Poet to speak


Dana Gioia

Dana Gioia

California’s most recent poet laureate is scheduled to speak at 4 p.m. Wed., Oct. 23 in Samuelson Chapel on the Cal Lutheran University campus at 165 Chapel Lane, Thousand Oaks.

The free event will feature a reading and lecture by Dana Gioia. Also,the Cal Lutheran Choir, conducted by Wyant Morton, will sing a musical setting of Gioia’s poem “Prayer” that was composed by Morten Lauridsen.

A past chair of the National Endowment of the Arts, Gioia will read from his award-winning poetry and discuss how community engagement in poetry and the arts fosters a vibrant public sphere, according to a news release.

During his term as California Poet Laureate from 2015 through 2018, Gioia brought his own poetry and the work of established and emerging poets to every county in the state, the first to visit all 58.

Born in Los Angeles to a family with Italian and Mexican roots, Gioia was the first in his family to attend college. He received a bachelor’s degree and MBA from Stanford University and worked in business for 15 years before quitting at the age of 41 to become a full-time writer. He earned a master’s degree in comparative literature from Harvard University.

For more information, call Jim Bond at (805) 493-3244 or email jabond@callutheran.edu.