Words on Stage: Pitches, Poetry and Pico

Grad Slam, the annual event in which UCSB graduate students present their research in three-minute talks meant to quickly spotlight the exciting work they are doing on campus, wraps up its 11th year with presentations from the seven finalists on April 5 at Campbell Hall. The pitches are designed to captures the students’ research in a clear and compelling way, as the talks are evaluated by a diverse panel of judges for accessibility, organization, delivery, and engagement. The program was created to emphasize that effective communication is a core competency in any professional field, whether academia or industry. Visit https://gradslam.ucsb.edu/2024. 

Chaucer’s Books hosts a reading by former Santa Barbara Poets Laureate Perie Longo, David Starkey, Paul J. Willis, Chryss Yost, Enid Osborne, and Laure-Anne Bosselaar – as well as Melinda Palacio, currently in the position – on April 8 at 6 pm. The night is both a celebration of the publication of the Santa Barbara Literary Journal’s 10th volume, “Satellite of Love,” which focuses on poetry and was largely compiled and edited by Longo, as well as National Poetry Month. Maryanne Knight will host the event as works by the late Sojourner Rolle-Kincaid will also be shared. Visit www.chaucersbooks.com.

Lauren Groff, the bestselling novelist and short story writer who has a three-time National Book Award finalist, is next up in the popular and often profound Speaking with Pico series, chatting with the writer and expert interviewer on April 9 at Campbell Hall. Known for spinning highly imaginative fiction through examining the historical forces that shape human behavior, Groff is the author of Fates and Furies, Matrix, and her latest The Vaster Wilds, an adventure story set in the wilderness of colonial America. Info and tickets at www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu.