Ocean of Poetry: Michael Klam & Carly Marie DeMento
Celebrate the summer solstice with two ocean-loving poets—North County's own Carly Marie
DeMento and surfer Michael Klam. Join them for the release of two new books—the 2025-2026 San
Diego Poetry Annual and Klam's latest collection of poetry and visual art, Stay There, Garden Oak Press:
2026.
Carly Marie DeMento is a poet and third-generation San Diegan. Her poetry has appeared in
the North American Review, Kestrel, and Green Hills Literary Lantern—and been hung in the best
spot of all: friends' kitchens. Nominated for Best New Poets in 2025, Carly's work is supported by
Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. She is the co-creator of Desire, Calling—a reading series that
features queer writers, a dance party, and a fundraiser for local nonprofits.
Michael Klam is associate publisher of the San Diego Poetry Annual. He is editor-in-chief of the
bilingual edition of the SDPA. Klam hosts San Diego Central Library’s Conversations with Poets. His
books include The Cheapest Flight to Paradise (Puna Press: 2017), Anything for a Dull
Moment (Garden Oak Press: 2020), and Stay There (Garden Oak Press: 2026).