Please join us on Wednesday, November 11, at 5:30 PM for PAMLA’s Welcome Event, “The Pop-Poetry Music Project,” featuring singer-songwriter Erica Cefalo and composer-pianist Billy Larkin.
This whimsical collaborative project explores the rich layers of memory, emotion, and literary influence that shape popular music, inviting PAMLA attendees to experience (and participate in) the creative process through which poetry becomes song.
During the first half of the program, Cefalo and Larkin will analyze and perform original songs whose lyrics have been adapted from poetry. They will discuss their collaborative methodology and the process by which a poem is transformed into a song, approaching musical adaptation as a creative practice akin to translation. The second half of the evening will turn the creative process over to the audience. Cefalo and Larkin will guide attendees through a series of poetic prompts designed to generate original song lyrics. They will then select several participants’ creations, set the lyrics to music across a variety of genres in real time, and perform the resulting songs live.
Whether you would like to participate, hear your words set to music, or simply enjoy the performances and cheer on your fellow PAMLA attendees, all are welcome!
Light refreshments will be served. The event is free and open to all registered PAMLA attendees.
RSVPs requested but not required to attend this exciting Wednesday evening welcome event; please log into pamla.ballastacademic.com and register via the Registration tab so we can better anticipate attendance numbers.
In addition to being a singer-songwriter, Erica Cefalo holds a PhD in Modern French Studies from the University of Maryland, College Park, and has taught courses in French and Francophone literature, language, and culture. She also holds an MA in French Studies from the University of Cincinnati and a diplôme magistère in Comparative Literature from the Université Paris IV–Sorbonne. Her current interests include creative writing, songwriting, and exploring the intersections of nature and spirituality. She currently works as an academic advisor at the University of California, Davis.
Billy Larkin is an award-winning pianist and composer based in Northern California. Working across multiple musical styles, he has composed music for film, video, and commercials and continues to work as a producer and arranger for recording artists. Larkin has recorded numerous full-length albums both as a solo artist and as director of the ensembles Etheréal, Ekimi, and Sleep Theatre. His recent projects include two original contemporary musical-theater productions and a live original score for the Contemporary Dance Theater in Cincinnati, Ohio. He also performs piano and arranges songs for the Brazilian music group Mais Bossa and serves as music director for the Center for Spiritual Living Yolo in Winters, California.
We hope you will join us on Wednesday evening for a lively and creative beginning to PAMLA 2026!