Poetry Readings Gain In Popularity In Palm Desert

A few years ago, renowned poet Patricia D'Alessandro walked into with her signature shock of white hair and oversized bright red eyeglasses and proposed producing a montly live poetry reading in their store on a monthly basis.

Before she knew it, she was producing the series Valley Voices of the Muse, which has been cycling for a few seasons now with no signs of stopping. The series has featured local and regional poets.

No stranger to the form, Pat has published seven volumes of poetry over the years, most recently "Pax Vobisbum: Ant-War Poetry Collection."

"Connecting to each other through poetry is what I am striving for," Pat said. "I love it when a reading is over and people come up to me and say that they related deeply to something that was read.  I also love seeing newcomers to the readings who don't know much about poetry but are touched by something they hear."

The series is funded through a grant by the James Irvine Foundation. The next reading will take place Friday, March 4 from 6-7 p.m. and features poet Glen Fitch: Just a 16th Century Poet Lost in the 21st Century.