Wax lyrical at the Poetry World Series

While pre-game warm ups for baseball players include lunges and hurdle kicks, the players of Marin’s Poetry World Series probably thumb through thick thesauruses or loosen their lips with lilting alliteration.

See what we did there?

With April bringing us the beginning of baseball season, the Mill Valley Library welcomes wordsmiths and literary lovers to their first annual Poetry World Series on April 22.

The event will be hosted by San Francisco’s eccentric and “afflicted” author Daniel Handler — aka Lemony Snicket — and pin two teams of opposing poets against each other. The players, consisting of local up-and-coming talent, will take turns “batting up” to a poem topic that is “pitched” to them.

A panel of judges, including sports-talk radio host Brian Murphy of KNBR’s Murph and Mac morning show, author Gillian Conoley and writer/funny man Josh Healey, will score the readings.

The free battle begins at 7 p.m. in the Main Reading Room of the Mill Valley Public Library. Register here.

There will be a wine reception before and after the event, but you’re on your own for the beer and hot dogs.