Ventura County Poetry Festival 2026

Join us for the third annual Ventura County Poetry Festival at Studio Channel Islands Art Center.

Note on tickets and checkout:
- Discounted prices (marked with *) apply for all students, educators and members of Studio Channel Islands
- We will be in touch with VIP Pass holders about preferred workshops

The Ventura County Poetry Festival is a collaboration between the Ventura County Poetry Project and Studio Channel Islands Art Center. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact Sean Colletti at sean[at]studiochannelislands.org

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Thursday, March 26th

5:30-6:00 p.m. - Opening Reception
Main Gallery - FREE
Formal welcoming to the festival in the main gallery, including a dedicatory
performance by Mary Ann McFadden, Ventura County Poet Laureate.

6:00-8:00 p.m. - Art & Poetry
Artist Studios - FREE
Collaborations between SCIART artists and poets taking place in artist studios,
featuring the art of Mollie Doctrow, Judith Hopkins, Mary McGill, Julia Pinkham and
the poetry of Ron Fullerton, Jennifer Kelley, Crystal AC Salas and Phil Taggart.

Friday, March 27th

5:30-7:00 p.m. - Cocktail Hour
Main Gallery - FREE
Sip themed drinks and spark conversation with strangers. Explore the gallery,
Write some poetry, and connect with community. Drinks are available for a nominal cost.

7:30-9:00 p.m. - Festival Slam
Main Gallery - $15/$5*
Eight poets will compete in a standard slam format for a cash prize.
Featuring a guest performance from 2025 Festival Slam winner, Kali Bennett.

Saturday, March 28th

9:00-10:00 a.m. - Workshop: Perfecting Performance
Main Gallery - $25
This workshop will help highlight ways in which we can fine-tune poetry
performances, from getting familiar with your physical performance
space to knowing where and when to shift tone and pacing.
Facilitator: Sean Colletti

10:00-11:00 a.m. - Workshop: Poetry of Trauma
Members Gallery - $25
This workshop will explore the ways in which trauma can be a powerful
spark for creative expression.  Trauma is a life journey and we will look at
the possibilities of empathy and connection along the way.
Facilitator: Phil Taggart

11:00-12:00 p.m. - Workshop: Music & Poetry in Harmony
Main Gallery - $25
An introduction to how poets can work with musicians or
recorded music for unique and collaborative performances.
Attendees will have an opportunity to practice with live accompaniment.
Facilitators: Sean Colletti & Dustin Reese

1:00-2:00 p.m. - Inlakech: Ballet Folklorico & Poetry
Main Gallery - FREE
Inlakech is a community center in Oxnard where children learn the music and dance
of their indigenous heritage.  They also write poetry. Here is a line from a middle school student,
"My grandmother's soul travels high like a dove in the sky looking over our family."
Come see them dance and hear them read.

2:30-3:15 p.m. - Poetry & Mental Health
Main Gallery - FREE
Poetry’s deep connection with our mental health spans the history of the form
but has seldom been as relevant as it is right now. Featuring a reading from Scott Struman
who has built a creative life around poetry that incorporates his disability. This event
will elucidate some of the ways in which our writing practices can be healing.

3:30-4:45 p.m. - Festival Competition Showcase
Main Gallery - FREE
The theme of this year's poetry competition is "Words for Now". And poets of all ages
in their hundreds have given us those words.  We will have a chance to hear some exemplary
poems for now in the categories of high school, young poets, and seasoned poets.

5:15-6:30 p.m. - Music & Poetry
Main Gallery - $15/$5*
Poetry performed to live, improvised musical accompaniment.
Featuring Dustin Reese (Piano), Ryan Embola (Bass), Raul Rivera (Drums)
and the poetry of Mark Waldman, Crow Daughter, Kali Bennett and Sean Colletti.

7:00-8:00 p.m. - Saturday Headliners
Main Gallery - $15/$5*
Veronica Reyes & Emma Trelles

Veronica Reyes is a Chicana, feminist, LGBTQ poet from East LA.  Her poetry shares the lived experience of her communities, predominantly immigrant and Mexican-American. Her creative work contributes to the growing narrative of Chicana/o/x literature.  She is the author of Chopper, Chopper from Red Hen Press and teaches in the English Department at Cal State LA.  She is known for her powerful performances of her work.

Emma Trelles is a poet, writer, and educator, Trelles is the author of Tropicalia, winner of the Andres Montoya Literary Award. Trelles has served as Poet Laureate of Santa Barbara and has received multiple honors including an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship.  She is the editor of the Alta California Chapbook Series for Gunpowder Press. She teaches Creative Writing at Santa Barbara Community College.

Sunday, March 29th

9:00-10:00 a.m. - Workshop: Finding Your Voice – Self-Inquiry, Performance and Poetry
Main Gallery - $25
Whether it’s on the page or in performance, this workshop is designed to give you a few tools
that remind you of your power. In this workshop we will use breath work, vocal exercises, yoga and
writing prompts to explore ways in which we might be stifling some of our creativity or authentic self. 
Facilitator: Lyz Merola

10:00-11:00 a.m. - Workshop: Dreams & Poetry – The Language of the Unconscious
Members Gallery - $25
This generative workshop will cover the differences and similarities
between dreams and poems, and how dreams can provide
material for poems and poems can unfold the meaning of dreams.
Facilitator: Kathryn Ridall

11:00-12:00 p.m. - Workshop: Preparing Your Manuscript
Main Gallery - $25
We will discuss strategies for organizing your manuscript, finding the right publisher,
promoting your collection, and more ways to help your poems reach their readers
Facilitator: Chryss Yost, co-editor of Gunpowder Press and Anacapa Review

1:00-2:00 p.m. - New & Upcoming in Print
Main Gallery - FREE
Featuring Ventura County Poet Laureate Mary Ann McFadden, reading from her
new collection from Gunpowder Press, supported by Felice Alexandra and Lyz Merola,
with upcoming chapbooks from Channel Poetry Press.

2:20-3:20 p.m. - Festival Open Mic.
Main Gallery - FREE
Step up to the stage for our annual open mic., but take note of the sacred rules:
One poem; no epics. Sign-ups on the door only (no advanced registration).

3:40-4:40 p.m. - Ventura County Showcase
Members Gallery - FREE
Ventura County is poetry country.  It's happening throughout our region.
The event features two poets from each of the various cities and towns  of our county.

5:10-6:30 p.m. - Poetry Heroes
Main Gallery - $15/$5*
From Los Angeles to the far reaches of the Central Coast, these poets
have given of themselves to their communities.  We are honoring their
lasting impact. Featuring David Oliveira, Perie Longo & Suzanne Lummis.

7:00-8:00 p.m. - Sunday Headliners
Main Gallery - $15/$5*
Lynne Thompson & Jeffrey McDaniel

Lynne Thompson is the daughter of Caribbean immigrants.  She is the author of four books, with her latest being Blue on a Blue Palette from BOA Editions.  She has received multiple honors and fellowships, and is a Poet Laureate Emerita for Los Angeles , also receiving an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship. She serves on multiple Boards and has been awarded the George Drury Distinguished Service in Poetry Award.

Jeffrey McDaniel is the author of seven books of poetry, most recently Thin Ice Olympics. He grew up in the Southern California area and currently teaches at Sarah Lawrence College and lives in the Hudson Valley in New York. His work has been anthologized in Best American Poetry multiple times. He is known as a master of metaphor, reframing grief into tenderness and rueful laughter.

Festival Passes

Saturday Pass: All non-workshop events on Saturday $25

Sunday Pass: All non-workshop events on Sunday $25

Festival Pass: All non-workshop events $65

VIP Pass: All non-workshop events, one workshop $120
of your choice, two cocktails/mocktails at
Cocktail Hour, one book from bookstore