Willis Showcases a Month of Poetry in SB

Paul Willis, Westmont professor of English and Santa Barbara Poet Laureate, has organized a month-long celebration of poetry events throughout Santa Barbara. National Poetry Month, which was inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, has been part of organized celebrations in Santa Barbara for seven years, following the installation of the city’s first poet laureate, Barry Spacks.

“The events of the month provide a showcase for local and visiting poets and also provide a ready way for people of all ages to enjoy reading, hearing and writing poetry,” Willis says. “As a quieter art, poetry sometimes escapes our attention. This is its month in the sun.”

National Poetry Month in Santa Barbara features children, teenagers, college students and adults, representing an array of diversity. Events will be hosted by Westmont, SBCC and UCSB. Willis says some of the other readings will take place at an interesting variety of downtown venues. “In this art-rich city, several readings will feature poems in response to the visual arts,” Willis says. “We hope there is literally something for everyone in the 21 events that are currently scheduled.”

Willis, who earned a doctorate in English at Washington State University, has taught at Westmont since 1988. Last year he published a revised version of his first novel, “No Clock in the Forest,” together with three sequels, in a single book, “The Alpine Tales.” His most recent collections of poetry are “Rosing from the Dead” (WordFarm, 2009) and “Visiting Home” (Pecan Grove Press, 2008).

Santa Barbara Poetry Events for National Poetry Month 2012

• April 4 - Literary Symposium Series: Christopher Buckley reads at 4 p.m. in UCSB’s College of Creative Studies, Old Little Theater, Building 494.
• April 5 -First Thursday Open Mic at 5 p.m. on the corner of State and Canon Perdido (patio in front of Marshall’s)
• 6 p.m. - Poets on the Threshold: a response to the current photography exhibit in the Channing Peake Gallery in the County Administration Building, 105 E Anapamu
• April 7 - Veteran’s Reading at 7 p.m. in Fe Bland Auditorium, West Campus, SBCC
• April 8 - Poems about Art at 2:30 p.m. in Linda Saccoccio’s Art Studio, 615 De La Vina
• April 10 - Declaration of Poetry Month at 2 p.m. in City Council Chambers, City Hall, 735 Anacapa
• April 11 - Literary Symposium Series: Richard Berengarten reads at 4 p.m. at the UCSB College of Creative Studies, Old Little Theater, Building 494
• 6 p.m. - Circle of 5ths: Poets and songwriters at the Good Cup, 1819 Cliff Drive
• April 12 - Westmont Downtown: Paul Willis reads at 5:30 p.m. at the University Club, 1332 Santa Barbara
• April 14 - Master Class Workshop with Christine Kravetz and Ellen Dore Watson at 9 a.m. in the Mission Renewal Center, Mission Santa Barbara
• 2 p.m. - Poetry Zone: Jan Steckel reads at the Karpeles Manuscript Library, 21 W Anapamu; open reading follow
• 7 p.m. - Santa Barbara Poetry Series: a reading by local poets who have published books of poems in the past year, Contemporary Arts Forum, 653 Paseo Nuevo
• April 15 - Taxing Your Titanic: a group reading at noon at the Karpeles Manuscript Library, 21 W Anapamu
• 1 p.m. - Mission Poetry Series: Michael C. Ford, Suzanne Frost, David Starkey, and Ellen Dore Watson read at Clare’s Place, Mission Renewal Center, Mission Santa Barbara
• April 16 - Favorite Poems: bring a favorite poem to read (not your own) at 5:15 p.m. at the Blue Agave, 20 E Cota
• April 19 - Young People’s Poetry Contest Winners at 6:30 p.m. in the first floor hearing room of the County Administration Building, 105 E Anapamu
• April 21 - Whitman-Stein Reading at 7 p.m. in Fe Bland Auditorium, West Campus, SBCC
• April 22 - California Poets-in-the-Schools Reading: young poets read original work at 2 p.m. in the Santa Barbara Museum of Art Auditorium, 1130 State
• April 25 - Westmont Ekphrastic Reading: Westmont students read original work in response to the Senior Art Show at 4 p.m., Adams 212, Westmont College
• 7 p.m. - SBCC Spoken Word Event II: City College students read original work, 2nd Floor, Administration Building, East Campus, SBCC
• April 27 - Final PoetryFest: a group reading by all of the event organizers of the month at 7 p.m. at the Contemporary Arts Forum, 653 Paseo Nuevo