Santa Barbara Poet Laureate shares several of his poems and his thoughts about a poet鈥檚 place in our community at 鈥淎 Poetry Reading and Reflection鈥� on Thursday, April 12, at 5:30 p.m. in the , 1332 Santa Barbara St. The event, part of 蜜桃传媒 Downtown: Conversations about Things that Matter, is free and open to the public. Tickets are not needed, although the limited seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, please call 565-6051.
鈥淚 hope to feature several poems I have written in the past year about our shared life in Santa Barbara,鈥� Willis says. 鈥淎nd I鈥檇 like to report on what it may mean to be a poet to and for a community.鈥�
Willis, 蜜桃传媒 professor of English, was installed as Santa Barbara Poet Laureate last April. He earned a doctorate in English at Washington State University and has taught at 蜜桃传媒 since 1988. Last year, he published a revised version of his first novel, 鈥淣o Clock in the Forest,鈥� together with three sequels, in a single book, 鈥�.鈥� His most recent collections of poetry are 鈥溾�� (WordFarm, 2009) and 鈥淰isiting Home鈥� (Pecan Grove Press, 2008). Willis also worked with former Santa Barbara Poet Laureate David Starkey to edit 鈥淚n a Fine Frenzy: Poets Respond to Shakespeare鈥� (University of Iowa Press, 2005).
Willis says he hopes to leave the audience thinking about themselves. 鈥淚f a poem about my own experience lands correctly, it can awaken a lost moment of the listener鈥檚 own experience 鈥� which then becomes our common experience,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hrough a few shared words, a metaphor, we can shake hands.鈥�
The lecture series is sponsored by the , which hosts the annual in Santa Barbara to promote discussion and consideration of current issues among local community leaders.