Michelle Bitting  Michelle Bitting (born February, 1964 in Los Angeles, California) is an American poet who was honored on March 8, 2012 with the position of Poet Laureate of Pacific Palisades, California. {  Bitting grew up in Pacific Palisades. studied theater at the University of California, Berkeley and pursued careers in dance and culinary arts before turning her focus to writing in 2001. She received an MFA in writing and poetry from Pacific University, Oregon in 2009. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Pacific University, Oregon. She is a PhD candidate in mythological studies at Pacifica Graduate Institute. Bitting is the author of three collections of poetry: "Notes to the Beloved" (Winner of the Sacramento Poetry Center Book Award, 2011), "Good Friday Kiss" (C&R Press, 2008), and "Blue Laws" (Finishing Line Press, 2007). "Good Friday Kiss" was chosen by Thomas Lux as the winner of the 2007 DeNovo Prize for 1st Book of Poetry. Publications that have printed her poetry and fiction include "American Poetry Review", "Narrative Magazine", "Prairie Schooner", "Verse Daily", "Poetry Daily", "LA Weekly", "Rattle", "diode", and "The Cortland Review". In collaboration with her husband, actor Phil Abrams, Bitting adapted a number of her works for the visual medium known as poem films, some of which were presented by "Atticus Review", "Cheek Teeth", and "Moving Poems". Bitting collaborated with the non-profit California Dance Institute to implement a poetry component within its inner city middle school performing arts program for the Los Angeles Unified School District. She has taught poetry in the University of California, Los Angeles Writer's Program, and is also a California Poet in the Schools, serving hundreds of students in Southern California. Her poetry outreach work also includes teaching the incarcerated at Twin Towers Correctional Facility in Los Angeles, CA with grants from "Poets and Writers Magazine". Bitting lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Phil Abrams, and their two children. She is the great-granddaughter of the late stage and screen actress Beryl Mercer. Bitting's first collection, Good Friday Kiss (2008, C&R Press) was chosen by Thomas Lux as the winner of the DeNovo First Book Award. Her second collection, Notes to the Beloved (2012, SPC Press) won the Sacramento Poetry Center Book Award and received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews.