Ojai Poetry Series

Tonight, 6 pm. Open reading to follow

Long involved in writing and performing poetry, theater and dance, as well as social activism, Ventura County Poet Laureate Luzmaria Espinosa hopes to bring a greater awareness of poetry to youth, families and all residents of the region. Inspired by activist artists, Espinosa has become an activist for social change; in 1979 she became a member of the Royal Chicano Air Force, a Sacramento-based art collective which advanced the cause of the United Farm Workers movement. She ...has also taught and performed with many dance groups in Mexico City, San Francisco, and the Central Coast. Her archives, including an extensive collection of rare art and original documentation of the Chicano Teatro movement as well as her own works of poetry, were recently installed at CSUCI. Through art Espinosa hopes to bring others, especially youth, not simply a better appreciation of art, but a better understanding of and respect for humanity. She states In this day and age, with so much division and inequality, it’s important for those who are older to pass along to those coming after us not just a skill but an attitude that promotes compassion, love and respect for others. The beauty of art is that it crosses all cultures when you broaden your scope and take off your blinders, you grow as a person. See more

We hope to see you on the 17th.