Who needs saving more
than the one who forgot
how the lazy cartographer mislabeled
his birthplace as Loss?
-–Kazim Ali, The Earthquake Days
While by no means a comprehensive list, and in random order, here are some fabulous Bay Area (and beyond) poetry and writing connections:
- Poetry for the People UCB readings, bridging university and community
- Townsend Center for the Humanities UCB readings and lectures, numerous series (free)
- Lunch Poems UCB monthly lunch-time reading series (free)
- English Dept events at UCB
- Kelsey Street Press local press which addresses the marginalization of women writers by small press and mainstream publishers
- Omnidawn local publisher which questions, in both form and content, the prevailing limits of convention.
- Small Press Distribution (SPD) local distributor for independently published and underrepresented literary voices
- Litquake events, festival, lit crawl, and calendar
- Left Margin Lit Berkeley writing center/work space/cool events
- Zyzzyva SF journal
- Litseen Bay Area lit calendar
- Mechanic’s Institute library/center/events in SF
- Marin Poetry Center reading series
- Bay Area Book Festival yearly Berkeley festival/readings
- SFSU Poetry Center SF events/readings
- Alley Cat Books SF reading series
- Pegasus Bookstore Berkeley reading series
- Moe’s Books Berkeley reading series
- E.M. Wolfman Oakland bookstore and events
- City Lights bookstore and events
- The Bindery/Booksmith SF bookstore/readings
- Chapter 510 and the dept of make believe, Oakland youth writing
- Poets & Writers national resource
- Poetry Coalition at Academy of American Poets
- The Poetry Project readings/publications/advocacy in NYC
- Poetry Foundation advocacy, support, Poetry magazine
- Jewish Community Center SF reading series
- Poetic Research Bureau cool LA alternative reading series
- Institute of American Indian Arts MFA creative writing
- PEN America literature and human rights org
- Kundiman supporting Asian American writers and writing
- Cave Canem cultivating the artistic/professional growth of African American poets
- CantoMundo cultivating community for Latinx poets
- AWP advocacy/conference/fellowships
- Stegner Fellowship for creative writers at Stanford
- Fine Arts Work Center fellows and workshops in Provincetown
- Tulsa Artist Fellowship one-year live/work fellowship in OK
- St Mary’s creative writing events/MFA
- USF creative writing events/MFA
- CCA creative writing and art events/MFA
- Mills College creative writing events/MFA
- SFSU creative writing events/MFA
- SJSU Lit Center creative writing events/MFA
