Poetry in Parks Celebrates 10th Anniversary and National Poetry Month
SANTA BARBARA – In celebration of National Poetry Month, California State Parks invites the public to Poetry in Parks, now in its 10th year, at the historic Alhecama Theatre in the El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park (SHP) this Saturday, April 12,.
WHAT: Poetry in Parks
WHEN: Saturday, April 12 from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
WHERE: Alhecama Theatre
215a E. Canon Perdido Street, Santa Barbara
WHO:
- Hosted by Santa Barbara Poet Laureate Melinda Palacio
- Local poets including youth poets Mirabel Sandler, age 9, and Takunda Chikowero, age 10.
- Special guests include Mia Lopez, Coastal Band of Chumash tribal member and founding director of The Space: Su’nan Protection, Art and Cultural Education and California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick.
- The afternoon will feature spoken word, live music and the Rosal Ortega Flamenco dancers.
COST: Free, parking may be an additional charge
About Poetry in Parks
Poetry in Parks began in 2015 at Samuel P. Taylor State Park (SP) with Quiet Lightning, a literary non-profit from San Francisco. Poetry in Parks is a celebration of the legacy of literature in California State Parks and the connection between arts, specifically spoken-word, and the wilderness experience State Parks can provide. Two state park units are named after famous California writers, Jack London SHP and Robert Louis Stevenson SP.
California State Archaeologist Scott Green, the founder of Poetry in Parks, was drawn into the work of poetry serendipitously when he discovered that a historic archaeological site located in Samuel P. Taylor SP in west Marin County was associated with Kenneth Rexroth, a mid-20th century American poet and who helped usher in the San Francisco poetry renaissance in the 1940s and is affectionately known today as the Grand Daddy of the Beats. In his later years Rexroth became a poetry instructor at University California Santa Barbara and was buried in Santa Barbara.
Encouraged by support from poetic luminaries and admirers of Kenneth Rexroth, such as Gary Snyder, Dana Gioia, Kim Stanley Robinson, the late Michael McClure and the artist, Tom Killion, Green has produced 17 Poetry in Parks events with numerous partnering organizations working with over 100 poets, including Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning poets, local poet laureates, California Poets in the Schools, Poetry Out Loud students and Native California tribal storytellers. Poetry in Parks was an initial pilot program grant recipient from Arts in California Parks, a special initiative to bring together talented artists, wise culture bearers, California Native American tribes, and our diverse communities.
According to Green, “Poetry in Parks events offer accessibility for the public to experience music and performance art in beautiful and historic park settings throughout California for free.”
Poetry in Parks first came to the Alhecama Theater in 2018 and returned in 2024 with support from the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation and the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture.
Additional upcoming Poetry in Parks events are planned throughout the year, including Saturday, April 26 at Empire Mine SHP in Grass Valley, Saturday, July 26 at Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve in Guerneville, and Saturday, Sept. 13 at China Camp SP in San Rafael.
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California State Parks provides for the health, inspiration and education of the people of California by helping to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and cultural resources, and creating opportunities for high quality outdoor recreation.