Viewing entries tagged
poetry
The Catalyst is a student-run literary magazine that UC Santa Barbara students can participate in through the English Department. They recently held a fundraiser that gave students, advisors, and community members a chance to enjoy live music and spoken word poetry in an effort to fund the next physical publication.
The English Department has reason to celebrate, as two of its professors won awards for early career achievements in their fields of study.
Poet and comparative literature instructor Rick Benjamin has urged readers to engage in less self-absorption and make space for compassion for others, in his latest book of poetry, “The Mob Within the Heart.” He read excerpts from what is his fifth book at a recent launch event presented by the UC Santa Barbara student Poets’ Club. Written during the COVID-19 pandemic, it expresses the poet’s feelings about love, political conflict, illness and loss. He describes overwhelming love in his closest relationships and explores the complex responsibilities of being human.
Joy Harjo, the 23rd poet laureate of the United States, came to UC Santa Barbara recenlty for a poetry reading and Q&A session. She is the first Native American to hold the title of poet laureate and writes about colonization, love, fear and empowerment.
UC Santa Barbara 2023 graduate Nina Lopez choreographed three numbers for the Spring Dance Recital “VITALITY.” She was one of five senior students who choreographed the showcase. She recently sat down for an interview to discuss her background in dance and what the future holds for her.
Music student Jason Cathcart is deeply involved in the arts at UCSB, and spends his time performing and sharing his love for music with the community. He plays about ten instruments, and is president of the Poets’ Club, where he recently released his own personal poetry magazine, Dizziness Great!
UCSB’s Division of Humanities and Fine Arts celebrated Give Day last week with its annual Creativity Contest. Students from all majors and years submitted works in different categories—photography, prose, poetry, visual art, music and video—for the opportunity to be published on the HFA website. The winners were honored at a luncheon award ceremony.
English scholar Brinda Bose recently visited UC Santa Barbara to analyze the works two of acclaimed avant-garde Indian poets. Her presentation, “Looking at the Sky with Bullet-Holes Eyes: A Frame for Indian Avant-garde Poetry,” was hosted by the UCSB English Department and attended by a wide array of faculty and students.
UC Santa Barbara English professor emerita Shirley Geok-lin Lim shared her new poems from “In Praise of Limes,” her 11th poetry collection, at Writers & Wordsmiths of Santa Barbara II, an open mic poem reading event at the UCSB Library. Following Lim, UCSB English professors Stephanie Batiste and Swati Rana as well as Chryss Yost and George Yatchisin of the Gevirtz School of Education, and several members from the Santa Barbara community shared their poems.
UC Santa Barbara biopsychology major Kiana Ranjbaran devotes herself to the study of Islamic poet Rumi and holds an internship with the Rumi Education Center via the Department of Religious Studies. She says everyone can benefit from reading Rumi, who writes about the interconnectedness of humanity, the world, and the divine.
This spring, UCSB’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division hosted a creativity contest to highlight creative student voices across the UCSB campus. Explore the winning poetry entries submitted by Kiana Perez, Aran Hosseini, and Vivian Walman-Randall.
This spring, UCSB’s Humanities and Fine Arts Division hosted a creativity contest to highlight creative student voices across the UCSB campus. Students from all walks of life submitted their original works of photography, poetry, prose, visual art, and music for the opportunity to be featured on the HFA website.
One student wrote powerful poetry about a prison hunger strike. Another explored sado-masochism and non-monogamy as safe spaces for healing. And another looked at the role hair plays in self-image. Whatever the project topic, a UC Santa Barbara writing fellowship funded by Santa Barbara author Diana Raab is changing lives.
