A Day with Poet Ric Masten

Sandy Lydon prepared his class for a meeting with Ric Masten by calling him the current Poet Laureate of the Big Sur Coast. That makes him the latest in the literary tradition of John Steinbeck, Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, and hands him the shoes of Robinson Jeffers to fill.

Ric Masten seems neither to follow nor break tradition. He’s his own tradition.
And he made his own damn shoes.

Ric Masten reads one of his many evocative poems, to the obvious delight of Prof. Sandy Lydon. When one master storyteller beguiles another its a real treat to sit and listen.


Billie Barbara Masten, who followed husband Ric as a poet, reads from her published works.	Ric Masten, a Unitarian Universalist Minister, holds forth in full wedding ceremony regalia. Ric soon broke into his joyful wedding song, "Let It Be A Dance."

Poet Ric Masten hosts Prof. Sandy Lydon and his History of Point Lobos and Big Sur Class.

Ric Masten's very personal style in reading his own poems builds a bond with his audience.

As I, the photographer, tripped the shutter to make the photo on the left, Ric was reading his poem “Official Portrait,”about a posed studio image of himself. It concludes,

better to be caught with my finger in my nose
mouth wide open - eyes drooping closed
with a tree that seems to be growing from my ear
appearing like an idiot and yet surrounded
by those who could love me still
if you must take my photograph
wait!... till after the curtain calls are done
and catch me falling off the stage
into the big bass drum

At the time I felt more self-conscious about aiming a camera at another person than I ever had before. But in retrospect, it just might be that one of the shots I got that day was the sort Ric was talking about: for he was surrounded by people who hardly knew him, yet loved him already. He was, at any moment, willing to risk making a fool of himself, and I think it is that brutal honesty that makes him, in the end, not a fool at all, but an inspiration.


Ric Masten shares a poem with Geology Professor David Schwartz.	Poet Ric Masten sings one of his songs, dedicated to the 5-year old daughter of this Cabrillo College history student.

You can read Ric Masten’s poems, and even hear him reading them,
on Ric’s own website.

Felton and the RailRoads	Seaside
Scotts Valley	Monterey
Santa Cruz	Carmel
Soquel	Point Lobos
Aptos	Big Sur Country
A Day With Poet Ric Masten