Poetry for Everyone
--(teens especially).
This issue has news for everyone, but I hope you’ll share it especially with any teens or teachers you know to get the word out about several exciting opportunities for young writers.
News For Teens
Thursday, Oct 3, 5pm Youth Poet Laureate Dina Lusztig Noyes hosts Underworld Open Mic for young people—high school and college students invited to read—at Subrosa Community Space, 703 Pacific Ave in Downtown SC. For more information, email Dina at maxhyrax@gmail.com. All are welcome to attend and support these poets!
Saturday, Oct 5, 11am-12pm Teens 13-18 interested in spending an hour exploring writing poems with me, Farnaz Fatemi, are invited to the Felton Branch Library. This is part of a robust lineup of fall events with poets across the county to support teen poets, including workshops led and planned by fantastic teen poets for their peers, sessions on spoken word, and more. See the October lineup below, and full descriptions about all upcoming programming at the Santa Cruz County Youth Poet Laureate events webpage.
Call for Participation for Young Writers
The Youth Poet Laureate and the Youth Poet Laureate cohort of finalists are looking for young writers to participate in an anthology project of local writing to be published this spring with Sixteen Rivers Press. Interested participants should submit a writing sample by October 1. See graphic below for QR code and full details. Email sccountyanthologyproject@gmail.com with any questions before October 1
Calendar of Readings & Events
Sept 28, 2:30pm Dina Lusztig Noyes, Youth Poet Laureate, reads in person for the return of Community Writers at the Porter Memorial Library. This is the first time the event is back post-pandemic and is bound to be special. Community Writers of Santa Cruz County.
Tuesday Oct 1, 7pm Inter|Act Spoken Word Open Mic Featured Poet Mukethe Kawinzii. At Satori an artist space, 815 Almar, Unit 9, Santa Cruz.
Sunday Oct 6, 1:30pm Poetry and Music in the Park is at Mesa Village Park in Watsonville with poets Maggie Paul, Andrew Fague, and Kimberley Bermender and musicians The Untangled Band.
Tuesday, Oct 8, 7pm Hive Live! The Hive Poetry Collective hosts Danusha Laméris and Joshua Jennifer Espinoza. Register/RSVP to save your space at Bookshop Santa Cruz here.
Thursday Oct 10, 6:30pm Writers of Color - Santa Cruz County at the Museum of Art & History, 705 Front St. Santa Cruz. To register, click here. Please note, Tickets are free. You don't have to donate. The 'Pay' or donate buttons will change to 'Register' when you add the number of tickets you need. Then you can continue without paying.
Final Call for Morton Marcus Memorial Poetry Prize!
The annual Morton Marcus Memorial Poetry Prize is now open for submissions. Deadline is September 30. Poets may submit one poem (one entry only), up to two pages in length. The winner of the prize will receive $1,000, and an invitation to read their winning poem at The 15th Annual Morton Marcus Poetry Reading at UC Santa Cruz on November 7th. This year’s reading will feature Santa Cruz poet Ellen Bass. This year’s judge is Santa Cruz poet Brad Crenshaw.
New Book by Local Poet
Jessica Cohn’s debut book of poems, Gratitude Diary, has been launched!
“Finding her way forward in the post-truth world, Jessica Cohn marks a path with rocks, ribbons, and observations in verse. In Gratitude Diary, the first poetry collection from this long-time nonfiction writer, the poems follow an arc from grief and regret to illumination-from broken islands and rancid flower water to communal fire and the medicine creek. Within these pages, readers are fitted with "the apparatus of wings" to find the healing and "terrible beauty" found in "stranger things." Find out more and order the book at https://www.jessicacohn.net
Apply to be the next Santa Cruz County Poet Laureate
From Santa Cruz Public Libraries: “Attention Poets: Save the Date! We are pleased to announce that application period for the 2025-2026 Santa Cruz County Poet Laureate opens on October 1 through October 30, 2024.” More information coming soon. I’ll share information in the next issue (by mid-month), but check santacruzpl.org on October 1. I have loved serving in this role—and I know the next person will thrive.