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SANTA BARBARA, CA –The Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation is pleased to announce a free poetry workshop and tasting event in the Presidio Neighborhood on Sunday, August 31 from Noon-2:00pm.
The event, conducted in partnership with Santa Barbara Poet Laureate George Yatchisin and Gunpowder Press, is designed to inspire the community to create poetry about Santa Barbara County food, drink, restaurants, and agriculture for a new collection to be published by Gunpowder Press.
After a poetry workshop led by Yatchisin at the Pico Adobe in El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park, participants will visit three Presidio Neighborhood locations, Rudy’s Mexican Restaurant for a tasty bite, Loubud Wines to sip a local sparkling wine, and The Space—Su’nan Protection, Art & Cultural Education for a Chumash sweet treat.
This immersive experience in the Presidio Neighborhood is designed to bring awareness to the forthcoming anthology about Santa Barbara’s food and drink and encourage poetry submissions to be considered for the anthology.
Pre-registration required, capacity is limited. Location, parking, and registration information can be found on the event page.
This event is coordinated by the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation. Special thanks to the City of Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture.
For more information visit http://www.presidioneighborhoodsb.com/poetry-grows-here
ABOUT THE PRESIDIO NEIGHBORHOOD
The Presidio Neighborhood is a district in downtown Santa Barbara encompassing nine square blocks in and around the historical site of the Santa Barbara Presidio, the last of Spain’s four fortresses built in California in the eighteenth century. The district also includes the historical locations of Santa Barbara’s Nihonmachi (Japantown) and Chinatown, as well as the Mexican pueblo that evolved into the new City of Santa Barbara in 1850. Today, the Presidio Neighborhood includes a diverse array of local businesses, community organizations, civic institutions, parks, and schools. Its historical architecture is unmatched, and a density of theatres, museums, tasting rooms, restaurants and more make the Presidio Neighborhood a must-visit experience in Santa Barbara.
ABOUT GEORGE YATCHISIN
George Yatchisin is the Santa Barbara Poet Laureate, 2025-2027. His poetry has appeared widely in journals and anthologies and is collected in his books Feast Days and The First Night We Thought the World Would End. George also writes journalism, having covered topics as diverse as dart leagues, reined cow horse cowboys, military museums, mime troupes,movies, rock and roll, and lots of food, wine, and cocktails. In 2023 Yatchisin completed his first novel, Something a Little Like This. He has an MFA in poetry and MA/W in nonfiction prose from the University of Iowa and an MA in poetry from the Johns Hopkins University.
For many years he taught writing at Penn State and UC Santa Barbara, along with teaching poetry and creative writing at the Santa Barbara Music and Arts Conservatory. Yatchisin retired from his position as the Director of Communications for UCSB’s Gevirtz Graduate School of Education in 2023. He lives in Santa Barbara with his wife, poet and co-editor of Gunpowder Press, Chryss Yost.
ABOUT THE SANTA BARBARA TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Founded in 1963 by Dr. Pearl Chase, the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation (SBTHP) stewards the past and present of the Presidio Neighborhood and inspires preservation advocacy throughout the County in order to create a more vibrant community. SBTHP operates El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park, Santa Barbara’s 18th century birthplace, under an agreement with California State Parks. In addition to portions of the Spanish fort, El Presidio SHP includes the Alhecama Theatre (1925) and the campus of the Santa Barbara School of the Arts, and Jimmy’s Oriental Gardens (1947) the last visible connection to Santa Barbara’s Chinatown. The organization also operates Casa de la Guerra, the 1820’s adobe home of Presidio Comandante José de la Guerra, and the Santa Inés Mission Mills near Solvang, CA. SBTHP produces dozens of community and school programs throughout the year to provide access to these special historic places. SBTHP is 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization; learn more at sbthp.org.
