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(56, 24, 8);"> has been published in </span><span class="" style="font-size: 12pt;">a number of poetry anthologies and We’Moon calendars. She is currently working on a second book called </span><i class="" style="font-size: 12pt;">Distilled: Poems on Eldering </i><span class="" style="font-size: 12pt;">that should be out by the end of the year. She blogs at <a href="http://www.hangingoutwithhecate.blogspot.com/" class="">www.hangingoutwithhecate.blogspot.com</a>. Maya has been a regular presenter</span><span class="" style="font-size: 12pt;"> at <i class="">Rumi’s Caravan</i> and <i class="">Great Night of Rumi</i> spoken word<i class=""> </i>events. <o:p class=""> </o:p></span></font></div></div><div class=""><span class="" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif;"><br class=""></span></div></div><div class=""><span class="" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif;"><br class=""></span></div><div class=""><span class="" style="font-family: "Century Gothic", sans-serif;"><br class=""></span></div><div class=""><div class="" style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: "Century Gothic";"><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">Another Woman</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; min-height: 19px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; min-height: 19px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">Another woman</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">would keep her mouth shut,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">not spout fervent beliefs</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">like a speaker on a soapbox.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; min-height: 19px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">Another woman</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">would have chosen</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">equity over experience,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">settling down or</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">just plain settling.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; min-height: 19px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">Another woman</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">would have stayed the course,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">refusing distraction and</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">the pangs of the heart</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">that lead to upheaval.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; min-height: 19px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">Another woman</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">would not vacillate hearing</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">the voices that preach security and</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">the voices that harp on ideals.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; min-height: 19px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">Another woman</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">would not succumb to worry,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">knowing that it never helps</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">and only constricts.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; min-height: 19px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">Another woman</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">would revel in her children’s independence</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">instead of mourning</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">their day-to-day absence in her life.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; min-height: 19px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">Another woman</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">would live in gratitude every moment</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">for her sojourn on this gorgeous planet</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">and not slip into the mundane</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">routine of forgetting.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; min-height: 19px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">But I am not</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">another woman.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">I am this woman,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">led by my heart and</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">pulled by conflicting voices,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">a woman who</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">worries,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">mourns,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">forgets.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; min-height: 19px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">I am this woman,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">this aging, outspoken, heart-stirred,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">frightened and sometimes grateful woman,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">This woman,</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">with this particular life</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class="">and not another.</div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times; min-height: 19px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; font-family: Times;" class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- Maya Spector</div></div></div></body></html>