The Casa Romantica Poetry Series kicked off in January of 2004 as an attempt to bring quality poetry to the general (non-academic) public. Once a month, acclaimed poets descend on the small beach town of San Clemente, CA, and read their poems in the beautiful and historic Casa Romantica, located on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. This CD includes selections from each of the poetry readings that occurred during the series' inaugural year. The poetry represented here ranges from neo-beat to the avant-garde, from narrative to experimental, from meditations and stories of living in the Western United States to recollections of South America and Africa. The breadth and quality of this poetry is often subtle, frequently breathtaking, and a testament to the enduring resonance of writing in verse.