VENTURA NEWSWATCH

POETRY IN MOTION: Believe it or not, there are people who like to get up in front of an audience and bare their souls, as evidenced by the popularity of poetry readings around the county (F1B). . . . John Gorham, who owns The Poetry Shop in Thousand Oaks, says he gets 15 to 30 readers at his open-mike sessions on Wednesdays. During the sessions, some members of the audience who come just to listen sometimes find their nerve. “About halfway through, they’ll come up and say, ‘You know what? I do want to read.’ ”

SEATS, PLEASE: The Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza has made more money than expected since it opened (B1), due in part to its legions of volunteers. . . . Scheduling of the 640 or so volunteer ushers is done by computer, said Patricia Adrian-Fishman, who coordinates the lineups. Ushers can request which concerts they want to work, Adrian-Fishman said, with those who participate most taking top priority in assignments. . . . The most popular show so far among the seating corps has been pianist-comedian Victor Borge.