Vietnam Vet Gives Memories of Combat a Voice in Poetry Reading
You can have your fudge and poetry, too--just hang out at a fudge factory and listen to Gary Imlay, a local poet who works with gang members and troubled youths as a Ventura County social worker.
Imlay will give a poetry reading at 7 p.m. Thursday at Kelly’s Coffee and Fudge Factory, next door to the new Century 10 Cinema on Main Street in downtown Ventura.
Imlay began writing in high school but took a long hiatus to do other things, including serving in the Vietnam War. Like many of his fellow vets, he describes the war as almost surreal, particularly as the years wore on and morale hit bottom.
Imlay’s wife, Shelly Savren--also a poet and a full-time instructor at Oxnard College--encouraged him to write poetry. Though he says he did not suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, memories surfaced when he began to write. His poetry incorporates narration with verse and includes themes besides war.
“My imagination was good, but my level of craft needed a lot,” Imlay said. “My wife probably saved me about 10 years of time just learning about writing.”
He already has reaped one reward of his poetry--he got to share his work after finding an old Army buddy who had been a point man in heavy combat. They also served together in the Army band at one time.
“He was so shocked when I shared with him the poem that had been published about him. We’re planning on getting together around the millennium, but we’ve been talking on the phone,” he said.
He wrote about another Army buddy, a trombone player who had arrived in Vietnam several months too late for the band assignment and ended up loading bombs onto B-52s. These experiences and others wound up in narrative poems.
Imlay shares his memories of Vietnam with local high school students, as well as with the 13- to 18-year-olds he supervises after they are released from the Colston Youth Center. Once a year, he visits two history classes at Ventura High School during their study of the Vietnam War and discusses history from the standpoint of combat poets, bringing samples of their work as well as photos from the war.
His poems have been accepted for publication by several literary magazines, including Raging Tea, Art/Life and Daybreak. He also contributes work to POETS ON THE LINE, an ongoing anthology of poetry on the Internet with an entire section contributed by Vietnam veterans. It can be found at https://www.echonyc.com/~poets.
Along with his wife and daughter, Talia Savren--winner of two children’s poetry awards--Imlay plans to compile enough poems for a book. But he’s keeping his day job.
HAPPENINGS
* Today at noon: Mystery authors Brian Hodge (“Wild Horses”) and Gregg Andrew Hurwitz (“The Tower”) will discuss and sign their books. Mysteries to Die For, 2940 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, 374-0084. At 2:30 p.m.: Jeffrey Mark and Risa Gruberger will discuss and sign their new parenting book, “What’s Right? What’s Wrong?: A Guide to Talking About Values for Parents and Kids.” The book is part of the “Readers Digest Parenting Guides for Ages 5-15.” Barnes & Noble, 160 S. Westlake Blvd., Thousand Oaks, 446-2820. Also at 2:30 p.m.: “Bewitched Cookbook” signing and tasting with author Kasey Rogers and co-author Mark Wood. Barnes & Noble, 4735 Commons Way, Calabasas, (818) 222-0542.
* Monday at 11 a.m.: Children’s books “Toot & Puddle” and “Present for Toot” by Hollie Hobbie will be read, after which youngsters will draw self-portraits. Borders, 125 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, 497-8159.
* Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.: Celebrate Earth Day with stories about planet Earth. Ventura Barnes & Noble, 4360 E. Main St., Ventura, 339-9170.
* Thursday at 7 p.m.: Christine Adams, author of “One Day at a Time Therapy” and “Holy Relationships,” will discuss the process of getting published from learning the craft to marketing the product. Ventura Barnes & Noble, 339-9170. Also at 7 p.m. An Evening with Ray Bradbury, sponsored by the Friends of the Thousand Oaks Library. Tickets by reservation at 497-6631. $15 for general admission; $10 for seniors, students and members of friends of the Thousand Oaks Library. Thousand Oaks Main Library, 1401 Janss Road, Thousand Oaks, just east of California 23. At 7:30 p.m. Gary Imlay will give a poetry reading at Kelly’s Coffee and Fudge Factory, 533 E. Main St., Ventura, 641-9407.
* Friday at 7 p.m.: After a Madeline book is read, the character will come around to shake hands. Parents may bring cameras. Ventura Barnes & Noble, 339-9170.
* Saturday at 7 p.m.: Pajamamania--Bernard Waber’s “Lyle, Lyle Crocodile” and “House on East 88th Street” will be read. Borders, 497-8159.
* Saturday from 10 a.m to 6 p.m.: The annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books will be held at UCLA’s Dickson Plaza in Westwood. It will continue from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Free and open to the public, Parking at UCLA is $5. For more information, call (800) LA Times, Ext. 7BOOK, or visit the Web site at https://www.latimes.com/festival.
Catch you next week.