Poetry Connection: Connecting with Teens and Typewriters

 

Melinda Palacio, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate 2023-2025

 

I had the pleasure of offering a writing workshop to teenaged poets who are part of Simon Kieffer’s Teen Arts Mentorship sponsored by the Arts Fund. All county students aged 13-18 are eligible for the teen mentorship. A wide variety of arts professionals are on hand to show youth the ropes of living an art-filled life. With typewriter mentorship in mind, I shared some writing exercises to help get the creative inspiration flowing. A popular questions remains, ‘how do I get started?’. I often find that it is easier to complete a poem, chapter or writing assignment when I come to the computer with words or ideas that are first written on paper. In this case, students were working on typewriters.

There’s an added challenge when composing on a typewriter. Most of the students had never used a typewriter. Unlike a computer, a typewriter requires physical force and effort just to type one letter, let alone a few words or entire poem. Simon showed the teens how to load the paper into the typewriter and how to return the carriage and use the backspace button. He suggested typing with two index fingers, think of Snoopy, the beagle author. We had a good laugh wondering how a beagle uses a typewriter; Charles Schulz somehow made it happen.

I recall a very different method for typing. This is where I date myself. When I was in Junior High School, I took a typing class and learned touch typing. I can still hear the teacher singing out the letters. You would hear, ‘J, J, J, J,’ over the clatter of 30 students pounding on typewriters, drowning out the teacher’s soprano voice that was somehow off key. The repetitive pressing of each key several times over helped our fingers memorize where the letters were on the typewriter’s keyboard. Speed and accuracy gave a student the better grade. Speed is no longer as important as it used to be, especially when composing poems.

Simon does a great job explaining the ins and outs of typewriters to the teens. I was impressed by how quickly they learned how to compose on the typewriters. While I spent a whole semester in Junior High learning how to touch type, the students were able to quickly get the hang of typing within minutes. Of course, knowing how to use devices, such as a computer and cell phone, with built in keyboards helped their swift learning. Even more impressive were the poems they came up with during our session together. How I wish I could share the wonderful poems they wrote in my workshop, but I respect their privacy. Although a few offered to send me their poems, I have yet to receive them. Maybe, next time. I am happy that they wrote on both paper and on typewriters. I look forward to seeing their future work. I could tell that they will all be wonderful poets. 

 

This post is also published in the Santa Barbara Independent. 

Poetry Connection: Connecting with Fellow Communicators

 Melinda Palacio, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate 2023-2025

AWC 2025 Honorees Teresa Kuskey, Melinda Palacio, Adriana Arriaga, Frances Moore, and JoAnne Wasserman

On May 21, the culmination of much hard work from the Association for Women in Communication resulted in a lively awards luncheon. I’m not saying this because I was one of the honorees, but I was impressed by how much work went into the program. It was a marathon. Preparing for the moment involved more than simply showing up to receive an award. The program was in May and the organizers get to work on next year’s event as early as the previous summer, they choose a theme and decide on the honorees.

It was in September when Judith Smith-Meyer asked for my email on Instagram. She said she’d like to reach out about AWC-SB Women of Achievement program 2025. Judith is someone that I met through AWC and we had a few friends in common. I had let my membership to AWC lapse because I wasn’t able to make any of the events. When Judith contacted me though social media, I suspected she wanted me to write a poem for the event or for the honorees. I was humbled and had to reread her subsequent email several times to realize she wanted to honor me.

This is one of the reasons why I am still on social media. You never know who is watching the positive things you do for the community or who is taking note of how you document yourself online. This year’s theme for the Women of Achievement Awards is communication through the arts. 

 

 

 

 

 

Preparations for receiving the award included things you would expect, such as providing a head shot and a curriculum vitae, but also some unusual requests, such as baby pictures, along with professional photos. There was also a day spent at Judith’s home making the videos that introduced our work. These videos ran on social media and also on the big screen at the awards luncheon.

Last, there was the preparation of a poem and a song. I performed a poem from my first poetry collection, How Fire Is a Story, Waiting. I also played the companion song I wrote so people would know that when I am not writing poetry, fiction, or non-fiction, I am writing songs.

In addition to being honored by such an important organization that celebrates women in communication, I was impressed with the amount of time volunteered by co-chairs of the awards Judith Smith-Meyer and Brooke Holland who have dedicated the past two years, honoring 11 women in education (2024) and the arts (2025).

Next year, Judith and Brooke will pass the chair position to another AWC board member. “I’m proud to have been able to honor the 9 incredible communications (educators and artists-community builders) fetured in the 16^th and 17^th Women of Achievement,” said Judith Smith-Meyer.

Sometimes when your worlds collide, it’s a pleasant surprise. This year’s Women of Achievement honorees included artist Adriana Arriaga, Teresa Kuskey, Frances Moore, and JoAnne Wasserman, Music Director and Conductor of the Santa Barbara Choral Society since 1993.

Adriana’s artwork was displayed throughout the Cabrillo Pavilion and stickers of three of her works were offered as parting gifts for attendees to the luncheon. Adriana’s work is inspired by the Chicano Movement of the 1960’s. I love her piece titled, MUJER CON FUERZA (Woman with Power). Her work is currently featured in the Arte del Pueblo 2025 exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara in Paseo Nuevo. The exhibition runs through July 27, 2025.

Frances Moore brought a troupe to perform Ring Shout, a tradition of African enslaved people of call and response, a spiritual style of worship, known as Call and Response, that is also a precursor to the Blues. Frances is also a founding member of the Santa Barbara Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee.

 

Teresa Kuskey started La Boheme Dance in 2014, the group that spreads joy through dance and their feathered costumes. La Boheme has been honored with multiple Independent “Best of Santa Barbara” awards. Teresa has also earned a Santa Barbara Local Hero honor from the Indpendent for her early commitment to creating performance opportunites for the community regardless of age, experience, ability to pay, or any other barrier to participate. I heard the bathroom’s mirror was a sight to see as dancers adjusted headdresses and makeup throughout the luncheon.

JoAnne Wasserman has been the Music Director and Conductor of the Santa Barbara Choral Society since 1993. A career feat that translates to over 32 seasons with The Choral Society and numerous collaborations with operak and ballet companies, as well as global connections. When the plan to include a performance by the Choral Society fell through, Judith scrambled and turned to longtime friend, Meg Miller, a member of the Ladies’ Social Strumming Club. I happen to be a member of the group so it was fun to jump in and join them for the musical welcome to the awards luncheon. The other surprise was in my gift bag.

In addition to the commendations from city, county, and state officials, there was a plaque from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee of Santa Barbara, thanking me for my support of the Essay and Poetry Awards over the past decade. Frances Moore, also received a plaque for her work with the MLK SB. Executive Director, E. Onja Brown also sat at my table, along with Meg Miller, Stephanie B. Hammer, Ward Rafferty, Kristen Sneddon, and Mary Rose and Eddie Ortega. What an honor! The last time a Poet Laureate received an AWC- Woman of Achievement Award was in 2012 with Perie Longo, City of Santa Barbara’s second Poet Laureate.

This award is meaningful to me because it reminds me that I am uplifted by my female ancestors. I know my mother and grandmothers are beaming from their celestial perch. Much gratitude to the Association for Women in Communications, Santa Barbara.

This week’s Poetry Connection Poem celebrates Pride Month with a poem by West Hollywood Poet Laureate, Jen Cheng. This Sapphic poem appears in her collection, Braided Spaces.

postmodern sapphos

Jen Cheng

eager lush magnolia flowers blossom

seek admirers loving the lazy sunday

ready bagels, cream cheese, and mango lassi

newspapers open

hear the cozy morning doves coo and flutter

open windows joining the neighbors’ passion

bring on lilts and harmonies sing with pride for

memories later

fluid inspiration that slides from side to

side unfettered gender-free roles that further

child’s play with privileged toys to harness

liberty’s pleasure

Jen Cheng is the Poet Laureate of West Hollywood, author of a poetry collection Braided Spaces, a California Arts Council Fellow, and a Tin House Workshop alumna. She is a multidisciplinary artist who blends East-West influences as Feng Shui Poetry.  Jen is the creator and facilitator of Palabras Literary Salon, a BIPOC-centered series. She is the creator of an interactive sculpture, Poetry Scrabble, to engage audiences with word tiles for a collaborative poem. Her writing is found or forthcoming in Passengers Journal, The Cafe Review, FlowerSong Press, Colossus Press, and other media. With stories for tween audiences, mystery detective fans, and queer love, Jen is a cross-pollinator and community curator. Connect with her on social media @JenCvoice or at www.JenCvoice.com

   *an earlier version of this column appears in the Santa Barbara Independent

 

Poetry Connection: Santa Barbara Searches for Its Next Poet Laureate

 Melinda Palacio, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate

Melinda Palacio and Kristen Sneddon in the Milpas Parade

The city of Santa Barbara is searching for the next Poet Laureate. Although my term ends in March, you have not heard the last from me. I will continue to promote poetry, plan events, and write poems. One event I am looking forward to is another edition of Poetry in the Parks at the Presidio’s Alcehama Theater. This year, we had poets and two musical acts. Next year, we will add dancers to the presentation celebrating Poetry in the Parks. The Presidio is Santa Barbara’s only state park. The festivities will once again take place in April during National Poetry Month. 

Dancers lining up for the Milpas parade

People often ask me about the role of the Poet Laureate. For me, the role is about promoting poetry and producing events to reach as many local residents as possible. When my neighbor, city council member, Kristen Sneddon, asked me to ride in the Milpas Holiday Parade, I responded with a yelp and a yes. Who can say no to riding in a vintage convertible while waving to the community? It may have been the first time a poet laureate has ridden in the Milpas parade, but I am sure it will not be the last. In addition to giving readings and workshops, I have made it my mission to think outside the box in order to have a stronger community impact as the city’s poetry ambassador. Applications for the next Santa Barbara Poet Laureate will be accepted until February 14

a favorite event from 2024
poetry and  music for Raíces Students at SBCC

Events from my December schedule included: the Milpas Christmas Parade, the Montecito Light Up a

Life Hospice event, supporting poets David Starkey and Catherine Abbey Hodges at their Chaucer’s book signing, attending the Goleta Valley Poetry Series at the Goleta Valley Library, participating in the local author event at the Santa Barbara Public Library, and reading a poem at the tree dedication for Poet Laureate Emerita Sojourner Kincaid Rolle, whom we lost to cancer last November. Find Sojourner’s King Palm Tree behind the County Courthouse on Santa Barbara Street; look for the fifth tree down from Anapamu. 

I am always surprised by how Santa Barbara is both a small and large town. It’s small in that I have met more people in public places who now recognize me as the Poet Laureate. I am also pleasantly surprised when I meet a new poet. There just might be a new candidate for Poet Laureate whom I have not met. Now is your chance. A few weeks ago, at the central library’s local author day, I met C.M. Rivers. This week’s poetry connection features three poems by C.M. Rivers. 

Snapshot, 1975

C.M. Rivers

 

It’s easy to get carried away looking at what’s on the surface,

though I agree with you when you say it’s all in the details.

 

Truth is, all this one shows is a funky old farmhouse kitchen 

with a linoleum floor, the burnt sienna of an August afternoon 

 

filtering in through the window above an aluminum sink, 

a baby boy in blue overalls on the flight deck of a high chair,

 

the ecstasy of a pan of brownies upon him, a single candle 

at its center, plump feet dangling like two spools of thread, 

 

stubby fingers doing a Jackson Pollock on the canvas 

of his sunny face in a chocolate medium, while somewhere 

 

Jimmy Carter is speaking out against racial segregation

and Steve Martin does a show with an arrow through his head.   

 

But this was when you were still new and whole, before 

time and circumstance both graced and unraveled you,

 

before you held this year’s photograph in your crooked hand 

and saw your face illuminated by the prairie-fire on the cake. 

 C.M. Rivers grew up reading to the sound of rain on the roof in Oregon's Willamette Valley.  His work has appeared in literary magazines and journals around the U.S.  He is the author of two books of poetry: How To Carry Soup (2019 Homebound Publications Poetry Prize) and Along the Way ~ Poems for the Wayward (2024 Nautilus Silver Medal for Poetry).  His poetry has been nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize.

*an earlier version of this column appears in the Santa Barbara Independent

Poetry Connection: Poetry and Music in Santa Barbara

 Melinda Palacio

There’s a fun venue in Solvang that offers some evening entertainment as the sleepy town winds down for the night. Lost Chord Guitars is a quaint venue with an amazing array of talent that passes through it. On the last day of August, poet Ruben Lee Dalton from Buellton happened to play his original songs on guitar, along with Peter Claydon and Friends. It was an evening of all original songs and I was not surprised to notice how much I enjoyed Ruben’s lyrics. The poetry in his work really stands out. It could also be that I was attuned to hearing his lyrics because I recently read with him at the Goleta Valley Library. Look for an upcoming interview with Ruben Lee Dalton in the near future. If you are a fan of the local poetry scene and are scratching your head, wondering why you haven’t heard of Ruben Lee, it might be because he has changed his name. I kept asking myself the same question. Why is it that I haven’t heard of this poet and musician. Ruben Lee Dalton is the stage name for Bruce Schmidt. I remember reading with Bruce Schmidt years ago. I am happy to make the connection. 

 

September brings the celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month. I am honored to participate in two events celebrating the Latino Poetry Initiative, Places We Call Home. The first is Palabras Vitales: Latiné Poetry Series on Wednesday, September 18^th 1pm-2pm at Calden Overlook at Santa Barbara City College. All community members are invited to attend this special event. I will be presenting a series of poems and their companion songs that I have written. It’s not always a given that I am asked to prepare both music and poetry. As someone who is a late-blooming musician, it’s only been during the past couple of years that I have been adding music to my poetry readings. In some cases, the song preceded the poem. Although the themes of the poems and their companion songs are similar, each poem and song is its own entity and stands on its own. I am grateful for the time I have spent as your poet laureate to pursue music in addition to poetry and fiction. 

 

Another event that is part of National Hispanic Heritage Month and the Latino Poetry Initiative is the community open mic I am hosting at La Casa de la Raza, Thursday, September 26 from 6-7:30pm. This event is sponsored by the Santa Barbara Public Library. Poets and poetry lovers are invited to read a favorite poem that speaks to and from our Latino community. Participants may read from the Latino Poetry Anthology or read their own poems in English, Spanish, Spanglish, or Indigenous languages to Latin America, with one poem per person and a three-minute.   

 

Poet and pianist, Esteban Ramirez also combines poetry and music. He writes instrumental piano pieces to accompany his poems. On September 21, he will offer a free concert showcasing his piano work and his new book of poems, Welcome Home. He has added a third element to his presentation, visual art. Ramirez combines artificial intelligence and photoshop to produce illustrations for his poems. He says he is excited to share this multi-sensory experience with the community: “The audience can expect an evening of rich, evocative storytelling, brought to life through spoken word, visuals, and the beautiful harmonies of piano and cello." 

Upcoming Poetry Events:

 

September 11, Blue Whale Reading Series, 5:30-7:00 pm, Chapel, Unity of Santa Barbara, 227. E. Arrellaga Street. Featured poets includes Jace Turner and Catherine 

Abbey Hodges. 

 

September 18, Poetry and Music presentation by Santa Barbara Poet Laureate, Melinda Palacio at Santa Barbara City College’s Calden Overlook, 1pm-2pm with a reception to follow. This free program is part of Palabras Vitales: Latiné Poetry Series. This program is presented as part of Latino Poetry Places We Call Home. 

 

 Saturday, September 21, an evening of artistic fusion as Esteban Ramirez unveils his second poetry collection, Welcome Home—The Poetry Book, inspired by the romantic neoclassical melodies of his piano/cello album. at the Community Arts Workshop (CAW), located at 631 Garden St, Santa Barbara, CA. The event will begin with a mixer at 4 PM. The concert starts at 5 PM and concludes at 6 PM.

Sept. 21st at 11:30: Youth Poetry in the 805 hosted by Estimable Poet & Poetry Impresario, Sean Colletti

Don't miss this group of younger poets!  They are the nerve center of the next generation of Ventura County's famous poetry scene.

Sept. 22nd at noon:  Places We Call Home hosted by Marsha de la O.

This reading is in conjunction with the exhibit called "Places We Call Home" at the Santa Paula Agricultural Museum and with the statewide initiative by our California Poet Laureate, Lee Herrick.  It's called 'Our California' and is designed to get people throughout the state writing about their home whether that be their city, county, natural surroundings, place of origin or personal family.

 

September 26, Favorite Poem Open Mic/Poemas Favoritos, 6-7:30 pm, La Casa de la Raza 601 E. Montecito Street. Santa Barbara Public Library invites the community to a poetry open mic. In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month and the Latino Poetry Initiative, Places We Call Home, poets and poetry lovers are invited to read a favorite poem that speaks to and from our Latino community. 

*a version of this column was previously published in the Santa Barbara Independent 

Poetry Connection: Nature, Art, and Poetry in Santa Barbara

The Poet's Perch, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

Melinda Palacio, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate

Every year, the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden hosts an open call for “Casitas” to be built in their backcountry, the area of the garden where kids can touch plants and art and have fun. This area is where many summer camps romp and there’s a tire swing and children can learn about nature. Colleen M. Kelly was one of the recipients of the Casitas grant. 

 

For her project, she designed a Poet’s Perch, in homage of cherished Poet Laureate Emerita, Sojourner Kincaid Rolle (1943-2023). The late poet would have celebrated her 81^st birthday on Monday, August 26. Along with Rod Rolle and several of Sojourner’s close friends and colleagues, Colleen M. Kelly unveiled her Poet’s Perch. The art installation consists of a tall, 12-foot, upside-down tree, salvaged from the Botanic Garden with a kite that reads Joy (Sojourner’s given name) and Sojourner’s poem, “Hosanna,” originally published in What Breathes us: Santa Barbara Poets Laureate 2005-2015, Gunpowder Press 2016, wrapped around the top. The art installation includes colored staffs, made of painted tree branches with designs and colors that mimic the bright scarves owned by the poet herself. The space invites poets and children of all ages to find inspiration and creativity.  

 

Rod Rolle was on hand with his camera, documenting the process of the installation and its unveiling. Colleen said they both felt Sojourner’s presence while installing the homage to her. The casita honors both the poet and nature. The Poet’s Perch blends into the backcountry, as if it has always belonged there. The installation will be up for two years. 

 

Colleen M. Kelly chose Sojourner’s “Hosanna” because it’s a poem dedicated to artists, and Kelly likes to think Sojourner had her in mind when she wrote it. Colleen and Sojourner have been friends for decades. Sojourner collaborated with Colleen and wrote ekphrastic poems for her show, “Naked Under Clothes.” Colleen enjoys spending time at the Poet’s Perch and answering questions from people visiting the garden’s backcountry. She often will ask people if they live in Santa Barbara; and if they don’t, she introduces them to Sojourner Kincaid Rolle. 

 

When a family interacted with Poet’s Perch, Colleen felt as if she had done her job. A family stopped by and started reading the entire poem, moving around the tree as the poem is wrapped around it. With lines such as, “a dancer lifts one bare foot mocking the slow/deliberate step of a blue heron: /raising a bare leg in the manner of a Sandhill Crane, lifting a jointed limb like the graceful Snowy Egret, as if we humans could take flight”, the poem invites the reader to participate in the poem. 

 

“I was really pleased to see how a family from Southern California interacted with the installation. A father and son took turns reading Sojourner’s poem while mom enacted what she was hearing. Mom must be a dancer.”

 

At last week’s installation and opening, I had the pleasure of reading an ekphrastic poem I wrote for the exhibit. The poem was inspired by the last days I spent talking to Sojourner while she was in hospice last November. She opened her eyes and said two words to me, ‘Oh My.’ Many people have shared how important the words are of people who are in the process of transitioning or making their final journey on this earth. I recall that Poet Laureate Emerita, Perie Longo told me that I should write a poem based on those two precious words I heard from Sojourner. It wasn’t until Colleen M. Kelly asked for a poem for her Casita project that I sat down to write it. 

 

 

For today’s Poetry Connection Poem, I am sharing the poem I wrote for Poet’s Perch, as well as Sojourner’s poem, Hosanna, originally published in: What Breathes Us: Santa Barbara Poets Laureate 2005-2015, Gunpowder Press 2016. Thank you to Gunpowder Press for Permission to reprint Sojourner’s poem. 

 

Hosanna

By Sojourner Kincaid Rolle 

For the Artists of Santa Barbara

In the quietest of spaces,

On a twig in the hedge;

near a cone at the top

of a Torrey Pine tree;

one chirp begins the sound of day—

the downbeat for a symphony.

 

On a hillside,

high above the morning wave,

Pacific water rushing in and easing out;

a first brush-stroke begins the great unfolding—

the plein air narrative of this moment.

 

Somewhere on the land beneath the rocks

where massive middens of abalone and debris

evidence our ancient places on coastal shores,

a dancer lifts one bare foot mocking the slow

deliberate step of a blue heron;

raising a bare leg in the manner of a Sandhill Crane,

lifting a jointed limb like the graceful Snowy Egret.

as if we humans could take flight. 

 

We poets place words in the mouths of crows;

create a language of our own imaginings.

We imagine song as if sparrows were singing.

We imagine dance as if shore birds could touch the sky.

We view the painter’s renderings as evidence

of our meanderings—our longings made visible.

 

Sending up our praises, our hallelujahs, our hosannas.

We embrace the musicians, the dancers, the painters, the poets, the sculptors, the weavers of thread…. 

We who create hold common cause. 

We honor all that is beautiful.

 

 

 

Ode to Joy

 

          For Sojourner Kincaid Rolle and the Poet’s Perch, art installation by Colleen M. Kelly

By Melinda Palacio, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate

 

Oh my, she said on her deathbed. 

Two words, an epiphany, as if to declare her world 

Of accomplishments flashed before her eyes.

 

Oh my, as if her hardships before Santa Barbara called to her,

Beckoned her to remember a grandmother who shared an 

Appreciation for trees and the word. 

 

With eyes closed you may run to your grandmother

who taught you your first verse in the holy book,

the matriarch who encouraged you to recite. You, 

small child with a loud voice and louder beating heart. 

 

We, us, and all the black poets and gospel singers you claimed,

Are here to claim you. 

 

Oh my, oh my.

As you sit in limbo, you open your eyes for a second and see faces

You have touched in your home in Santa Barbara and beyond to Marion,

Your North Carolina birthplace.

 

As the people’s poet, the city’s Poet Laureate, the town leader, uplifter 

Of connected communities like Olympic rings, bearing peace and unity,

A trained peacemaker, your sunflower face forever turned to light,

Now returns to nature. 

 

Your seeds scatter in letters. Your gracious voice with its Southern lilt

Rings truth. North Carolina dreaming dipped in California Chocolate 

Spells a four-lettered word only you could pronounce P-0-E-M,

Poem. Let your words sail on heavenly wings for this is your hosanna.

 

The beginnings of praise and creativity for you who gave so much. 

May this space, known as the Poet’s Perch, inspire joy in flower and song.

We delight in how you soar higher than a king palm to catch a shooting star.

And like your beloved tortoise, you have won your race.

 

Oh my, you said as you slowly soared above us. 

Oh, my Sojourner. My oh my. 

Oh, Sojourner Kincaid Rolle. 

Oh joy.

*This column was originally published in the Santa Barbara Independent

Poetry Connection: Creating Community Through Poetry and Typewriters

Melinda Palacio, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate 

Fourteen poets gathered on State Street for First Thursday on June 6 to type free poems, composed on the spot, on any subject, for anyone. Thanks to Simon Kieffer who provided typewriters and tables, we were able to make this month’s event even bigger than last September, when we only had five poets on five vintage typewriters. It was wonderful collaborating with Simon to bring poems to so many people. We had poets who could write poems in Spanish, English, and German. At least those are the languages that people requested. I know we had poets who could also write in French and Russian at our typewriter poetry extravaganza. 

 

Typewriter on-demand poetry has become a cherished event for all the poets involved. I love how the event keeps growing as more local poets have expressed an interest in participating. The first hour is always slow. At 5pm, people are still getting off of work and First Thursday Early Birds are still trying to figure out what exactly is going on with the long tables and people seated in front of a typewriter. Some folks are still a little bashful once they figure out that we are offering them a free poem. There is no gimmick, the poems are free and you do not have to provide your email or phone number or offer a tip. In fact, in consideration of the city’s panhandling ordinance, it’s best if you expressed your gratitude with a smile. However, we were not panhandling, but offering a free service with no requirements or expectations for compensation. Kindness in the form of a free poem. 

 

In addition to free poems, we offered entertainment, thanks to Mark Zolezzi and Jesse Felix of the Gruntled. Mark on vocals did a great job of using his microphone to explain about the free poem business. My typewriter had a meltdown and the ribbon was completely destroyed. Although we had one typewriter down, I had planned to take a break to take in the scene and capture some photos and to play some music. Mark and Jesse were kind enough to let me use their set up and play some songs on my ukulele. I ended my short set with one of my original songs, “Letter to Time,” that I often play on guitar. Our poets enjoyed hearing The Gruntled over our clacking of keys. I was sad to learn that it was The Gruntled’s last performance. Jesse Felix is moving to New Mexico. Santa Barbara loses another creative and kind human. My selfish wish is that he will be in town visiting when we have our next typewriter on-demand event. 

 

By six o’clock, once people figure out they can receive a poem for free, is when I wish we had enlisted more poets and brought more typewriters. Some of our poets were overwhelmed with orders. Next time, I will make sure to brief each poet and let them know not to start more than one poem at a time. However, I understand the instinct not to turn anyone away. At any given moment there were six to seven poets available to type. 

 

Poets had the opportunity to get to know someone outside their regular circles. We meet people out on the town with their family, friends, and pets. There’s something so gratifying and spiritually rewarding about providing poems for free to a stranger. I especially enjoyed learning people’s stories. The human connection and interaction is always my favorite part of typewriter poetry. I have no doubt that in our next iteration, the event will be even bigger. Look for another typewriter extravaganza this year. 

 

*An earlier version of this column was published in the Santa Barbara Independent

May Brings Music and Poetry in Santa Barbara

Melinda Palacio, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate

 In one of my busiest weekends, Saturday began with the high energy needed to entertain folks at the Farmers Market. I played music with the Ladies Social Strumming Club, the group of all women string-instrument players. I feel fortunate that Maria Cincotta, who also founded the Brasscals, put together a group of supportive women who gather every other week to learn new songs on guitar, bass, or ukulele. Maria is patient teacher and band leader. I’m not always available to join, but she allows me to drop in whenever they can. Playing music with other women has improved my guitar skills. Saturday morning was my third time performing with the lady strummers. Our set this year consisted of 12 songs; last year, we only had six tunes to offer. We’ve come along way together. 

 

A few hours later, I resumed my Poet Laureate duties at the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara (AFSB). Last month, I received a phone call from Bay Hallowell, Gallery Committee member. She heard the suite of poems that I wrote for Colleen Kelly’s Dichotomy of Laundry exhibit and asked if I would write some poems for the Ruth Leaf collection. In our conversation, we decided to invite more poets to participate. I was able to include 11 poets. It was a special event with Ruth’s family in attendance of the closing reception. Ruth’s daughter told us that the art exhibit represented her late mother’s soul, something that is evident in her hand-colored etching and woodcuts. Hearing excerpts of her letters and the poems inspired by her art was a wonderful way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

 

I was happy to discover the cozy gallery at the AFSB. The corner house at 229 E. Victoria is easy to miss, but worth exploring the Santa Barbara treasure that is only open on Saturdays from 1-4pm. Ruth Leaf’s art exhibit is no longer on display, but you can sign up for their mailing list or visit the website to find out about future exhibits in the beautiful space. 

 

My day ended with an assignment for the Independent to review Cody Jinks at the Santa Barbara Bowl, always a fun time at the outdoor music venue. 

 

Next weekend may be Memorial Day and a holiday weekend for most, but poetry continues with the Mission Poetry Series, this time via zoom at 1pm. Hear inaugural poet Richard Blanco and the winners of the Alta California Prize: poets Fred Arroyo and Amelia Rodriguez.

 

This year, I will be participating in the I Madonnari, not as a chalk artist but as a poet and musician at the stage at 1:45 to 2pm, in a short fifteen-minute set. If you miss this short window, I hope to see you at First Thursday in June, where I will join other poets in offering typewritten poetry on demand. Come and receive a free, personalized poem in front of Old Navy on State Street from 5-8pm. 

*an earlier version of this column was published in the Santa Barbara Independent

Santa Barbara Celebrates National Poetry Month

Melinda Palacio, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate

In Santa Barbara, Mayor Randy Rowse offered a proclamation for National Poetry Month on Tuesday, April 9. Dos Pueblos High School student, Anna Matthews, recited her award-winning performance of “The Listeners” by Robert Frost. She is the regional champion of the Poetry Out Loud Competition. The proclamation is nine days into poetry month and Santa Barbara has already seen at least three poetry events, including the Spirits in the Air Reading on April 1, Poetry Passages launch last week and the Santa Barbara Literary Journal’s launch of issue 10 at Chaucer’s Books on Monday, April 8. It’s been wonderful seeing our town show up for poetry. Chaucer’s was packed at the launch for issue 10, which featured nine Santa Barbara poets laureate. 

 

The Poetry Passages launch last Thursday, April 4, also featured our local poets laureate, but a different crowd showed up for the outdoor event. Santa Barbara is a wonderful town for poetry. Lea Williams said the event was magical: “The wind died down, the rain held off and there was joy and connection,” she said. “The readings and the speeches gave everyone there a lovely picture of how this all came together and why it mattered.” Ride the bus, read a poem.

 

As a co-organizer for Poetry Passages, the project to put poems on our city buses, I was a little worried the day of the event. We hoped for a nice day for our outdoor event, especially since the Santa Barbara Museum of Art offered to host us on the museum’s front terrace. Lea Williams and I were very excited about an outdoor launch party because it meant people celebrating First Thursday might stop and learn about the project and poetry month.

 

Patsy Hicks, Director of Education at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, said she had a contingency plan for rain. Later that day, there was a bomb threat downtown. Rain? Breeze? Bomb threat? Who would possibly show up? 

 

Some fifty people took seats around the museum’s entrance and on the portable chairs used for events inside the galleries. The museum’s portable microphone did the job and people stopped on State Street to listen to the poems that they can see riding on the buses. As a seasoned poet and event planner, I know that the best laid plans can go awry. Luckily, our event was a success. Patsy Hicks said it was a pleasure to host the Poetry Passages launch. “It had a great feeling of community of a story to be told,” she said, “a story of shared resources amid folks who have a real desire to communicate what it means to ride through and write about Santa Barbara.”

 

The Santa Barbara Museum of Art is also celebrating National Poetry Month with their Post Card Poetry. They are printing postcards that feature excerpts from poems written by a Santa Barbara based poets or facilitators of Writing in the Galleries.. There will be a new postcard each week in April, collect all four. I am honored that my poem, “And Me,” is paired with Keith Mayerson’s, Someday we’ll find it, the Rainbow Connection, the lovers, the dreamers, and me (2023). Sign up for my next Writing in the Galleries session at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art before next week. The workshop is April 18 at 5:30 pm, free with registration. 

 

If you want to hear more poetry from your poet laureate, I will be at the Lompoc Public Library this Saturday, April 13 at 1pm. The following Saturday, thanks to a grant from State Parks, we will have a free poetry celebration downtown. Turns out, our only state park is El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Park. Celebrate National Poetry month with an afternoon of poetry and music at the Alcehama Theatre, Saturday April 20 at 1pm. Poets include Perie Longo, Emma Trelles, Stephanie Barbé Hammer, Monica Mody, Diana Raab, and Takunda Chickowero; musical acts include the Gruntled, UCSB Middle East Ensemble, and Chumash Kiyniw Singers; and a few other surprises at this free event. 

 

*This article was originally published in the Santa Barbara Independent.

 

 

National Poetry Month Events

 

April 1, Spirits in the Air 10^th Anniversary Reading 4:30-6:30 pm. The Good Lion 1212 State Street, free admission, no host bar. 

 

April 4, First Thursday, launch party for Poetry Passages 5-6:30 pm on the Terrace of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State Street.

 

April 8, Santa Barbara Literary Journal Volume 10: Reading at Chaucer’s, features seven local poets laureate, Monday from 6-7:45 pm, Chaucer’s Books 3321 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93105.

 

April 9, The Mayor’s Proclamation of National Poetry Month, City Hall, 2pm.

 

April 13, Lompoc Library features City of Santa Barbara Poet Laureate, Melinda Palacio at 1pm.

 

April 14, The Poetry Zone, 1:30 pm, back patio of the Karpeles Manuscript Library, open mic and featured poet is Jan Steckel.

 

April 18, Writing in the Galleries, write poetry at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art with SBPL Melinda Palacio, Thursday, 5:30-7pm, free with registration. 

 

April 20, Poetry in the Parks, an afternoon of poetry and music at the Alhecama Theatre, poets include Perie Longo, Emma Trelles, Stephanie Barbé Hammer, Monica Mody, Takunda Chickowero and Diana Raab; musical acts include the Gruntled, UCSB Middle East Ensemble, and Chumash Kiyniw Singers and host Melinda Palacio.

 

April 30, Amanda Gorman in Conversation with Pico Iyer, Tuesday 7:30 pm at the Arlington Theatre.