THE ANNUAL MORTON MARCUS MEMORIAL POETRY READING, held each year in November, honors poet, teacher and film critic Morton Marcus (1936-2009), one of Santa Cruz’s beloved cultural icons. Always free of charge, the mission of the series is to bring an esteemed poet to Santa Cruz County each year to read and meet with the public – a goal which Mort was dedicated to throughout his life.

THE INAUGURAL READING was held on November 6, 2010 at Cabrillo College, featuring Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award winner and U.S. Poet Laureate (1995-1997) Robert Hass. Also featured was the launch of Marcus’s final book, The Dark Figure In The Doorway, with readings from the new book by poets Joseph Stroud, Gary Young and Stephen Kessler. Below is a link to the video from the Inaugural reading as well as press articles.

Watch the 1st Annual Morton Marcus Memorial Poetry Reading sponsored by Community TV. CLICK HERE.

• Morton Marcus Lives On by Lisa Jensen, Good Times Weekly, November 3, 2010.
• Elegy For A Force Of Nature by Tessa Stuart, Santa Cruz Weekly, November 3, 2010.
• First Memorial Reading Dedicated To Marcus by Wallace Baine, Santa Cruz Sentinel, November 4, 2010.
• Pulitzer Prize Winner To Read At Cabrillo, Aptos Times, October 15, 2010.

Inaugural Sponsors: Poetry Santa Cruz, Cabrillo College English Department, Ow Family Properties, University of California at Santa Cruz, and Community TV of Santa Cruz County.

THE 2nd ANNUAL READING was held on November 20, 2011 at UC Santa Cruz, featuring Pulitzer Prize winner, MacArthur Fellow and U.S. Poet Laureate (2008-2010) Kay Ryan. Hosted by Gary Young, poets Shirley Ancheta and Jeff Tagami reminisced about Marcus and read some of his poetry.

2011 Sponsors: Poetry Santa Cruz, Cabrillo College English Department, Ow Family Properties, University of California at Santa Cruz, and Bookshop Santa Cruz.