Allison Field Bell, Stephanie Roberts, and Diane Frank

On the 5/22/25 edition of Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour:

UC Davis alumna Allison Field Bell discusses her upcoming, debut poetry collection ALL THAT BLUE, thinking through themes of sexuality and womanhood. Field Bell shares her journey in academia, starting as an undergraduate in Davis, California, then transitioning as an MFA student at New Mexico State University, and now as a PhD candidate in Creative Writing and English Literature at the University of Utah. She then reads two poems from the collection, “O’Keefe Country” and “Garden.” Stephanie Roberts is the next guest on the show, and she reflects on her intentional humor within her poetics. Roberts explains how her recent collection, UNMET expands on the thematics of her first book, rushes from the river disappointment, exploring themes of justice and rescue. She then reads two poems, “Nothing of the Month Club” and one of the many poems in the manuscript titled “UNMET.” The last guest of the hour, Diane Frank, discusses her role as Chief Editor at Blue Light Press, and her newly published book Mermaids and Musicians. Frank states the novel is literary fiction, magical realism, and a romance, where a violinist falls in love with a mermaid. She outlines how the book chose her to write it, and is a labor of love. Frank closes the episode by sharing a long sample from her new novel.

Allison Field Bell is a writer from California. She is a PhD Candidate in Creative Writing at the University of Utah, and she holds an MFA from New Mexico State University. Her debut poetry collection, ALL THAT BLUE, is forthcoming in 2026. She is also the author of two chapbooks, WITHOUT WOMAN OR BODY and EDGE OF THE SEA. Find more of her writing at allisonfieldbell.com

Stephanie Roberts is the Canadian author of the poetry collection UNMET (Biblioasis Books, April 2025).  Her debut collection, rushes from the river disappointment (McGill-Queen's University Press, May 2020) was an A.M. Klein Poetry Prize finalist. Widely featured in periodicals and anthologies in the U.S., Canada, and Europe such as Poetry Magazine, Atlanta Review, Event Magazine, New York Quarterly Books, Verse Daily, Crannóg (Ireland), and The Stockholm Review of Literature, she is the winner of The Sixty-Four: Best Poets of 2018 (Black Mountain Press). Stephanie was born in Panama, grew up in NYC, and is a citizen of three countries.

Diane Frank is author of eight books of poems, three novels, and a photo memoir of her 400 mile trek in the Nepal Himalayas. She is also Chief Editor of Blue Light Press. Her collection While Listening to the Enigma Variations: New and Selected Poems won the 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Award for Poetry. Diane plays cello with the College of Marin Symphony Orchestra. She teaches poetry, flash fiction and memoir workshops at San Francisco State University and Dominican University. Her first novel, Blackberries in the Dream House, won the Chelson Award for Fiction and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Her website is www.dianefrank.com. 

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, Robby Nykodym, and by 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. 

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, subscribe to his weekly newsletter at https://andyjones.substack.com.