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.

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 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

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 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.

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 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!
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.

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 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

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 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.

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

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 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 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.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

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!
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.

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.

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!
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.

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

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.

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

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 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!


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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.

Beautiful Black Books invites you to the Tiny Room Poetry Series, a special Black History Month event celebrating the power of poetry and music. Join us for an intimate evening featuring some of the Bay
Area and New York’s most celebrated artists.

Sunday, Feb. 16th, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
SJZ Break Room
310 South 1st Street San Jose, CA 95113

Don’t Miss This Black History Month Highlight!
Reserve your spot now for an evening that will uplift, inspire, and stay with you long after the last word is spoken.

Event link: https://www.eventbrite.com/.../tiny-room-poetry-series...
Tiny URL: https://tinyurl.com/ye2ae5n5

An inspiring lineup featuring:

Mahogany L. Browne: Award-winning poet, playwright, and educator, sharing work from her latest book Chrome Valley.

Tongo Eisen-Martin: San Francisco Poet Laureate and revolutionary voice behind Blood on the Fog.

Destiny Muhammad: Renowned harpist blending jazz and storytelling for a one-of-a-kind musical experience.

Tshaka Campbell: Your host and Santa Clara County Poet Emeritus, curating a night of transformative art.

*Honor Black voices and creativity during Black History Month.
*Engage with world-class artists in an up-close & personal
setting.
*Connect with a vibrant community of poetry and music lovers.

Dr. Mahogany L. Browne, a Kennedy Center's Next 50 fellow and MacDowell Arts Advocacy Awardee, is a writer, playwright, organizer, & educator. Browne received fellowships from All Arts, Arts for Justice, Air Serenbe, Baldwin for the Arts, Cave Canem, Hawthornden, Poets House, Mellon Research, Rauschenberg, Wesleyan University, & UCross. Browne’s books include Vinyl Moon, Chlorine Sky (optioned for a play by Steppenwolf Theater), Black Girl Magic, and banned books Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice and Woke Baby. Founder of the diverse lit initiative Woke Baby Book Fair, Browne currently tours Chrome Valley (highlighted in Publishers Weekly and The New York Times) and is the 2024 Paterson Poetry Prize winner. Mahogany L. Browne holds an honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree awarded by Marymount Manhattan College, and is the inaugural poet-in-residence at Lincoln Center.

Originally from San Francisco, Tongo Eisen-Martin is a poet, movement worker, and educator. His latest curriculum on extrajudicial killing of Black people, We Charge Genocide Again, has been used as an educational and organizing tool throughout the country. His book titled, Someone's Dead Already was nominated for a California Bookstore Award. His book Heaven Is All Goodbyes was published by the City Lights Pocket Poets series, was shortlisted for the Griffins Poetry Prize and won a California Book Award and an American Book Award. His latest book Blood On The Fog was released this fall in the City Lights Pocket Poets series and named one of the New York Times poetry books of the year. In 2020, he co-founded Black Freighter Press to publish revolutionary works. He is San Francisco’s eighth poet laureate.

Destiny Muhammad is a Recording/
Performing Artist | Band Leader |
Composer & Producer. Her genre Celtic
to Coltrane is cool and eclectic with a
feel of Jazz & Storytelling to round out the
sonic experience.
Destiny collaborations, curations and
commissioning include: Grace
Cathedral Christmas Concert Series
Stanford Jazz Festival featured
Artist, Santa Cruz Symphony Recital
Series, a San Jose Jazz Fest Jazz
Aid Commissioned Artist, Guest/
Collaborator with Composer Marcus
Shelby for Zaccho Dance ‘The
Peoples Palace’ and featured on
KQED Podcast & Sunday Music Drop
Destiny is an Elected Governor
of the The Recording Academy,
San Francisco Chapter, SFJAZZ
Teaching Artist, ASCAP
Songwriter Awardee, Chamber
Music America/ Doris Duke
Foundation Performance Plus
Awardee and California Arts
Council Legacy Fellow

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.

Poetry Exchange featuring Elijah B Pringle, III!
via Zoom!

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

Elijah B Pringle, III is a Philadelphia born writer who has to his credit experience in Radio, TV, Stage and Film. He has worked as a dancer, choreographer, actor, director, and vocalist. Most recently he was part of the Bloomsday celebration in Dublin, Ireland celebrating James Joyce. He is a much sought-after workshop facilitator for writing and performance. Mr. Pringle has been published globally in almost fifty, anthologies, journals, and books. He counts as his inspiration his failures and credits his real education to 5 generations of teachers.

Join us for our KICK OFF EVENT!

We will be hosting an awesome workshop and open mic at Edenvale Library in SJ!

Please stop by for some fun music, good vibes, and awesome poetry!

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.

Well-RED features McTate Stroman II!

Co-sponsored by Works/San José art and performance center!
38 South Second Street, downtown 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/4g82RBb

TO SUBMIT EVENT FEEDBACK, visit: https://bit.ly/4dBnxR2

McTate is a spoken-word artist, guest lecturer and motivational speaker. Over the past 25 years he has had the opportunity to share his inspirational talents at such places as; The World Stage in Leimert Park, The Comedy Store on Sunset, Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York, and Au Chat Noir in Paris France.

Born into a music loving family, McTate Stroman II was exposed to a diverse range of music at a young age. His love for Hip-Hop was sparked by such artists as Rakim and KRS-One, who he admired for their lyrical prowess and their ability to use their music to address social issues. McTate drawn inspiration from a variety of artists, including The Last Poets, Nikki Giovanni, Al Jarreau, Prince, Michael Jackson, and Stevie Wonder. His stage performance is a poignant blend of spoken-word poetry, Hip-Hop, and Jazz, which he delivers with a magnetic energy wisdom and insight that leaves audiences with a sense of solace.

As a poet, McTate Stroman II is a master of the spoken-word form. His work is characterized by a unique blend of Hip-Hop, Jazz, and social commentary, and his words have the power to move and inspire audiences. McTate's style of poetry, which he calls Break-beat poetry, is a testament to his ability to push the boundaries of traditional spoken-word poetry and create something truly original.

With a degree in Psychology from San Jose State University, McTate, is an educator and artist who's poetic pieces tends to focus on our emotional intelligence. As the host of De Anza College's 1st Thursday Open mic, McTate Stroman II has played a vital role in fostering a thriving spoken-word community. He has been instrumental in creating a safe and welcoming space for artists of all backgrounds to share their work, and his infectious energy and enthusiasm for the art form have inspired countless poets to take the stage.

McTate's commitment to promoting diversity and inclusivity within the spoken-word community is reflected in the diversity of voices that are represented at the 1st Thursday Open mic. Through his leadership, McTate has created a platform where poets from all walks of life can come together to share their stories, celebrate their differences, and build connections with one another.

Overall, McTate Stroman II's contributions to the world of spoken-word poetry and his role as a host of De Anza College's 1st Thursday Open mic have had a profound impact on the art form and on the lives of countless poets and performers. His legacy as a poet and community leader will continue to inspire and influence generations to come.

POETRY LOUNGE featuring HILARY KING!
Saturday, February 8th, 1:00 p.m. (PST).

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

Hilary King was born and raised in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia. At age 50, after spending most of her life in the South, she moved with her husband and children to the Bay Area. She is currently a graduate student at San Jose State, getting her masters in creative writing. Her poems have appeared in numerous publications, and have been nominated for Pushcarts and Best of the Web. Her book of poems, Stitched on Me, was published in October 2024.