Just in time for National Poetry Month, CITY SPEAKS 3 is up and ready for your listening pleasure at a park in Pasadena located at 1199 S. Fair Oaks Avenue (S.W. corner of W. State St. and Fair Oaks Ave.)
The newest Episode brings the voices of E. Amato, Conrad Romo, and Terry Wolverton to this sculptural poetry/sonic installation daily, through Dec, 2016 from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM for a sonic experience. Read more…
RIP Prince: Dearly beloved, we are gathered…
Four hundred years ago, at the age of 52, William Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon, died on the same day that he was born: April 23.
Two days ago, on April 21, 2016, at the age of 57, Prince Rogers Nelson died; he was born June 7, 1958.
Both were masters of the written word. But more importantly, both showed the world a way of being in the world. Read more…
Earth Day: a whale of a tale
Happy Earth Day!
Depicted is a group project by some of my students. I challenged my classes to form a group and take an action during a three week period related to an environmental issues, environmental or social justice. Read more…
Poetry for Poem In Your Pocket Day
Hold fast to dreams,
For if dreams die,
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams.
For if dreams go,
Life is a barren field
frozen with snow.
~Langston Hughes
Happy “Poem in Your Pocket Day”!
This poem by Langston Hughes is perfect for today’s “Poem in Your Pocket Day“: it’s eloquent, timely, and it’s short enough to fit easily in your pocket! Read more…
Happy Centennial Birthday to the Ventura County Library System and to Ojai’s local library! Happy National Poetry Month!
As part of ongoing celebrations, join local poets and writers at the 6th annual WordFest, a literary arts festival that kicks off Friday afternoon, April 29th, at the Ojai Public Library located at 111 East Ojai Avenue with FREE Writing Classes, and Saturday and Sunday readings and signings by authors including ME with more events scattered around the Ojai Valley. Read on for the line-up. Read more…
“I pledge allegiance to the earth of our beloved solar system
and to all of her creatures for here they dwell
one planet united in harmony
with universal love and compassion for all.”
April is always big for a poet tree hugger like me. But this week is especially big with a week’s worth of celebrations for the 100th birthday of the National Park Service, April 21’s Poem in Your Pocket Day, and April 22 is Earth Day!
Plus locally, at an NPS film fest at Ventura College, and this weekend, Vendana Shiva will speak at a conference at Pacifica Graduate Institute near Santa Barbara, CA on “The Climates of Change and the Therapy of Ideas” as well as at a free talk at Oak Grove School near Ojai, CA. Plus other events I mention in this post on what nature does to your brain!
Keep reading for more details!
This Earth Month: Find Out What Nature Does To Your Brain
This Earth Month, discover what Nature does to your brain! And to your heart! Not to mention your hair! And yes I’m talking more than being outside at Coachella!
“When we get closer to nature—be it untouched wilderness or a backyard tree—we do our overstressed brains a favor,” states National Geographic Magazine in a story by Florence Williams with photographs by Lucas Foglia. Williams quotes environmental psychologists Stephen and Rachel Kaplan at the University of Michigan:
“Imagine a therapy that had no known side effects, was readily available, and could improve your cognitive functioning at zero cost,” the researchers wrote in their paper. It exists, they continued, and it’s called “interacting with nature.”
But research shows that just talking a walk in the woods or even a neighborhood park for as little as 15 minutes makes a difference to your brain and other measurable stress indicators!
Get out and see the wildflowers this month while on the way to taste wine at one of the many events along the central coast!
April always explodes not only with wildflowers around here, but with wine events too. Here on the central coast, it’s a great time to get out and about, see the green hillsides brimming with colorful orange poppies, purple lupine, yellow daisies of different kinds, and mustard. Read on to learn more about where you should go: Hospice du Rhone in Paso Robles, Champagne on Main in Ventura, California Wine and Jazz Fest at the Four Seasons Westlake, and the 34th Annual Santa Barbara Vintners Festival Grand Tasting.
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Ventura College Gets Culture and Diversity
Starting today, Thursday April 7, 2016 Ventura College offers eight days of exciting and meaningful cultural events and activities. Read more…
Lucidity Festival Opens Doors–and MINDS
Following on the heels of the amazing 3 day Lucid University, on Thursday, April 7 2016, Lucidity Festival opens to embrace those who venture through the gates with early arrival passes!
On Friday the Festival begins in earnest– and one of the first workshops offered is my 9am MAKE YOUR OWN MAGICAL MOUTHWASH in the Family Garden! Bring a cup so you can sample the mouthwash we make without wasting resources! (I will have burnable paper cups if you forget!) Bring a small jar if you’d like to take some with you! See the full schedule of Family Garden “Family Lair” and “Fairies Hollow” and other workshops etc here. Print out this one page pdf.
This opening culminates months and months of planning and artistic imagination and expression.
Musicians have practiced and made set lists, healers have focused energy and made schedules, yoga teachers have developed flows… and so much more!
Collaborators like me have created workshops, dragon’s tongues, Read more…
art predator 