April is National Poetry Month inaugurated by Academy of American Poets in 1996. In Kern County, National Poetry Month started 2010; now an annual event. Initiating the events in Kern County was influenced by two poets who have passed on. They are Helen Shanley, who was a founding member of Writers of Kern, and Lee McCarthy. They influenced poets while they were living; and continue their influence from the memory of them and the beauty and truth of their poetry.
This year, three college/university campuses will have poetry events:
- NPM kick-off event Valley Life: Poetry about our Community, April 9, 7:00 p.m., Levan Center for the Humanities, Bakersfield College
- Readings by Local Poets, April 21, 7:00 p.m., CSU Bakersfield, Dezember Room of Stiern Library
- Reading by New York Times Published Poet Joseph Lease, April 30, 1:10 pm to 2:25 p.m., Taft College Cougar Room
- April is Jazz Appreciation Month: Jazz and Poetry, April 26 at 2:00 p.m., Center for Spiritual Living
Other events are:
- Poetry Open Mic featuring LisaAnn LoBasso, April 3, 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m., Dagny’s Coffee
- Feel, Heal, Write: Poems by Portia Choi, April 18, 1:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m., Art and Spirituality Center, Mercy Hospital, 2215 Truxtun Ave.
All events free to the public. For more information call (661) 717-1346 or email ssportia@aol.com.
It’s wonderful to see Bakersfield’s poetry community making all of these events available to us. Thanks so much for your hard work and organization.
Cheers, Annis