2025
15feb3:00 pm
Poetry in the GalleryEmergence 2025 & Jas Gardosi

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Time
(Saturday) 3:00 pm
Location
Studio Channel Islands Art Center
2222 Ventura Boulevard, Camarillo, CA 93010
06marAll Day09
Ventura County Poetry Festival

Time
march 6 (Thursday) - 9 (Sunday)
Location
Studio Channel Islands Art Center
2222 Ventura Boulevard, Camarillo, CA 93010
26apr3:00 pm
Poetry in the GalleryFeaturing Kali Bennett & Gale Naylor

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Summary
Welcome back to Poetry in the Gallery! We hope you enjoyed the second annual Ventura County Poetry Festival, and we’re excited to be presenting the next open poetry reading at Studio Channel Islands Art Center.
This month will be featuring Kali Bennett and Gale Naylor.
As always, there will be an open mic. Poets who would like to perform can sign up on the day and will have a maximum of five minutes (if you have shorter poems, please feel free to do more than one). Tickets are free for all students, members of the gallery and performers. So, if you plan to read on the open mic, please reserve a free ticket, since you will count as a performer. General admission is a suggested $10 donation. If you would like to attend but cannot afford the donation, please contact sean[at]studiochannelislands.org for options of financial support. Read more…
Time
(Saturday) 3:00 pm
Location
Studio Channel Islands Art Center
2222 Ventura Boulevard, Camarillo, CA 93010
24may3:00 pm
Poetry in the GalleryFeaturing George Yatchisin and Ga’agé Taya

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Summary
Join us for the next edition of Poetry in the Gallery! Note: We will be going on a summer hiatus in June and July (just Poetry in the Gallery; not the Arts Center) and will be returning in August for the fall series.
This month will be featuring George Yatchisin and Ga’agé Taya.
As always, there will be an open mic. Poets who would like to perform can sign up on the day and will have a maximum of five minutes (if you have shorter poems, please feel free to do more than one). Tickets are free for all students, members of the gallery and performers. So, if you plan to read on the open mic, please reserve a free ticket, since you will count as a performer. General admission is a suggested $10 donation. If you would like to attend but cannot afford the donation, please contact sean[at]studiochannelislands.org for options of financial support.
~
George Yatchisin is Santa Barbara Poet Laureate, 2025-2027, and the author of the chapbook Feast Days(Flutter Press 2016) and the full length The First Night We Thought the World Would End (Brandenburg Press 2019). His poems have been published in numerous journals including Antioch Review, Askew, and Zocalo Public Square. He is the co-editor of the anthologies Big Enough for Words: Poems and vintage photographs from California’s Central Coast (Gunpowder Press 2021) and Rare Feathers: Poems on Birds & Art (Gunpowder Press 2015), and his poetry appears in several anthologies including California Fire & Water: A Climate Anthology (Story Street Press 2020), Reel Verse: Poems About the Movies (Everyman’s Library 2019), and Clash by Night (City Lit Press 2015). Photo by Greg Trainor
Ga’agé Taya, “Crow Daughter,” is a N’dé poet born and raised in Ventura County. Her work explores the realities and nuances of being Queer and Indigenous in the United States. She is currently offering poetry workshops through her Xopan Poetry Lessons at Concentric Soul Studio in Ventura, every other Tuesday at 6:30pm.
Time
(Saturday) 3:00 pm
Location
Studio Channel Islands Art Center
2222 Ventura Boulevard, Camarillo, CA 93010
23aug3:00 pm
Poetry in the GalleryFeaturing Caron Perkal & Elaine Alarcon

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Time
(Saturday) 3:00 pm
Location
Studio Channel Islands Art Center
2222 Ventura Boulevard, Camarillo, CA 93010
13sep3:00 pm
Poetry in the GallerySlam featuring Friday Gretchen

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Summary
Poetry in the Gallery returns with the second annual Slam in the Gallery! Join us for another fantastic event of poetry and creativity with a fun, competitive twist.
The slam will feature up to eight brave poets performing their work in front of a panel of judges to be scored, with the winner and runner-up receiving cash prizes. If you are interested in taking part in the slam, advance sign-ups are now open (please contact Sean Colletti at sean[at]studiochannelislands.org). Participants only need two poems, each under three minutes in performance length. No props may be used during slam performances.
This month will also be featuring Friday Gretchen!
As always, there will be an open mic. Poets who would like to perform can sign up on the day and will have a maximum of five minutes (if you have shorter poems, please feel free to do more than one). Tickets are free for all students, members of the gallery and performers. So, if you plan to read on the open mic, please reserve a free ticket, since you will count as a performer. General admission is a suggested $10 donation. If you would like to attend but cannot afford the donation, please contact sean[at]studiochannelislands.org for options of financial support.
~
A deeply empathic human raised on Wonder Woman & Charlie’s Angels, Friday Gretchen dwells in Ventura, where she advocates for the arts: literary, visual & performance. She was one of five poets that established the offices of poet laureate & youth poet laureate for Ventura County. She’s performed her work internationally and has been published in Miramar, Solo Novo, Spillway and within several anthologies. Her book of selected poems is titled, Unkindnesses.
Time
(Saturday) 3:00 pm
Location
Studio Channel Islands Art Center
2222 Ventura Boulevard, Camarillo, CA 93010
01oct6:30 pm8:00 pmWriters in the Galleryfirst Wednesday of the month

Event Details
“Writers in the Gallery” meets on the first Wednesday of each month (from 6:30pm to 8pm) with different hosts conducting experiential workshops to inspire writers (and nonwriters) of all genres – fiction, nonfiction, memoir,
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“Writers in the Gallery” meets on the first Wednesday of each month (from 6:30pm to 8pm) with different hosts conducting experiential workshops to inspire writers (and nonwriters) of all genres – fiction, nonfiction, memoir, poetry, storytelling, etc. – to improve the quality of their work. Check out the prose, poetry, essays, and experiential writing exercises at www.WritersintheGallery.com.
Time
(Wednesday) 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Location
Studio Channel Islands Art Center
2222 Ventura Boulevard, Camarillo, CA 93010
25oct3:00 pm
Poetry in the Gallery2nd Birthday Bash with Jacqueline Lyons and Daniel Thomas

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Time
(Saturday) 3:00 pm
Location
Studio Channel Islands Art Center
2222 Ventura Boulevard, Camarillo, CA 93010
05nov6:30 pm8:00 pm
Writers in the Galleryfirst Wednesday of the month

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Free event “Writers in the Gallery” meets
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Free event
“Writers in the Gallery” meets on the first Wednesday of each month (from 6:30pm to 8pm) with different hosts conducting experiential workshops to inspire writers (and nonwriters) of all genres – fiction, nonfiction, memoir, poetry, storytelling, etc. – to improve the quality of their work. Check out the prose, poetry, essays, and experiential writing exercises at www.WritersintheGallery.com
Poetry as Transformation: A Workshop for Personal Change
with Nathan Hassall, Poet Laureate of Malibu (2023-25)
Wednesday, Nov. 5th, 2025
6:30-8 pm FREE! (but bring a treat to share & eat!)
Poetry is transformation: a dream that shines a light on our shadows. It asks us to see the world not just with our eyes, but with our hearts, our guts, our skin. It interrupts old rhythms creating a new awareness of the living flow of all things. In this workshop, we will use meditation, deep listening, and intuitive writing to find words we’ve never put on paper before, or spoken aloud to others. This experiential workshop is for writers and non-writers: For anyone who wants to begin the dance with what stirs within, and attune themselves to the pulse of language. Find the words that only you can write, with the power to transform your life.
Nathan Hassall served as the Poet Laureate of Malibu, California from 2023 to 2025, and he is the founder of The Poetry Vessel, a multidisciplinary podcast seeking the poetic across all disciplines, and has hosted numerous workshops throughout his time living in the US. His poems, which explore dreams, altered states, and the natural world, are widely published in journals including Moria, Luna Luna, Anti-Heroin Chic, and The Inflectionist Review. He splits his time between the US and his home country, England.
BRING SOME FOOD OR DRINK to share and please RSVP: markwaldman3@gmail.com
WHERE: Studio Channel Islands Art Center: 2222 Ventura Boulevard, Camarillo, CA 93010
TIME: 6:30 – 8pm
“Writers in the Gallery” meets on the first Wednesday of each month (from 6:30pm to 8pm) with different hosts conducting experiential workshops to inspire writers (and nonwriters) of all genres – fiction, nonfiction, memoir, poetry, storytelling, etc. – to improve the quality of their work. And it’s free!
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Wednesday, December 3rd, 2025 6:30-8pm FREE!
A Psychedelic Writing Workshop: Tripping Down the Rabbit Hole
with Dr. Michael Pearce, California Lutheran University
From October 4th – December 13th, at Studio Channel Islands, there is a new exhibit called Calidelic Psychefornia curated by Dr. Pearce. It explores the contemporary Californian psychedelic art movement along with historically important figures from its history. On December 3rd, using the art in the gallery, Dr. Pearce will guide us into the world of altered states of writing. It will blow the ink right off your paper!
Time
(Wednesday) 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Location
Studio Channel Islands Art Center
2222 Ventura Boulevard, Camarillo, CA 93010
22nov3:00 pm
Poetry in the GalleryLaura Mullen

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Time
(Saturday) 3:00 pm
Location
Studio Channel Islands Art Center
2222 Ventura Boulevard, Camarillo, CA 93010
03dec6:30 pm8:00 pm
Writers in the Galleryfirst Wednesday of the month

Event Details
Free event “Writers in the Gallery” meets
more
Event Details
Free event
“Writers in the Gallery” meets on the first Wednesday of each month (from 6:30pm to 8pm) with different hosts conducting experiential workshops to inspire writers (and nonwriters) of all genres – fiction, nonfiction, memoir, poetry, storytelling, etc. – to improve the quality of their work. Check out the prose, poetry, essays, and experiential writing exercises at www.WritersintheGallery.com.
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2025 6:30-8pm FREE!
A Psychedelic Writing Workshop: Tripping Down the Rabbit Hole
with Dr. Michael Pearce, California Lutheran University
From October 4th – December 13th, at Studio Channel Islands, there is a new exhibit called Calidelic Psychefornia curated by Dr. Pearce. It explores the contemporary Californian psychedelic art movement along with historically important figures from its history. On December 3rd, using the art in the gallery, Dr. Pearce will guide us into the world of altered states of writing. It will blow the ink right off your paper!
Time
(Wednesday) 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Location
Studio Channel Islands Art Center
2222 Ventura Boulevard, Camarillo, CA 93010
2024

Event Details
Free event presented as part of the Creative Community Gatherings series. Free for all to attend. No registration required. Special Edition of Poetry in the Gallery featuring open mic
Event Details
Free event presented as part of the Creative Community Gatherings series.
Free for all to attend. No registration required.
Special Edition of Poetry in the Gallery featuring open mic and invited guests, hosted by Sean Colletti
Time
(Wednesday) 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Location
Studio Channel Islands Art Center
2222 Ventura Boulevard, Camarillo, CA 93010
2023
21oct3:00 pmPoetry in the GalleryFeaturing Crystal AC Salas & Lyz Merola

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Saturday, October 21st at 3:00pm. Featuring Crystal AC Salas and Lyz Merola. Crystal is an Individual Fellow artist of the California Arts Council, poetry editor of Break Bread
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Saturday, October 21st at 3:00pm.
Featuring Crystal AC Salas and Lyz Merola. Crystal is an Individual Fellow artist of the California Arts Council, poetry editor of Break Bread Project and author of Greif Logic by Gunpowder press. Lyz Merola is a published poet and a recent graduate from CSUCI.
Crystal AC Salas is a Xicanx poet, essayist, educator, and community organizer. Her poetry chapbook Grief Logic is co-winner of the inaugural Alta California Prize, from Gunpowder Press. She has work in Omnium Gatherum Quarterly, Alta Journal, Northwest Review, [PANK] Magazine, World Literature Today, Chaparral Poetry, Acentos Review, and others. A founding member of the BreakBread Literacy Project, which elevates the voices of young creatives under 25, she serves as poetry editor for BreakBread Magazine. She holds an M.F.A. from University of California, Riverside and is the recipient of a 2021-2022 California Arts Council Established Individual Artist Fellowship.
Lyz Merola is a poet, yogi, and nature enthusiast living in Ventura. She is inspired by the magic that exists in all nature, and writes from the perspective of a curious observer. She is published in the newly published Solo Voyage, CSUCI’s Island Fox Literary journal, and has read at events throughout Ventura County.
Time
(Saturday) 3:00 pm
Location
Studio Channel Islands Art Center
2222 Ventura Boulevard, Camarillo, CA 93010
