CA Poet Laureate Al Young visits the Art Predator Mon April 21

Here we are, California State Poet Laureate Al Young and the Art Predator at the Santa Barbara Book Festival Sept. 2007–that’s Glenna Luschei, poet and publisher in the background.

On Monday, April 21, Al Young will do a live interview on NPR’s Morning Edition, then he will drive up to read at the college where I teach and share his work with my students and the community. While here he will participate in three events:

7-9pm–“A Celebration of the Earth:
Poetry & Performance featuring AL YOUNG “
in Guthrie Hall on the West side of campus; park near the gym; $1 to park

The evening begins with live music and a living history performance by Suzanne Lawrence as Anna Paquette on “One Hundred Years of Growth: 1815-1915–from remote agricultural Mission Town to car accessible county seat” followed by Theater Arts student KM Hageman and Friends who will sing Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land.”

At sunset, Al Young will perform backed by jazz musicians and with an accompanying slide show of eco-art images contributed by Debra McKillop, Steve Schafer, Dan Holmes, students, and others. The slide show is organized by student Art major Tanya Orozco. The evening will close with another song by KM and Friends.

For more about Al Young, author of over 20 books of poetry, prose, and fiction including the National Book Award winner in 2002, The Sound of Dreams Remembered go to alyoung.org.

A reception, funded by the Ventura College Foundation, will follow. Al Young’s performance in funded by Associated Students.

Al will give two readings during the day: a lunch time brown bag poetry reading in the Garden Patio between the new library (LRC) and the old library (SSC) from 12-1245p, and a prose and poetry reading with writing tips and techniques from 130-230 in the same location.

All events are free and open to the public.

The Art Predator is very excited!