The reading “Spirits in the Air: Potent Potable Poetry” will be held Wednesday, April 15 at The Good Lion, 1212 State Street, Santa Barbara. There will be a poetic happy hour from 4:30 – 5:30 pm followed by the poetry reading itself from 5:30 – 6:30 pm. The event, which has free admission (and a no-host bar), is open to the public. It is the 12thanniversary of the reading (two years were held via Zoom because of Covid), and in 2025 a fall edition of the popular event also occurred in October. The Good Lion will feature special poetry-themed cocktails for the event.
A group of invited poets will read their work, and the work of others, about libations of all sorts. Featured readers will include Clayton E. Clark, Mason Granger, Justin Graham Hoops, Rebecca Horrigan, Amy Michelson, Diana Raab, Linda Saccoccio, Jason Scrymgeour, David Starkey, and George Yatchisin.
The reading will be hosted by Yatchisin, the Poet Laureate for Santa Barbara, food writer for the Santa Barbara Independent, soon-to-be-retired “Drinkable Landscape” columnist for Edible Santa Barbara, and author of poetry volumes Feast Days and The First Night We Thought the World Would End.
This reading is one of the events for 2026 Santa Barbara Poetry Month, in conjunction with April National Poetry Month. The event will also be noted for its appearance by Mason Granger, Poet-in-Residence at USC’s Schwarzenegger Institute, as part of his 30 Days & 30 Mics spoken word poetry activations across California.
“From Bacchus to Berryman, from Li Po to Dorothy Parker, drink and lyric flights have danced a long, sometimes loving, sometimes leery waltz,” Yatchisin says. “This event will attest to the multi-faceted ways poets have found inspiration, solace, and yes, sometimes sickness in the bottle. In a time when an attention to words matters more than ever, this reading makes clear just how fun bringing the truth of poetry can be. This fantastic slate of readers looks forward to packing our delicious partner The Good Lion once again. Plus, given this year’s event is on Tax Day, who won’t need a tantalizing tipple and the distraction of poetry?”
