Poetry Santa Cruz

Below is our comprehensive list of poetry events in and around Santa Cruz. Note that we have reorganized this list as follows: The Monthly list has been integrated into the Other list, while the Workshops are now in a separate list. The Weekly list is unchanged.

Readers in our Tuesday series are often interviewed and read more of their poetry on The Poetry Show on KUSP 88.9 FM, Sundays 8:00-9:00pm. (Webcast available.)

And then there is always Poetry Flash.

CURRENT POETRY SANTA CRUZ EVENTS

Tuesday, September 9
7:30 PM Brian Turner and Maggie Paul.
Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $3 donation suggested. Presented by Poetry Santa Cruz.
[Read more about this event.]

2nd Sunday of each month
Sunday, September 14
2:00 PM Poet/Speak Open Reading with featured reader Elowyn Corby. Main Library upstairs Meeting Room, 224 Church Street, Santa Cruz. Free. Presented by Poetry Santa Cruz and hosted by Joyce Keller.

For future events see the Looking Ahead listing.

These events are supported, in part, by a grant from the the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County. Some events are supported by matching grants to our readers from Poets & Writers, Inc. Poetry Santa Cruz is also sponsored by Casablanca Inn, Bookshop Santa Cruz, Capitola Book Cafe, The Attic, National Writers Union Chapter 7, KUSP, the William James Association, the Museum of Art & History, and Cabrillo College. Membership premiums have been donated by Copper Canyon Press, Graywolf Press, the University of Pittsburgh Press, Robert Sward, Coffee House Press and Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
A voluntary donation of $3 will be requested at venues where collection of donations is permitted.

[return to top]
OTHER POETRY EVENTS DURING THE NEXT MONTH (See also Weekly Events, below)

Tuesdays at 8:30 PM The Poetry Box, a half-hour TV poetry show on Community Television of Santa Cruz County, on Comcast cable channel 27 and Charter (Watsonville) channel 73.
• Tuesdays August 19 and 26 at 8:30 PM. Kirk Glaser, filmed June 10, 2008.
Producer: Joanna Martin. Sponsored by Poetry Santa Cruz.

Friday, August 15 at 1:30 PM The High School Poetry Awards 2008, a 1:22 TV poetry show on Community Television of Santa Cruz County, on Comcast cable channel 25 and Charter (Watsonville) channel 71.
• Tuesday, August 19 at 5:00 PM and Saturday, August 23 at 10:00 AM. High School Poetry Competition and Awards Ceremony, filmed May 20, 2008 by Community Television of Santa Cruz County.
Sponsored by Poetry Santa Cruz and The Santa Cruz County Office of Education.

July 15 to August 31 Shakespeare Santa Cruz presents its 26th season with Romeo and Juliet and All’s Well that Ends Well, by William Shakespeare, plus Bach at Leipzig by Itamar Moses, Burn This by Lanford Wilson and The Antiquarian’s Family by Carlo Goldoni. UCSC Theater Arts Center. 831-459-2159.

The 3rd Saturday of each month
Saturday, August 16
8:00 PM, signup at 7:30 Open Mic for musicians, poets, magicians and other artists of all ages to perform in front of a live audience. Refreshments provided. Donations accepted. Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Santa Cruz County, 6401 Freedom Blvd. Aptos. 477-7588.

The 1st Tuesday of each month
Tuesday, September 2
7:30 PM Poetry First! open mic with featured readers featured readers to be announced. South First Billiards, 420 S. 1st Street, San José. Sponsored by Poetry Center San José and the Creative Writing Department at San José State University.

Friday, September 5
7 PM Signup, 7:30 Start The Wired Poets Open Mic is looking for a new venue. Now on MySpace.

The 1st Saturday of each month
Saturday, September 6
2:30 to 5:00 PM Lost Poets Salon Open Reading and Discussion. Free. Downtown Bagelry, 320 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. (831) 425-0211

2nd Tuesday of each month
Tuesday, September 9
7:00-9:00 PM Monterey Bay Poetry Consortium Reading Series presents The Front St. Poetry Group: Dan Phillips, Ellen Hart, Kate Aver Avraham, Phil Wagner, John Laue, Bernice Rendrick, Jennifer Lagier, and Laura Bayless. East Village Coffee Lounge, 498 Washington St., Monterey. $5.

[return to top]
ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS

Every day
9:01 AM and 8:01 PM The Writer’s Almanac with Garrison Keillor on KAZU 90.3 FM.

Every Sunday
8:00-9:00 PM The Poetry Show on KUSP 88.9 FM. Hosted by Dennis Morton and Morton Marcus. Live interviews, poems read by the host, taped readings or interviews.

Various weekdays Capitola Book Café hosts many author events, with local and visiting authors. Visit their website at http://www.capitolabookcafe.com/ for an up-to-date schedule.

Various Check the literary events page for Monterey County.

Every Wednesday
8:00-9:00 PM Out Of Our Minds on KKUP 91.5 FM. Hosted by J.P. Dancing Bear. Live interviews, poems read by the host, taped readings or interviews.

Every Wednesday
3:00-3:30 PM Cover to Cover on KPFA 94.1 FM. Hosted by Jack Foley.

[return to top]
WORKSHOPS

Ellen Bass Ellen Bass offers the following writing workshops. See Ellen’s website for more details and recent updates.
• Ongoing Weekly groups in Santa Cruz: Writing About Our Lives (And Everything Else).
• Tuesdays 6:00 to 9:00 pm for Women and Men (all genres)
• Wednesdays 1:00-4:00 pm for Women (poetry focus)
• Thursdays 3:00-6:00 pm for Women (all genres)
In addition, she offers the following writing retreats:
• September 5-7, 2008: The Writer's Life with Ellen Bass at the Esalen, Big Sur. For more information and to register, visit www.esalen.org or call 831-667-3005
• December 7-12, 2008: Writing and Knowing: A Poetry Workshop with Ellen Bass, Dorianne Laux, and Joseph Millar at the Esalen Institute, Big Sur. For more information and to register, visit www.esalen.org or call 831-667-3005
• September 5-7, 2008: White Lotus Poetry Workshop with Ellen Bass at the Rowe Conference Cente, Rowe, MA. For more information call 413-339-4954 or visit rowecenter.org.
• September 5-7, 2008: Truth & Beauty with Ellen Bass and Marie Howe at Mabel Dodge Luhan Inn in Taos, New Mexico. For more info, email ellen @ ellenbass.com
• September 5-7, 2008: Writing Our Lives with Ellen Bass at the Hollyhock, Cortes Island, British Columbia. For more information and to register, visit www.hollyhock.ca, email registration@hollyhock.ca or call 800-933-6339.

Joyce Keller Creative Writing. Learn to make writing easy and enjoyable. Memoir, poetry, story-telling. Taught by Joyce Keller, M.S. Capitola Community Center, 4400 Jade St., Capitola, six Thursdays beginning September 11: 9/11, 9/18, 9/25, 10/9, 10/16, 10/23 (not 10/2), 1:00 to 3:00 pm. $62 Capitola residents, $74 non-residents. Info 475-5935, Register 475-6115 for Class # 7412.501.

Adela Najarro at Cabrillo College Adela Najarro will teach English 12B, Creative Writing: Poetry for the Fall semester at Cabrillo College, Tuesdays, 6:00 to 9:10 PM, September 2 through December 16. Adela Najarro holds an MFA and Ph.D. in literature and creative writing. She has published poems in numerous journals and in the recent anthology The Wind Shifts: New Latino Poetry.

Sarah Rabkin • Everyday Poetry taught by Sarah Rabkin: Sunday, September 7, at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, Cascade Head, Oregon Coast. Writing poems is a way of paying attention to our lives, distilling meaning from everyday moments, communicating experience. Everyone can create poems that matter. In this one-day workshop, we will open various doors into the world of poetry, ranging over a variety of topics, tactics, voices, and moods. Each participant will emerge with original poems and with tools for making poetry a regular practice. All are welcome; those with little or no poetry writing experience are especially encouraged. For exact times and locations, fees, enrollment procedures, and other logistics, please see the Sitka Center website or contact the Center at: info@sitkacenter.org or 541-994-5485. For details about workshop content, call or email Sarah Rabkin at 831-475-7548 or srabkin@ucsc.edu.

Amber Coverdale Sumrall Amber Coverdale Sumrall offers the following writing workshops. See Amber’s website for more details. Call 477-4375 or email Amber for her current schedule and to reserve a place.
• Monthly Saturday Drop-In Poetry Revision Workshop. Limited to six participants.
In addition, she offers the following writing retreats:
• October 24-27, 2008 Mission San Antonio in Jolon. Three nights, $350.
• December 12-15, 2008 at the New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur. Three nights, $330.

Patrice Vecchione • Writing and the Spiritual Life: Finding Your Voice Within, a workshop with Patrice Vecchione to be held November 23-28 at Esalen Institute. Register directly from the Esalen website: www.esalen.org or call 831-667-3005.
• For additional information on workshops by Patrice Vecchione, see her website, www.patricevecchione.com. Contact Patrice at heartwrd@mbay.net, or 831-394-8459.

[return to top]
LOOKING AHEAD

2nd Sunday of each month
Sunday, October 12
2:00 PM Poet/Speak Open Reading with featured reader Janet M. McEwan. Main Library upstairs Meeting Room, 224 Church Street, Santa Cruz. Free. Presented by Poetry Santa Cruz and hosted by Joyce Keller.

Tuesday, October 14
7:30 PM April Ossmann and co-reader to be announced.
Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $3 donation suggested. Presented by Poetry Santa Cruz.

2nd Tuesday of each month
Tuesday, October 14
7:00-9:00 PM Monterey Bay Poetry Consortium Reading Series presents Len Anderson and George Lober. East Village Coffee Lounge, 498 Washington St., Monterey. $5.

2nd Sunday of each month
Sunday, November 9
2:00 PM Poet/Speak Open Reading with featured reader David Sahner. Main Library upstairs Meeting Room, 224 Church Street, Santa Cruz. Free. Presented by Poetry Santa Cruz and hosted by Joyce Keller.

2nd Sunday this month only
Sunday, November 9
7:00-9:00 PM Monterey Bay Poetry Consortium Reading Series presents Charles Atkinson and Elliot Ruchowitz-Roberts. East Village Coffee Lounge, 498 Washington St., Monterey. $5.

Tuesday, November 18
7:30 PM Lucille Clifton will read in the First Annual Maude Meehan Memorial Poetry Reading.
Humanities Lecture Hall, UCSC. Free. Presented by Poetry Santa Cruz and the UCSC Living Writers Series.

Tuesday, December 9
7:30 PM Robert Minhinnick and Joseph Stroud.
Capitola Book Café, 1475 41st Avenue, Capitola. $3 donation suggested. Presented by Poetry Santa Cruz.

2nd Tuesday of each month
Tuesday, December 9
7:00-9:00 PM Monterey Bay Poetry Consortium Reading Series presents Dan Linehan and Barbara Mossberg. East Village Coffee Lounge, 498 Washington St., Monterey. $5.

2nd Sunday of each month
Sunday, December 14
2:00 PM Poet/Speak Open Reading with featured reader to be announced. Main Library upstairs Meeting Room, 224 Church Street, Santa Cruz. Free. Presented by Poetry Santa Cruz and hosted by Joyce Keller.

2nd Sunday of each month
Sunday, January 11
2:00 PM Poet/Speak Open Reading with featured reader to be announced. Main Library upstairs Meeting Room, 224 Church Street, Santa Cruz. Free. Presented by Poetry Santa Cruz and hosted by Joyce Keller.

Tuesday, January 13
7:30 PM Annie Boutelle and Roz Spafford.
Capitola Book Café, 1475 41st Avenue, Capitola. $3 donation suggested. Presented by Poetry Santa Cruz.

2nd Sunday of each month
Sunday, February 8
2:00 PM Poet/Speak Open Reading with featured reader to be announced. Main Library upstairs Meeting Room, 224 Church Street, Santa Cruz. Free. Presented by Poetry Santa Cruz and hosted by Joyce Keller.

Tuesday, February 10
7:30 PM D. Nurkse and Stephen Kessler.
Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $3 donation suggested. Presented by Poetry Santa Cruz.

2nd Tuesday of each month
Tuesday, February 10
7:00-9:00 PM Monterey Bay Poetry Consortium Reading Series presents David Allen Sullivan and a co-reader to be announced. East Village Coffee Lounge, 498 Washington St., Monterey. $5.

[return to top]

CURRENT POETRY SANTA CRUZ EVENTS
Tuesday, September 9 7:30 PM	Brian Turner and Maggie Paul. Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $3 donation suggested. Presented by Poetry Santa Cruz. [Read more about this event.]
2nd Sunday of each month Sunday, September 14 2:00 PM	Poet/Speak Open Reading with featured reader Elowyn Corby. Main Library upstairs Meeting Room, 224 Church Street, Santa Cruz. Free. Presented by Poetry Santa Cruz and hosted by Joyce Keller.

[return to top] OTHER POETRY EVENTS DURING THE NEXT MONTH (See also Weekly Events, below)
Tuesdays at 8:30 PM	The Poetry Box, a half-hour TV poetry show on Community Television of Santa Cruz County, on Comcast cable channel 27 and Charter (Watsonville) channel 73. • Tuesdays August 19 and 26 at 8:30 PM. Kirk Glaser, filmed June 10, 2008. Producer: Joanna Martin. Sponsored by Poetry Santa Cruz.
Friday, August 15 at 1:30 PM	The High School Poetry Awards 2008, a 1:22 TV poetry show on Community Television of Santa Cruz County, on Comcast cable channel 25 and Charter (Watsonville) channel 71. • Tuesday, August 19 at 5:00 PM and Saturday, August 23 at 10:00 AM. *High School Poetry Competition and Awards Ceremony*, filmed May 20, 2008 by Community Television of Santa Cruz County. Sponsored by Poetry Santa Cruz and The Santa Cruz County Office of Education.
July 15 to August 31	Shakespeare Santa Cruz presents its 26th season with *Romeo and Juliet* and *All’s Well that Ends Well, by William Shakespeare, plus Bach at Leipzig* by Itamar Moses, Burn This by Lanford Wilson and The Antiquarian’s Family by Carlo Goldoni. UCSC Theater Arts Center. 831-459-2159.
The 3rd Saturday of each month Saturday, August 16 8:00 PM, signup at 7:30	Open Mic for musicians, poets, magicians and other artists of all ages to perform in front of a live audience. Refreshments provided. Donations accepted. Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Santa Cruz County, 6401 Freedom Blvd. Aptos. 477-7588.
The 1st Tuesday of each month Tuesday, September 2 7:30 PM	Poetry First! open mic with featured readers featured readers to be announced. South First Billiards, 420 S. 1st Street, San José. Sponsored by Poetry Center San José and the Creative Writing Department at San José State University.
Friday, September 5 7 PM Signup, 7:30 Start	The Wired Poets Open Mic is looking for a new venue. Now on MySpace.
The 1st Saturday of each month Saturday, September 6 2:30 to 5:00 PM	Lost Poets Salon Open Reading and Discussion. Free. Downtown Bagelry, 320 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. (831) 425-0211
2nd Tuesday of each month Tuesday, September 9 7:00-9:00 PM	Monterey Bay Poetry Consortium Reading Series presents The Front St. Poetry Group: Dan Phillips, Ellen Hart, Kate Aver Avraham, Phil Wagner, John Laue, Bernice Rendrick, Jennifer Lagier, and Laura Bayless. East Village Coffee Lounge, 498 Washington St., Monterey. $5.

[return to top] ONGOING WEEKLY EVENTS
Every day 9:01 AM and 8:01 PM	The Writer’s Almanac with Garrison Keillor on KAZU 90.3 FM.
Every Sunday 8:00-9:00 PM	The Poetry Show on KUSP 88.9 FM. Hosted by Dennis Morton and Morton Marcus. Live interviews, poems read by the host, taped readings or interviews.
Various weekdays	Capitola Book Café hosts many author events, with local and visiting authors. Visit their website at http://www.capitolabookcafe.com/ for an up-to-date schedule.
Various	Check the literary events page for Monterey County.
Every Wednesday 8:00-9:00 PM	Out Of Our Minds on KKUP 91.5 FM. Hosted by J.P. Dancing Bear. Live interviews, poems read by the host, taped readings or interviews.
Every Wednesday 3:00-3:30 PM	Cover to Cover on KPFA 94.1 FM. Hosted by Jack Foley.

[return to top] WORKSHOPS
Ellen Bass	Ellen Bass offers the following writing workshops. See Ellen’s website for more details and recent updates. • Ongoing Weekly groups in Santa Cruz: Writing About Our Lives (And Everything Else). • Tuesdays 6:00 to 9:00 pm for Women and Men (all genres) • Wednesdays 1:00-4:00 pm for Women (poetry focus) • Thursdays 3:00-6:00 pm for Women (all genres) In addition, she offers the following writing retreats: • September 5-7, 2008: The Writer's Life with Ellen Bass at the Esalen, Big Sur. For more information and to register, visit www.esalen.org or call 831-667-3005 • December 7-12, 2008: Writing and Knowing: A Poetry Workshop with Ellen Bass, Dorianne Laux, and Joseph Millar at the Esalen Institute, Big Sur. For more information and to register, visit www.esalen.org or call 831-667-3005 • September 5-7, 2008: White Lotus Poetry Workshop with Ellen Bass at the Rowe Conference Cente, Rowe, MA. For more information call 413-339-4954 or visit rowecenter.org. • September 5-7, 2008: Truth & Beauty with Ellen Bass and Marie Howe at Mabel Dodge Luhan Inn in Taos, New Mexico. For more info, email ellen @ ellenbass.com • September 5-7, 2008: Writing Our Lives with Ellen Bass at the Hollyhock, Cortes Island, British Columbia. For more information and to register, visit www.hollyhock.ca, email registration@hollyhock.ca or call 800-933-6339.
Joyce Keller	Creative Writing. Learn to make writing easy and enjoyable. Memoir, poetry, story-telling. Taught by Joyce Keller, M.S. Capitola Community Center, 4400 Jade St., Capitola, six Thursdays beginning September 11: 9/11, 9/18, 9/25, 10/9, 10/16, 10/23 (not 10/2), 1:00 to 3:00 pm. $62 Capitola residents, $74 non-residents. Info 475-5935, Register 475-6115 for Class # 7412.501.
Adela Najarro at Cabrillo College	Adela Najarro will teach English 12B, Creative Writing: Poetry for the Fall semester at Cabrillo College, Tuesdays, 6:00 to 9:10 PM, September 2 through December 16. Adela Najarro holds an MFA and Ph.D. in literature and creative writing. She has published poems in numerous journals and in the recent anthology The Wind Shifts: New Latino Poetry.
Sarah Rabkin	• Everyday Poetry taught by Sarah Rabkin: Sunday, September 7, at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, Cascade Head, Oregon Coast. Writing poems is a way of paying attention to our lives, distilling meaning from everyday moments, communicating experience. Everyone can create poems that matter. In this one-day workshop, we will open various doors into the world of poetry, ranging over a variety of topics, tactics, voices, and moods. Each participant will emerge with original poems and with tools for making poetry a regular practice. All are welcome; those with little or no poetry writing experience are especially encouraged. For exact times and locations, fees, enrollment procedures, and other logistics, please see the Sitka Center website or contact the Center at: info@sitkacenter.org or 541-994-5485. For details about workshop content, call or email Sarah Rabkin at 831-475-7548 or srabkin@ucsc.edu.
Amber Coverdale Sumrall	Amber Coverdale Sumrall offers the following writing workshops. See Amber’s website for more details. Call 477-4375 or email Amber for her current schedule and to reserve a place. • Monthly Saturday Drop-In Poetry Revision Workshop. Limited to six participants. In addition, she offers the following writing retreats: • October 24-27, 2008 Mission San Antonio in Jolon. Three nights, $350. • December 12-15, 2008 at the New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur. Three nights, $330.
Patrice Vecchione	• Writing and the Spiritual Life: Finding Your Voice Within, a workshop with Patrice Vecchione to be held November 23-28 at Esalen Institute. Register directly from the Esalen website: www.esalen.org or call 831-667-3005. • For additional information on workshops by Patrice Vecchione, see her website, www.patricevecchione.com. Contact Patrice at heartwrd@mbay.net, or 831-394-8459.

[return to top] LOOKING AHEAD
2nd Sunday of each month Sunday, October 12 2:00 PM	Poet/Speak Open Reading with featured reader Janet M. McEwan. Main Library upstairs Meeting Room, 224 Church Street, Santa Cruz. Free. Presented by Poetry Santa Cruz and hosted by Joyce Keller.
Tuesday, October 14 7:30 PM	April Ossmann and co-reader to be announced. Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $3 donation suggested. Presented by Poetry Santa Cruz.
2nd Tuesday of each month Tuesday, October 14 7:00-9:00 PM	Monterey Bay Poetry Consortium Reading Series presents Len Anderson and George Lober. East Village Coffee Lounge, 498 Washington St., Monterey. $5.
2nd Sunday of each month Sunday, November 9 2:00 PM	Poet/Speak Open Reading with featured reader David Sahner. Main Library upstairs Meeting Room, 224 Church Street, Santa Cruz. Free. Presented by Poetry Santa Cruz and hosted by Joyce Keller.
2nd Sunday this month only Sunday, November 9 7:00-9:00 PM	Monterey Bay Poetry Consortium Reading Series presents Charles Atkinson and Elliot Ruchowitz-Roberts. East Village Coffee Lounge, 498 Washington St., Monterey. $5.
Tuesday, November 18 7:30 PM	Lucille Clifton will read in the First Annual Maude Meehan Memorial Poetry Reading. Humanities Lecture Hall, UCSC. Free. Presented by Poetry Santa Cruz and the UCSC Living Writers Series.
Tuesday, December 9 7:30 PM	Robert Minhinnick and Joseph Stroud. Capitola Book Café, 1475 41st Avenue, Capitola. $3 donation suggested. Presented by Poetry Santa Cruz.
2nd Tuesday of each month Tuesday, December 9 7:00-9:00 PM	Monterey Bay Poetry Consortium Reading Series presents Dan Linehan and Barbara Mossberg. East Village Coffee Lounge, 498 Washington St., Monterey. $5.
2nd Sunday of each month Sunday, December 14 2:00 PM	Poet/Speak Open Reading with featured reader to be announced. Main Library upstairs Meeting Room, 224 Church Street, Santa Cruz. Free. Presented by Poetry Santa Cruz and hosted by Joyce Keller.
2nd Sunday of each month Sunday, January 11 2:00 PM	Poet/Speak Open Reading with featured reader to be announced. Main Library upstairs Meeting Room, 224 Church Street, Santa Cruz. Free. Presented by Poetry Santa Cruz and hosted by Joyce Keller.
Tuesday, January 13 7:30 PM	Annie Boutelle and Roz Spafford. Capitola Book Café, 1475 41st Avenue, Capitola. $3 donation suggested. Presented by Poetry Santa Cruz.
2nd Sunday of each month Sunday, February 8 2:00 PM	Poet/Speak Open Reading with featured reader to be announced. Main Library upstairs Meeting Room, 224 Church Street, Santa Cruz. Free. Presented by Poetry Santa Cruz and hosted by Joyce Keller.
Tuesday, February 10 7:30 PM	D. Nurkse and Stephen Kessler. Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $3 donation suggested. Presented by Poetry Santa Cruz.
2nd Tuesday of each month Tuesday, February 10 7:00-9:00 PM	Monterey Bay Poetry Consortium Reading Series presents David Allen Sullivan and a co-reader to be announced. East Village Coffee Lounge, 498 Washington St., Monterey. $5.
[return to top]