Santa Barbara Book and Author Festival

Al Young travels internationally and extensively, reading, lecturing and often performing with musicians. Young has taught poetry and fiction writing at U.C. Berkeley, U.C. Santa Cruz, U.C. Davis, Foothill College, the Colorado College, Rice University, the University of Washington, the University of Michigan, the University of Arkansas, and San José State University. He is the recipient of the 2007 Glenna Luschei Distinguished Poet Fellowship, California’s Poet Laureate

A native of New Hampshire, Mary L. Brown is a transplant to Santa Barbara. Her poems have appeared in Ekphrasis, Gertrude, Rattle, and PoemMemoirStory, and are forthcoming in The Comstock Review. She received first place in the Poetry Society of NH 2006 national poetry contest for her poem, Exeunt.

Carol Decanio , is a recipient of the Individual Artist Award in Poetry from TheArts Fund. Her poetry has been published in literary journals and anthologies. She has had exhibits of her poetry and photography at the UCSB Faculty Club, and most recently, at The Sojourner Cafe.

Chella Courington holds a Doctorate in Literature from the University of South Carolina and pursues an MFA in Poetry from New England College. Her poetry appears in over thirty journals. Recipient of the Jimmy Santiago Baca Scholarship, Courington teaches at Santa Barbara City College. Her chapbook: Southern Girl Gone Wrong.

Lois Klein's chapbook, Naming Water, came out in 1998. Her forthcoming volume of poetry, A Soldier's Daughter, will be published by Turning Point Books in April of 2008. She organizes the monthly Favorite Poems Project readings in Santa Barbara, is a Fellow of the South Coast Writers Project, and teaches through California Poets in the Schools.

Diana M. Raab’s award-winning poems and essays have appeared in national publications. Her latest memoir is Regina’s Closet: Finding My Grandmother’s Secret Journal. Her article on journaling will be featured in the October 2007 issue of The Writer. She has one poetry collection and teaches writing at UCSB Extension. http://www.dianaraab.com.

Beth Taylor-Schott has a doctorate from UC Berkeley and has taught at Berkeley, USC, and UCSB. Her poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in numerous journals and anthologies, including Mindfulness Bell, South Carolina Review, The Handmaiden, and Illuminations. She is a Poet in the Schools and writes for the Santa Barbara Independent.

Al Young travels internationally and extensively, reading, lecturing and often performing with musicians. Young has taught poetry and fiction writing at U.C. Berkeley, U.C. Santa Cruz, U.C. Davis, Foothill College, the Colorado College, Rice University, the University of Washington, the University of Michigan, the University of Arkansas, and San José State University. He is the recipient of the 2007 Glenna Luschei Distinguished Poet Fellowship, California’s Poet Laureate.

Glenna Luschie is a Spanish-Portuguese interpreter for farm workers. She grew up as a corn detasseler in Iowa and is now an avocado rancher in Carpinteria. She has been reading in Ventura and San Rafael with Poet Laureate Al Young and was featured with him on David Starkey's prize-winning TV show. She is proud to introduce him today.

Sojourner Kincaid Rolle has hosted on-going poetry readings in Santa Barbara at the Cabrillo Arts Pavilion, the Carrillo Recreation Center and at Reds Coffee House. She organizes the Annual Langston Hughes Tribute in Santa Barbara. In 2007, she released a Spoken Word CD titled, Black Street.

Mary Rose Betten is a poet, playwright & reading coach for A Room Of her Own, a foundation for women writers and artists. Her plays were produced at Center Theatre, Santa Barbara: The National, London; Burt Reynolds, Florida; Cathedral of John The Divine, NYC. Winner of The Writer Magazine, Poetry Spotlight Series.

With a Ph.D. in English literature from UCSB, Vail Dinkins has written poetry for over forty years. Her chapbook, Progress in Hirai, is based on her experience in Japan. Also a visual artist, Dinkins explores dream logic in watercolors and poetry. She now teaches at Santa Barbara City College.

Marsha De La O has won various awards for her poetry including the New Issues Press book award and the dA Center for the Arts Poetry Prize. Marsha’s book of poems, BLACK HOPE, was published by New Issues Press. She’s the co-editor of the Askew poetry journal.

Phil Taggart is co-editor with Marsha de la O of the poetry journal, Askew. He has several poems in two new anthologies, 8 Central Coast Poets Look at The World & Bear Flag Republic, Prose Poems & Poetics. His book, Opium Wars, was published by Mille Grazie Press.

Shirley Lim's Crossing the Peninsula received the Commonwealth Poetry Prize. She has also published No Man's Grove, Modern Secrets, Monsoon History, What the Fortune Teller Didn't Say, and Listening to the Singer. Her memoir, Among the White Moon Faces, received the 1997 American Book Award. Her second novel, Sister Swing, appeared in 2006

John Ridland taught literature and writing at UCSB. He has translated Sándor Petöfi's Hungarian folk-epic, John the Valiant, several poems by Miklós Radnóti, and the Middle English romance, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Dowitcher Press in Santa Barbara recently issued A Brahms Card Ballad: Poems Selected for Hungarians.

Known mainly as a poet/teacher and painter, Barry Spacks has two novels out, various stories and poetry CDs. He teaches at UCSB, was the first Poet Laureate of Santa Barbara, and has published nine poetry collections. His tenth, FOOD FOR THE JOURNEY, arrives from Cherry Grove Collections in 2008.

Catherine Daly's books of poetry are the foldable PAPER CRAFT, the reversible CHANTEUSE / CANTATRICE, tongue twisters in TO DELITE AND INSTRUCT, the golden book of love poems LOCKET, as well as SECRETKITTY, KITTENHOOD,and the forthcoming HEAVY ROTATION and VAUXHALL. She is editor of i.e. Press.

Michelle Detorie lives in Goleta, CA where she edits WOMB and Hex Presse. Her poetry has appeared in Blackbird, Pool, Chelsea, How2, and elsewhere. She has two chapbooks, DAPHNOMANCY and BELLUM LETTERS, and a third chapbook is forthcoming from Dos Press. She is a 2007 NEA Literature Fellow. Visit her online: www.daphnomancy.com.

Bruna Mori is a writer and the author of poetry books Dérive (Meritage Press, 2006) and Tergiversation (Ahadada Books, 2006). In addition to her poetry and short prose, she writes creative nonfiction about art and architecture. She teaches at the Southern California Institute of Architecture and Art Center College of Design.

Aldon L. Nielson is the Kelly Professor of American Literature at Pennsylvania State University. His books of poetry include HEAT STRINGS, STEPPING RAZOR,VEXT, EVACUATION ROUTES and MIXAGE. He has been selected for BEST AMERICAN POEMS, was the first winner of the Larry Neal Award for Poetry and was twice awarded the Gertrude Stein Award for innovative poetry.

David Case teaches English at Los Angeles City College. He has also played the piano at many chamber music concerts and many club appearances by rock bands. His novel Toxic Brain is looking for a publisher; once in a while, he writes a decent poem too.

Jeanette Clough's poetry received awards in the Ruskin
Competition,Rilke Competition, Atlanta Review, dA Center for the Arts, and the Los Angeles “Fin de Millennium” competition. Ttwice in residence at Ireland’s Anam Cara Artists and Writers Retreat, Clough lives and works in L.A. She is a certified open water scuba diver.

Magdalena Edwards, born in Santiago and raised in Los Angeles by Chilean parents, received a Ph.D. from UCLA. Her dissertation: "The Translator's Colors: Elizabeth Bishop in Brazil & Elsewhere.” At Harvard University Edwards wrte her thesis on Chilean poet Raul Zurita and is working on a collection of poems: Dirt, Clean & Between

Carolie Parker is a visual artist and poet. Her drawings and sculptures have been included in exhibitions at the Brewery Project, Carl Berg Gallery and Domestic Setting (all Los Angeles) . She is one of three editors at King Log, an online poetry journal, and teaches humanities and art history at LA TradeTech College. BFA from UCI; MA in Comparative Literature from UCLA.

Reed Wilson directs the Undergraduate Research Center for the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at UCLA, and teaches poetry writing in the UCLA English Department. His poems have appeared most recently in Paper Street and Natural Bridge, and are forthcoming in The Chattahoochee Review.