Poetry, art and wine

The Sonoma Valley Museum of Art offers a poetry weekend in conjunction with the exhibition “Ship of Dreams: Artists, Poets, and Visionaries of the S.S. Vallejo,”

Saturday, May 19, 3 p.m. Gerd Stern in Conversation with Neeli Cherkovski. Stern (pictured), a major figure among Beat poets and artists, talks with San Francisco poet and biographer Neeli Cherkovski about his work and experiences on the S.S. Vallejo. Stern’s career included several books of poetry, including Seven Stray Cats Read Their Poems, manager for Maya Angelou; writer for Playboy; producer for the Timothy Leary Psychedelic Theater, and most significantly, founder of the New York art/technology collective USCO, a leader of the late 1960s psychedelic art movement, and pioneer of multi-media art. $10 svma members, $16 general.

Sunday, May 20 4-6pm. Pairings: Art+Poetry+Wine. A celebration of the Bay Area’s contribution to poetry and art from the 1950s today, with award-winning poet Brenda Hillman, National Poetry Slam finalist Jason Bayani, and Gerd Stern. Poets Tess Taylor and Hollie Hardy, and sommelier Christopher Sawyer, host an interpretive adventure in art, poetry, performance, and wine tasting. $20 svma members, $35 general.

551 Broadway, Sonoma.