The 2022 Southern California Poetry Festival will present “A Celebration of Sesshu Foster” on Friday, Nov. 18, from 7 to 10 p.m. at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd. in Venice.
The festival opens with a reading and discussion celebrating one of Los Angeles’ most iconic poets, Sesshu Foster, who will read with poets Amy Uyematsu and Angel Dominguez and with fiction writer Carribean Fragoza.
A discussion focused on Foster’s work, its poetics of place, and its grounding in Foster’s East Los Angeles community will follow, moderated by Kaya Press Managing Editor Neelanjana Banerjee. Co-presented by Kaya Press.
Foster’s books include “ELADATL: A History of the East Los Angeles Dirigible Air Transport Lines” (2021), “City of the Future” (2018, winner of Firecracker Award from Council of Literary Magazines and Presses), “World Ball Notebook” (2009, winner of American Book Award and Asian American Literary Award for Poetry), “American Loneliness: Selected Poems” (2006), and “Atomik Aztek” (2005, winner of Believer Book Award). His works have also appeared in poetry anthologies and literary magazines.
Reception at 7 p.m.; reading and discussion at 8 p.m. Masks are required.
Organized in partnership with the Poetry Foundation. All festival events are free. For information about the festival, including the complete schedule, visit http://beyondbaroque.org.
RSVP if you are planning to attend. Limited seating is available in the theater; seating may not be guaranteed in the case of a full program.