Poetry Santa Cruz was privileged to host, at Bookshop Santa Cruz on Tuesday evening (April 25, 2017), a reading by all four of the Santa Cruz County Poet Laureates: Ellen Bass, David Swanger, Gary Young, and Robert Sward – the current laureate and organizer of this special event.
PSC reading: Lola Haskins, Marc Zegans
On April 11, 2017, a rainy Tuesday evening at Bookshop Santa Cruz, Poetry Santa Cruz welcomed a pair of accomplished poets to the well-attended monthly event. Per the established format, a visiting poet was joined by one of our many fine local poets.
Lola Haskins was this month’s visiting poet, and the evening reading followed an afternoon workshop hosted by PSC board member Dane Cervine.
Marc Zegans opened for Lola as the local poet for April. Marc is familiar to local poetry fans, having previously been a guest for both Poetry Santa Cruz and the Poetry Show.
PSC reading: Travis Massotti, David Allen Sullivan
For the March 14, 2017 2nd Tuesday event, Poetry Santa Cruz brought Travis Massotti all the way from the Endangered Wolf Center in St. Louis, MO to read at Bookshop Santa Cruz. Travis is poet-in-residence at the Center, where he works with his wife Regina, a carnivore biologist. Regina and Travis spent time working with the Bay Area Puma Project at UCSC.
Our own David Allen Sullivan joined Massotti in a very complementary pairing. When not writing and reading poetry, David teaches English and film at Cabrillo College.
PSC Valentine’s Day 2017
This year, the February reading sponsored by Poetry Santa Cruz fell on Valentine’s Day. Accordingly, a program was assembled featuring sixteen readers, presenting two poems each, on the general theme of love. For those of us who attended and/or read, it was a lot of fun. Listen for yourself, and we think you’ll agree.
David Anthony, guest (2015)
To help celebrate African-American History Month, we’re re-posting a podcast of the KUSP Poetry Show, from February 22, 2015. Host Dennis Morton was joined on that broadcast by guest David Anthony for some history and poetry.
Also, join us on Tuesday evening at Bookshop Santa Cruz for a special Poetry Santa Cruz Valentine’s Day reading.
Poetry Santa Cruz, Jan. 2017 – Christopher Buckley, Gary Young
The first Poetry Santa Cruz reading event of 2017 was at Bookshop Santa Cruz. Readers were Christopher Buckley and Gary Young. A good-sized and appreciative audience braved the elements to attend. Now you can enjoy the podcast, safe and dry and warm.
Gary Young, guest poet (2010)
Happy 2017 to Poetry Show listeners everywhere. It’s not too soon to remind everyone to mark your calendars for this month’s very special Poetry Santa Cruz reading, Tuesday, January 10. Featured readers are Christopher Buckley and Gary Young.
To start getting us all in the mood, this post includes a recorded conversation from the Poetry Show archives, between Gary Young and host Dennis Morton (our apologies for the missing first few seconds). It was broadcast January 31, 2010, on KUSP-FM. The occasion was the beginning of Gary Young’s term as the first Poet Laureate of Santa Cruz County.
Juan Felipe Herrera, guest poet (2014)
By request, we’re re-posting this podcast of a conversation which occurred in April, 2014. Poetry Show host Dennis Morton sat down in the KUSP production studio with Juan Felipe Herrera, then Poet Laureate of California. Beginning in 2015, he has been the United States Poet Laureate. Joining the conversation was Stephen Kessler, a former Poetry Show host and longtime friend of Juan Felipe Herrera.
Cervine, Estrin, Glick: PSC local poets reading
Poetry Santa Cruz staged its annual Local Poets Reading on December 13, 2016, at Felix Kulpa Gallery in Santa Cruz. A capacity audience warmly welcomed the three poets, whose disparate ages gave the reading a multi-generational flavor. Enjoy the podcast.
Dane Cervine, guest poet
The upcoming Poetry Santa Cruz reading event will feature a trio of local poets: Dane Cervine, Robin Estrin, and Bert Glick. We’ll be there to record that event and podcast it here. In anticipation, host Dennis Morton sat down on Sunday for a conversation with Dane Cervine.
During the hour, Dane read from and discussed poems from his newest poetry collection, titled Kung Fu of the Dark Father. From the publisher, Plain View Press:
“Kung Fu of the Dark Father presents not only the poet’s father, the author’s own enigmas, but also a veritable lineage of men confronting what Lorca describes as the duende in art and life—mythology’s insistence that one must enter the underworld before there is any hope of bearing light.”
Join us at Felix Kulpa Gallery, 107 Elm Street, Santa Cruz, to hear Dane, Robin, and Bert. It’s on Tuesday, December 13, starting at 7:30 pm.