Poetry is not a dying art. Its form may have changed from sonnets to prose, from rhyming verses to free flowing expressions, but poetry still provides a window into life with sparse words carefully selected. Moorpark College provides the opportunity to listen to professional poets once a month during the spring semester’s Poetry Reading Series.

The first event takes place Jan. 19 at 5:30 p.m. on the third floor of the Moorpark College library. This month’s spotlighted poets are Rich Lupert and Joelle Hannah, two local artists. This is a free event.

“I try to find vibrant and contemporary who I believe will engage the audience,” said Sandra Hunter, the Poetry Reading Series organizer. Hunter selects the featured poets according to the quality of their work, and their relevance to Moorpark students, faculty and community members.

Hunter hopes that the poems will resonate with the listeners, add another venue of expression into their lives, and that “hearing professional poets will open students up to viewing poetry in a new way.”