Poetry Readings

Art comes in many forms. To promote the art of poetry, the Wildling hosted readings by local poets inspired by the natural world. 

“Father and Son”

On Sunday, April 15th, from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm, the Wildling Museum hosted Ruben Lee Dalton, together with his son, Beau Lee Schmidt, reading poetry about work, addiction, religion, and the natural world.

Ruben Lee Dalton was born and raised in LA, where he spent his youth playing little league baseball and running wild through the vineyards of the Verdugo foothills. At 17, Ruben was inducted into the Marine Corp and shipped off to Viet Nam. Upon returning home, Ruben earned his BA and MA degrees from UC Santa Cruz and UC Berkeley respectively, where he also started writing songs & poetry–in large part to deal with his PTSD. Ruben has received awards for his poetry and produced two CDs of original music. He lives in the Santa Ynez Valley with his wife, Jamie McCoy, and three marginally trained dogs.    

Beau Lee Schmidt was raised in Ojai California by a pack of Labradors and feral cats, and spent most of his time as child eating mac & cheese, rollerblading, and defending himself for his extra-curricular activities Although Beau was reluctant to follow in the footsteps of anyone, he was surrounded by the art of his mother’s cooking and father’s music and poetry. Since Beau hit 37 years old, he decided he would “grow up” and begin to follow passions besides cocaine and fine whiskey. Beau now writes poetry as a way to meet women and aid those with insomnia. He was excited to read at the Wildling for his debut.