A veritable who’s who of the Santa Barbara poetry community will be reading at Chaucer’s Books on Tuesday night to celebrate the release of Women in a Golden State: California Poets at 60 and Beyond, a new anthology published by Santa Barbara’s Gunpowder Press
Co-hosted by the book’s editors Chryss Yost and Diana Raab, the evening will feature poetry readings from the book by Laure-Anne Bosselaar, ML Brown, Jina Carvalho, Fran Davis, Stephanie Barbé Hammer, Christine Penko, Shirley Lim, Perie Longo, Kathee Miller, and Dale Griffiths Stamos.
The book celebrates the diverse voices and experiences of women from across the state, highlighting the rich and varied lives and perspectives of older writers, proving that age is no barrier to achievement, creativity, or relevance. The collection includes 175 poets honoring 2025 as California’s 175th anniversary of statehood. Women in a Golden State: California Poets at 60 and Beyond invites readers to reconsider aging not as an end, but as an ongoing journey filled with beauty, strength, and boundless possibilities.
The poetry reading takes place on Tuesday, June 24, at 6 p.m. at Chaucer’s Books, 3321 State Street. chaucersbooks.com
