I don’t know about you, but lately I’ve been enjoying looking forward to fall and winter in SC County poetlandia. I think it’s helping me with the anxiety I always have when the days begin their rapid shortening. But there are more poets and more poetry on our horizons, and I keep thinking, how lucky we are to live in this place—a place which supports several open mics, encourages cross-pollination between writing and other artistic disciplines, and hosts multiple bookstores which stock poetry and support poets. And it is a place that values new voices along with the ones we know and love. Of course all this is true because of the many communities inside the county, each of which continues to make all this happen on their own terms. I’ve really been enjoying seeing all this, and my main aspiration—and joy—as poet laureate continues to be to support it all, however possible.
A calendar of some upcoming events and a few featured readings follows, with some new info about our Youth Poet Laureate program at the end. Please keep sending me your events to share!
Poetry Happenings
Tonight, Tuesday 9/19: Inter|Act Spoken Word Open Mic. Abbott Square Market, 7pm
Saturday 9/23: Celebrating 12 years of Community of Writers: Open Mic, 2:30-4pm (virtual)
Thursday 9/28 "Inspiration and Daily Practice." A new free workshop at the Boulder Creek branch library, 4-6pm. Magdalena Montagne will offer practical and useful tools to create good habits and rituals, with time to write as well.
Saturday 9/30: Submission Party for Poets & Writers offered by Victoria Johnson via Capitola Recreation 11-12:30pm (Zoom)
Tuesday 10/3: Inter|Act Spoken Word Open Mic. Featured poet: Lyrical I, blending spoken word and hip hop. Abbott Square Market, 7pm
Friday 10/6: Open Mic for poetry and spoken word, returns to Satori Arts, on Almar—for First Friday. I’m told the debut event on 9/1 was fabulous. Slots are five minutes each and will run between 7-9pm.
Readings on the Horizon
October 5: An Evening of Poetry & Music at the MAH: Writers of Color Santa Cruz County. Free, 6pm. Information and (free) registration here.
October 8: Poetry & Music in the Parks, with poets Magdalena Montagne, Melody Overstreet, and Watsonville Poet Laureate Bob Gomez (who will be joined by the two new Watsonville Youth Poet Laureates, Rachel Huerta and Eva Sophia Martinez Rodriguez) 1:30pm, Mesa Village Park, Watsonville. More info here.
October 24: The Hive Live! brings Edgar Kunz and Ellen Bass to Satori Arts—an Artists Space for a special reading from these two mesmerizing poets. More information, including free registration to guarantee admission, here.
More Youth Poet Laureate Information
As I mentioned previously, programming to accompany the new Santa Cruz County Youth Poet Laureate initiative begins in October. Please find info below and encourage any interested young person to attend, or ask me more about anything related to the YPL program. More information here, too.