Santa Barbara Poetry Contest Seeks Entries : Budding bards have a chance to turn their verse into cash prizes in the annual event.

Poets need not be isolated, unheard and unpublished. They can send their work to literary magazines, share their work at poetry readings, and enter contests, which reward winners with cash prizes and publication. The contest sponsored by the Santa Barbara Poetry group, which celebrates poets at its annual May festival, seeks entries from California residents age 18 and over. The poems should focus on the theme Spirit of Place. The distinguished poet Philip Levine will judge the work, which must be postmarked by Dec. 31. Send a SASE for guidelines to Poetry Contest, P.O. Box 90207, Santa Barbara, 93190, or call Abigail Albrecht 684-3479.

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The computer information highway has not yet diminished our pleasure in browsing at used-book sales, where there is always a treasure to be found and an opportunity to purchase bargain books as gifts. Among the thousands of items gathered by the Friends of the Oxnard Library for their holiday sale are first editions, collectible books and comics, hardback fiction, paperbacks, encyclopedias, children’s literature and special-interest magazines. The event is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday in the Oxnard Library, 251 S. A St.

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Still fighting the idea of mastering the personal computer? Take the plunge at the Hands On For Novices class, which will cover menu and mouse, and software demonstrations of Windows, WordPerfect and Lotus 1-2-3. Advanced registration and a $15 donation to Friends of the Thousand Oaks Library is required for the class, which will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday in the former Bank of America building, 223 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. Call 523-2496.

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Collect some kids (yours, the neighbors’?) and take them to Adventures for Kids to meet local authors Janet Wong, Joan Graham, Carol Heyer, Kathleen Contreras, Sneed Collad, and Peggy Rathman, whose “Ruby the Copycat” is dedicated to Ventura schoolchildren. Refreshments will be served and the authors will present their work from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at 3457 Telegraph Road, Ventura.

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Ray Bradbury will visit Phantom Bookshop, 451 E. Main St., Ventura, from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday to sign his latest book, “Journey To Far Metaphor.” Many of his other titles, including “Fahrenheit 451--The 40th Anniversary Edition” will be available.

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Richard Norton Smith, executive director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and author of “Patriarch George Washington” and “The New American Nation,” will address the luncheon meeting of Conejo Valley Daughters of the American Revolution at noon Tuesday at 32304 Blue Rock Ridge Court, Westlake Village. Call 497-8293.