Join us for the Ventura County Poetry Festival open mic!

Bring your best poem to share with our festival audience during this open reading. Space is limited to one poem per poet (no epics) in order to feature as many poets as possible. Note: no advanced sign-ups are available for this event. Please sign up on the door. This event is hosted by former Ventura County Poet Laureate, Phil Taggart.

Phil Taggart has four collections of poetry. Walking the Dog in a Time of Rage, Rick Sings, Opium Wars and an art book with artist Ann Harithas, Cowboy Collages. He has been a poetry editor for over twenty years for Art Life limited edition, and with Marsha de la O, the Askew Poetry Journal and Spillway.

He has taught poetry workshops at Cal Lutheran, University of Pittsburg, local high schools, CAPS Media and elementary schools. He teaches Broadcast Digital Media at El Camino High School at Ventura College

Phil has run and supported poetry readings in Ventura County and Santa Barbara since 1991. He presently hosts a weekly poetry reading at the EP Foster Library in Ventura.