Tustin Poet to Read a ‘Blue’ Streak

Tustin poet Marc Petrie’s new book, “Then All Goes Blue” (Pacific Writers Press; $10.95), is a collection of 53 poems dealing with American life and culture as filtered through his experiences and imagination over the past two decades.

Three of the poems appeared previously in poet-publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s City Lights Review.

Petrie met the beat movement legend while browsing through the poetry section at Ferlinghetti’s City Lights bookstore in San Francisco in 1995. After spending 20 minutes discussing poetry with Ferlinghetti, Petrie bought one of Ferlinghetti’s poetry books and asked him to autograph it. Petrie fetched a copy of his own slim volume of poems, “The Last Song,” from his car, signed it and left it at the front desk for Ferlinghetti.

To his surprise a year later, Petrie discovered that three of his poems--”Palm Sunday,” “Wipe Out” and “LA Pantry”--were published in Ferlinghetti’s literary review. Petrie hadn’t left his address, and Ferlinghetti had no way of contacting him. As the review’s writing credits said: “Marc Petrie came in over the transom, in a zine-type edition of his poems, with no clue as to his whereabouts.”

“That, I think, is my best writing credit,” says Petrie, who will read the three poems and others from his new book at 8 p.m. Thursday at Diedrich Coffee, 13681 Newport Ave., Tustin.

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The Newport Beach Central Library will launch the Martin W. Witte Distinguished Speakers Lecture Series with a presentation by KABC radio talk show host and author Michael Jackson at 7 p.m. on Feb. 20.

The lecture series, hosted by the Newport Beach Public Library Foundation, also will feature Donna Lee Shirley, director of the Mars Pathfinder Project, on March 20; CNN-TV political commentator Jeff Greenfield on April 17; and author George Plimpton on May 20.

Tickets are $20 and may be purchased at the library. Seating is limited. For information, call (714) 644-3296.

This Week

* Poet Gary Soto will read and sign at 4 p.m. today at Martinez Books & Art, 200 N. Main St., Santa Ana.

* Steve Allen, author of “Die Laughing,” will speak and sign at 4 p.m. today at Coffee, Tea & Mystery, 13232 Springdale St., Westminster.

* Poet David Oliveire will read at 5 p.m. today at F.A.C.T. Gallery, 30812 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach.

* Ray Bradbury will speak at 7 p.m. Monday at the Fullerton Public Library, 353 W. Commonwealth Ave. $5 donation for adults; students free with student ID cards.

* A poetry workshop led by Robin Hudechek will begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Upchurch-Brown Booksellers, 384 Forest Ave., Laguna Beach.

* Jacquelyn Hanson, author of “Matilda’s Story: A Biographical Novel,” will sign at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Borders Books and Music, 25222 El Paseo, Mission Viejo.

* T. Jefferson Parker, author of “Where Serpents Lie,” will speak and sign at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Borders Books and Music, 25222 El Paseo, Mission Viejo.

* Marjorie C. Luesebrink, author of “Califia,” a CD-ROM hypermedia novel, will speak at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Newport Beach Public Library, 1000 Avocado Ave. $8.

* Dean Koontz, author of “Fear Nothing,” will sign at 5 p.m. Thursday at the campus bookstore in the student center at UC Irvine.

* Radio talk show host Dennis Prager, author of “Happiness Is a Serious Problem: A Human Nature Repair Manual,” will sign at 7 p.m. Thursday at Brentano’s in South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa.

* Mystery writer Barbara Seranella, author of “No Human Involved,” and Louanne Murray, author of “Romantic Weekends in Southern California,” will speak at 11 a.m. Saturday at a luncheon sponsored by the Huntington Beach branch of the American Assn. of University Women at Los Costillos Restaurant, 15081 Beach Blvd., Westminster. $20. For reservations, call (714) 894-6170.

* Jamie Harrison, author of “An Unfortunate Prairie Occurrence,” and Barry Siegel, author of “The Perfect Witness,” will sign at 11 a.m. Saturday at Book Carnival, 348 S. Tustin Ave., Orange. Also on Saturday: T. Jefferson Parker, author of “Where Serpents Lie,” will sign at 2 p.m.

* A used book sale will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Anaheim Public Library, 500 W. Broadway.

* Barry Siegel, author of “The Perfect Witness,” will sign at 1 p.m. Saturday at Coffee, Tea & Mystery, 13232 Springdale St., Westminster.

* Oliva Espin, author of “Latina Realities: Essays on Healing, Migration, and Sexuality,” will sign at 2 p.m. Saturday at Different Drummer Books, 1294 S. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach.

* Jon Stevens, author of “Actors Turned Directors,” will sign at 7 p.m. Saturday at Borders Books and Music, 429 Associated Road, Brea

Send information about book-related events at least 10 days before event to: Dennis McLellan, O.C. Books & Authors, Life & Style, The Times, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626.