Morton Marcus, 1936–2009, was a poet, author, editor, teacher, film critic, and activist for the arts. Born in New York City, Mort spent most of his professional life in Santa Cruz, California, and he is strongly associated with its poetry and art community. He published eleven volumes of poetry, a book of translations, a novel and a memoir. Mort hosted KUSP’s Poetry Show, hosted film discussion groups at the Nickelodeon Theater, and was the co-host of a television show about film called Cinema Scene. More than 500 of his poems have appeared in literary magazines and anthologies.