Poetry Exchange featuring Nils Peterson!

Please join us via Zoom as we celebrate Poetry Month! Open mic follows our featured guest.

Hosted by Lesa Medley!

Contact Lesa Medley to receive your Zoom link: lcmedley016@gmail.com

Nils Peterson is Professor Emeritus at San Jose State University where he taught in the English and Humanities Departments.

He has published poetry, science fiction, and articles on subjects as varied as golf and Shakespeare, several chapbooks, and three collections of poems The Comedy of Desire (edited and introduced by Robert Bly), A Walk to the Center of Things, and All the Marvelous Stuff. Talk in the Reading Room, was chosen by Wordrunner Press as its memoir selection in 2014. earth, water, fire, air a collection of poems each illustrated by a watercolor by Lorraine Chapparall appeared in 2016. The Dear Time of Our Talking, poems and essays about working with Robert Bly, appeared in 2020.

In 2009, he was chosen to be the first Poet Laureate of Santa Clara County.

In 2019, he was honored by SVCreates for his work as poet and teacher as the OnPage Laureate of the Year. Coleman Barks describes his poetry as “so intelligent, lonely, funny and real. Necessary….”

All the Marvelous Stuff was chosen as the best collection of poems at the 2020 San Francisco Book Fair!

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 Sally Ashton!

Sally Ashton is a poet, writer, Editor-in-Chief of the DMQ Review, San José State University professor emerita, lecturer, blogger, and workshop presenter who has taught over 100 workshops. She was appointed the second Santa Clara County Poet Laureate, 2011-2013. She has collaborated with both visual artists and musicians. She is Assistant Editor of They Said: A Multi-Genre Anthology of Contemporary Collaborative Writing (Black Lawrence Press, 2018). Her work is included in many anthologies.

Her poem, “4.6 Billion Years,” reprinted in The Inflectionist Review, was selected as part of the Lunar Codex project and will be sent to the south pole of the Moon in 2024.

Listening to Mars, her fifth book, is now available from Cornerstone Press.

For more information, visit sallyashton.com

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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.

¡Cultura Poetry Night!
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
6:30-8:30pm Pacific Time
via Zoom

Register at bit.ly/raizcpn

¡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! Everyone is welcome at this inclusive event presented by Poetry Center San José, hosted by Elizabeth Jiménez Montelongo, in partnership with
La Raíz Magazine.

About the Featured Poets:

Christiane Williams-Vigil is a Xicana writer from El Paso, Texas. Her work has been published in various literary magazines such as Marias at Sampaguitas, Fatal Flaw Literary Magazine, The Write Launch, Chismosa Press, and Latinx Literatures. Currently, she is a high school English teacher who uses her spare time to make Tik Toks about works in progress, how-to's, or simply having fun with the latest sound trends.

Website: christianewilliams-vigil.com
IG: @christyvigilwriter // X/Twitter:@christywvwriter

Pedro Rivas López is a Teatrista, stage storyteller, and visual artist born in Guadalajara Jalisco. Pedro uses art to speak truth to power, uplift oppressed voices, amplify social change, and expand his storytelling into the visual world, using art to uplift BIPOC communities and take space to inspire other queer brown folks to tell their stories.

Website: www.arteaquaviva.com
IG: @arteaquaviva @prl_arte

OPEN MIC:
Sign up at http://bit.ly/laraizopenmic

Confirm your presence at the start of the event, when asked (in the first 10 minutes).
Day-of sign ups are first come, first served.

Presented by: Poetry Center San José www.pcsj.org @poetrycentersanjose

Host: Elizabeth Jiménez Montelongo
IG: @elizabethjimenezmontelongo / FB: @ejmontelongo

Community Partner: La Raíz Magazine http://laraizmagazine.com
IG: @laraizmagazine / FB: @laraizmag

In collaboration with the farmers market, we are bringing a "Prism" of poems and words, for the taste buds of your mind.

This will be an open mic event. You can secure your spot, and send your work to bauchhaar@gmail.com.

All languages are welcome!

Evergreen Village Square is a town square in the Evergreen district of San Jose.

Poetry Lounge featuring Tshaka Campbell!

Please join us via Zoom as we celebrate Poetry Month! Open mic follows our featured guest.

Hosted by Lesa Medley!
Contact Lesa Medley to receive your Zoom link: lcmedley016@gmail.com

Tshaka was one of the 100 monkeys (#37) and does poetry to help speed up the process. It was said that he spat up Ethiopia while getting drunk with Thoth and Jesus. Once, he read in a tabloid that he and Crispus Attucks took the Underground Railroad to a house party in the Bronx and invented trap music.

Tshaka is the first black, Santa Clara County Poet Laureate and has authored three books of poetry entitled TARMAN, MUTED WHISPERS, STUFF, I will write more, and TUNNEL VISION with one more on the way entitled LETTERS TO MY DAUGHTER. His words have been featured in Bridges Review, BBC UK, Fall Lines Vol X, Speakeasy vol 1, Liminal Animals, Rigorous magazine, among others. Tshaka is 2024 Periplus fellow and poetry editor for Caesura literary journal and various of their poetry anthologies. A city of Milpitas and city of Sunnyvale commendation in the arts award recipient, he has also collaborated on projects with the World Health Organization (WHO), the De young museum in San Francisco, the NUMU and Triton museums, as well sits on the Board of Directors for Silicon Valley Creates arts council and Poetry Center San Jose. He has partnered with the Silicon Valley Transit Authority and community members to deliver youth programs centered around expanding poetry and literature and is a 2024 Periplus fellow. He has 4 spoken word albums entitled ONE, BLOODLINES, SKIN vol.1; and his most recent release NKISI is currently available on all streaming platforms. Tshaka has collaborated on a number of musical projects in the House, Jazz and Blues genres as well as on national commercials. He currently resides in California and continues to ask the world to “Listen Different!”.

Well-RED features Santa Clara County Poet Laureate Yosimar Reyes!

Co-sponsored by Works/San José art and performance center!
New address: 38 South Second Street, downtown San José.
This will be a hybrid event! Come visit and celebrate the new gallery space for Works/San José!

Open mic to start the show!

Register for your ticket to attend in-person at Eventbrite. Link: https://bit.ly/pcsjtix

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/43JQUgx

Hailing from East San Jose by way of Guerrero, Mexico, Reyes quickly made a name for himself at the tender age of sixteen, exploding onto local Bay Area stages and captivating his audiences with deeply moving spoken word performances.

Reyes’ repertoire has since evolved to include nationally-acclaimed keynotes, writing workshops, and his one-man show, Prieto, a coming-of-age story that explores subjects like migration, sexuality, and socio-economic struggle—all while empowering his audiences to tap into their own creative potential.

His achievements don’t stop there. In addition to being the first-ever undocumented poet to achieve Santa Clara County Poet Laureate status, Reyes was chosen to be a 2024 Creative Ambassador by the City of San Jose, The Advocate named him one of "13 LGBT Latinos Changing the World," and Remezcla included him on their list of "10 Up And Coming Latinx Poets You Need To Know."

Amongst numerous accolades, Reyes has been awarded a NALAC Catalyst for Change Grant (2020), a Gerbode Foundation Grant and most recently, a Walter & Elise Haas Creative Work Fund Grant (2023), . His writing has appeared in publications such as MARIPOSAS: A Modern Anthology of Queer Latino Poetry, Somewhere We Are Human: Authentic Voices on Migration, Survival, and New Beginnings and forthcoming UndocuPoetics.

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, Literary Arts Emergency Fund, supported by the Mellon Foundation (@MellonFdn), 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.

Cæsura on The Stage & Membership Appreciation!

Sunday, April 7th, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Location:
The Stage
490 S. 1st Street, San Jose
Free

We will have special guest director, filmmaker and writer, Christopher Coppola and featured poets Sally Ashton, Lita Kurth, Alba Metaponte and Santa Clara County Poet Laureate Yosimar Reyes!

There will be an open mic, book tables, raffles, and free hot food!

Christopher Coppola will be discussing filmmaking (on his uncle’s birthday!) and a poetry project, Project Poet-to-Poet Cinema created with Italian poetess, Alba Metaponte.

Yosimar Reyes is the first-ever undocumented poet to be selected as the Santa Clara County Poet Laureate. He will join us in opening the evening with a land acknowledgement and a poem.

Lita Kurth, co-founder of Flash Fiction Forum, will be reading from her new book One Creative Prompt A Day: A Journal To Build Your Craft And Unlock Your Inner Story Teller.

Sally Ashton, editor of DMQ Review, will be reading from her new book Listening To Mars.

Alba Metaponte will recite her beautifully powerful poetry in her native language, Italian. She studied law at Bologna and is a translator of Latin American poetry. We are excited to have her work published in Cæsura’s upcoming journal publication.

FINAL DAY!

Calling all performers! Poetry, hip hop, and musical theater artists! We are looking for the county's next Youth Poet Laureate!

Application portal closes TODAY March 23rd, 11:59 p.m. (PST)

Apply at: https://www.sccyouthlaureate.com/apply

Prepare these materials as you submit your application:

General application;
Artist Statement/Biography about who you are;
Photo for promotional purposes;
Three (3) of your poems totaling no more than ten (10) pages. (You can also upload a document with links to online videos;
In 250 words, tell us who you are and what poetry means to you.

Third Thursdays is a monthly poetry program in partnership with Poetry Center San Jose and hosted by Mighty Mike McGee!

Willow Glen 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.

Poetry Center San José presents featured poet Brandon Luu!

Brandon Luu is a poet from San Jose, California. He received his Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from San Jose State University, and he is a member of the Board of Directors of Poetry Center San Jose. He also served as a 2022 Creative Ambassador for the City of San Jose. For him, poetry is an opportunity to bring people together, regardless of age or circumstance. "Through language, we attempt to make sense of the human condition, and from there, we begin to understand each other."

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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 our 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

Poetry Exchange featuring Nick Butterfield!

Sunday, March 17th
1:00-3:00 p.m. (PDT)

Hosted by Brandon Luu!

Register in advance for this meeting, link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0kcuCqqj4sHtSnAYe0-cpqQCExTm699P8m

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the
meeting.

Nick AKA Nektarios Butterfield has 5 cats now. One died recently. He was 15 years old, a rescue kitten found on a street in Oakland. “Grief is the source of many of my writings.” “PTSD, I saw in my dad and many of my current writing collaborators. Not just veterans of war but of life.” Nick was one of the few who gathered in Willow Glen Bookstore in the mid-90s. The Willow Glen Poetry Project went on to publish 3 anthologies in which Nektarios participated in. He has contributed to 3 Caesura editions in the past and contributed to Veterans of Life Write book that came out in 2020. He co-facilitates Veterans of Life Zoom meetings the first Friday of every month which is sponsored by the Psychology Dept. at SJSU and Martin Luther King Library. The group has participated in 7 San Jose Poetry Festivals and has been meeting regularly since 2015. A group that started with Amy Meier’s recognition of a need for Veterans to write and heal.

Well-RED features Lorenz Mazon Dumuk & Los Lorcas!

Co-sponsored by Works/San José art and performance center!
New address: 38 South Second Street, downtown San José.

This will be a hybrid event! Come visit and celebrate the new gallery space for Works/San José!
Open mic to start the show!

Register for your ticket to attend in-person at Eventbrite. Link: https://bit.ly/pcsjtix

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/3wnmKTy

Lorenz Mazon Dumuk has two collections of poetry, Ay Nako: Writing Through the Struggle, and I Think In Poetry. He is a VONA alumni, and a MALI (Multicultural Arts Leadership Institute) alumni, which is a Silicon Valley based program that focuses on developing leaders of color in the arts, culture, and entertainment sectors. He is one of the curators for, Glowing with the Moon, an open mic and interactive community space in San Jose. Lorenz writes with, against, and through the contradictions he encounters, which allows him to explore the different silences in his life through his poetry. An awkwardly adorable poet who can be caught doing hip-circles before a poetry reading.

LOS LORCAS: Poetry in Concert. Celebrating their new release Last Night in America, poets Partridge Boswell and Peter Money, along with guitarist Nat Williams, fuse poetry and music in a passionate and surprising mash-up. Los Lorcas blur boundaries between spoken word and song, weaving poetry with Andalusian ballads, blues, rock, folk, reggae, hip hop, Americana and jazz in pursuit of the cante jondo (deep song) Federico Garcia Lorca ardently championed.

Exploring common roots and synergies of poetry and music, Los Lorcas celebrate the poetry of song lyrics and music of lyrical poetry. Inspired by artists diverse as Lorca, Yeats, Marley, Dylan, Dickinson, Kavanagh, Matisyahu, Morrison, Heaney, Cohen, Bowie, REM, Merwin, Springsteen, Millay and others, the group’s timely and soulful compositions weave themes of love, loss, homelessness, empathy, activism and gratitude—all through a filter of the American dream. Veteran Vermont musician and producer Kristina Stykos of Pepperbox Studio and Thunder Ridge Records has taken a shine to the new trio: “A lot of great musicians have come around here, but not usually with the poetry chops that this group has—in spades. A project sprouted from the literary side, Los Lorcas are making ground-breaking inroads where musicians usually fear to tread: sometimes speaking, sometimes singing, but always putting focus on the intelligent delivery of words. Their cross pollination blending poetry, personality, musicality, vitality of many colors and creative intensity is so satisfying!”

Bauchhaar is open for submissions for our next in-person meeting on Sunday March 3rd, 2024.

The theme is memories/smritiyaan, yaadein/memoirs. You can submit your work both/either in Hindi/English. Please send no more than 5 short poems, and or flash fiction/non-fiction of no more than 600 words by February 15th, 2024 to bauchhaar@gmail.com

बौछार के अगले कार्यक्रम २४ फरवरी २०२४ के लिए आपकी रचनाएं आमंत्रित है. विषय है "यादें/स्मृतियाँअपनी हिंदी /अंग्रेजी की रचनायें हमे १५ फरवरी तक ईमेल करे-लघु कथायें (५०० -६०० शब्द सीमा ), ४-५ कविताएं, वृत्तांत bauchhaar@gmail.com

Join the Santa Clara County Youth Poets Laureate and Local Color for a day of visual art and spoken word!

Participate in painting a mural with artist Tani Belomytsina and learn more about the Santa Clara County Youth Poet Laureate program! There will be an open mic and refreshments for all to share!

For tickets, visit bit.ly/pcsjtix

Visit Poetry Center San Jose's home Markham House (California Historical Landmark No. 416).

Santa Clara County Youth Poet Laureate program: https://www.sccyouthlaureate.com
Application portal opens March 1st!

Free parking near entrance gate and in the lot at the end of Phelan Avenue.
Please enter History Park from the Phelan Avenue side.

Meet Tani Belomytsina:
"I am an artist who is deeply passionate about creating meaningful and impactful art. With a background in graphic design, I bring a diverse range of techniques and materials to my work, ensuring that each project is approached with both creativity and technical skill.

My love for art extends beyond the studio, as I constantly seek opportunities to apply my design education in all aspects of life. From painting and illustration to sculpture and mixed media, I embrace the challenge of exploring different mediums to bring my artistic visions to life.

Every piece I create is infused with purpose and depth, aiming to inspire, provoke thought, and forge connections. My commitment to delivering exceptional results is unwavering, whether it’s a personal project or a collaborative commission.

If you have any inquiries, collaborations, or opportunities to discuss, please feel free to reach out. Together, let’s bring art to life."

Visit: http://taniaokay.com

Calling all performers! Poetry, hip hop, and musical theater artists! We are looking for the county's next Youth Poet Laureate!

Application portal opens March 1st and closes on March 23rd, 11:59 p.m. (PST)

Apply at: https://www.sccyouthlaureate.com/apply

Prepare these materials as you submit your application:
General application;
Artist Statement/Biography about who you are;
Photo for promotional purposes;
Three (3) of your poems totaling no more than ten (10) pages. (You can also upload a document with links to online videos;
In 250 words, tell us who you are and what poetry means to you.

Poetry Center San José presents the San José Poetry Slam - Zoom Edition

Come join us for a free poetry slam competition from the comfort of your own home.

Sunday, February 25, 2024

Zoom opens for slam sign-up from 6:30–7pm (California time). Poetry Slam starts at 7pm.

Hosted by Scorpiana Xlent!

Cash prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.

For more information, check out and message us on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/3702563880025925

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

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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.

In furtherance of our mission, we offer programs and services to stimulate passion for the literary arts and to inspire and support emerging and established writers. We collaborate with other organizations to ensure that these programs and services reflect the diversity of our community and to involve people from a wide range of backgrounds as audience and members. Contact us!

Poets@Play is a monthly writing workshop in partnership with Poetry Center San Jose.

Edwin Markham House @ History Park, 635 Phelan Avenue, San Jose, CA, 95112

Poetry Center San José presents Poets@Play with facilitator David Perez!

Poets may share a favorite poem by another poet, or one of their own, followed by a writing workshop. Please bring the tools you will need to write.

Facilitators biographical below info.

We will do our best to establish a safe space free of hate speech but also stay open to people's fears and real dialogue if it is needed.

Admission is FREE.

Free parking near entrance gate and in the lot at the end of Phelan Avenue.

Please enter History Park from the Phelan Avenue side. Questions? Call 408-368-0353

RSVP recommended but not required: programming@pcsj.org

Meet David!

David Perez served as the 2014-2016 Santa Clara County Poet Laureate. He is a repeat guest on the NPR storytelling series, Snap Judgment and a recipient of the Arts Council Silicon Valley Fellowship for Literary Art. He is the author of "Love in a Time of Robot Apocalypse" from Write Bloody Publishing. David has taught creative writing at San Jose State University and literature at Ohlone College. He lives in San Jose, California.

David's favorite quote lately is this pearl from Sylvia Plath: “Everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise.” He'll bring an unwavering belief in the truth of this statement to Markham House at the next Poets@Play. He'll also be ready to facilitate a writing exercise to help participants reach into their memories, find the bits that want to be written about, and start honing them into the beginnings of a poem. That said, feel free to bring something you've already written to share with the group. If we have rough drafts to review, we'll definitely make time for them.

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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.

Learn more about History Park through History San Jose.

Join Tshaka Campbell for the next installment of Beautiful Black Books with guest Jennifer Bartell Boykin!

BBB is 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/3HyMzCz

Jennifer Bartell Boykin is the Poet Laureate of the City of Columbia and is a high school English teacher. She has a BA in English Literature Creative Writing from Agnes Scott College and a MFA in Creative Writing-Poetry from the University of South Carolina. Her poetry and nonfiction has been published in various journals like Callaloo and Obsidian. Traveling Mercy (Finishing Line Press) is her debut book of poetry. Her second book of poetry, Only Believe (The Word Works), won the 2023 Hilary Tham Capital Collection Prize and is forthcoming in June 2024. A 2023 Academy of American Poets Poet Laureate Fellow, she currently studies Library and Information Science at the University of South Carolina to become a school librarian.

Traveling Mercy | Finishing Line Press | Released November 17, 2023.

Finishing Line Press (paperback): https://www.finishinglinepress.com/.../traveling-mercy.../
Amazon (paperback): https://a.co/d/ceW4Mvs
Amazon (hardback): https://a.co/d/duM517v
Barnes & Noble (E-book): https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/traveling-mercy-jennifer-bartell/1144384492?ean=9781599242644&fbclid

Third Thursdays is a monthly poetry program in partnership with Poetry Center San Jose and hosted by Mighty Mike McGee!

Willow Glen 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.

Poetry Center San José presents featured poet Keana Aguila Labra!

Keana Aguila Labra (they/them/she/her) is a Cebuana Tagalog Filipinx genre- and genderfluid poet, book reviewer, editor, and writer in diaspora residing on stolen Ohlone Tamyen land. She works to provide a safe literary space for underserved and underrepresented communities as Editor-in-Chief of literary magazine Marías at Sampaguitas and co-Founder of the BIPOC/LGBTQIA+ focused independent publishing house, Sampaguita Press. They are also the co-director of the Santa Clara County Youth Poet Laureate Program with Janice Lobo Sapigao and Karla Reyes-Santiago. She served as one of the Honorary Santa Clara County Poets Laureate in October 2021 along with Lorenz Mazon Dumuk. Her poetry was nominated for Best of Net in 2019 and 2020. Currently, they work to bring jazz education to the students of the Franklin-McKinley District with nonprofit San José Jazz. She is the author of the books,  Natalie (Nightingale & Sparrow, 2020), No Saints (Lazy Adventurer Press, 2020), Mohilak (2021), (I am) Still (Self-Published, 2021) and Kanunay (2022). More of her work may be found on Substack. Her poetry may be heard here.

https://keana.journoportfolio.com

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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 our 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

This will be a hybrid event! Come visit and celebrate the new gallery space for Works/San José! Get a copy of Red Wheelbarrow Literary Magazine 2023 and a letterpress printed broadside of the winning poem from Red Wheelbarrow Poetry Prize 2023! Back issues will also be available for sale!

Register for your ticket to attend in-person at Eventbrite. Link: https://bit.ly/pcsjtix

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/48FKVeh

Readers to be announced. Stay tuned!

We are so excited to announce our upcoming Youth Poets Laureate Kick-Off!

Join us on Jan 27th from 5:00 - 7:00 PM at the Mexican Heritage Plaza in San José to hear performances from the Youth Poets Laureate as well as Poets Laureate Emeriti Tshaka Campbell and Janice Lobo Sapiago, and more!

1700 Alum Rock Avenue, San José

If YOU are interested in participating in our open mic, please let us know beforehand through dms! We’d love to hear your work!

Join us for an eclectic and rejuvenating morning/afternoon of poetic "Bauchhaar" on Saturday, January 27th from 11:00 AM -12:00 noon PST/2:00 PM -3:00 PM EST in "Kuchh Kavitaayein America se"

Featuring Dr. Ila Prasad, Kalpna Singh, Laxmi Shankar Bajpai, Mamta Kiran and Rachna Srivastava

Hosted by Anshu Johri!

Live on PCSJ's YouTube channel and on Zoom.

Send an email to bauchhaar@gmail.com for a zoom link

Ila Prasad is a writer, novelist, and poet. She has published two poetry collections, two novels, and five short story collections and was the editor of two-part anthologies of short stories by Hindi writers from America. She is also co-editor of a literary journal Hindi Jagat and leads various literary efforts for Hindi across the globe. She has a PhD in Physics and is currently a professor of Physics at St. Thomas University in Houston.

Kalpana Singh-Chitnis is an Indian-American poet, filmmaker, and author of six poetry collections, including Love Letters to Ukraine from Uyava (River Paw Press), a finalist at the 2023 International Book Awards Trespassing My Ancestral Lands (Finishing Line Press), Tafteesh Jari Hai and Jo Tum Ho Wahi Hoon Main forthcoming from Agnipath. Poems from her award-winning book Bare Soul and her poetry film River of Songs included in the Lunar Codex time-capsules have travelled to the moon with NASA's missions in 2023 and 2024. Website: www.kalpnasinghchitnis.com.

Lakshmi Shankar Bajpai is a renowned poet, writer and editor of the prestigious literary journal Sahitya Amrit. He is a convenor of Indian languages in Valley of Words International Litfest, President. of Parichay Sahitya Parishad which has been organizing monthly literary programs for the past 30 years. An advisor.to Jashn e Hind Litfest, he has also written a book on transcreation from Print, TV, Cinema to audio medium for Indira Gandhi National Open University, besides others. He was the organizer and voice of dozens of Literary programs on the national network of All India Radio. Currently, he is in Boston.

Mamta Kiran is a well-known poetic voice of India and is a freelance writer, broadcaster, newscaster, and voicecaster. She has published a poetry collection and a Ghazal collection and has received various prestigious awards for her poetry, Mahadevi Verma Samman by Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthan being one of them. Currently she is living in Boston.

Rachna Srivastava is an educator, writer, poet & freelance reporter. She also teaches Hindi and is associated with various non-profit organizations. She has published two books of Haiku, a short story collection, and an essay collection for children, has edited five anthologies, and translated one in Avadhi. Her poems have also appeared in numerous anthologies. She lives in Arcadia, California.

Poets@Play is a monthly writing workshop in partnership with Poetry Center San Jose.

Edwin Markham House @ History Park, 635 Phelan Avenue, San Jose, CA, 95112

Poetry Center San José presents Poets@Play with facilitators Harvey Gray and Wil Gibson!

Poets may share a favorite poem by another poet, or one of their own, followed by a writing workshop. Please bring the tools you will need to write.

Facilitators biographical below info.

We will do our best to establish a safe space free of hate speech but also stay open to people's fears and real dialogue if it is needed.

Admission is FREE.

Free parking in the Staff/Volunteer lot on Phelan Avenue.

Please enter History Park from the Phelan Avenue side. Questions? Call 408-368-0353

RSVP recommended but not required: programming@pcsj.org

Meet Harvey and Wil!

Unrelated Issues started in a middle school writing group where Wil was a teacher and Harvey was a student. Then Wil met and married Harvey’s Mom, Susanna. Then Wil became Dad. Then son became the Youth Poet Laureate of their town. Then dad became the adult Poet Laureate of their town. Then they all put on a couple annual poetry festivals.

Then dad & son decided to go on a poetry tour… that pretty much gets us up to date.

Harvey Gray Mitchell is combination perma-teenager/poet from the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation who enjoys reading Vonnegut, watching Romero zombie movies, and bothering his younger sister. He has lived in Humboldt Country all his life. He served as the Eureka youth poet laureate for two years (2018-2020) and attended Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University for one year (2022-2023). He writes poetry about adolescence, trauma, resilience, queerness, and, ultimately, love.

Harvey has an eye for subtext and syntax far beyond their 20 years, has published 4 chapbooks of their work and have an upcoming full length collection with Swimming With Elephants Publications.

Harvey loves his family more than anything. Everything he writes is for them.

Wil Gibson has been touring the country for the better part of 20 years; poeming across the country with a revolving cast of tourmates, this tour might be his proudest because he gets to alongside his son, who also happens to be one of his best friends. He is a proud partner, father, and grandfather, currently the Eureka, CA Poet Laureate, and is and is co-director of ReWorded Poetry & Entertainment alongside his loving and patient partner (in all things) Susanna.

He has opened for or shared stage with Andrea Gibson (no relation), Buddy Wakefield, Brother Ali, Mybrightestdiamond, Charlie Neville, & Kurtis Blow.

Together, they put on a unique, truthful, passionate, & artistic poetry show that explores parenthood, childhood, & friendship.
For booking contact unrelatedissues@wilgibson.com currently booking January and February 2024 for the West Coast.

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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.

Learn more about History Park through History San Jose.

Third Thursdays is a monthly poetry program in partnership with Poetry Center San Jose and hosted by Mighty Mike McGee!

Willow Glen 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.

Poetry Center San José presents featured poets Harvey Gray and Wil Gibson!

Unrelated Issues started in a middle school writing group where Wil was a teacher and Harvey was a student. Then Wil met and married Harvey’s Mom, Susanna. Then Wil became Dad. Then son became the Youth Poet Laureate of their town. Then dad became the adult Poet Laureate of their town. Then they all put on a couple annual poetry festivals.

Then dad & son decided to go on a poetry tour… that pretty much gets us up to date.

Harvey Gray Mitchell is combination perma-teenager/poet from the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation who enjoys reading Vonnegut, watching Romero zombie movies, and bothering his younger sister. He has lived in Humboldt Country all his life. He served as the Eureka youth poet laureate for two years (2018-2020) and attended Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University for one year (2022-2023). He writes poetry about adolescence, trauma, resilience, queerness, and, ultimately, love.
Harvey has an eye for subtext and syntax far beyond their 20 years, has published 4 chapbooks of their work and have an upcoming full length collection with Swimming With Elephants Publications.

Harvey loves his family more than anything. Everything he writes is for them.

Wil Gibson has been touring the country for the better part of 20 years; poeming across the country with a revolving cast of tourmates, this tour might be his proudest because he gets to alongside his son, who also happens to be one of his best friends. He is a proud partner, father, and grandfather, currently the Eureka, CA Poet Laureate, and is and is co-director of ReWorded Poetry & Entertainment alongside his loving and patient partner (in all things) Susanna.

He has opened for or shared stage with Andrea Gibson (no relation), Buddy Wakefield, Brother Ali, Mybrightestdiamond, Charlie Neville, & Kurtis Blow.

Together, they put on a unique, truthful, passionate, & artistic poetry show that explores parenthood, childhood, & friendship.
For booking contact unrelatedissues@wilgibson.com currently booking January and February 2024 for the West Coast.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

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 our 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

Open mic follows featured reading.

Register for your ticket to attend in-person at Eventbrite. Link: www.bit.ly/pcsjtix

Register for your ticket to attend via Zoom. Link: https://bit.ly/3twPbgR

Thy Hope Luong
Santa Clara County Youth Poet Laureate, 2023-2024

Thy Hope Luong (she/her) is a Vietnamese-American poet, artist, and advocate based in San José. Her writing and art have been recognized by the New York Times, YoungArts, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and various other galleries. She serves as San José D4 Youth Commissioner and is the founder of Learn4Justice, an international youth organization providing justice-oriented humanities education to underserved students. Thy is very enthusiastic about superhero films, youth civic engagement, and playing guitar very badly.

Emma Zhang
Santa Clara County Vice Youth Poet Laureate, 2023-2024

Emma Zhang reads, writes, and attends Branham High School. Her work has been recognized by The Adroit Prizes as well as the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers as a National Best in Grade Winner, and appears in Peach Mag, Kissing Dynamite, Evocations Review, among others. She is the EIC of Aster Lit, an international youth literary magazine sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the co-founder of Love Letters to San Jose (https://loveletters2sj.carrd.co/), a zine and artist promoting platform working with San Jose Strong.

​

Matthew Kim
Santa Clara County Vice Youth Poet Laureate, 2023-2024

An Asian-American poet, journalist, activist and nerd born and raised in the Bay Area, Matthew Kim uses their poetry to explore gender, Christianity, third-ish-generation Korean-American assimilation, and coming of age in an antagonistic, confusing world. When they're not writing poetry, they're busy solving Rubik's Cubes and reviewing music.

Sage Cobb
Santa Clara County Poetry Amabassador, 2023-2024

Sage Cobb (they/them) is one of the 2023-2024 Youth Poetry Ambassadors of Santa Clara County. They are a disabled and queer poet, and that is what they write about. They attend Los Gatos High School, where their work has been published in the literary magazine. They love to write poems about whatever they feel, jump on their trampoline, and talk to people.

Nisha Shenoy
Santa Clara County Poetry Amabassador, 2023-2024

Nisha Shenoy is a 16-year old Indian-American poet based in the Bay Area. Her writing has been recognized by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and has been published by Just Poetry!!!, Paper Crane Journal, and Writopia Lab in their Turning the Page Anthology. She is an alum of the Iowa Young Writers' Studio and is the founder of the Paperback Club, an after-school creative writing program for middle school students (bit.ly/paperbackclub).

Third Thursdays is a monthly poetry program in partnership with Poetry Center San Jose and hosted by Mighty Mike McGee!

Willow Glen 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.

Poetry Center San José presents featured poet Eike Waltz!

Eike Waltz enjoyed a twofold career as a ballet dancer and as an US based international

electronics industry consultant (US citizen since 1995). He studied fine art and industrial

design at the Royal College of Art in London (MDesRCA). After the events of 911, he

began to write and perform about what he saw. Eike lives in Santa Cruz CA and published

six books. See www.f-artstatements.com

“Eike Waltz is an artist who walks across genres on a tightrope of talent and keen,

precise vision. His poetry is informed by the varied span of his other abilities as a

dancer, sculptor, orator, filmmaker, and more. His work is wrapped in colorful and

textural layers of sensual detail. Even more, his work is informed by decades of

experience across continents, sometimes barely surviving, sometimes exultant and

triumphant. He carries the reader spinning through the stages of ecstasy and

despair. Ripe fields explode into battlefields only to be lost in the depths of space or

the rush of history in the endlessly shifting ethical exhortations full of wisdom. His

poetry will stick with you and invite you back to gain new insights with each

reading. Take the time to walk the tightrope of Eike’s vision. You will find each

step a daring yet enjoyable thrill.”

—Michael Sindler, Beat Poet Laureate of Colorado.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

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 our 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

Register in advance for this meeting: https://bit.ly/3RlkYdu
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the event.

BBB is 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.

Billy Tuggle is a Chicagoan; a performance poet; slam champion; teaching artist; HipHop culturalist; and an Afrofuturist with his 3rd collection of poems, A Tree Falls In The Hood coming this winter from Swimming With Elephants Publications. However, he will forever be straight outta the backpack with The Way Of The B-Boy; HipHop poems, musing, and meditation.

Program Contact Information:
Instagram: @papptshak
FB: Tshaka Menelik Imhotep Campbell

Celebrate our contributors with the 2022 and 2023 Cæsura Book Release Party!

Join us for a night of literature readings and art viewing from the journals, Reset and Objects in the Mirror.

At 6pm the house will open with hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and (wine $ beer for donations). Please sign up to read, first come will have an opportunity to read their work; We are limiting time to 5 minute increments. We will begin readings in the theatre at 6:30pm.

Where: The Stage Company, 490 S. 1st. Street, San Jose, CA 95113

Date: December, 4th-Monday

(Donation at the door, however no one will be turned away.)

When: 6-9:30pm

There will be a 10 minute break at 8pm.

We have had incredible contributors for these two issues, including interviews from song writer and speaker, Henry Rollins and LGBT legendary photographer, Daniel Nicoletta. Mark your calendars and hope to see (and hear) your work!

Santa Clara County Youth Poet Laureate program features Open Mic night at Nirvana Soul!

With special guest SCC Youth Poet Laureate Thy Hope Luong!

Sign up for the open mic at tinyurl.com/SCCYPLopenmic

Third Thursdays is a monthly poetry program in partnership with Poetry Center San Jose and hosted by Mighty Mike McGee!

Willow Glen Library, 1157 Minnesota Ave, San José, 95125

Sign up for the open mic begins at 6:30pm. Host begins at 7pm.

Poetry Center San José presents featured poet Lorenz Dumuk!

BIO
Lorenz Mazon Dumuk is a poet, spoken word artist, and curator. He is a VONA alumni, and a MALI (Multicultural Arts Leadership Institute) alumni. Ay Nako: Writing Through the Struggle, and I Think In Poetry, are the titles of his two book collections of poetry. Lorenz had curated various events such as ReWrite Open Mic, Glowing with the Moon, and the Eastridge Open Mic. His want to create a nourishing experience at his events, pushes his desire to connect communities and its people.

Open mic to follow.

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 our 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

Open mic follows features.

Register for your ticket to attend in-person at Eventbrite. Link: www.bit.ly/pcsjtix

Register for your ticket to attend via Zoom. Link: https://bit.ly/3M0PYfX

Caroline Goodwin moved to the San Francisco Bay Area from Sitka, Alaska in 1999 to attend Stanford as a Wallace Stegner Fellow in poetry. Her recent books are Old Snow, White Sun (JackLeg Press), Madrigals (Big Yes Press), and Matanuska (Aquifer Press, Wales, UK). She teaches at California College of the Arts, Stanford Continuing Studies, and UC Berkeley Extension; from 2014-16 she served as the first Poet Laureate of San Mateo County, where she lives on the coast with her two pugs, Jimi Hendrix and Lyric. http://www.carolinegoodw.com/

Kathy Nelson, originally from the southern Appalachian mountains, moved in 2021 with her husband to northern Nevada. She earned an MFA in poetry from the Warren Wilson Program for Writers in North Carolina and was the 2019 recipient of the James Dickey Prize. She was recently awarded a 2024 Nevada Arts Council Fellowship. She is the author of The Ledger of Mistakes (Terrapin Books). Her work appears in About Place, LEON Literary Review, New Ohio Review, The Comstock Review, Tar River Poetry, Stirring Literary Journal, Valparaiso Poetry Review and elsewhere.