Benefit Reading and Conversation with Award-Winning Poet Ellen Bass

The Carl Cherry Center for the Arts is pleased to present an afternoon of poetry and conversation with celebrated, award-winning poet Ellen Bass on Sunday, November 15th, at 3:00 PM.

Proceeds from the event will directly benefit the ongoing work of the Poet-in-Schools Program that brings poetry workshops to high schools across Monterey County. Our current poet, Patrice Vecchione, encourages young writers to trust their imaginations and discover their authentic voices through creative expression. Funds raised from this afternoon reading will ensure the continuation of these vital workshops as well support as the Elliot Ruchowitz-Roberts High School Poetry Awards, the Cherry Center’s annual flagship event celebrating and supporting young literary talent across Monterey County.

As Ellen Bass once noted, “Poetry is the most intimate of all writing. I want to speak first from me to myself and then from me to you.” During this special event, Bass—a former Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets and recipient of five Pushcart Prizes—will read poems and talk about her work. She was recently awarded a 2026-2027 California Arts Council Legacy Artist Fellowship. Bass's new collection of poems, Oh Honey, Oh Baby, is forthcoming in 2027.

Event Details:

• What: Poet Ellen Bass: Benefit Reading & Conversation
• When: Sunday, November 15th at 3:00 PM
• Where: Carl Cherry Center for the Arts, 4th and Guadalupe, Carmel, CA
• Admission: $30
• Tickets: Available online on Eventbrite.com. Seating is limited. Community members and poetry enthusiasts are encouraged to reserve tickets in advance to support local youth literacy and creative arts programming.

About the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts

The Carl Cherry Center for the Arts is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting artists, offering quality arts education, and presenting diverse programming in literature, theater, and fine arts for the Monterey Peninsula community.