Creepy Crawly Soil Critters: An Evening of Poetry and Performance

Explore the ghoulish side of life in the soil with fascinating, sometimes horrifying, creatures who have the ability to turn dusty dirt into healthy, life-giving soil. Join us for an engaging evening of storytelling and performance. Wear a costume and get in free. A typewriter poet will be on hand to transform your foggy aspriations into dreamy verse.

Our Presenters:

Linda Ravenswood, PhD abd (Impressario) Linda is a poet and performance artist from Los Angeles. Her book — a poem is a house — won The Arthur Smith Prize in Poetry and was published by Madville Press in January 2024.The poems in the Collection also received an Oxford Prize in Poetry, and The Edwin Markham Prize in Poetry from Poet Laureate of The United States, Juan Felipe Herrera. The book is also nominated for The National Book Award 2024. Her manuscript — girls in the desert — was a finalist for The Donald Hall Prize in Poetry from AWP in 2024 and will be published in 2025 by Flowersong Press. In 2018 she founded The Los Angeles Press to address the critical need for WOC in publishing, and to promote and produce works of originality, depth, and beauty. Find her at thelosangelespress.com

Mick Lorusso (Soil Microbe Projection) Mick is an interdisciplinary artist and educator who draws upon the fields of biophysics, microbial ecology, and permaculture as they relate to the health of life on earth. With visual arts degrees from Colorado College (BA) and San Francisco Art Institute (MFA), he is currently the STEAMWorkDesign Studio coordinator at Westridge School in Pasadena, CA, the Sustainability Coordinator for the Cosmic Labyrinth eco-education platform and a member of the Mexican interdisciplinary cooperative XOCIARTEK.

Lynn Fang, MS (Soil Microbe Projection) Lynn is a recognized educator, leader, and scientist in composting systems as integrated aspects of ecological land management. She has extensive experience developing projects, teaching, and presenting on compost, soil health, and site design, from community workshops to college courses to the CalRecycle Soil Stewardship Training for new community compost site operators. From community gardens and urban farms to municipal habitat restoration, she has actively designed, managed, and analyzed soil health monitoring projects for regenerative land management systems. She works for LA Compost in educational and technical | support, developing and managing compost quality and soil health assessments that are accessible and understandable for the community.

Planet Earth Observatory's team members (Critter Fashionistas) Our team will lead a soil critter fashion show with creepy costumed members of the audience joining in.

Navigating you way into and within the event

The event will be held in Patagonia's store in downtown Pasadena. The store will close at 6pm to set up for our 7pm event. Check in outside between 6:40 - 7:00 pm. The doors will open at 7, with the performance starting at 7:15. Please try to arrive on time. You'll have some time after the performance to meet the poets and the critters, mingle, buy a drink and some yummy treats. A typewriter poet will be on hand to turn your foggy thoughts into dreamy verse.

Host or Publisher Planet Earth Observatory Team