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Jan Steckel, poet laureate for the hills
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Though it would be nice to have an official poet laureate, maybe confining poet Jan Steckel to the Oakland Hills is unfair. She has been writing eloquently about broader social, cultural and sensory experiences for a long time. Steckel is a published poet and writer, who has been nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize.
On the other hand, Jan does have a sense of place. Oakland’s polyglot is something that fits all her experiences, as a former practicing pediatrician working within Latino community and as a bisexual activist. She sometimes writes directly about her home turf, too.
Jan Steckel, MD and Poet (photo by Margaret Warnusz)
By 2001, she decided to devote more time to her craft and became a full-time writer. While Jan's subject matter varies, it all addresses the human condition.
Her poetry seems natural rather than forced - it's very easy to get engaged and feel the emotions sweeping over you. Depending on the work, I felt sick, enraged, sad or occasionally amused.
Listen to her MP3 recitations, recorded at Moe's Bookstore in Berkeley. She delivers three poems, including Dios le bendiga which was inspired by a former patient's mother.
Jan performs regularly in the Bay Area. Next month, she will join the Women's Poetry Salon, at the Frank Bette Center for the Arts, Alameda (map). The event begins at 7:00pm, on Saturday, September 13th. There's a full line-up of poets planned for that evening, which should be interesting.
All About Oakland:
Jan Steckel arrived in Oakland many years ago, and currently lives in Allendale or the “Baja Laurel” as coined by local realtors. There's no question the City looms large in Jan's daily life and work.
Steckel seems to be the opposite of a reclusive poet. She’s active in the Allendale NCPC (neighborhood crime prevention council), which works on beautification and community projects too. Most recently, she co-hosted her National Night Out Block Party.
Jan is enthusiastic about the new businesses opening up on MacArthur Blvd. in recent years. She points to Lucky's and Farmer Joe's, an Ace hardware store, the Laurel bookshop, and several cafes which are part of the Laurel.
Of course, places like the World Ground Café bring locals together - and regular Poetry Diversified readings are a draw for neighborhood poets as well.
The signs of gentrification are looming, which can homogenize neighborhoods. At this point, Jan says the area holds onto its great multicultural vibe.
While she's a booster, Jan recognizes the quirks (and ills) of the City. Her poem, On the Street, says a lot about who lives here. You can actually imagine what takes place at night, with the evidence splayed across the sidewalk. It's quite a wry take on things.
Helping Others Too:
Steckel has an impressive resume, including a medical degree from Yale and a residency through Harvard. When she went into practice, she decided to help kids in a county hospital and later through an HMO.
As a pediatrician, Steckel saw and heard things that transcended medical matters. While assisting children, she learned about their families and their challenges too. It's not a leap to say that her poetic sensibilities were strongly influenced by these patients.
She published a chapbook called The Underwater Hospital (Zeitgeist Press), which reveals harsh realities seen by doctors. It's a collection of 12 poems, which just grab you.
Her poem, Dios le bendiga, describes an abused woman in her own words. This Latina is tremendously grateful to the doctor-savior for helping her baby. She shares her bittersweet path and low expectations, and asks for her own cure.
Another poem, Three Little Sisters, tells the story of one child who's denied care because she was born outside the U.S. while her siblings are cured. The inequity of our Medicaid system is gut-wrenching.
After reading the poems, one reviewer declared: "I know I’ll do my best to remember not to write off every doctor or medical professional doing her best to work within a health care system that cares more about dollars than its patients." Amen.
What's next for Steckel?
She continues to write prolifically, including fiction as well as poetry. This summer, Jan won the Gertrude Press chapbook contest for short fiction and her entry will be published next year.
In this fiction, Jan delves into subjects far afield from her own experiences. Mixing Tracks is a story describing the intensity of musicians and producers. She was pleased when a professional rock producer read the story and then let her know that he loved it and "found the descriptions of music and sound engineering completely convincing."
At this point, Jan suffers from spinal stenosis but that doesn't seem to stop her. She keeps writing unabated, by lying "down flat with my laptop suspended over me." With another set of poems now complete, she wants to publish them soon. The collection is aptly titled: The Horizontal Poet.
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