Taking place the weekend before the 2026 A cademy Awards\, this reading and conversation draws from Beyond Baroque&rs quo\;s anthology \;Poetry Goes to the Movies\, which brings t ogether editor and poet Suzanne Lummis with contributing writers Sesshu Fo ster\, Beth Ruscio\, and Mariano Zaro in a conversation moderated by autho r and film scholar Elena Karina Byrne. Together\, the panel explores how p oets\, actors\, and film-industry insiders working in Los Angeles respond to film&mdash\;sometimes in homage\, sometimes through interrogation&mdash \;by revising\, reimagining\, and \;occasionally \;dismantling its narratives. \;
\nPoetry becomes a way of answering moving image s&mdash\;many drawn from Hollywood films made on Burbank&rsquo\;s studio l ots&mdash\;that linger and take on a life in the poet&rsquo\;s imagination . The program invites audiences to experience movies not just as entertain ment\, but as texts to revisit\, reinterpret\, and remake through words an d voice.
\nIn partnership with Beyond Baroque
\nBeyond Baroque is one of the Unit ed States&rsquo\; leading independent literary arts centers and public spa ces dedicated to expanding public engagement with poetry\, literature\, an d art through cultural events and community interaction. Founded in 1968 a s an experimental literary magazine\, Beyond Baroque is based in the histo ric former City Hall building in Venice\, California.
\nThe Center o ffers a wide range of literary and arts programming\, including readings a nd workshops\, and houses a bookstore with the largest collection of new p oetry books for sale in Los Angeles\, along with an archive of more than 4 0\,000 books documenting the history of poetry movements in Los Angeles an d beyond. Over the years\, Beyond Baroque has been closely associated with the Venice Beats\, the punk movement\, and generations of visiting writer s and scholars.
\nAbout the Panelists
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