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Tony Passarell, Richard Loranger, and Greg Carter perform on the Natsoulas Gallery roof on September 21, 2023

Dear Friends of Poetry,

The Poetry Night Reading Series is excited to feature Tony Passarell, Richard Loranger, and Greg Carter at 7 PM on Thursday, September 21st, 2023, on the roof of the John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st Street in Davis.

Musician, band founder, producer, visionary, Tony Passarell covers all the bases from punk to experimental. Since 1979, he has toured the West Coast with such groups as the Bub Orchestra, Mad Phat, Hunting Game, The Borman Six, Dutch Falconi, and Delta Head Trip. As well as leading groups, he has been featured alongside John Tchicai, John Ehlis, Scott Amendola, Gino Robair, Myles Boisen, and The Lords of Outland. He was producer of the Airwaves Jazz Festival from 1994 through 1998, and coordinated and organized the Wednesday night modern jazz series at the club On Broadway, the Fringe Arts Festival, and various visual artists shows throughout galleries in Sacramento. In addition to performing and producing events, Tony has produced numerous recordings and promoted world artists such as Charles Gayle, Bert Wilson, Myra Meford, Ben Goldberg, and Steve Coleman. Tony Passarell is one of Dr. Andy’s favorite jazz musicians, and we feel lucky to have him join us at the Poetry Night stage.

Richard Loranger is a multi-genre writer, performer, musician, and visual artist who has been working around the United States for over forty years. They have lived in many parts of the country, including New York, Austin, Boulder, Ann Arbor, Chicago, and San Francisco, and currently they live and work in Oakland, CA. They are the author of Mammal, Unit of Agency, Be A Bough Tit, Sudden Windows, Poems for Teeth, The Orange Book, and ten chapbooks. Selections of their writing have appeared in over 100 magazines and journals. You can find more about their work and scandals at www.richardloranger.com.

Greg Carter is a poet based in San Francisco and active in the San Francisco poetry and open mic scene. Starting writing poetry (after much observation and reflection) in 1994, Carter was published in Keely Duran’s Sex in Public, and in Margo Perin’s The Dead Can Kill. His work has also been published by Criminal Class press, headed up by Keith & Kent Zimmerman. Experienced at reading with the music of Tony Passarell, Greg is a past performer at the Jazz and Beat Conference at the John Natsoulas Gallery in Davis.

This event will take place on the roof of the John Natsoulas Gallery (521 1st Street) at 7 PM on Thursday, September 21st, 2023. An open mic will follow the featured performers. Open mic performances will be limited to three minutes or two items, whichever is shorter. As Robert Southey says, “Be brief; for it is with words as with sunbeams – the more they are condensed, the deeper they burn.” The open mic list typically fills by 6:50 PM, so please arrive early if you would like to perform something during the 8 o’clock hour. Attendees who request to be added to the list after 7 PM will be invited to try again at a subsequent event.

September Covid test positivity is up in California. Attendees are encouraged to mask up when inside the John Natsoulas Gallery.

The Facebook event page for the September 21st, 2023 Poetry Night can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/events/825373485929134 

The Poetry Night Reading Series, taking place on first and third Thursdays of the month at 7 PM, is generously supported by the people and poets of the Sacramento Valley, by John Natsoulas, and by Thea and the other members of the staff at the John Natsoulas Gallery. Your host will typically be Dr. Andy Jones, the poet laureate emeritus of the City of Davis. This event is supported by Katerina Hanks, producer of The Poetry Night Reading Series.

Find out more about the Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting https://www.poetryindavis.com. Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, check out his weekly podcast at https://poetrytechnology.buzzsprout.com/. Find his other musings at https://andyjones.substack.com/

Upcoming Poetry Night Events:

October 5: William O’Daly with classical guitarist Louis Valentine Johnson
October 19: DR Wagner and Dave Boles
November 2: California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick
November 16: William Mohr

Future readers will include Joe Wenderoth, Kim Stanley Robinson, Alan Williamson, Jeanne Foster, Lisa Rosenberg, Julia Connor, Clarence Major, Bob Stanley, Mario Hill, The Rumi Caravan, and other favorites.

The Poetry Night Reading Series has been committed to serving the literary and arts community in the city of Davis since 2011. Happening every 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month at the Natsoulas Gallery, each reading contains two featured poets followed by an open mic. Poetry in Davis was voted “Best Open Mic” in The California Aggie’s “Best of Davis″ edition and has been featured in Davis Life Magazine. Readers have included UC Davis faculty Francisco X. Alarcón, John Boe, Zinzi Clemmons, Joshua Clover, Jack Forbes, Sandra Gilbert, Brad Henderson, Pamela Houston, Clarence Major, Sandra McPherson, Katie Peterson, Margaret Ronda, Joe Wenderoth, and Alan Williamson, as well as many regional and traveling poets, including Molly Peacock, Jane Hirshfield, Dana Gioia, and James Ragan.

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