Discover common dreams at the Coz

On Sunday, March 24 the Cozmic Café in Placerville is hosting an afternoon of “Common Dreams” — dreams of peace, hope and joy in the world. The show kicks off with performances by local poets, singers and storytellers. It ends with an open mic where all are invited to join in with their own dreams.

Scheduled performers are Red Fox Underground, the New Freedom Choir and the El Dorado Storytellers Guild.

Red Fox Underground is a poetry collective founded in 2003 by Brigit Truex. It meets weekly at 8 a.m. on Sundays.

“You might describe our sessions,” said poet Taylor Graham, “as intense, sometimes nit-picky, often raucous and always supportive.”

The group’s name goes back to its formative years.

“During our first sessions, almost all of us brought a poem about a fox. I think Brigit just liked how the name sounds.” Graham said.

Under the auspices of the El Dorado Arts Council, Red Fox holds monthly read-arounds at the El Dorado County Library in Placerville and at the El Dorado County Senior Center in Placerville. Each session is open to poetry writers of all ages.

The New Freedom Choir has performed around the Placerville area since 2006. As an offshoot of the original People’s Freedom Choir which started singing shortly after the first Gulf War, it’s dedicated to promoting peace and social justice through music.

Cassie Loving, a member of the earlier choir said the group is “diverse and opinionated.”

”The choir is open to all women who want to enjoy each other’s company, express our personal and political opinion, and sing,” loving said.

Director Melinda Velasco detailed a couple of the songs the choir will be singing: an old but still timely Woody Guthrie about the jobless and homeless, an even older song about “the estrangement and melancholy that accompanies immigrants when separated from their homeland,” and an original New Freedom song that celebrates the social and geographical beauty of El Dorado County.

The El Dorado Storytellers Guild has its origins in a centuries-old form of “social media” long before the advent of radio, TV, Internet, e-mail, and tweets, when news was delivered and cultures created by storytellers.

El Dorado tellers are familiar voices at the Indian Tribal Library in Shingle Springs, at the El Dorado County libraries in Placerville, Cameron Park and El Dorado Hills, at the retirement communities of Eskaton and Gold Country, at senior centers, juvenile hall, and at a variety of other special occasions.

Its members, according to teller Patsy Thompson, are mostly retired teachers “who have a love of literature, theater, children and anyone who’ll listen to stories.”

The open mic portion is open to individuals to bring their own dreams and to join in with a poem, a song, a story, a stunt or — whatever.

Participants will be asked to sign up at the door and to limit their presentations to 3-5 minutes.

“Common Dreams is Sunday, March 24 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Cozmic Café, 594 Main St. in Placerville. It is a free event and is a part of Placerville’s Season for Nonviolence.

For more information go to bergquistm@remotelylocated.net.