Spirits in the Air: Potent Potable Poetry

The reading “Spirits in the Air: Potent Potable Poetry” will be held Wednesday, April 2 at The Good Lion, 1212 State Street, Santa Barbara. There will be a poetic happy hour from 4:30 – 5:30 pm followed by the poetry reading itself from 5:30 – 6:30 pm. The event, which has free admission (and a no-host bar), is open to the public. It is the 11^thanniversary of the reading (two years were held via Zoom because of Covid), so we want to start numbering the popular evening in Roman numerals—welcome to SITA XI. The Good Lion will also feature special poet-themed cocktails for the event.

A group of invited poets will read their work, and the work of others, about libations of all sorts. The reading will be hosted by George Yatchisin, “Drinkable Landscape” columnist for Edible Santa Barbara, food writer for the Santa Barbara Independent, and author of poetry volumes Feast Days and The First Night We Thought the World Would End.

Featured readers will include Susan Chiavelli, Susie Read Cronin, Rebecca Horrigan, Robert Krut, Amy Michelson, Diana Raab, Linda Saccoccio, Daniel Thomas, Emma Trelles, and Jace Turner.

This reading is one of the events for 2025 Santa Barbara Poetry Month, in conjunction with April National Poetry Month. 

 “From Bacchus to Berryman, from Li Po to Dorothy Parker, drink and lyric flights have danced a long, sometimes loving, sometimes leery waltz,” Yatchisin says. “This event will attest to the multi-faceted ways poets have found inspiration, solace, and yes, sometimes sickness in the bottle. In a time when an attention to words matters more than ever, this reading makes clear just how fun bringing the truth of poetry can be. This fantastic slate of readers looks forward to packing our fantastic partner The Good Lion once again.”