An Evening of Poetry: Michael C. Ford, Jeffrey Graham, & Paul Cummins

Lawyer and poet Jeffrey Graham, author of Elegy to a Surveyor and renowned educator and activist Paul Cummins will read from their respective books and from new works! Their writings compile decades worth of dedication to the art of poetry. Legendary L.A. poet Michael C. Ford will be reading new and selected work published in In Case of Flood Stand on this Book It's Dry English and other titles.

Join us for a reception and book signings after the readings.

Doors Open: 7:00 PM I Readings: 7:30 PM

About the authors

A legendary voice in the LA poetry scene, Michael C Ford has produced a steady stream of print and recorded product since 1970. Hen House Studios continues to publicize and market his recorded tracks Look Each Other in the Ears (2014) with surviving members of a 1960s theatre rock quartet most of you may remember as The Doors. A chapbook titled Populated Wilderness in conjunction with Ion Drive Publishing is being produced as a fundraiser for Lockwood Animal Rescue Center. His most recent collection of poetry and prose will be published by Mystic Boxing Committee Press.

Jeffrey Graham published his poetry collection "Elegy to a Surveyor" in 2019, and is working on a follow-up book. It is Graham’s wish that his poems stir public interest at the intersection of poetry, education, love, and politics. Graham was born and raised in New York City and moved to Los Angeles in 1989 following a stint teaching American Studies at Lund University in Sweden. He has been an avid student of American literature since an undergraduate at Brown University. After Georgetown Law Center and during his career as an attorney and real estate developer, Graham earned a Masters in English at Loyola Marymount University. While practicing law and writing, Graham has also been the director of a Waldorf school and a non-profit developer of thirty K-12 public schools in California. He is pleased to be joining Cummins and Ford for a second time reading at Beyond Baroque.

Paul Cummins, a renown educator and social justice activist, entered the world of poetry in 1966 while writing a doctoral dissertation on the poetry of twice pulitzer prize winning Richard Wilbur at USC. This book, selected from the nearly 600 poems written between 1966-2017, since then, offers a clear and often inspiring voice, with brilliant and sacred imagery all the while allowing for uncommon accessibility. This volume includes sonnets, prose poems, odes as well as various metered, and stanzaic poems.

About Beyond Baroque

Beyond Baroque is one of the United States' leading independent Literary | Arts Centers and public spaces dedicated to expanding the public's knowledge of poetry, literature and art through cultural events and community interaction. Founded in 1968 as an experimental literary magazine, Beyond Baroque is based out of the original City Hall building in Venice, California. The Center offers a diverse variety of literary and arts programming including readings and workshops. The building also houses a bookstore with a large collection of new poetry books for sale.

Livestream: If you can’t join us in-person the event will be livestreamed on at the scheduled time of the event.

Event attendees are expected to behave in a respectful and considerate manner while in our space. Beyond Baroque reserves the right to remove individuals from our events, virtual or otherwise, if they are not respecting the space, staff, fellow attendees, or performers.

Ticket purchase is required. Tickets will be available at the Beyond Baroque bookstore on the day of the event, but we recommend registering in advance through Eventbrite. Masks are encouraged while inside our center. Please arrive early.

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