Poetry Connection: Connecting with Santa Barbara’s 11th Poet Laureate, George Yatchisin

Over two weeks in February, I followed Santa Barbara Poet Laureate George Yatchisin as he spoke to two very different book clubs, the Santa Barbara Women’s Book Club at Rockwood and the Montecito Poetry Club. The Women’s Book Club, led by Linda Alderman, is unique in that they don’t read a shared book before the meeting. Unlike most book clubs, they invite an author to talk about their work and encourage them to bring books to sell. They asked George to offer a more general discussion on the role of a poet laureate. This topic never gets old. It’s interesting to see how many people don’t know what a poet laureate is or that the position exists in Santa Barbara.

George is the city’s 11th poet laureate. He charmed everyone at the Women’s Book Club with his poetry and deep dive into the history of the laurels worn by Apollo and Poets Laureate. He brought a sample laurel crown to add to his explanation of the mythology surrounding the laurels. The wearing of the laurels is associated with the Greek god Apollo, who was struck by one of Cupid’s golden love arrows. The nymph Daphne happened to be in his sight, but Cupid didn’t use the same arrow on her. In praying for a solution to escape Apollo, she was transformed into a laurel tree. Since Apollo is associated with poetry, he declared the tree sacred and wears the laurels in her honor. Ancient traditions passed down the tradition of wearing laurels to heroes and poets. Someone asked the question that I often hear as well, “Does every city and state have a poet laureate?” You guessed correctly; the answer is no.

Santa Barbara didn’t have a poet laureate until 2005, when the inaugural position was awarded to the late Barry Spacks. Sometimes, institutions appoint a poet laureate separate from the city poet laureate, such as former Independent intern Leticia Hernández-Linares, who is San Francisco’s library laureate. There’s also the example of former Santa Barbara resident David Oliveira, who was recognized as Santa Barbara’s Millennial Poet from 1999 to 2000 for his promotion of poetry, for founding the Santa Barbara Poetry Series, and for cofounding Mille Grazie Press with Cynthia Anderson. David will make a return trip to Santa Barbara on March 27, when he reads at the Santa Barbara Public Library as part of the series he founded.

Over at the Montecito Library, the format of the Montecito Poetry Club is very different. This group is made up of poets; four poets laureate were in attendance. Santa Barbara Librarian Jace Turner organizes this group. Packets of George’s poems were passed out. People sat in a circle, and there was more sharing and less of a lecture or presentation from the featured poet. This group is used to discussing their favorite poets who are not in the room, so it was a treat for them to ask George questions. George read some poems to the Rockwood group, but at the Montecito Poetry Club, George had the honor of hearing the audience read his poems to him and then ask questions about his process and inspiration. Jace set the tone by asking each person in the circle to describe what draws them to poetry. George was asked how he felt about language.

As someone who writes about food for the Independent, George discussed the taste of language in poetry: “I like how a poem feels in my mouth,” he said. He adds spice and flavor to his poems by infusing them with obscure or eclectic song lyrics. There’s much freedom and playfulness in his poems, and he says that he tries to move around while he writes. In April, for Poetry Month, there will be plenty of opportunities to taste and sip poems. George and Gunpowder Press will release a food poetry anthology celebrating local food, drinks, restaurants, and agriculture. Also, George will curate the 12th annual Spirits in the Air: Potent Potable Poetry on April 15 at the Good Lion.

This week’s poem comes from Santa Barbara Poet Laureate, George Yatchisin.

An Air

Feathers are the things
with hope, for who doesn’t
brighten at a first glimpse
of birds, whether alight
or in flight, stealthily silent
or full-throated in song.

You can’t over-value them
in charm per pound,
in the lift they give,
not thinking about giving at all.
Even a simple house wren
prefers bugs to your bird feeder.

They’re unruffled we can’t
distinguish among their happy
host of dust-colored birds.
Just ask the cold-eyed hawk
or hungry cat what good
distinction does its feathered prey.

But beneath the lowest reach
of bushes, their clutch of cheerful 
cheeps hint at what we’ve missed.
Please, then, even off-key come
sing with me, something awkward,
unrehearsed, unadorned, but true.

George Yatchisin

Sunday, March 1
EP Foster Library, Judith Pacht: 651 E. Main St., Ventura; 3 p.m.; host Phil Taggart.

Sunday, March 8
The Poetry Zone: Mary Freericks, featured reader; Karpeles Manuscript Library, 21 W. Anapamu St.; 1:30- 3 p.m.

Sunday, March 8
Maggie Nelson Discusses The Slicks: On Sylvia Plath and Taylor Swift: SBMA, 1130 State St.; 2:30 pm.

Tuesday, March 10
Lowstate Writing Salon: Writing community with a focus on play and sparking something weird; 7 p.m.; The Blue Owl, 5 W. Canon Perdido St. (new location).

Wednesday, March 11
Blue Whale Reading Series: featuring poets Sean Colletti and George Yatchisin; 5:30 p.m.; Unity of S.B. Chapel, 227 E. Arrellaga St.

Thursday, March 12
Paul J. Willis reads from his recent chapbook, Orvietto; Chaucer’s Books, 3321 State St.; 6 p.m.

Friday, March 27
Santa Barbara Poetry Series Reading: with David Oliveira and Laure-Anne Bosselaar; Santa Barbara Public Library, 40 E. Anapamu St.; 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, April 15
The 12th Annual Spirits in the Air: Potent Potable Poetry: The Good Lion, 1212 State St.; 5:30 p.m.

Friday, April 17
Poetry in Parks at the Presidio Chapel: new date, Friday night; an evening of music and poetry in Santa Barbara’s only State Park, the Presidio; 5:30 p.m.