Poetry Summit and art show fill Malibu City Hall this weekend Play

A pair of significant arts events are coming up this weekend at Malibu City Hall. On Saturday, it's the 2026 Poetry Summit, this year called "Vibrant Cycles." And Sunday brings the opening reception for a magnificent art show that is already hanging inside city hall.

The Poetry Summit will be hosted by Malibu Poet Laureate Charlotte Ward. She says it will bring together a dynamic group of poets, musicians and artists for an inspiring afternoon of spoken word, live music and dance exploring the theme of Vibrant Cycles.

The program will feature readings by local poets including Ann Buxie, Malibu's fourth Poet Laureate; Eileen Fiori; DeForeest Wright III; Pamela Goldsmith; Jolynn Regan; Tracy Katz; Debbie Pommer-Siegel; Malibu's first Poet Laureate Ricardo Means Ybarra; Patricia Davis; and more.

The event will also showcase selected student poets from local schools who have been taught and mentored by Jolynn Regan, Ricardo Means Ybarra and former Poet Laureate Nathan Hassall.

The event starts at noon Saturday at City Hall. It's free — no RSVPs.

And while you are there, you can see the latest art exhibit on the walls of City Hall. It's called "Two Points of View" — an unusual set of paintings created by two sisters, Jacquelyn Blue and JoAnne Unger.

These artists begin each work by painting the same coastal views separately but at the same time. They then return to the studio to collaborate on a larger, abstract interpretation of the day's experience, working together as a single creative voice.

The result: multiple related paintings of tranquil lagoons, rolling ocean waves, expansive skies, and evocative landscapes and waterscapes.

Their paintings are up now. The formal opening of the gallery will be this Sunday at noon at Malibu City Hall.