Stanzas of Sojourns

Santa Barbara poet Daniel Thomas celebrates the recent publication of his first collection of poems, Deep Pockets, with a second reading of works from the book at 7 pm next Thursday, August 23, at Chaucer’s. The book traverses Thomas’s path from snowy Minnesota to lush Southern California, where he moved in 2015 to work at Westmont College before assuming his current position as chief development officer at the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, as serves as a collection of lyric and narrative poems that evoke the passing years and “the soul’s mystery in the material world.” The poems span more than two decades of his life and encompass his reactions to children being born, parents growing old, a son going off to war, plus the changing nature of love and a long marriage. Deep Pockets has a broad range but may particularly appeal to those who wish to think deeply about how spiritual awareness infuses the ordinary moments of our daily life, as current Santa Barbara poet laureate Enid Osborn noted: “Thomas’s poems carry the wisdom and grace of the Old World, exploring matters of faith and conscience in an age where tenets have lost their purchase.”

Chaucer’s Books is located at 3321 State St. in Loreto Plaza Shopping Center. Call (805) 682-6787 or visit www.chaucersbooks.com.

Bowled Over

Elsewhere in pop music, the countrified singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile heads into the Arlington Theatre on Saturday, August 18, and the venue also hosts Erasure on Tuesday, August 21. White Stripes leader Jack White shows up at the Santa Barbara Bowl on Sunday, August 19.

The Tribe, comprising LA-based session and touring musicians and singers, returns to SOhO for another “Classic Album” show. After performing Elton John’s double-album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, The Tribe has worked up a new show featuring two classic Eagles LPs: Desperado and On the Border, with each album being recreated start to finish in order at SOhO on Wednesday, August 22.

Books & Authors

Santa Barbara writer Mack W. Borgen launches the second volume of his new series, Dead Serious and Lighthearted, at Chaucer’s Books on Thursday, August 16. The series aims to present history in an entirely new way, without the tired stories, heavy words and a litany of “isms” – instead focusing on “Memorable Words,” both the dead serious and the lighthearted. Subjects range from fascinating to frivolous, from tragic to momentous, from eloquent to bumbling, including from Ike to Obama, and from Lucy to Lady Gaga. This second volume covers 1977-93, touching on such phrases as Star Wars’s “May the force be with you” and A Few Good Men’s “You can’t handle the truth”, and words from the efforts of Carter to the rise of Reagan, from the Go-Go financial markets of the 1980s to the fall of Communism; from the emergence of modern conservatism to the impacts of globalism and technology. Brogan – who is a historian and lawyer – has authored the award-winning books The Relevance of Reason: The Hard Facts and Real Data about the State of Current America, Volumes I and II. The 7 pm launch includes a reading and refreshments.

Second Sequel

Wild Wild Weasel, the second book in the World of the Weasel series by Salvo Lavis and James Munn, leaves behind the subject of space travel for the latest challenge: obedience school. Can a weasel be trained? Find out what happens when wild animals go to school, just like kids do. Lavis, a writer and producer who has worked in digital, video, print, and radio, joins Munn, a freelance writer, film historian, and former editor at Architectural Digest and fellow Los Angeles resident, for a book reading and signing session at Chaucer’s at 2 pm on Sunday, August 19.