On Culture | Silent Book Clubs, Summerland Greetings, and Songwriters in the Round

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This edition of ON Culture was originally emailed to subscribers on April 12, 2024. To receive Leslie Dinaberg’s arts newsletter in your inbox on Fridays, sign up at independent.com/newsletters.

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ON the Page

I LOVE my book club, but I’ve also recently become enchanted with the idea of adding a Silent Book Club to my schedule. It’s not that I’m an introvert (this idea will definitely appeal to them), but the idea of meeting at a bar, coffee shop, or the library for scheduled, uninterrupted time for reading sounds pretty heavenly. When I click on the link for Santa Barbara it doesn’t work, so if anyone knows anything about this, let me know! It sounds pretty awesome to me.

Poetry in the Parks — a wonderful new program from Arts in California Parks — launches on Saturday, April 20 from 1-3 p.m. at at the historic Alhecama Theater located within El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park. Hosted by Melinda Palacio, our Santa Barbara Poet Laureate and Poetry Connection Columnist (read her latest here), the program includes Monica Moody, a poet from India and professor of Eastern Mythology and Perie Longo, past Santa Barbara Poet Laureate, and more. The afternoon will also include local students from the Poetry Out Loud contest. Musical performances by the Chumash Kiyniw Singers, UCSB Middle Eastern Ensemble, and local duo The Gruntled.

Know a budding young poet? The Santa Barbara County Youth Poet Laureate program is seeking our next Laureate! Open to high school students countywide, this program aims to amplify the youth voices and to provide them with platforms that allow them to use their art to actively work for the betterment of their communities. People who are interested are encouraged to take part in a series of Zoom workshops, the first of which takes place on April 13 at 1 p.m. Click here for additional information on the workshops and the program itself. Applications are being accepted through May 20.

ON the (Big) Screen

Just in time for Earth Day and kicking off their new 2024 Green Series, The Marjorie Luke Theatre is holding a special screening of the film Greetings from Summerland: Birthplace of Offshore Drilling, a thought-provoking documentary that sheds light on the environmental challenges facing Summerland and its leaking oil wellheads. “If you reside in Summerland, Montecito, Carpinteria or Santa Barbara, this is a must-see film,” says the Luke Theatre’s Kathy Kelley.  Following the screening on Sunday, April 21 at 4 p.m. is a town hall discussion with a panel that includes director/producer Harry Rabin (who is also the Program Director at Heal the Ocean), State Lands representative, Assemblyman Gregg Hart, and representatives from the offices of Salud Carbajal and Monique Limon. Also featured is a No-Waste Art exhibition and a Makers Mart with local, environmentally friendly businesses showcasing their products. Click here to view the film trailer. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit luketheatre.org.

Looking for a film fest getaway? The 30th Annual San Luis Obispo International Film Festival is a  six-day annual event, showcasing creative, diverse, and impactful works from around the world and screening, among other films, Somm: Cup of Salvation, which Matt Kettmann wrote about here. Ghostlight, directed by Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson — which follows a melancholic construction worker as he drifts away from his wife and daughter, only to discover solace and purpose within a local theater’s production of Romeo and Juliet — is the Opening Night film, following its debut at Sundance. The festival runs in San Luis Obispo from April 25-30, and is followed by Encore, taking place in Paso Robles May 2-5.  For more information, see slofilmfest.org.

ON the Comedy Stage

I’m always delighted when comedians come to town, and we’ve got a few recently announced shows coming our way of note, including Marc Maron, whose podcast WTF with Marc Maron has attracted the likes of President Barack Obama to do an interview in Maron’s garage. Maron recently hosted comedy legend Carol Burnett (who happens to be a Santa Barbara resident). Perhaps she’ll be in the audience at the Lobero when he comes to town on August 22. I know I will be. Tickets and additional information are here.

Tickets also went on sale last for comedian/actor/podcaster Bert Kreischer’s show Berty Bowl at our very own Santa Barbara Bowl on July 20. According to Forbes, Kreischer has been hailed as, “one of the best storytellers of his generation, seamlessly and sincerely sharing anecdotes about his family and fatherhood while proving that there’s a way to take his [party-boy] antics into middle-age.” Tickets and more information are here.

And in case you missed it, here’s my review of Demetri Martin at the Lobero.

ON the Music Stage

Songwriters in the Round with Glen Phillips, Garrison Starr, and Omar Velasco looks like a fun night of harmonizing and sharing stories onstage at SOhO on April 21. Phillips is a Santa Barbara native and lead singer and primary songwriter for Toad the Wet Sprocket as well as his own thriving acoustic career which we’ve chronicled quite extensively at the Indy over the years. Velasco was also raised in this area (see our story here), while Starr is originally from Mississippi and now based in L.A., and her latest album, Girl I Used to be, is a poignant and introspective journey through themes of growth, resilience, and self-discovery. Click here for tickets.

On the Web

We’ve got so much great arts & culture content at Independent.com, our website really does have dozens more stories per week than ever have space in the print version. Here are few you may have missed:

THEATER: Maggie Yates has been a busy bee lately. Don’t miss her previews of Jesus Christ Superstar (definite thumbs up, my review will be live by the time you get this), The Lehman Trilogy (looking forward to seeing this one next week), The Outsider at SBCC, and The A-Train at the Rubicon (which I’m seeing this weekend). I’m also looking forward to seeing Opera Santa Barbara’s Zorro the weekend of April 19. And the new season of ETC also looks promising. Here’s my story on that.

DANCE: Kira Logan reviewed Seraglio Ballet at the Arlington and UCSB Dance Company’s touring concert, In Different Realms … el arte perdura.

BOOKS: Our book reviewer, David Starkey, has a book of his own out now. Poor Ghost is a rock ‘n’ rock / real life mash-up of a novel set right here in Santa Barbara. I really enjoyed it. Here’s my interview with David.

MUSIC: Tiana Moloney has profiles of The Caverns and Alexandra Riorden, and we also have a review of Riorden’s recent show at SOhO by writer/photographer Nataschia Hadley here. Not only did I get to interview the lovely Lyle Lovett, I also got to go to his show and meet him afterward. Read the preview and review here. Josef Woodard has a nice interview with the Danish String Quartet and some lovely insights from Herbie Hancock this week as well. A&L presents that show at the Arlington on April 17. Capping off the gray-hot summer of concerts with a spring show, Zak Klobucher also has an entertaining review of the Bruce Springsteen show in Vegas (read here).

ON the Wish List

Artist Baret Boisson’s private art workshops, which bring people together for creative art-making sessions in her inviting Carpinteria studio, are back again. The current theme is “Based on a True Story. ” As she writes: “I cherish and hold on to stories, not only mine but my mom’s, my grandmother’s and even stories told at a dinner party or traveling on a plane. … What memory do you have that brings back powerful, evocative feelings? Do you have an old photo that can be mined for a meaningful visual narrative? Come in with an old photo or a scribble about something that lives in the dark recesses of your mind. I’ll be your creative godmother as we find a way to shine a light on even a tickle of a memory that you want to draw out, and see what happens when it makes its way onto canvas.” Trust me — Baret is a lovely “creative godmother” and hostess. She provides materials, tasty beverages and pizzas from Bettina and the next session is coming on April 24, from 5-8 p.m. Click here to sign up or get more information.

Upcoming workshops are May 8 and May 11 with the theme “There is a Crack in Everything,” based on the beautiful Leonard Cohen quote: “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” Click here for info about that one.

ON the Calendar

Celebrate May Day with a free, fun, all-ages event hosted by the Santa Barbara Revels on Sunday, April 28 from noon to 2 p.m. at Paseo Nuevo. Their 16th Annual May Day Celebration welcomes spring with all sorts of revelry and merriment, including songs, dances, making nosegays, weaving ribbons around the maypole, and more. Click here for more details.

For a complete calendar of events this week and beyond, visit independent.com/events/.