PCSJ Programs & Events
New Project! Writers’ Cafe at Markham House
A new PCSJ writing project where we all just drink hot bevs and write at Markham House!
You're invited to a gathering for those looking for a supportive writing community that focuses on the social aspects of being a writer and a space to discuss any and all disciplines of writing.
We welcome writers from all disciplines to hang out, work, then hang out some more.
This isn't a workshop, but a work time in a workspace with other writers.
This event is free and no registration necessary. Just show up with something to write.
We will meet at 11:30am for pastries, snacks, coffee and tea. Some will be provided, but more is welcome. If you do bring pastries, please only bring enough to share with one or two others.
Approximate Schedule
11:30am: Conversation over coffee and tea.
Noon: Quiet work. There are quite a few places to work quietly inside Markham House. Find your nook and write, or explore the books in our library upstairs, or continue your conversation outside, on the porch or somewhere in History Park. We'll keep the coffee and kettle hot while you work.
2:30pm: Sharing and conversation.
Keep in mind, Markham House will be open to the public, so visitors will be coming in to peruse, but we will let them know that the house is infested with writers writing!
Admission: Free, but donations are welcome!
Parking: There is a parking strip on Phelan Avenue at the park gate. If there is no space available, there is a lot at the end of Phelan Ave.
Location: Once you walk into the park from Phelan Avenue, go straight until the road veers left with the firehouse on the right, then follow the left turn. Markham House is then the second house on your left. There should be an OPEN flag out on the porch.
San José Poetry Slam Zoom Edition
Poetry Center San José presents San José Poetry Slam Zoom Edition
Poetry Center San José presents San José Poetry Slam Zoom Edition
Come join us for poetry from the comfort of your own home.
Sunday, May 25, 2025
Room opens at 6:30p.m. (PST)
Sign up list will be open from 6:30 to 7:00p.m.
Slam starts at 7:00p.m.
This is a free event.
Hosted by Scorpiana Xlent.
Cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.
Be sure for the zoom room before 7 on the day of the slam; we will be unable to assist with links once the show starts.
If you have never been to a Poetry Slam before, a poetry slam is a competition, imagine spoken word poetry as an olympic sport. The rules are simple:
1.) Poets must use their own poems.
2.) poet must use only one poem per round.
3.) no musical accompaniment.
4.) no props.
5.) there is a time limit of 3 minutes and 10 seconds. going over that will result in a time penalty.
6.) poets must have video on while performing or there will be a 3-point penalty deduction.
This is a two-round slam, poets with the highest scores will move up to round two.
You can sign up to compete via the chat box in the zoom room.
If you're not competing, we could use judges.
Please remember to submit a quick audience survey to help us improve our logistics and content and report to our funders and sponsors. Here is the link to the survey: https://bit.ly/3M63VqH
Poetry Center San José promotes and supports the literary arts in San José. Over the past four decades, PCSJ has brought hundreds of exceptional writers from around the country to read from their works and, in many cases, to conduct workshops for local writers. PCSJ is a nonprofit organization established in 1978. Its base of operations is in the charming turn-of-the-century Victorian home where the renown poet Edwin Markham once lived, now located in San José History Park. Poetry Center San José is a member supported organization and is funded, in part, by grants from Applied Materials Foundation, the City of San José's Office of Cultural Affairs, Knight Foundation, Poets & Writers, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, SVCREATES, in partnership with the County of Santa Clara and the California Arts Council and also supported in part by a SVCreates National Endowment for the Arts American Rescue Plan grant. We also thank Brandenburg Family Foundation and Anne & Mark's Art Party for their generous giving.
PCSJ Board of Directors Meeting
Board of Directors Meeting
6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
via Zoom
Public comment period will be available to begin the meeting, a chance for the public to share feedback on programming, suggestions, and constructive criticism to be considered by board members of PCSJ.
To join and participate in the public comment, please register:
https://bit.ly/PCSJboardmeeting
Between 6:30-6:35 is your time to notify that you wish to be heard. Provide your name in the chat to reserve your two minute time-slot.
Agenda and minutes will be provided.
Well-RED features William Greenwood & Renée M. Schell
Co-sponsored by Works/San José art and performance center!
38 South Second Street, downtown San José.
Open mic to start the show!
If you are unable to attend in person, we welcome you to join via Zoom!
Register in advance for this event via Zoom.
Link: https://bit.ly/43EgmFy
Born in Arizona, William Greenwood studied languages and social sciences, eventually receiving a degree in Philosophy from the University of California. Subsequently he joined the farm workers’ struggle for justice during early unionization. He taught literacy and organized the first producer-marketing cooperative of Mexican farm workers. This led to a career in agricultural and small business development, mainly in Latin America and the Middle East. As an aid worker on long term assignments, he lived with his family in Honduras, Bolivia, Colombia and Palestine.
He has written poetry all his adult life. In the 1970’s he cofounded Green Horse Press, dedicated to the translation and bilingual publication of poetry not yet available in English. His published work includes a translation of selections from Guatemalan poet, Arqueles Morales’, La Paz Aún No Ganada, selected for the 1971 Cuban Colección La Honda. His poetry books are Into the Center of America and
Landscape/Cityscape, published by Word Temple Press, of which Paul Vangelisti wrote, “His originality is not to be measured in terms of style and technique…but in the singular integrity of his vision…. It is a sensual, hard-bought knowledge that pervades his poetry, founded in and of the world, reinforced by the adventure of language.” His most recent publication is the chapbook, Twenty Love Poems and A Song of Hope, which he describes as a reimagining of Pablo Neruda’s iconic book of almost the same name.
Renée M. Schell’s debut collection, Overtones, was published in 2022 by Tourane Poetry Press. Her poetry appears in New Verse News, Catamaran Literary Reader, Caesura, Naugatuck River Review, and many other journals and anthologies, including Women in a Golden State (Gunpowder Press 2025). She was lead editor for the anthology (AFTER)life: Poems and Stories of the Dead. She holds a Ph.D. in German Studies and also taught for seven years at a Title I elementary school. Renée’s work has been nominated for Best of the Net. You can find her at www.reneemschell.org
TO SUBMIT EVENT FEEDBACK, visit: https://bit.ly/4dBnxR2
Tagged: open mic, william greenwood, renée m. schell, well red, open san jose, works gallery
Poetry Exchange via Zoom
Online open mic held on Zoom every third Sunday of the month!
Hosted by Lesa Medley.
Contact Lesa to receive your Zoom link: lcmedley016@gmail.com
Poets@Play Creative Writing Workshop with Renée M. Schell
Renée Schell leads our May P@P with a workshop on sestinas!
Poets@Play is a monthly creative writing workshop hosted by former Santa Clara County Poet Laureate David Perez. Each session features a different guest facilitator—or sometimes David himself—leading hands-on exercises to inspire creativity and new ideas.
How to Do Things with Six Words: The Sestina
Embraced by modern writers from Elizabeth Bishop and John Ashbery to Patricia Smith and Sherman Alexie, the sestina, a poem that plays with a set of six words, is a challenging yet supple and playful form. In this workshop, we’ll read and briefly discuss several sestinas, then choose our own six words to explore the form. We’ll remember that there’s no right or wrong way to write a poem, only different paths, different endings.
About Our This Month’s Facilitator
Renée M. Schell’s debut collection, Overtones was published in 2022 by Tourane Poetry Press. Her poetry appears in New Verse News, Catamaran Literary Reader, Caesura, Naugatuck River Review, and many other journals and anthologies. She was lead editor for the anthology (AFTER)life: Poems and Stories of the Dead. She holds a Ph.D. in German Studies and also taught for seven years at a Title I elementary school. Renée’s work has been nominated for Best of the Net.
No RSVP required. Just show up at 1:00pm
Admission: Free (donations welcome)
📍Location: Markham House @ History Park
635 Phelan Ave, San Jose, CA.
Free parking right outside of the main gate or in the lot at the end of Phelan Avenue (except during some History Park events.)
Once you walk into the park from Phelan Avenue, go straight until the road dead ends, then make a left. Markham House is then the second house on your left. There will be a flag over the steps that reads OPEN.
Beautiful Black Books featuring Mona Webb (Zoom)
Join Tshaka Campbell for the next installment of Beautiful Black Books with guest Mona Webb!
BBB is a recurring program featuring black writers in conversation followed by a Q&A. It is a vessel of exchange as we bring black writers to our communities and our communities to these writers to learn about their sources of inspiration.
Register for your Zoom link at: https://bit.ly/3DZiJZD
Ramona Laughing Webb is a Poet-in-Residence at the CoE working at the intersections of performance art, culture change and improved communications around gender and racial/ethnic disparities and health disparities. She has been the MC at the Young Women’s Health & Leadership Summit for the past 8 years and a regular workshop leader for the Youth Steering Committee teaching the youth how to amplify their authentic voice. Scholar practitioner, teaching performance artist and Afro-Creek queer activist Ramona “Mona” Webb serves as the Assistant Artistic Director of San Francisco’s Queer Cultural Center which is the producer of the National Queer Arts Festival. Mona formerly served as Artistic Director of Project ABLE and Lyrical Minded415, which is an Art Based Learning for Equity seasonal course implemented in SFUSD’s Title I Neglected school sites. For 10 years Mona served as poetry Slammaster of San Francisco. Mona is a conservatory trained artist who writes and performs in “docu-ritual- drama theater” and attended the dual Theater Performance Making MFA program at California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco and Chichester University in Chichester, England. "How to Catch a Rapist in 12 Parts", is her current one person show and it chronicles her journey to seeking justice for a rape committed 20 years ago. Ramona’s pronouns are she, her, them and they.
Santa Clara County Poet Laureate Emeritus Tshaka Campbell has authored four books of poetry and is an internationally recognized artist and performer. He has won grand slam championships in a number of cities across the US. He will publish his next poetry collection, Blood at the Root, with @elmartillopress He currently resides in San José and continues to ask the world to listen different.
TO SUBMIT EVENT FEEDBACK, visit https://bit.ly/3YGz3q1
Third Thursday Open Mic featuring Raggedy Andey!
Raggedy Andey is an abandoned house-obsessed poet and mentor from Santa Cruz. In addition to her written works, she was grand-slam champion of Santa Cruz in 2015, joining her team at the National Poetry Slam in Oakland where they placed in the top 5 overall. She went on to sweep the Southwest Shootout in 2018, winning the individual competition and the group competition alongside her fellow Santa Cruz teammates. Today, she organizes an exclusive poetry series celebrating the craft of writing, and spends her days basking in the sun with her little dog Frank. Her favorite word is avid.
Well-RED feat. Joseph Jason Santiago LaCour & Sophia Rodriguez
Co-sponsored by Works/San José art and performance center!
38 South Second Street, downtown San José.
Open mic to start the show!
If you are unable to attend in person, we welcome you to join via Zoom! Register in advance for this event via Zoom.
Link: https://bit.ly/3RAYc0I
Joseph Jason Santiago LaCour is a Filipino/French Creole Spoken Word Poet and Hip-Hop Artist from the Midwest now living in Santa Cruz. You can find him most weekends at Sacred Mud Henna and Tattoo Studio at The Tannery Arts Center offering workshops, coaching and henna & jagua hand art by appointment.
In Partnership with Rica Smith De La Luz, @sacredpoets, he hopes to inspire a creative message of peace and empowerment. A part of Mic Drop!, the monthly open mic at 418 Project, and a member of Writers of Color Santa Cruz County, he works to contribute to a strong community of Artists and Supporters locally and globally. Currently, he is developing a grant project in collaboration with CityArts and Arts Council Santa Cruz County called Poets on the Path - in efforts to revitalize our San Lorenzo Riverwalk.
Sophia Rodriquez is a published author of Healing My Hurts, available on Amazon, and a writer whose work highlights themes of self-love, identity, and the exploration of social and developmental issues. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Science from the University of Maine at Fort Kent and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Health Psychology at Santa Clara University.
Sophia's writing has been featured in De Anza's Red Wheelbarrow (2019) and East Side Magazine (January 2023). An active participant in the Bay Area's poetry community, she has performed at open mics and poetry slams across the region. Notably, Sophia featured at the 2023 San Jose Museum of Art and Poetry Center San Jose Poetry Invitational and is looking forward to participating in the 2025 Poetry Invitational. You can follow Sophia on Instagram at @sr_poetry_, where she shares her latest poems, upcoming events, and more.
TO SUBMIT EVENT FEEDBACK, visit: https://bit.ly/4dBnxR2
PCSJ Open Community Meeting via Zoom
Let your ideas be heard at our first ever Open Community Meeting to be held on Zoom!
PCSJ Open Community Meeting
Monday, May 12, 2025 at 6:30pm–7:30pm via Zoom
A chance for the public to share feedback on programming, suggestions, and constructive criticism to be considered by board members of PCSJ.
Poetry Lounge featuring David Perez (Zoom)
POETRY LOUNGE featuring David Perez!
Saturday, May 10th, 1:00 p.m. (PST)
via Zoom
Hosted by Lesa Medley!
Contact Lesa Medley to receive your Zoom link: lcmedley016@gmail.com
David Perez served as the 2014-2016 Santa Clara County Poet Laureate. He’s a recipient of the Arts Council Silicon Valley Fellowship for Literary Art and the National Association for Latino Arts and Culture Achievement Award. He’s also a repeat guest on the NPR storytelling series, Snap Judgment and author of the poetry collection, "Love in a Time of Robot Apocalypse" from Write Bloody Publishing. Most recently, his work has appeared in Cæsura, The Wild Word, and the DMQ Review. He has taught literature and creative writing at San Jose State University and Ohlone College in Fremont, CA.
San José Poetry Slam Zoom Edition
Poetry Center San José presents San José Poetry Slam Zoom Edition
Come join us for poetry from the comfort of your own home.
Room opens at 6:30p.m. (PST)
Sign up list will be open from 6:30 to 7:00p.m.
Slam starts at 7:00p.m.
This is a free event.
Your host and Emcee will be Scorpiana Xlent!
Cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.
Register through Eventbrite: https://bit.ly/pcsjtix
Link coming soon. Note: We will be unable to assist with link issues once the show starts.
If you have never been to a Poetry Slam before, a poetry slam is a competition, imagine spoken word poetry as an olympic sport. The rules are simple:
1.) Poets must use their own poems.
2.) poet must use only one poem per round.
3.) no musical accompaniment.
4.) no props.
5.) there is a time limit of 3 minutes and 10 seconds. going over that will result in a time penalty.
6.) poets must have video on while performing or there will be a 3-point penalty deduction.
This is a two-round slam, poets with the highest scores will move up to round two.
You can sign up to compete via the chat box in the zoom room.
If you're not competing, we could use judges.
Please remember to submit a quick audience survey to help us improve our logistics and content and report to our funders and sponsors. Here is the link to the survey: https://bit.ly/3M63VqH
Our feature is TBA.
Poetry Center San José promotes and supports the literary arts in San José. Over the past four decades, PCSJ has brought hundreds of exceptional writers from around the country to read from their works and, in many cases, to conduct workshops for local writers. PCSJ is a nonprofit organization established in 1978. Its base of operations is in the charming turn-of-the-century Victorian home where the renown poet Edwin Markham once lived, now located in San José History Park. Poetry Center San José is a member supported organization and is funded, in part, by grants from Applied Materials Foundation, the City of San José's Office of Cultural Affairs, Knight Foundation, Poets & Writers, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, SVCREATES, in partnership with the County of Santa Clara and the California Arts Council and also supported in part by a SVCreates National Endowment for the Arts American Rescue Plan grant. We also thank Brandenburg Family Foundation and Anne & Mark's Art Party for their generous giving.
Poetry Exchange featuring Adriann “Justthepen” Bautista (via Zoom)
Poetry Exchange featuring Adriann “Justthepen” Bautista!
via Zoom
Contact Lesa Medley to receive your Zoom link: lcmedley016@gmail.com
Adriann “Justthepen” Toombs Bautista, a native of Philadelphia, PA, is a mother of two adult children, Grant Administrator at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Playwright, Poet, Workshop Facilitator, Founder and CEO of Just The Pen, LLC, Founder of Just The Pen Foundation, Founder & Facilitator of Inspired & Empowered to Move for Women Who Lead and Creator and host of “Talks with Just The Pen”.
As an established Poet, Adriann has published a Chapbook entitled “Ballad of a Beautiful Brown King” and a full-length book of poetry entitled “Sanctuary of Snow” available on Amazon.com. She is also published in over 15 various anthologies. Her second and newly released full length book of poetry entitled SisterStrength: She Her We Me, is now available at www.justthepen.com as well as www.moonstoneartscenter.org
Adriann has read her life poetry at many venues throughout the Tri-State Area and beyond.
Adriann’s life mission can be summarized best by this response to a question asked of her by her mentor, Elijah B Pringle III; “When my pen no longer touches paper upon the earth, I pray to be remembered for the faith I tried to share with everyone I came in contact with, for the light I tried to share, my concern for humanity, the connections I have established and how I tried to give space without leaving, for how I gave love in large doses without borders or judgement and for the desire I carried to have my words leave a warm impact in a cold world.”
Visit her site at justthepen.com
Bauchhaar featuring Shikha Malaviya!
Shikha Malaviya is the featured poet for this event.
Bauchhaar invites your poems and flash fiction in English and/or Hindi on the theme of "Migration". Please email your work to bauchhaar@gmail.com by April 10th.
Hosted by Anshu Johri!
Selected works on the themed submission will be read, followed by an open mic.
At Kathmandu Cuisine
138 S. Main St, Milpitas, 95035
Shikha Malaviya (shikhamalaviya.com) is a poet, writer, and publisher. Her latest book, Anandibai Joshee: A Life in Poems (HarperCollins India, 2023), reimagines the groundbreaking journey of India's first female physician. Her earlier collection, Geography of Tongues, explores themes of immigrant identity and belonging. A Pushcart Prize nominee, Shikha's poetry has appeared in Prairie Schooner, PLUME, Catamaran, and other distinguished journals. She was chosen as Poet Laureate of San Ramon, California (2016) and has been featured as a TEDx speaker. As co-founder of The (Great) Indian Poetry Collective, Mosaic America fellow, and SF Writers Grotto member, Shikha is dedicated to amplifying diverse voices in literature. She lives in the San Francisco Bay area.
Please send your own work. Please do not send work that glorifies or justifies violence. We are excited to receive your work and your presence as an audience. Please send your work to bauchaar@gmail.com
Markham House & Library Open Hours
Looking for a cozy spot to read, write, or just unwind? Stop by Markham House during the hours above. Enjoy a cup of coffee or tea while you browse our library, chat with our friendly docent, and take in some dedicated poetry appreciation time.
Note that on this day, there will be a Bay Area Printers’ Fair & Wayzgoose event at History Park, which is free. As such, parking may be limited. It may also be a little noisier than usual, but in a fun and festive way!
📍Location: Markham House @ History Park • 635 Phelan Ave, San Jose, CA.
Free parking right outside of the main gate or in the lot at the end of Phelan Avenue. Note: May incur a parking fee due to Bay Area Printers’ Fair & Wayzgoose, a free event.
Once you walk into the park from Phelan Avenue, go straight until the road dead ends, then make a left. Markham House is then the second house on your left. There will be a flag over the steps that reads OPEN.
Poets@Play Creative Writing Workshop with José Jiménez
Poets@Play is a monthly creative writing workshop hosted by former Santa Clara County Poet Laureate David Perez. Each session features a different guest facilitator—or sometimes David himself—leading hands-on exercises to inspire creativity and new ideas.
This month, spoken word artist extraordinaire, Jose Jimenez leads his workshop “Light It Up!”
“Light It Up!” is a workshop that invites us to revisit our memories and shine light on the details we’ve forgotten. In the process of tuning into our own memories, we can find a deeper understanding of the lessons we can learn from ourselves. Through a series of examples, Jose will showcase how he has turned his own memories into poems that inspire his readers and audience members into action!
José Jiménez is a California poet with proud Mexican roots, driven by a passion for truth, resistance, and reflection. His poetry explores justice, resilience, and social change, drawing from personal and collective experiences to challenge, heal, and inspire. With a commanding presence, José blends raw emotion with sharp wordplay, turning poetry into both a mirror and a megaphone. Jose is a 2x Grand Slam Champion and a finalist at multiple regional & national competitions in the Bay Area and around the country.
No RSVP required. Just show up at 1pm
Admission: Free (donations welcome)
📍Location: Markham House @ History Park
635 Phelan Ave, San Jose, CA.
Free parking right outside of the main gate or in the lot at the end of Phelan Avenue (except during some History Park events.)
Once you walk into the park from Phelan Avenue, go straight until the road dead ends, then make a left. Markham House is then the second house on your left. There will be a flag over the steps that reads OPEN.
Third Thursday Open Mic featuring José Jiménez!
José Jiménez features at the Third Thursday Poetry Open Mic on April 17th!
Third Thursday is a monthly poetry program in partnership with Poetry Center San José and hosted by Mighty Mike McGee!
Willow Glen Public Library, 1157 Minnesota Ave, San José, 95125.
Sign up for the open mic begins at 6:30pm. Featured poet begins shortly after 7pm. Open mic to follow.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Our guest poet tonight is José Jiménez!
José Jiménez is a California poet with proud Mexican roots, driven by a passion for truth, resistance, and reflection. His poetry explores justice, resilience, and social change, drawing from personal and collective experiences to challenge, heal, and inspire. With a commanding presence, José blends raw emotion with sharp wordplay, turning poetry into both a mirror and a megaphone. Jose is a 2x Grand Slam Champion and a finalist at multiple regional & national competitions in the Bay Area and around the country.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Poetry Center San José's mission is to nurture and promote diverse literary expression in our community as a means of exploring, defining, and enriching the human experience. For those under 18 years of age who may be attending, we recommend that a parent/legal guardian be with you during the program.
Please observe San José Public Library’s Safety Guidelines.
To request an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act for library-sponsored events, please call 408-808-2355 or email Accessibility@sjlibrary.org at least three business days prior to the event.
Audience survey for Third Thursday: https://bit.ly/4bqQgHa
Poetry Lounge featuring Kim Johnson (Zoom)
POETRY LOUNGE featuring Kim Johnson!
Saturday, April 12th, 1:00 p.m. (PST)
via Zoom
Hosted by Lesa Medley!
Contact Lesa Medley to receive your Zoom link: lcmedley016@gmail.com
Kim Johnson has been a member of several Bay Area slam teams and toured the US many times over, performing at slam venues, clubs, colleges, festivals and performing arts centers. In 2009 she was an Individual World Poetry Slam finalist, and in 2010 completed her first European poetry tour with performances in Germany, Spain, Austria and the Netherlands. She was the co-coach of the 2009 San Francisco slam team ranked third in the nation, and has been a poet mentor for Youth Speaks San Francisco and Lyrical Minded / Project Able.
Poetry Invitational 2025
The Poetry Invitational is back! Join us for an evening of poetry inspired by the works on view at the Triton Museum!
An evening of ekphrastic poetry and music as we wander around the exhibits inside the lovely Triton Museum.
An ekphrastic poem is a poem that describes or responds to a work of visual art, like a painting or sculpture, using vivid imagery and often exploring the emotions and themes evoked by the artwork.
Free admission.
Co-sponsored by Triton Museum
1505 Warburton Ave, Santa Clara
Note: Due to a scheduling conflict, we regret to inform attendees that Santa Clara County Poet Laureate Yosimar Reyes is unable to participate in this event. Former SCC Poet Laureate Mighty Mike McGee will join the line-up.
Participating Poets:
Anshu Johri
Joseph Jason Santiago LaCour
Marisa Lin
Kristina Robertson
Sophia Rodriguez
Ethan Stanton
Jaz Sufi
Esther Young
Well-RED Open Mic Night!
Well-RED Open Mic Night!
Tuesday, April 8th 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Co-sponsored by Works/José art & performance center.
38 S. 2nd Street, San José.
Well-RED features Open-Mic Night!
Come share your own new or favorite works. Did you create something during a Poets@Play workshop? Come share it live in-person or via Zoom!
We will have appetizers and beverages available!
Co-sponsored by Works/San José art and performance center!
Address: 38 S. 2nd Street, San José.
Open mic to start the show!
If you are unable to attend in person, we welcome you to join via Zoom! Register in advance for this event via Zoom.
Link: https://bit.ly/3FHkjzL
TO SUBMIT EVENT FEEDBACK, visit: https://bit.ly/4dBnxR2
San José Poetry Slam Zoom Edition featuring Kelly Mary McAllister!
San José Poetry Slam Zoom Edition featuring Kelly Mary McAllister!
Sunday, March 23 7:00 - 10:00 pm (PST)
Poetry Center San José presents San José Poetry Slam Zoom Edition
Come join us for poetry from the comfort of your own home.
Sunday, March 23rd.
Room opens at 6:30p.m. (PST)
Sign up list will be open from 6:30 to 7:00p.m.
Slam starts at 7:00p.m.
This is a free event.
Your host and Emcee will be Scorpiana Xlent!
Cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.
Register through Eventbrite.
link coming soon
Eventbrite is only allowing us a limited number of tickets so feel free to message San Jose Poetry Slam or Scorpiana if you need the link to the zoom room before 7, we will be unable to assist with links once the show starts.
If you have never been to a Poetry Slam before, a poetry slam is a competition, imagine spoken word poetry as an olympic sport. The rules are simple:
1.) Poets must use their own poems.
2.) poet must use only one poem per round.
3.) no musical accompaniment.
4.) no props.
5.) there is a time limit of 3 minutes and 10 seconds. going over that will result in a time penalty.
6.) poets must have video on while performing or there will be a 3-point penalty deduction.
This is a two-round slam, poets with the highest scores will move up to round two.
You can sign up to compete via the chat box in the zoom room.
If you're not competing, we could use judges.
Please remember to submit a quick audience survey to help us improve our logistics and content and report to our funders and sponsors. Here is the link to the survey: https://bit.ly/3M63VqH
Our feature is Kelly Mary McAllister
Poetry Center San José promotes and supports the literary arts in San José. Over the past four decades, PCSJ has brought hundreds of exceptional writers from around the country to read from their works and, in many cases, to conduct workshops for local writers. PCSJ is a nonprofit organization established in 1978. Its base of operations is in the charming turn-of-the-century Victorian home where the renown poet Edwin Markham once lived, now located in San José History Park. Poetry Center San José is a member supported organization and is funded, in part, by grants from Applied Materials Foundation, the City of San José's Office of Cultural Affairs, Knight Foundation, Poets & Writers, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, SVCREATES, in partnership with the County of Santa Clara and the California Arts Council and also supported in part by a SVCreates National Endowment for the Arts American Rescue Plan grant. We also thank Brandenburg Family Foundation and Anne & Mark's Art Party for their generous giving.
Poets@Play Creative Writing Workshop with Jen Siraganian
Poets@Play Creative Writing Workshop with Jen Siraganian
Sunday, March 23, 1-3 p.m. (PST)
@ Markham House
enter gate at 635 Phelan Avenue, SJ
Free (donations welcome)
Poets@Play is a monthly creative writing workshop hosted by former Santa Clara County Poet Laureate David Perez. Each session features a different guest facilitator—or sometimes David himself—leading hands-on exercises to inspire creativity and new ideas.
This month, former Poet Laureate of Los Gatos, Jen Siraganian leads her workshop “Mastering the Metaphor”
What do you do when you have a wonderful idea but you're not sure how to capture it in a poem? Sometimes a metaphor can tame that unruly idea. Join Jen Siraganian for a class in which we'll discuss how to use figurative language in poetry. Learn about the ways in which metaphors can create distance between a subject while also adding layers of complexity and understanding. After reading poems by Nikki Giovanni, Ada Limon, Kevin Young, and others, we'll try to craft our own poems containing metaphors in playful and fresh ways.
Jen Siraganian is an Armenian-American writer, educator, and former Poet Laureate of Los Gatos, California. Her poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in AGNI, Barrow Street, Best New Poets, Cortland Review, NPR’s KALW, Poetry Daily, Prairie Schooner, The Rumpus, Smartish Pace, and other journals. Nominated for a Pushcart Prize, she was co-winner of the New Ohio Review Poetry Prize and is a Lucas Artist Fellow. A former managing director of Litquake: San Francisco’s Literary Festival, she has taught in schools and community settings for twenty years. jensiraganian.com
No RSVP required. Just show up at 1pm
Admission: Free (donations welcome)
📍Location: Markham House @ History Park
635 Phelan Ave, San Jose, CA.
Once you walk into the park, go straight until the road dead ends, then make a left. Markham House is then the second house on your left.
Well-RED presents World Poetry Day Festival 2025!
Well-RED presents World Poetry Day Festival 2025!
Saturday, March 22, 4:00-8:45 p.m.
Co-sponsored by Works/San José
38 S. 2nd Street, San José
Poetry Center San José's Well-RED Reading Series presents World Poetry Day Festival 2025!
Co-sponsored by Works/San José art & performance center.
Poetry | Music | Dance | Appetizers & Drinks
Saturday, March 22nd, 4:00 – 8:45pm
38 S. Second Street in downtown San José
For tickets, visit: https://buytickets.at/pcsj/1597196
Featuring poetry in 14 different languages:
Aparna Ganguly – Bengali
Sergio Herrera – Spanish
Larry Hollist – Japanese
Anshu S. Johri – Hindi
Esther Kamkar – Farsi
Keana Aguila Labra – Cebuano
Brandon Luu – Vietnamese
Maribel Martínez – Spanish
Elizabeth Jiménez Montelongo - Nahuatl
Robert Perry – Dutch
Robert Srchek Pešić – Serbian
Annabelle & Ethan Stanton – French
Zainab Hussain – Arabic
Jing Jing Yang – Chinese
*Different exotic drinks
*Appetizers from other countries
Come join. Schedule is as follows:
4:00-5:00 Workshop with instructor David Perez! (MLK Library)
5:00-5:20 Open mic
5:20-6:10 Featured Poets: Aparna Ganguly to Keana Aguila Labra
6:10-6:30 Entre Zurcos, performing songs in Mixe
6:30-6:50 Esther Young, Guitarrista singing in Chinese
6:50-7:10
Theatrical Performance, Umbelina Martinez & Marcial Valencia
Body Painting, Cesareo Vega
7:10-7:30 Open Mic
7:30-8:20 Featured Poets: Brandon Luu to Jing Jing Yang
8:20-8:35 Folarin Erogbogbo (Prof. Eros), Ph.D, Afrobeat hand drummer representing Yoruba language
8:35-8:45 Dance
Thank you to Mr. Zenon Robles, owner of Jess's Place for providing fine Peruvian cuisine, 3088 Monterey Rd, San Jose, CA 95111. https://jesss-place.restaurants-world.com
Markham House Open Hours (during Women’s Heritage Day event)
Markham House Open Hours (during Women’s Heritage Day event)
Saturday, March 22, 12:00 - 2:30 p.m.
Looking for a cozy spot to read, write, or just unwind? Stop by Markham House during the hours above. Enjoy a cup of coffee or tea while you browse our library, chat with our friendly docent, and take in some dedicated poetry appreciation time.
Note that on this day, there will be a Women’s Heritage Day event at History Park. As such, parking may be limited. It will also be a little noisier than usual, but in a fun and festive way!
📍Location: Markham House @ History Park
635 Phelan Ave, San Jose, CA.
Once you walk into the park, go straight until the road dead ends, then make a left. Markham House is then the second house on your left.
Third Thursday Open Mic featuring Jan McEwan
Jan McEwan features at the Third Thursday Poetry Open Mic on March 20th!
Third Thursday is a monthly poetry program in partnership with Poetry Center San José and hosted by Mighty Mike McGee!
Willow Glen Public Library, 1157 Minnesota Ave, San José, 95125.
Sign up for the open mic begins at 6:30pm. Featured poet begins shortly after 7pm. Open mic to follow.
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Our guest poet tonight is Jan McEwan!
Jan McEwan (Janet M.) wore all the hats as Running Deer Press, publisher/editor of Writing For Our Lives, a feminist lit/mag, 15 issues in all, in the 1990’s. It was all about the healing value of telling our untold stories, & ushering some of them into print. While enjoying the privilege of reading thousands of manuscripts of women’s writing, she was engaging in the rich & serendipitous life of arts, writing, healing & women’s community that paralleled her long practice in healthcare as a Registered Nurse. For several summers she led writing retreats called Write For the Trees at the Women’s Forest Sanctuary, a non-profit land trust in the Mattole watershed, while she was on its board. Long in the shadows with her own work, she was a founding member of Nibwits, a writers’ support group; was once a featured reader at Poet/Speak in Santa Cruz; listened in awe at open mics in Los Gatos from the time Robert Pesich & Bea Garth hosted them at Café Rouge. There she met a kindred spirit with whom she became “The Beats of Los Gatos,” an art & writing-inspired friendship to this day. These days she’s known at Third Thursday open mics for her long serial poem Mother Vulture. Not long after she retired from paid work in 2019, COVID hit. “Sacred Pause” was the reframe that transformed her leaden solitude into gold. At the balance point of Autumn Equinox 2020, to practice for her dream of entering the annual August Poetry Postcard Fest, she poised her pen over paper & tuned in for a spontaneous poem to write directly onto a postcard, quick & alive, here & now, first draft. Her pen wrote “Mother Vulture.” From that portal Mother Vulture arrived, wild, from somewhere deep & vast, a most unlikely but perfect muse for the cosmology of a life, & no less than a guise of the Great Mother goddess archetype. Her ongoing serial poem unfurls itself.
Jan finally did become a Postcard Poet, two years now.
Born & raised in San Jose, she’s lived in Los Gatos many years.
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Poetry Center San José's mission is to nurture and promote diverse literary expression in our community as a means of exploring, defining, and enriching the human experience. For those under 18 years of age who may be attending, we recommend that a parent/legal guardian be with you during the program.
Please observe San José Public Library’s Safety Guidelines.
To request an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act for library-sponsored events, please call 408-808-2355 or email Accessibility@sjlibrary.org at least three business days prior to the event.
Audience survey for Third Thursday: https://bit.ly/4bqQgHa
Poetry Exchange featuring Maggie Paul!
Poetry Exchange featuring Maggie Paul!
Hosted by Lesa Medley
Sunday, March 16, 1:00 pm (PST)
via Zoom!
Poetry Exchange featuring Maggie Paul!
via Zoom
Contact Lesa Medley to receive your Zoom link: lcmedley016@gmail.com
Maggie Paul is the author of Scrimshaw (Hummingbird Press 2020), Borrowed World, (Hummingbird Press 2011), and the chapbook, Stones from the Baskets of Others (Black Dirt Press 2000). Her poems appear in Poetry Miscellany, Moonstone, Red Wheelbarrow, SALT, The Jung Journal of Culture, Poetry Miscellaney, and others. Maggie was a co-founder of Poetry Santa Cruz and has taught writing at UCSC, Cabrillo, CSUMB and DeAnza College. See more poetry, interviews and book reviews at: https://maggiepaulpoetry.com.
¡Cultura Poetry Night! featuring Matt Sedillo & Lorna Dee Cervantes
¡Cultura Poetry Night! featuring Matt Sedillo & Lorna Dee Cervantes
Wednesday, March 12, 2025 6:30 - 8:30 pm (PST)
via Zoom!
Join us for presentations by two featured poets, several guest poets, and Open Mic!
¡Cultura Poetry Night! celebrates the culture of people who identify as Chicana/o, Raza, Latinx, and people with Indigenous heritage rooted in areas that are now Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America. A multilingual event with two featured poets, guest poets, and open mic!
For tickets, visit http://bit.ly/cpn2025
Featured Poets:
Lorna Dee Cervantes is a Chicana poet from San José, California now based in Seattle, Washington. She is best known for her first poetry collection, the bilingual, Emplumada, which won the American Book Award. She has received many honors and awards. Her most recently published book is April on Olympia (Marsh Hawk Press) is available from SPDbooks.org. www.lornadeecervantes.com / Facebook: Lorna Dee Cervantes
Matt Sedillo was born in El Sereno, California in 1981. His highly acclaimed poetry is written from the vantage point of a second generation Chicano born in an era of diminishing opportunities & a crumbling economy. His poetry has been published widely and he has presented his poetry in universities and locations worldwide. Published by FlowerSong Press, founder of Martillo Press. https://www.mattsedillopoetry.com / Facebook: Matt Sedillo / Instagram: @matt_sedillo
This event is presented by Poetry Center San José in partnership with La Raíz Magazine, hosted by Elizabeth Jiménez Montelongo.
Markham House Open Hours
Markham House Open Hours
Sunday, March 9, 11:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Looking for a cozy spot to read, write, or just unwind? Stop by Markham House during the hours above. Enjoy a cup of coffee or tea while you browse our library, chat with our friendly docent, and take in some dedicated poetry appreciation time.
📍Location: Markham House @ History Park
635 Phelan Ave, San Jose, CA.
Once you walk into the park, go straight until the road dead ends, then make a left. Markham House is then the second house on your left.
Poetry Lounge featuring Krissy Mosley!
Poetry Lounge featuring Krissy Mosley!
Hosted by Lesa Medley
Saturday, March 8, 1:00 pm (PST)
via Zoom!
Poetry Lounge featuring Krissy Mosley!
Saturday, March 8th, 1:00 p.m. (PST)
via Zoom
Hosted by Lesa Medley!
Contact Lesa Medley to receive your Zoom link: lcmedley016@gmail.com
Krissy Mosley is the Poet in Residence of Mother Bethel Historical Church in Philadelphia, P.A. She currently resides in Indiana where she started the The Soul of Poetry Workshop. She is the author of several chapbooks and is currently working on her first fictional novel.
San José Poetry Slam via Zoom featuring Protected Poet!
San José Poetry Slam via Zoom
featuring Protected Poet!
Sunday, February 23rd, 6:30-10:00 p.m.
via Zoom
Poetry Center San Jose presents San José Poetry Slam Zoom Edition featuring Protected Poet!
Come join us for Poetry from the comfort of your own home.
Sunday, February 23rd.
Room opens at 6:30p.m. (PST)
Sign up list will be open from 6:30 to 7:00p.m.
Slam starts at 7:00p.m.
We are on Pacific Standard time, that is 3 hours earlier than east coast time and 3 hours ahead of Hawaii.
This is a free event.
Your host and Emcee will be Scorpiana Xlent!
Cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.
Register through Eventbrite. Link: https://bit.ly/pcsjtix
Eventbrite is only allowing us a limited number of tickets so feel free to message San Jose Poetry Slam or Scorpiana if you need the link to the zoom room before 7, we will be unable to assist with links once the show starts.
If you have never been to a Poetry Slam before, a poetry slam is a competition, imagine spoken word poetry as an olympic sport. The rules are simple:
1.) Poets must use their own poems.
2.) poet must use only one poem per round.
3.) no musical accompaniment.
4.) no props.
5.) there is a time limit of 3 minutes and 10 seconds. going over that will result in a time penalty.
6.) poets must have video on while performing or there will be a 3-point penalty deduction.
This is a two-round slam, poets with the highest scores will move up to round two.You can sign up to compete via the chat box in the zoom room. If you're not competing, we could use judges.
Please remember to submit a quick audience survey to help us improve our logistics and content and report to our funders and sponsors. Here is the link to the survey: https://bit.ly/3M63VqH
Poetry Center San José promotes and supports the literary arts in San José. Over the past four decades, PCSJ has brought hundreds of exceptional writers from around the country to read from their works and, in many cases, to conduct workshops for local writers. PCSJ is a nonprofit organization established in 1978. Its base of operations is in the charming turn-of-the-century Victorian home where the renown poet Edwin Markham once lived, now located in San José History Park. Poetry Center San José is a member supported organization and is funded, in part, by grants from Applied Materials Foundation, the City of San José's Office of Cultural Affairs, Knight Foundation, Poets & Writers, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, SVCREATES, in partnership with the County of Santa Clara and the California Arts Council and also supported in part by a SVCreates National Endowment for the Arts American Rescue Plan grant. We also thank Brandenburg Family Foundation and Anne & Mark's Art Party for their generous giving
Poets@Play Creative Writing Workshop with Sergio Herrera
Poets@Play Creative Writing Workshop with Sergio Herrera
Sunday, February 23, 1-3 p.m. (PST)
@ Markham House
enter gate at 635 Phelan Avenue, SJ
Free (donations welcomed)
Join us at Markham House in History Park for Poets@Play, a monthly creative writing workshop hosted by former Santa Clara County Poet Laureate David Perez. Each session features a different guest facilitator—or sometimes David himself—leading hands-on exercises to inspire creativity and new ideas.
This month, we’re excited to welcome Sergio Herrera, offering his "Flor y Canto" workshop.
In the Nahuatl language, there was no specific word for "poetry," but the concept was expressed through the metaphor "flowers and songs" (in xochitl in cuicatl), which was central to the Aztec worldview and mythology. This metaphor symbolized the pursuit of truth, of God, and answers to fundamental questions of human nature—essentially serving as both philosophy and theology. Poetry was believed to originate from the gods, specifically Ometeotl, a dual deity representing the convergence of masculine and feminine principles.
In this workshop, Sergio will guide participants in exploring and writing in this rich poetic tradition, helping them craft their own works inspired by the essence of Flor y Canto.
Sergio Herrera was born in Mexico City 52 years ago. A self-taught writer for the past 20 years, he is currently working on his third book, "Avalanche," following "Common Places" and "Lumen."
RSVPs welcome, but not required. If you like, you can RSVP on our Facebook Event.
Date: Sunday, Feb. 23
Time: 1 - 3pm
Admission: Free. But donations are welcome, as they help us keep the event going strong.
Location: Markham House @ History Park
635 Phelan Ave, San Jose, CA.
Once you walk into the park, go straight until the road dead ends, then make a left. Markham House is then the second house on your left.
Bauchhaar featuring Rajeev Bharol!
Bauchhaar featuring Rajeev Bharol!
Saturday, February 22nd, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m.
@ Kathmandu Cuisine
146 S. Main Street, Milpitas
Come join us for Bauchhaar, a theme-based literary event in Hindi and English hosted by Anshu Johri to be held on February 22nd. The upcoming Bauchhaar theme is "Ghazal" and the guest reader of this event is Rajeev Bharol, who will delve into the skills of ghazal writing for the audience before his recitation. Please send your work by February 10th to be a featured reader.
Please send your own work. Please do not send work that glorifies or justifies violence. We are excited to receive your work and your presence as an audience. Please send your work to bauchaar@gmail.com
Markham House Open Hours (during Lunar New Year event)
Markham House Open Hours (during Lunar New Year event)
Saturday, 12:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Looking for a cozy spot to read, write, or just unwind? Stop by Markham House during the hours above. Enjoy a cup of coffee or tea while you browse our library, chat with our friendly docent, and take in some dedicated poetry appreciation time.
Note that on this day, there will be a Lunar New Year event at History Park. As such, there will be a parking fee and parking may be limited. It will also be a little noisier than usual, but in a fun and festive way!
📍Location: Markham House @ History Park
635 Phelan Ave, San Jose, CA.
Once you walk into the park, go straight until the road dead ends, then make a left. Markham House is then the second house on your left.
Third Thursday Open Mic featuring Sergio Herrera!
Sergio Herrera features at the Third Thursday Open Mic on February 20th!
Third Thursday is a monthly poetry program in partnership with Poetry Center San José and hosted by Mighty Mike McGee!
Willow Glen Public Library, 1157 Minnesota Ave, San José, 95125.
Sign up for the open mic begins at 6:30pm. Featured poet begins shortly after 7pm. Open mic to follow.
Our guest poet tonight is Sergio Herrera!
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Poetry Center San José's mission is to nurture and promote diverse literary expression in our community as a means of exploring, defining, and enriching the human experience.
For those under 18 years of age who may be attending, we recommend that a parent/legal guardian be with you during the program.
Please observe San José Public Library’s Safety Guidelines.
To request an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act for library-sponsored events, please call 408-808-2355 or email Accessibility@sjlibrary.org at least three business days prior to the event.