In his recent book of poetry Meet Me at the Lighthouse (Graywolf Press), this master poet and former California Poet Laureate invites us back to old Los Angeles, where the shabby nightclub of the title beckons us into its nostalgia with stories. He recalls his working-class family of immigrants—Italian and Mexican. Gioia describes his old neighborhood, a haunting from his mother, and in another poem, remembers his uncle, a US Merchant Marine. And “The Ballad of Jesús Ortiz” tells the story of his great-grandfather, a Mexican vaquero who was shot dead at a tavern in Wyoming during a dispute over a bar tab. “I praise my ancestors, the unkillable poor,” Gioia writes.

This remarkable man of letters founded the Poetry Out Loud program when he was chair of the National Endowment for the Arts. He will read and discuss current projects, including operas and online videos about poetry, with former Kansas Poet Laureate Denise Low, who is a Poetry Out Loud poet, and David Mason, a former Colorado Poet Laureate. Mason, touring from Australia, will read briefly from his work.

Friday, April 24, 7:00 PM