One of the most important poetry connections I’ve made is with fellow laureate Sojourner Kincaid Rolle. I first met Sojourner 23 years ago when I was a journalist, before I had any published poetry. I admired her for her natural ability to inspire and foster confidence in others. Little did I know, she was showing me how to become a poet and a community leader simply by being herself and including me in her poetry readings and local activities, such as the Dr. Martin Luther King celebration and mentoring of young poets. She was magic, or so it seemed to me. I remember asking her why she would want to share her stage with an unknown writer, such as myself. She said she enjoyed offering a forum to new writers and embraced inclusivity.
Everything she does, from playwriting to mediation, standing for social justice, and teaching writing for adults and children, stems from a position of joy. It’s no accident that her mother named her Joy; “Sojourner” is the poet’s chosen name for herself. She’s had a precarious relationship with her name. When she was in high school, she called herself Sad Kincaid because she was quiet and shy. Later, she started writing poems about accepting joy and her name. She says the move to Joy started after she turned 25 and took a job as a clerk at the New York Public Library.
She blossomed into Sojourner Kincaid Rolle, who writes about nature, the earth, people, love, and peace. “Rolle,” as a last name, came along when she married photographer Rod Rolle. What started as a blind date in North Carolina has led to a relationship that is 40-some years strong, half of Sojourner’s life. Last Saturday, she celebrated her 80th birthday. She has lived in Santa Barbara for 38 years, and there isn’t a community or nearby group she hasn’t helped or stood with. She may have been born in North Carolina, but she is California’s poet. She made her mark in Oakland before moving to Santa Barbara where she is a town fixture.