Fairfield, CA
Home MenuPoet Laureate Suzanne Bruce
BIOGRAPHY
City council has selected Suzanne Bruce as Poet Laureate. Her term is from July 1, 2022, through December 31, 2024, during which she will advocate for poetry and the advancement of the literary arts. She will be called upon to create and read poems at public events and ceremonies, and also plans to have more poetry throughout various venues in Fairfield.
Suzanne was born and raised in Oklahoma and earned a B.S. in Education from the University of Tulsa and did graduate studies in Behavior Disorders at Wichita State University. She is a long-time member of Solstice Creative Writers in St. Helena, and active in the Benicia Literary Arts and the Solano Library Foundation.
Suzanne has done extensive ekphrastic work (poetry inspired by art) with artist Janet Manalo; their book “Her Visions—Her Voices,” was published in 2015. They also collaborated on a book, “Voices Beyond the Canvas,” which was published in 2007.
Suzanne would like to pair with the Fairfield-Suisun Visual Arts Association to encourage others to view art and write about it. Suzanne has hosted two major poetry fundraising events through the Solano County Library Foundation-- “Why Poetry Matters” in 2018, and “How Poetry Heals” in 2021.
Here's a feature we did on Suzanne:
Editor's Prize in 2024 Anthology "Partnerships, the Untold Stories"
Suzanne submitted a poem to the Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP) 2024 anthology, "Partnerships, The Untold Stories." The ASAP provides programs for military members, veterans and their families through creativity and connection.
There were 250 submissions of poems, prose, and art, and only 40 slots available. Her poem was selected to be part of this anthology! She then received a second notification that her poem was awarded the "Editor's Prize" and will be featured as the top win in the anthology.
Her poem is "Camouflaged Image" and is written from the perspective of being a military wife.
Suzanne is beyond honored and extremely excited. She was humbled by the judges comments. The anthology is due to come out in the fall. Here's a link for more:
Armed Services Arts Partnership (ASAP)
Writing the Land: A Collaboration between Poets and Protected Lands
The project coordinates poets and pairs them with land trusts, who then create poems inspired by the land.
Suzanne was involved with this project last May when she was contacted by the Solano Land Trust and Lis McLoughlin, (from Northfield, Massachusetts), editor of the project, to include poetry from our area, inspired by our protected lands.
Suzanne did a classroom workshop at Golden Hills Schools in Fairfield. Solano Land Trust provided slides and with the students, she discussed how humans can connect to land and why it is important to keep certain lands protected. Each student wrote a short poem or statement. Then she put lines from each student’s writing into a Cento poem, which is included in the book, Writing the Land.
Writing the Land included 13 pages in the book discussing all of the protected lands with Solano Land Trust, including pictures, the Cento poem and a personal poem of Suzanne's. There are 10 Land Trusts represented in the book from many different states.
If you would like a copy of this book, there are several ways to purchase it. You can visit Rush Ranch Outfitter Shop every 3rd Saturday from 10 am – 12 noon. Rush Ranch is located at 3521 Grizzly Island Road, Suisun City, CA.
You can also find them on the Writing the Land website:
Writing the Land: Youth — NatureCulture (nature-culture.net)
Haiku in downtown Tulsa
Fairfield Poet Laureate Suzanne Bruce has won another honor!
Each spring, the Downtown Tulsa Partnership (DTP) adorn Tulsa downtown’s public right-of-way with poetry and visual art celebrating the neighborhood’s vibrancy and inclusivity. Judges from Magic City Books and the Woody Guthrie Center select 10 haiku winners, and Fairfield Poet Laureate Suzanne Bruce's haiku was chosen this year, for the second time!
Suzanne was born and raised in Tulsa and keeps in touch with their art programs. Out of 155 entries, only 10 were chosen! DTP commissions a local artist to design a digital backdrop for the art boards which are then installed along the downtown curb line for 45 days.
Feature in Interlitq
Recently, Suzanne was invited to submit poetry for The International Literary Quarterly (Interlitq), who published four of her works under their” California Poet” series, which you can read here.
She was also interviewed by Interlitq editor David Garyan. In her interview she revealed her mission, "to give community voices diverse opportunities to be heard through creative writing" and said that "the real joy is when people come and feel comfortable sharing their poems!" To read her full interview, click here.
Suzanne Bruce can be reached at fairfieldpoetlaureate@gmail.com
Thankful for Poetry - November 9, 2024
Fairfield Poet Laureate Suzanne Bruce invites you to the Thankful for Poetry Event on Saturday, November 9 from 1-3 pm at the Fairfield Civic Center Library, 1150 Kentucky St. The event will feature two renowned poets, Jackie Berger and Lenore Weiss.
Jacqueline Berger’s fifth book of poetry, Left at the Ruin (Terrapin Books) was published in August. Previous books include The Gift That Arrives Broken, Autumn House, and Things That Burn, University of Utah Press. She is a professor emerita at Notre Dame de Namur University, Belmont, California, and has recently relocated to the Central Coast. www.jacquelineberger.com
Lenore serves as the Associate Creative Nonfiction (CNF) Editor for the Mud Season Review and lives in Oakland, California. Her environmental novel Pulp into Paper was published this year on Earth Day as was a new poetry collection, Video Game Pointers from WordTech Communications. www.lenoreweiss.com
Juried Art Show Poetry Reading - December 7
Fairfield Poet Laureate, Suzanne Bruce, will host two more events before her tenure ends. For the first event, she is partnering with the Fairfield-Suisun City Visual Arts Association (FSVAA) to invite poets to write poems to art pieces selected for the 61st Annual Nor-Cal Regional Juried Art Show.
Participants can visit the gallery in person at Solano Town Center or online at www.fvaa-arts.org. The exhibit will run from November 15, 2024, through January 4, 2025, and the Poetry Reading will be held on Saturday, December 7, 2024.
Culture Celebrations - December 21, 2024 
The second event is a Culture Celebrations Poetry Open Mic on December 21, 1-3 pm, Fairfield Cordelia Library. Attendees will also be able to meet the next Fairfield Poet Laureate, Michael J. Wyly, who begins his term in January 2025.
For more information on both of these events, please visit www.fairfield.ca.gov/poet.
Monthly Poetry Column
Fairfield Poet Laureate Suzanne Bruce will start a monthly poetry column feature in the Daily Republic on the first Sunday of each month. The premiere column will feature Suzanne’s original poem, “Voices of Fairfield”, but in subsequent issues, Suzanne intends to showcase other people’s poems and poetry from students in our community. She hopes the monthly “Poetry Connection” will be an opportunity for our youth to have their voices heard.
Suzanne is looking for poems about inspirational experiences, nature, and similar themes. To be considered, poems must be sent to Suzanne, before the 15th of the month prior to publication. Be sure to include a short introduction about yourself, your career, and where and why you enjoy writing poetry, with your submission.
Poems must be 39 lines or less and must abide by the Daily Republic guidelines of material suitable for publication. Poems with profanity will not be published.
Suzanne will select one poem each month and looks forward to hearing from aspiring poets!
Suzanne's Poems