
Poet, Author
James Morehead is the Poet Laureate of Dublin, California, author of “canvas: poems” and “portraits of red and gray: memoir poems“, and he hosts The Viewless Wings Poetry Podcast. James’ poem “tethered” was transformed into an award-winning hand drawn animated short film, and “gallery” was set to music for baritone and piano.
contact: dublinpoetlaureate@gmail.com
BOOKS
portraits of red and gray: memoir poems
“The vulnerability and humanity expressed in these poems is moving.” – Angie Trudell Vasquez, Poet Laureate – Madison, WI
“The rhythmic control is impeccable. The centerpiece of this collection, a long series of poems that chronicle a trip through the former Soviet Union, is a fast moving, impressionistic feast of imagery.” – Carmine Di Biase, Distinguished Professor of English, Emeritus – Jacksonville State University
canvas: poems
“To read canvas is to be transported to a world infused with meaning and memory.” – Morgan Liphart, poet and author of Barefoot and Running
“These are poems to be savored, re-read, kept handy for those times when only poetry will do.” – W. J. T. Mitchell, Gaylord Donnelley Distinguished Service Professor, English and Art History, University of Chicago
“canvas” and “portraits of red and gray” are also available in select libraries:
- “canvas”: listing on Link+ and listing on WorldCat
- “portraits of red and gray”: listing on Link+ and listing on WorldCat
EVENTS
Upcoming events featuring James Morehead in person and virtually
- June 29: Poetry & Pizza at Patxi’s Pizza (Dublin)
- July 7: In-person reading: Lake of Bays Township Public Library (7:00pm EST)
- Aug 25: Poets at the Mic with Caitlin Conlon, James Morehead, and Morgan Liphart
PODCAST
Where does a poem come from? How does an image, a sound, an emotion, an experience, the spark of an idea, become a poem? The Viewless Wings Poetry Podcast explores the art of poetry through interviews with poets and artists, and special features. Hear poets including Olivia Gatwood and Regina Harris Baiocchi, artists including Kari Byron and animator-director Gaia Alari, and more. Subscribe today.
FILM

Gaia Alari (Animator-Director) and James Morehead (Producer, Writer, Narrator) team up to bring the poem “tethered” to life with the magic of traditional animation. The poem is a selection from Morehead’s debut book “canvas”. “tethered” features 2D animation created from 750 drawings.
- Winner – Best Animation (London Web Fest)
- Honorable Mention (One-Reeler Short Film Competition)
- IMDB listing
PERFORMANCES
WEBCASTS
PLACEMENTS
- “That time I was left for dead downstage” (Prometheus Dreaming, September 2021)
- “landscape (after bert weir) (“Flee to Spring Anthology”, Wingless Dreamer, August 2021)
- “north south east west” Prompt for the Planet (Prompt for the Planet & PromptPress, October 2021)
- “ghosts of bodie, california” (“The Book of Black Anthology”, Wingless Dreamer, October 2021)
- “crush” on episode 71 of NPR’s Poetically Yours (2021)
- Bankhead Theatre “Double Take” exhibit features ekphrastic collaborations with local artists and poets (February 2022) with accompanying book
- “dissolving in the gallery” (Beyond Words Literary Magazine,March 2022)
- “An inbox of bloom” (Quillkeepers Press, June 2022)
- “Ode to Dahlia” (Finalist, Matter 2021 contest, Oprelle)
- “lost (and found)” and “The New Yorkers” were included in Rutland, Vermonts Poetry Downtown festival for National Poetry Month 2022
- “the silent roar of haleakalā” was selected for the Alameda County Fair 2022 Fine Arts Division

IN THE NEWS
- A poetic journey through Dublin (Pleasanton Weekly
- Watch Poetically Yours Live: ‘More than greeting card love’ (NPR station WNIJ. Feb, 2022)
- Dublin Celebrates 40th Anniversary With New Downtown Sign, Poem (Patch. Feb, 2022)
- James Morehead on Doing the Right Thing When No One Else Will (The Write Stuff. Aug, 2021)
- James Morehead To Serve As Dublin, CA Poet Laureate (Patch. June, 2021)
- Painting and Poetry Partnership at Dublin Art Show (Patch. Aug, 2021)
- Book Marketing Case Study—Canvas by James Morehead (AuthorImprints. July 2021)
- How The Pandemic Inspired This Dublin Man To Follow His Dreams (Patch. May, 2021)
- Self-Publishing and Pursuing Passions With Poet James Morehead (Influenster. June, 2021)
- Dublin Author Publishes First Volume of Poetry, Entitled “Canvas” (The Independent. May, 2021)