An Afternoon of Art & Poetry

Gianna D’Egidio

Sitting in the little chapel at Our Lady Queen of Angels, I had my rosary, my journal, and, finally, after years of writing, my book In the Making of Time in my hands.

In the quiet, I began thinking about all the places and moments that shaped this collection. Often, we tend to think we are “making time.” We speak of making time for work, for people we love, for to-do lists, and sometimes even for God. But at the heart of my work is the realization that, truly, time is making us.

For so long, the book had existed in pieces of time: poems written in my journals, reflections after Mass at Our Lady of Carmel, sentences formed from what I noticed on my walks to the Wedge. There are the obvious things to write about in Newport Beach: the ocean, the harbor, the cliffs, the sunsets, and the people. But when you live somewhere this beautiful, it can become easy to stop noticing just how extraordinary it is. Poetry serves as an invitation to begin noticing each encounter that has shaped our story.

While walking through Back Bay a few years ago, I was thinking about the possibility of turning years of poems, prayers, and journal entries into a book. I remember seeing a roadrunner perched on the fence to the left of me. If you have ever seen this colorful and comical bird in person, you know there is something almost spiritual about it. I watched it disappear into the landscape and, as poets tend to do, immediately began giving meaning to the moment. That poem eventually became “Roadrunner,” one of the pieces in my collection.

There is something wonderfully humbling about being a spoken-word poet: taking small, sometimes deeply personal memories and shaping them into stories and art, then having the privilege of sharing them with others. 

Because there is so much to be inspired by in Newport Beach, I deeply enjoy sharing that poetry through the events and traditions that bring our community together. Over the years, I have shared my poetry at gatherings throughout our coastal town, including the Field of Honor, the Wooden Boat Festival, and supporting non-profit organizations such as The Literacy Project. Each experience has reminded me of poetry’s ability to invite reflection, make meaning, and deepen appreciation for the traditions of Newport. 

Now, after years of sharing my poems throughout our city, my collection In the Making of Time will come off the page at Witte Hall for An Afternoon of Art & Poetry. I wanted to create something beyond a traditional book reading, an experience where poetry could live alongside the other art forms that have always inspired me. The afternoon will begin with an exhibition of local artists before moving into a live performance of spoken-word poetry, ballet, music, and gongs. Poems that began on walks through Back Bay, after Mass, and beside the ocean will now return to the place that helped shape them.

An Afternoon of Art & Poetry will take place Sunday, October 25 at Witte Hall in Newport Beach. The event is free and open to the community, with advance RSVP at GiannaDEgidio.com/NewportBeach.