POET FILM STAGE
Poet Film Stage was conceived by Rich Ferguson and Kathleen Florence as a way to expand the traditional poetry reading. In its first year at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, the format evolved from an event showcasing multiple forms of a poem to a theatrical structure with musical interlude that removed preamble from each poet’s performance. The work unfolded without introduction or explanation.
In the second year at Beyond Baroque, the structure evolved into a cinematic form, with the films and vignettes functioning as poems themselves, existing alongside the spoken work rather than explaining it. The Poet Film Stage Orchestra, an ensemble of musicians and artists, created live sound and score between pieces. At other times silence was a directed thread between poems, film and performance.
In the second year at Beyond Baroque, the structure evolved into a cinematic form, with the films and vignettes functioning as poems themselves, existing alongside the spoken work rather than explaining it. The Poet Film Stage Orchestra, an ensemble of musicians and artists, created live sound and score between pieces. At other times silence was a directed thread between poems, film and performance.
At Beyond Baroque in 2026 with Dig Wayne, Sean Hill, Aruni Wijesinghe, jimmy vega, Joseph Paulson, S.A. Griffin, Rich Ferguson, Sandy Rogers, Brendan Constantine, Kathleen Florence, Mylo Lam, Phil Abrams, Jeremy Ra, Susan Hayden, Nicelle Davis, Annie Wood and Amy Raasch.
At Beyond Baroque in 2025 with Michelle Bitting, Harry E. Northup, Rich Ferguson, Kathleen Florence, L.A. Poet Laureate Lynne Thompson, Jeremy Ra, jimmy vega, Susan Hayden, S.A. Griffin, Eric Morago, Nicelle Davis, Amy Raasch, David Romero, Phil Abrams and Brendan Constantine.
Poet Film Stage pushes the boundaries of what a poetry reading can be. An annual Los Angeles event and workshop series that gathers poets and performers who've lived and worked at the intersection of words, cinema, and stage. Directed by Rich Ferguson and Kathleen Florence.
Featured poets are artists who've crossed mediums, bringing their film and theater experience into how they approach language and performance. What emerges is interdisciplinary, where a poem might unfold like a scene, or a reading might feel more like a monologue that happens to be verse.
Los Angeles has always been a city where storytellers move fluidly between forms, and Poet Film Stage reflects that creative cross-pollination. For those interested in how poetry lives and breathes in different spaces, the event offers a glimpse into what happens when poets refuse to stay in their lane.
Find out more here.
Featured poets are artists who've crossed mediums, bringing their film and theater experience into how they approach language and performance. What emerges is interdisciplinary, where a poem might unfold like a scene, or a reading might feel more like a monologue that happens to be verse.
Los Angeles has always been a city where storytellers move fluidly between forms, and Poet Film Stage reflects that creative cross-pollination. For those interested in how poetry lives and breathes in different spaces, the event offers a glimpse into what happens when poets refuse to stay in their lane.
Find out more here.