The Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Division and the Santa Monica Public Library will present the first installment of In A Sense: Santa Monica Live on Thursday, June 29 at 7 p.m. in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Auditorium at the main library.  Hosted by KPFK’s Paul Lieber, this series of spoken word performances by contemporary poets will feature works that evoke Santa Monica and explore the cultural identity of this unique city.

The series is offered as a part of Creative Capital, the cultural planning process that is examining the future of culture and arts in the City.  On each of three evenings poets will read works inspired by essential elements of life in Santa Monica, both their own works and works by other notable writers.  The debut event on June 29 will feature three of Santa Monica’s most exciting poets:

• Sherman Pearl, a 20-year Santa Monican, is a co-founder of the Los Angeles Poetry Festival and co-editor of CQ magazine.  In the past decade, he has published four collections, most recently, The Poem in Time of War, and his work has appeared in more than 40 literary journals and anthologies.

• Marjorie Becker is the author of the history, Setting the Virgin on Fire. She has also been published in Runes, 51% and So Luminous the Wildflowers. Her novel in poems, Body Bach, was nominated for the National Book Award in poetry.

• francEyE, also known as the female Bukowski, has been writing, attending poetry workshops, and publishing her work since 1963. Her work has been included in The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry, L.A. Woman among many others. Her book of poems, Snaggletooth in Ocean Park, was published in 1996 by The Sacred Beverage Press.

The MLK Auditorium is located in the Main Library at 601 Santa Monica Blvd.  For more information about this free public program, contact the Santa Monica Public Library at (310) 458-8600; or visit the library’s website at www.smpl.org.   For additional information on Creative Capital, please visit the website at www.smgov.net/creativesantamonica  or contact Jessica Cusick in the Cultural Affairs Division at (310) 458-8350

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