175 poets contributed to Women in a Golden State, with voices as varied as our landscape. Virtual and in-person readings are being coordinated with the help of poets across California. Full listing below.
Interview with the Editors:
“The Bookshop Podcast: Women In A Golden State: 175 Voices from California.” (interview by Mandy Jackson-Beverly) July 14, 2025.
Articles:
- “Aging Out Loud: New Anthology from Santa Barbara Poets Gives Older Women a Powerful Platform.” (article by Tiana Molony). Santa Barbara Independent. August 21, 2025.
- ““Why Reminiscing is Good for Us.” (article by Diana Raab). Psychology Today. August 17, 2025.
- “The Age of Aquarius Returns: How Elder Women Are Reviving Hippie Values.” (article by Diana Raab). Sixty and Me. May 20, 2025.
- “The Golden Women of Orange County.” (article by Mary Camarillo). Citric Acid.
- “Poetry Connection | Wondering What My Mother Would Be Like at 76.” (column by Melinda Palacio). Santa Barbara Independent. July 17, 2025.
Thank you to all the readers, and special thanks to the event hosts.
For updates, follow Gunpowder Press on Facebook, Instagram, or BluSky
We do our best to keep this information up-to-date!
| Date & Time* | Description | Featured Poets | Contact & RSVP* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, October 19, 2025 • 6:00-8:00 pm | Ikat and Pearls 24 S California St, Ventura, CA 93001 | Featuring Laura Anaya, Emily Bernhardt, Marsha de la O, Kimbrough Ernest, Sherry La Puma, Lucia Lemieux. Peg Quinn, and Kathryn Ridall. | Diana Raab |
| Sunday, October 26, 2025 • 3:00 pm | Berkeley | Featuring Caroline Goodwin, Laurel Benjamin, Robin Michel, and Lisa Rosenberg | Poetry Flash |
| Thursday, October 30, 2025 • 6:30 pm | Books, Inc. 1344 Park St, Alameda, CA 94501 | Featuring Mara Sheade, Andrena Zawinski, D.R. Goodman, Andrea Lingenfelter, Sharanya Naik, and Evelyn Jean Pine. | Mara Sheade |
| Sunday, November 16, 2025 • 6:30 pm (doors open 6:15) | Verbatim Books 3793 30th Street San Diego, CA 92104 | Featuring Lori Anaya, Elena Karina Byrne, Veronica Kornberg, Seretta Martin, and Kathy O’Fallon. Also featuring Deborah Allbritain, Ridland Prize winner Andrea Carter, and Melissa McKinstry. | Tammy Greenwood & Leslie Hodge |
| December 4, 2025 | Santa Cruz | TK | |
| Wednesday, March 4, 2026 • 7:00 pm | Banter Books 3768 Capitol Ave Ste. F, Fremont, CA 94538 | TK | Mara Sheade |
| * All times listed are Pacific Time | *Please contact the host directly for information about events |
Past Women In a Golden State events
| Date & Time* | Description | Featured Poets | Contact & RSVP* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday June 18, 2025 • 4:00 pm | Celebrating Women in a Golden State • Ojai Roots 315 N Montgomery St. Ojai, CA 93023 | Hosted by co-editor Diana Raab. Readers include Valerie Anne Burns, Jina Carvalho, Marsha de la O, Kimbrough Ernest, Catherine Gewertz, Elizabeth Iannaci, Bonilee Kauffman, Christine Kravetz, Sharon Langley, Lucia Lemieux, Ronna Magy, Lois Phillips, & Terry Wolverton. | Diana Raab, host |
| Tuesday June 24, 2025 • 6:00 pm | Welcoming Women in a Golden State • Chaucer’s Books 3321 State Street Santa Barbara, CA 93105 | Co-hosted by the book’s editors Chryss Yost and Diana Raab, the evening will feature poetry readings from the book by Laure-Anne Bosselaar, M.L. Brown, Jina Carvalho, Fran Davis, Stephanie Barbé Hammer, Christine Kravetz, Shirley Lim, Perie Longo, Kathee Miller, & Dale Griffiths Stamos. | Open event, No RSVP required |
| Monday June 30, 2025 • 7:00 pm | The Golden Hour: Celebrating Women in a Golden State • Zoom | Featuring Kim Birdsong, Sheryl Bize-Boutte, Lisa Black, M.L. Brown, Julie Bruck, Pamela Davis, Lucille Lang Day, Nancy Fowler, Valentina Gnup, Tammy Greenwood, Veronica Kornberg, Nancy L. Meyer, Christine Penko, Kathy Pon, Lisa Rosenberg, & Florence Weinberger. | Salt & Poetry (Jessica Cohn, Hillary King, Nancy L. Meyer, Stephanie Pressman)• Free sign up at Eventbrite.com |
| Monday July 14, 2025 • 7:00 pm | The Golden Hour 2: Celebrating Women in a Golden State • Zoom | Featuring Virginia Barrett, Lavina Blossom, Mary Camarillo, Caroline Goodwin, Stephanie Barbé Hammer, Karen Hones, Ruthie Marlenée, Gail Newman, Anita Pulier, Beth Ruscio, Anna Scotti, Jeanine Stevens, Georgette Unis, & Charlotte Ward. | Salt & Poetry (Jessica Cohn, Hillary King, Nancy L. Meyer, Stephanie Pressman)• Free sign up at Eventbrite.com |
| Sunday August 3, 2025 • 1:00 pm | More from a Golden State • Zoom | Featuring Lavina Blossom, Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Susan Browne, Alexis Rhone Fancher, Stephanie Barbé Hammer, Suzanne Lummis, Penelope Moffet, Robbi Nester, & Connie Post. | Robbi Nester • Register in advance |
| Sunday, August 10, 2025 • 4:00 pm | Women in a Golden State, North and South • Zoom | Featuring Lisa Alvarez, Laurel Benjamin, Mary Camarillo, Susan Cohen, Carol Dorf, Joyce Kiefer, Blair Kilpatrick, Ronna Magy, Eileen Malone, Kathleen McClung, Robbi Nester, Jan Steckel, Lynne Thompson, Carine Topal, Terra Trevor, Georgette Unis, and Maw Shein Win | Laurel Benjamin & Julia Ross• Register in advance |
| Saturday, August 30, 2025 • 7:15 pm | Convenant Living at the Samarkand 2550 Treasure Dr. Santa Barbara, CA 93105 | Featuring Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Lynne Bronstein, Susan Chiavelli, Fran Davis, Ellen Girardeau Kempler, Christine Kravetz, and Peg Quinn | Diana Raab |
| Saturday, September 6, 2025 • 3:00 pm | Tecolote Bookshop Montecito | Featuring Lisa Alvarez, Valerie Anne Burns, Susan Chiavelli, Elizabeth Iannaci, Seretta Martin, Amy Michelson, Kathee Miller, Kathy O’ Fallon, Enid Osborn, Joan Jobe Smith, and Dale Griffiths Stamos | Diana Raab |
| Saturday, September 13, 2025 • 11:00 am to 1:00 pm | Caffeinated Verse • Malibu Library | Featuring Carol V. Davis, Elizabeth Iannaci, Suzanne Lummis, Leslie Monsour, Anita Pulier, Hilda Weiss, Gail Wronsky, and Florence Weinberger | Charlotte Ward, Malibu Poet Laureate |
| Sunday, September 28, 2025 • 11:00 am to 2:00 pm | Libromobile 1150 S. Bristol Suite A3 Santa Ana Free parking! Brunch nibbles and libations. | Featuring Lisa Alvarez, Debby Arrin, Lisa Black, Mary Camarillo, Kathleen Gunton, Jan Hanson, Elizabeth Iannaci, Ruthie Marlenée, Penelope Moffet, and Robbi Nester. Also featuring artwork by Stacy Russo, author of Beyond 70: The Lives of Creative Women. | Lisa Alvarez and Mary Camarillo |
| Monday, October 6, 2025 | Sacramento Poetry Center | Susan Kelly-DeWitt, Stephanie Taylor, Susan Wooldridge, Jeanine Stevens, Diane Funston, Jennifer Pickering, Ann Conradsen, and Doreen Beyer | Susan Kelly-DeWitt |
| * All times listed are Pacific Time | *Please contact the host directly for information about events |