Fri Apr 3 Santa Monica Reading Series 1st Fridays: Jennifer "Miss B" Baptiste, Lara Roizen & OpenMic
Schedule
Fri, 03 Apr, 2026 at 08:30 pm
UTC-07:00Location
HI Los Angeles Santa Monica Hostel | Santa Monica, CA
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Join us IN-PERSON/ONLINE for Santa Monica Reading Series First Fridays @SantaMonicaPoetry (Previously atRappSaloon) on Friday, April 3, 8:30pm for our Decennial Series, a year of events celebrating our 10-Year Anniversary!FEATURED POET: Jennifer "Miss B" Baptiste @wheresmsb !
FEATURED MUSICIAN: Lara Roizen @lararoizmusic
+ Open Mic (limited) +Reception with Book Signing & Refreshments.
*Stay for the reception and Cynthia's birthday celebration!
DIRECTOR & HOST: Cynthia Alessandra Briano @cynthiaabriano .
OPEN MIC: 10 Readers/Musicians
-Sign-up OPENS at 8:15pm PT in-person/via Zoom & CLOSES at 8:30pm.
-TIME LIMIT: 4 minutes MAX.
*Elevate Black Voices: Join us in amplifying and celebrating Black voices by bringing a poem or prose excerpt by a Black author to read alongside your own work.
LOCATION: The historic Rapp Saloon at Santa Monica Hostel & via Zoom! SMRS 1st Fridays takes place in the oldest building in Santa Monica, a historic landmark, & community space housed in & operated by @HIUSA. Thank you @hiusa for hosting us! Free & open to the public, all ages.
IN PERSON: 1436 2nd St. Santa Monica, CA 90401
ZOOM link posted 3 hours before event.
ZOOM link also posted in @santamonicapoetry instagram bio.
**PLEASE DISPLAY YOUR NAME CLEARLY ON YOUR ZOOM ACCOUNT. **If you would like to read at the open mic, the host will ask for show of hands once you are inside the Zoom meeting. Thank you!
COST: Free & open to the public, all ages.
PARKING: Directly across the street at the city parking structure 6.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Expo Line Downtown Santa Monica Station is .4 miles walking distance (about 7 mins).
ABOUT: All voices, arts, abilities, and identities welcome. Santa Monica Reading Series First Fridays remains committed to creating a forum for expression that actively works towards dismantling racism, and amplifying and celebrating marginalized voices. Join us in our ongoing efforts to create spaces where voices of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color are heard, supported, and received with joy. Artists and writers are welcome and encouraged to present their art in any language and format they prefer. All faiths welcome. All gender expressions and identities welcome. All forms of artistic expression welcome. No restrictions or expectations on theme. The fullness of your humanity welcome.
#santamonica #poetryreading #openmic #santamonicapoetry #santamonicaevents
***
ABOUT JENNIFER "MISS B" BAPTISTE:
Jennifer “Miss B” Baptiste is a writer, librarian, line artist, and voice actor living in Hollywood. She was born and raised in Texas and is of Haitian descent. Her favorite color is pink, she is a vegan foodie, and also enjoys day trip adventures.
She creates lyrical introspective pieces that resonate with the heart and mind to promote healing, empowerment, and curiosity. You can explore her work through various literary anthologies, her published zines, shop WheresMsB's stationery collection, or at local open mics. Miss B. also promotes and uplifts other writers through her literary interviews as host of LA Poet Society's "Voices Of Color" IG Live Series.
Feel free to connect with her at www.jenniferbapitste.com or @WheresMsB on social media platforms.
ABOUT LARA ROIZEN:
Lara Roizen is a Ukrainian-American songwriter and composer who comes from a long line of Ukrainian musicians, singers, and composers. She trained classically on the piano and performed with an orchestra at the age of 12 before turning to writing music. She went on to study Music and Literature at Harvard, where she earned her PhD. Her main influences are Rachmaninov, the American songbook and jazz standards, and the great singer-songwriters of the 20th century (Billy Joel, Carole King). Her music has been described as romantic and jazzy with an edge. She has performed at Hotel Cafe, the Mint Theater, and is doing a solo show at Peabody Conservatory in the fall, where she is collaborating with a Literature Professor to adapt Russian poetry to music.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR & HOST:
Cynthia Alessandra Briano is Director of the Santa Monica Reading Series First Fridays @SantaMonicaPoetry (Previously Rapp Saloon Reading Series @RappSaloon). She was awarded the 2023-2024 Artist Fellowship from the City of Santa Monica, and she serves on the Board of Trustees for Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center. Cynthia is also Founder of Love On Demand Global, which creates custom-ordered poetry for charity. She is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and grew up in Southeast L.A. At 14, she left home to attend boarding school in Massachusetts, then she earned a B.A. from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. Cynthia holds a Master in Fine Arts in Poetry from University of California Riverside, Palm Desert (UCR Palm Desert). She studied Global Sustainability and Creative Writing at UCLA Ext and served as Literary Programs Director and Poet-In-Residence at Self-Help Graphics & Art. Cynthia has taught creative writing, speech, and English literature in Thailand, the Philippines, and Southern California. She is recipient of the Lois Morrell & J. Russell Hayes Poetry Prize, a finalist in the James Hearst Poetry Prize, and she has been published in Five Poinets, the North American Review, Graffiti, Cultural Daily, Cobra Milk, Ginger, The Acentos Review, Dryland, La Raíz Magazine, Rosebud, Gathering, A Women Who Submit Anthology, and These Pages Speak, a creative writing textbook. Cynthia has taught at Cal. State University Fullerton as Lecturer in the African American Studies Department as part of the Ethnic Studies Program, and she is Founder, Editor, and Educational Consultant of Spitfire Literary Arts, an organization which offers Creative Writing, Youth Empowerment, and College Counseling. CONNECT with Cynthia A. Briano on Instagram @CynthiaABriano @SantaMonicaPoetry @loveondemandglobal @SpitfireLiteraryArts
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Where is it happening?
HI Los Angeles Santa Monica Hostel, 1438 2nd St, Santa Monica, CA 90401-2302, United StatesEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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