“Above the Inland Empire today the...

“Above the Inland Empire today the sky is off the desert, deceptively active in a ridiculous heat. The whole country is hot, colored red-orange on the news. We are stuck here on earth with no breath of air. Coolers rumble all over town; I actually consider making lemonade. If there is a remedy, I will stay.”

--From “Who Whispered Near Me,” by Killarney Clary,

published by Farrar Straus Giroux, N.Y., 1989

The poet’s voice is distinct, modernistic in tone, and she is a lifelong resident of Pasadena.

Killarney Clary is one of three nationally recognized poets from the area who will read selections from their works tonight at 7:30 at the Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena.

The free poetry reading, a first for the arts center, is being held in conjunction with the venue’s exhibit “Drawings as Poems,” intended to “celebrate the ongoing relationship between artists and poets,” said Jay Belloli, director of gallery programs.

“There have been many connections between poets and visual artists over the century, and it has continued into the contemporary period,” Belloli said. “A number of artists write poetry, are inspired by it, or are friends with poets.”

The poets selected to symbolize that link tonight are well-known and respected writers whose work frequently focuses on Southern California themes.

Clary’s diaristic poems in “Who Whispered Near Me” were nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1990.

Ameen Alwan, poet-in-residence at the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies, is also known as a translator of his contemporaries. His translations of Mexican poet Jaime Sabines and Colombian poet Carlos Castro Saavedra have appeared in numerous journals.

Robin Schectman was founder and editor of “The Altadena Review” until it ceased publication in 1990. Her poetry has appeared in “The Kenyon Review” and other journals.

The Armory Center for the Arts is at 145 N. Raymond Ave.