On May 22, 2004, students from around Sonoma County and their poet-teachers met at the beautiful, new Rohnert Park Library for a reading to celebrate poetry. Sonoma County poet laureate, and former poet-teacher, Terry Ehret, was also there, as was Healdsburg literary laureate and former poet-teacher Penelope LaMontagne.

It was not a competitive event, but three of the poet-teachers acted later as judges, reviewing the selected poems and choosing the top four for special consideration in the Oakland East Bay Symphony Words & Music Project. Poems were submitted from seven other counties around the state. The poem of one of our Sonoma County students, Hailee Dicklich-Brumley, was chosen by composer, Hector Armienta, to inspire and integrate with his symphony WHERE WATERS MEET. Keoni Kumai's poem, I COME FROM THE BIG ISLAND, received an honorable mention.