On the 12/18/24 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:

Professor Oliver Jones joins Dr.Andy in a discussion about Christmas, family, artistry, and the best movies of 2024. Jones reiterates the importance of December in film culture, as many great movies tend to be released during the holiday seasons and before large film festivals. He shares that one of his favorite movies of the year, “Dìdi (弟弟),” debuted at the Sundance Film Festival among other great films. Jones outlines some similar themes between what he felt were the best films of the past year, before detailing some of his work critiquing high-budget and low-budget films alike. The next guest on the show, poet Katy Brown, opens describing some of her favorite nature spots in Yolo County. She talks about her love for birds, photography, and exploration. She then shares a poem, “Ah, The Life” before sharing details of her upcoming “Capturing Wakamatsu” event at the Georgetown Library, which she recently secured funding for.

Oliver Jones has a more than 25-year career working as a journalist for the top circulation magazines and highest readership websites, including a decade spent as a staff writer for People magazine. His expertise is in film, television, popular culture and the entertainment industry, as well as the history of Los Angeles’ underrepresented population and the city’s social justice movements. Since 2012, he has taught journalism and inclusion at Emerson College; he first taught for Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in the summer of 2022. Over the last five years, he has made the history and practice of film criticism a focus of his academic and professional work. He has written over 200 reviews for the New York Observer and is a member of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Born and raised in Washington D.C., Jones has lived in the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles since 2007.

Katy Brown is a local poet and photographer. She has won awards in The Ina Coolbrith Circle, California Federation of Chaparral Poets, and The International Dance Poetry competition. Her poetry has appeared in numerous journals such as but not limited to: Sutterville Review, Song of San Joaquin, Poetalk, Persimmon Tree, Harp Strings, And anthologies: Poeming Pigeons, Sacramento Voices, California Fire and Water, and The Ina Coolbrith Society’s Gathering anthologies. She is a three-time Pushcart nominee. Katy Brown also leads a quarterly “Capturing Wakamatsu” event featuring poetry and exploration of the historic American River Conservancy site with the help of Taylor Graham.

The Poetry Night Reading Series takes place on first and third Thursdays of the month at 7 PM, is generously supported by the people and poets of the Sacramento Valley, by John Natsoulas, and by Thea and the other members of the staff at the John Natsoulas Gallery. Your host will be Dr. Andy Jones, the poet laureate emeritus of the City of Davis. The next poetry night on January 2nd 2025 will feature France-based poet Nicollete Daskalakis

Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjone

Find out more about Dr. Andy's Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, visit his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/andyojones.