Santa Barbara is a thriving creative community which includes poets and poetry lovers of all kinds. Santa Barbara even has its own poetry press, Gunpowder Press, which includes local poets in its Shoreline Voices series.
This site will get a full update soon. But in the meantime, here are the events for National Poetry Month, April 2025:
Wednesday, April 2
Juan Felipe Herrera Day at Santa Barbara City College. All events at the Garvin Theater:
10-11 a.m. | Poetry Workshop: “The Creative Process of Writing Poetry”
5:30-6 p.m. | Reception at the Garvin Theatre Outside Patio
6-7 p.m. | Poetry Reading & Commentary: “The Raíces of My Poetry”
7-8 p.m. | Book Signing
Spirits in the Air: Potent Potable Poetry, a group of invited poets will read their work, and the work of others, about libations of all sorts, The Good Lion, 1212 State St., 4:30-5:30 Poetic Happy Hour, 5:30-6:30 pm, Poetry Reading
Thursday, April 3
The Maverick Poetics of Juan Felipe Herrera, a reading and panel with Professor Prof. Juan Casillas-Núñez, Prof. Jorge Omar Ramírez-Pimienta, and Prof. Francisco Lomelí, and former U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, UCSB MCC Theater, 4 pm
Typewriter Poetry—come make your request and have poets create right in front of you, led by Simon Kiefer, 5-8 pm in front of Old Navy on State Street
Saturday, April 5
Celebrating Latino Poetry with Emma Trelles and Blas Falconer, Santa Barbara Public Library, Faulkner Gallery, 3 pm
Saturday, April 12
Poetry in the Parks, a special day of poetry at the Alhecama Theatre, featuring CA State Poet Laureate Lee Herrick, SB Poets Laureate Melinda Palacio, Perie J Longo, and Emma Trelles, poets Ruben Lee Dalton, Lori Anaya, Takunda Chickowero, and Scott Green, music by Mark Zolezzi/Gruntled, and dance performances by Rosal Ortega Flamenco, 1-3:30 pm
Sunday, April 13
The Poetry Zone Monthly Reading, Karpeles Manuscript Library. Featured Readers: The Inner Three, Don Kingfisher Campbell, Marvinlouis Dorsey and Calokie, 1:30 – 3 pm
Monday, April 14
Lowstate Salon, Casa Agria, 418 State St., Santa Barbara. This month, Felicity Landa will guide the writing event as they explore Hidden Truths, the places between fact and fiction, hiding and being exposed, 7-9 pm
Friday, April 18
David Starkey, former SB Poet Laureate, will celebrate the release of his latest book Talking Heads, Every Album, Every Song, part of the On Track… Series at Draughtsmen Aleworks in Goleta, 6:30 pm
Saturday, April 19
Poetry and Music: Friday Gretchen, Year of the Crow, Geoffrey Jacques, Sean Colletti, Marsha de la O, Dian Sousa, Jim Connelly, and Phil Taggart, The Piano Kitchen, 4185 Carpinteria Ave. Unit 3, Carpinteria, 7 pm
Tuesday, April 22
Installation of Santa Barbara Poet Laureate XI, George Yatchisin, Santa Barbara City Hall, 2 pm
Saturday, April 26
A Celebration of National Poetry Month, featuring readers Cynthia Carbone Ward, Ron Colone, Dorothy Jardin, and Teresa McNeil Maclean, Elverhøj Museum of History and Art, Solvang, 4-6 pm.
Sunday, April 27
Carpinteria Festival of Books at the Carp Arts Center, noon-4 pm.
Tuesday, April 29
Chaucer’s Bookstore, A Poetry Month Celebration featuring poet and artist Sharon Frances (Ash & Feather), CalPoets in the Schools young poets’ prize winner recognition, and typewriter poetry with poets Simon Kiefer, Diana Raab, 2009-11 Santa Barbara Poet Laureate David Starkey, and newly installed Laureate, George Yatchisin, 5:30-7 pm
There are going to be two events Friday, May 2, too, because April can’t contain our poetry flex—Robin Walter at Loud Flower Art Co., 6:30 pm
and
James Crews and Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer at the SBPL Fireplace Room, 6 pm