About A Night of Poetry

A Night of Poetry was the first event organized by the current Santa Barbara Speaks team. 

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On April 8, 2017, students from every corner of Santa Barbara came together to appreciate poetry and art by local teenagers. We heard about themes ranging from mental illness to space travel, and admired photographs, abstract paintings, and watercolors. Watch their performances (coming soon) and take a look at their art below.

Meet the Poets

1st

Kate Babcock

Kate is a junior at Eureka High School. Her major influences as a poet are Dante Gabriel Rossetti, T.S. Eliot, and Allen Ginsberg. She is in a local band called HOLY, and has been singing in different musical settings since 2008. Her other interests include philosophy, photography, and journalism. She is a volunteer photographer and social media representative for the nonprofit organization A.S.A.P. 

1st

2nd

Josh Hurd

Hi! My name is Josh Hurd and I am a senior at San Marcos High School. I really love how poetry can be used to describe seemingly intangible things like emotions or death. I also love how introspective plots can be, especially ones that can use it to be funny. I usually like to write poetry about times of the day or specific situations that I am in to evaluate them and my emotions, which is basically therapy. 

3rd

Andreah Estrada

Andreah was born in Mexico.

"Trying to find my own reality in the simplicity of what alludes me, what is of mine to capture, not the moment, but the divine beauty of the seconds somehow wasted... a possibility for me to keep that moment in a forever empty space, a sense, to capture the essence of this so called “my world” and a desire to bring you with me."

Kate Erickson

I’m a junior at San Marcos. I love reading, writing, and consuming different sources of media. I listen to podcasts every day, read the news, and I try to be aware with what's going on in the world. My dream is to one day move to a big city and be a journalist, poet, screenwriter or author. I don't really care what I do, as long as I can write everyday. 

Meet the Artists

Claire Bjork

Claire grew up in Santa Barbara and has always loved art. She mostly paints in acrylic, but she is ​ beginning to work more in oil. Her artwork focuses mostly on nature and animals. In the fall, she'll be studying sustainable agriculture at UC Davis.

Tyler Dorfman

Tyler is a senior at San Marcos High School. He has been painting for four years and will study architecture at Savannah College of Art and Design in the fall. He has been awarded the Junior’s Choice Award from the Channelkeeper Studio Art Show and Best Picture at Santa Barbara Middle School's Film Contest.

Emi Hoffman

Emi is a senior at San Marcos High School. Art has always been one of her passions, whether it be drawing, photography, sculpture or painting. She loves all art forms and hopes to pursue it in her future.

Gabe Farhadian

I can't stand some of the stuff we do. We laugh at common sense, just as much as we are produced.

Diana Cortez

Diana, a freshman at San Marcos High School, has been passionate about art for as long as she can remember. She also loves running cross country and track, and she’s a part of CyberTutorial, a tutoring program that helps local underprivileged elementary school students.

Abby Rightmire

Abby is a fourteen-year-old artist and a freshman at San Marcos High School. She’s been drawing her whole life, and she loves incorporating her favorite music and literature into her artwork. When Abby isn’t drawing, she loves to read, hike, and play the guitar.

Mia Franco

Mia, a San Marcos senior, is interested in pursuing fine art as both a major and career. After studying at California College of the Arts, she hopes to pursue a career in illustration, possibly creating concept art for film production while illustrating children's books.