Saturday, November 15 at 6:00 p.m., Jay Salter, local poet and naturalist, will give a fireside poetry reading at Rancho del Oso Nature Center, of his poems about the Central Coast and other wild places. Jay will also play environmental sounds he recorded for museums and visitor centers. Marked by a strong sense of sound and place, Jay’s work reveals themes of encounters with animals. His readings feel like meditations, night journeys into the animal realm, and descents into the stories of caves.
Jay is completing his MA in Creative Writing at San Francisco State University with a poetry collection about the real and mythic wild boar. In spring 2009, look for Jay’s talk, also at the Nature Center, about the elusive and illusive beast, complete with slides and sound. Known locally as the Santa Cruz bagpiper, Jay has taught poetry to people from preschool to college-age and has given many local poetry readings over the years. A forthcoming book about natural sound by the well-known nature sound recordist Gordon Hempton (to be published in January) contains a chapter about Jay and his years of recording in Utah’s Canyonlands National Park.
Rancho del Oso is located 16 miles north of Santa Cruz, 2 miles south of Año Nuevo. The Nature Center is 1/4 mile inland on the road just south of the Waddell Creek Bridge.
Join poetry and nature lovers around a cozy fire for a convivial gathering. Bring a bottle of wine or other beverage, a picnic supper or snack. The Nature Center will serve coffee, tea, cocoa, and cookies. Please call to reserve a space: 831.427.2288.
There is no charge for this event.
