| Your Event Here! |
—Public Domain Illustration
UPCOMING NORCAL EVENTS
Don't see
your poetry event listed in Medusa? That's probably because you didn't
send it in! It's such a shame to invite poets to read for you, and
then fail to advertise them.
So try to get your message out in a timely
manner—and that includes
sending it to kathykieth@hotmail.com!
Here's what's coming up in our area.
(Click on visuals to enlarge them.)
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Deadline: Wed., 7/15:
21st Annual Voices of Lincoln Poetry Contest
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Deadline: Thurs., April 10:
Voices Anthology!
The 2025 issue of the Sacramento anthology of poems from Cold River Press, VOICES, is now open for submissions. Please send in your poetry, prose, essay, short fiction, flash fiction, photographs, artwork, and collage for the next issue. This year's theme is MYSTICISM, PROPHECIES & MARIGOLDS; deadline is April 10, 2025 for Summer 2025 publication. Info: www.coldriverpress.com/.
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The March issue of Sacramento Poetry Center's Poet News is now available at https://www.sacpoetrycenter.org/poetnews/. Check it out for area poetry events (including the Bay Area), poetry, submissions, workshops and more!
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UPCOMING POETRY READINGS, WORKSHOPS, ETC.:
In addition to these posts, scroll down
to the bottom of this column for
on-going weekly readings, open mics,
workshops and read-arounds
in the NorCal area.
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•••Mar. 15-May 22: A Collaboration of Artwork by Viola Spencer and photos by Peter Spencer, to be displayed at Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) headquarters, 6201 S St., Sacramento, CA.
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•••Sundays, April and May, 12pm starting April 6: First Church of Poetry meets at McKinley Park Rose Garden, 601 Alhambra Blvd., Sacramento, CA, with Andru Defeye. Speakers and open mic. Free.
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•••Mon. (4/7), 5:15pm-6:15pm: T-Mo Entertainment presents Enhance Your Poetry Skills Workshop. Enhance your poetry skills in this Zoom Poetry Super Workshop which addresses poetry writing, performance poetry, marketing and confidence. Hosted by Terry Moore. $10. Register: (916) 208-POET.
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•••Mon. (4/7), 7:30pm: Sac. Poetry Center presents an Open Mic on the theme of Reading,
to kick off National Library Week. Sign-ups 7-7:30. 25th & R
Sts., Sacramento, CA. Free. Info for National Poetry Month SPC events
at https://www.sacpoetrycenter.org/events/.
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•••Tues. (4/8), 7pm: Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center (MoSt at https://www.mostpoetry.org/) presents Second Tuesday Poetry, featuring Soul Vang and Gary Thomas plus open mic. Bookish Modesto, 811 W. Roseburg, Modesto, CA. Open mic after readers (3 min./poet); sign up on site. Free.
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•••Wed. (4/9), 7pm: Sac. Poetry Center presents A Youth DIY Chapbook Workshop with Cloudy. 25th & R Sts., Sacramento, CA. Free. Info: https://www.sacpoetrycenter.org/poetrymonth/.
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•••Sat. (4/12), 8:30am reg, starts at 9am: Sierra Poetry Festival 2025. Center for the Arts, 314 W. Main St., Grass Valley, CA with Keynote Speaker Kim Addonizio, featured readers, workshops and "A Conversation with Annie Finch, Randall Mann, and Christopher Childers". Full pass is $45, or readings only, $25. Plus, keep track of the Fringe Festival, with more than a month of pop-up events in Nevada County venues. For info about SPF and Fringe Festival, see https://www.sierrapoetryfestival.org/.
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•••Sat. (4/12), 7:30pm: Sac. Poetry Center presents Publishers Day at SPC: Book Fair, Panel Discussion & Reading with poets and publishers from Random Lane Press, River Rock Books, and Sixteen Rivers Press. 25th & R Sts., Sacramento, CA. Free. Info: https://www.sacpoetrycenter.org/poetrymonth/.
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•••Sat. (4/13), 1pm: Sacramento Poetry Alliance features Annie Finch and Autumn Newman plus open mic. 1169 Perkins Way, Sacramento, CA. Info: http://www.sacramentopoetryalliance.com/.
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•••Sun. (4/13), 2pm: It's Moetry (music + poetry) time again with The Soft-Offs at Sacramento Poetry Center, 25th & R Sts., Sacramento, CA. Free; donations appreciated.
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•••Sun. (4/13), 2pm: Poets and Writers of the Sierra Foothills features Shawn Pittard and Gene Berson plus open mic. Chateau Davell, 3020 Vista Tierra Dr, Camino, CA (right off Hwy 50, 4 mi. from Placerville), 530-644-2016. $10 purchase or donation is requested. Host: Lara Gularte.
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•••Sun. (4/13), 3-5pm: The Poets Club of Lincoln's Open Mic Sunday will feature Bob Stanley plus open mic (up to 3 poems each) at The Salt Mine, 590 Lincoln Blvd. (on the southeast corner of Sixth St. and Lincoln Blvd.) in Lincoln, CA. Free. Host: David Anderson. Info: dcjla80@gmail.com/.
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•••Mon. (4/14), 10:30am: Poetic License read-around at Placerville Sr. Center, 937 Spring St., Placerville, CA. Bring poems to read—your own or someone else’s—or just come to listen. Masks encouraged. For more info about El Dorado County poetry events, go to Western Slope El Dorado Poetry on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ElDoradoCountyPoetry/. Poetry is Gold in El Dorado County!
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•••Mon. (4/14), 7pm: Sac. Poetry Center presents book release/reading of Unlocked: The Laureate Years by Andru Defeye plus open mic (sign up between 7-7:30pm). 25th & R Sts., Sacramento, CA. Free. Info for this and for SPC weekly workshops at https://www.sacpoetrycenter.org/events/.
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•••Thurs. (4/17), 7pm: Poetry Night at the Crocker with 916 Ink: release of the 916 Ink anthology, Drop A Pen. Readers (including Traci Gourdine) plus open mic (sign-ups at 6pm). 216 O St., Sacramento, CA. Info: https://www.sacpoetrycenter.org/poetrymonth/.
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•••Thurs. (4/17), 7pm: Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis presents Julia Levine and Susan Browne
at John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st St., Davis, CA. Open mic after the
readers (two chosen texts or four minutes); sign-ups are before the
reading and the list fills up by 6:45pm. Host: Dr. Andy Jones.
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•••Fri. (4/18), 6pm: Poetry Reading at the Lavender Library, 1414 21st St., Sacramento, CA. Free. Info: https://www.sacpoetrycenter.org/poetrymonth/.
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•••Sat. (4/19), 12-1:30pm: National Poetry Month Reading & Open Mic featuring Zoe Byron, Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate. Salida Library, 4835 Sisk Rd., Salida, CA. Free.
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•••Sat. (4/19), 6-8pmpm: Escritores Del Nuevo Sol/Writers of the New Sun (with SPC) presents In Honor of Phil Goldvarg, with readers JoAnn Anglin, Paul Aponte, Juan Manuel Carrillo, and Special Guest Patrick Grizzell. Sac. Poetry Center, 25th & R Sts., Sacramento, CA. Free.
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•••Mon. (4/21), 10:30am: Poetry in Motion
read-around at Placerville Sr. Center, 937 Spring St., Placerville, CA.
Bring poems to read—your own or someone else’s—or just come to listen.
Masks encouraged. For more info about El Dorado County poetry events, go
to Western Slope El Dorado poetry on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ElDoradoCountyPoetry/. Poetry is Gold in El Dorado County!
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•••Mon. (4/21), 7:30pm: Sac. Poetry Center presents Wang Ping and special guest plus open mic (sign up between 7-7:30pm). 25th & R Sts., Sacramento, CA. Free. Info: https://www.sacpoetrycenter.org/poetrymonth/.
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•••Tues. (4/22), 5:30pm: Sacramento Historical Society (https://www.sachistoricalsociety.org/) presents An Evening Honoring Joan Didion. Buffet dinner, program w/speaker Dr. Stuart Graybill of Sacramento City College. Columbus Hall, 5961 Newman Ct., (across from CSUS), Sacramento, CA. Tickets: $30 for SHS members, $50 general (money for SSC scholarship fund). Purchase: https://www.sachistoricalsociety.org/events-1/dangerous-landscapes-a-brief-historical-ecology-of-northern-california/.
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•••Fri. (4/25), 7pm: Sac. Poetry Center presents A Memorial Reading: Celebrating Our Fallen Inspirers, honoring those local poets who have passed on. 25th & R Sts., Sacramento, CA. Free. Info: https://www.sacpoetrycenter.org/poetrymonth/.
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•••Sat. (4/26), 6pm: Sac. Poetry Center presents the releases of the 2024 issue of Tule Review (edited by Linda Jackson Collins) and the first edition of New Rivers Quarterly: Voices of the Creek, a collection of writing by inmates at Mule Creek State Prison, edited by Lara Gularte. 25th & R Sts., Sacramento, CA. Free. Info: https://www.sacpoetrycenter.org/poetrymonth/.
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•••Sun. (4/27), 11am: Sac. Poetry Center presents Polyphonics: A Workshop of Poets in Conversation, a potential workshop suggested and to be conducted by poet and SPC member Carson Wignall, and are reaching out to interested parties who might want to sign up. If you’re interested, drop a note to us at spcog97@gmail.com. There are only ten seats available. The plan is for weekly two-hour sessions. This is the launch event. The ongoing schedule will be announced at the event.. 25th & R Sts., Sacramento, CA. Free. Info: https://www.sacpoetrycenter.org/poetrymonth/.
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•••Sun. (4/27), 2pm: Sac. Poetry Center presents Sacramento Noir: Reading & Discussion, A Celebration of Sacramento Noir, a new collection from Akashic, the latest in the Akashic Noir Series’ exploration of California, curated by Sacramento native John Freeman. 25th & R Sts., Sacramento, CA. Free. Info: https://www.sacpoetrycenter.org/poetrymonth/.
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•••Mon. (4/28), 7:30pm: Sac. Poetry Center presents National Great Poetry Reading Day Open Mic (sign up between 7-7:30pm). 25th & R Sts., Sacramento, CA. Free. Info: https://www.sacpoetrycenter.org/poetrymonth/.
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•••Weds. (4/30), 5:30-8pm: El Dorado County Poet Laureate Stephen Meadows reads (plus open mic) at South Lake Tahoe Library, 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd., South Lake Tahoe, CA. Info: https://artsandcultureeldorado.org/laureate-trail/.
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•••Wednesday (4/30), 7pm: Mahogany Urban Poetry Series Reading features De Saint. Our Place in Old Town, 1107 Firehouse Alley, Sacramento, CA. Open mic, music, comedy. 21 and older. $10 admission. Hosts: Russell Cummings and DJ Mitch Oshun.
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•••Thurs. (5/1), 7pm: Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis presents Patrick Grizzell and Oswaldo Vargas
at John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st St., Davis, CA. Open mic after the
readers (two chosen texts or four minutes); sign-ups are before the
reading and the list fills up by 6:45pm. Host: Dr. Andy Jones.
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•••Sun (5/4), 10am-5pm: Writing Down the Big Trees Mother Lode Book Festival: A day of creating at Calaveras Big Trees State Park (see poster for events). Free. Calaveras Big Trees State Park Education Room (near Visitors Center).
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•••Sat. (6/7), 1-4pm: El Dorado County Poet Laureate Stephen Meadows reads (plus open mic) at Cameron Park Library, Placerville Library, 345 Fair Lane, Placerville, CA. Info: https://artsandcultureeldorado.org/laureate-trail/.
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EVERY WEDNESDAY!
•••Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour airs live on KDVS 90.3 every Wednesday evening from 5-6 p.m. On the air since 2000, DAPATH features interviews with poets, writers, actors, innovative thinkers, and important members of both the national and international artistic community, including professionals of theatre, music, and writing across new media. They are also sharing content via podcast! See also https://www.facebook.com/poetrytechnology AND/OR https://www.poetrytechnology.com/.
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MORE ON-GOING READINGS/OPEN MICS
Events from here down may be cancelled some weeks—
who knows? It's best to check before heading off to them.
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•••Every Tuesday, 7-9pm: City Sounds Sound Bites All-Open Mic, 1614 X St., Sacramento, CA. No sign ups, just a hot mic for anyone who wants to speak. No admission, but requesting a one-item minimum purchase at the snack bar. Hosts: Kory Vance, Josh Jorin.
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•••1st and 3rd Wednesdays, 8-10:30pm: The Roux Open Mic & Feature Series, Gumbo King Restaurant, 2201 Southgate Blvd., Sacramento. All poets, comedians, and musicians are invited to come. Admission is $5. Hosts: Russell Cummings and Dyva Cat (Tina Cates).
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•••Fourth Wednesdays, 7-10pm: Mahogany Urban Poetry Series, Our Place in Old Town, 1107 Firehouse Alley, Sacramento, CA. Open mic, music, comedy. 21 and older. $10 admission. Host: MalikSpeaks.
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•••Thursdays, 6:30pm: Speak Your Peace Open Mic, Roberts Family Development Center, 766 Darina Av., Sacramento, CA. Roberts Family Development Center provides services to the Greater Sacramento area that meet the individual needs of each family member. Their services provide a holistic approach focusing on PreK-12th grade academic support and enrichment, parent education and engagement, and community involvement and advocacy. Info about open mic/events: https://robertsfdc.org/.
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•••Third Thursdays, 7-9pm: Classy Hippie Tea Co. presents Fo' Shang Poetry and Jazz with Vince Kobelt and his musical poetry performance group Fo’ Shang holding forth. There will be special features at each event. Broadway Coffee, 3200 Broadway, Sacramento, CA.
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•••Third Thursdays, 7pm: He Brews Coffee open mic, hosted by NubianSunflower. First-timers are encouraged to come out! Coffee and snacks will be available for purchase, plus wine tasting. 1540 Jefferson Blvd, West Sacramento, CA.
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•••Thursdays, 7-9pm: Lucid Poetry Series, Lucid Winery, 1015 R St., Sacramento.
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•••Thursdays, 7pm: Two Rivers Jam and Poetry Jam. Two Rivers Cider Company, 4311 Attawa Ave, Sacramento, featuring jazz jam and poetry. Host: Kent Lacin. Info: https://www.tworiverscider.com/.
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•••Second Thursdays, 7:30pm: PO-ET Out! African Marketplace, hosted by Poetic Butterfly. Details/info/opportunities: poeticbutterfly@poetout.com/.
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•••Thursdays, bi-weekly, 8-10:30pm: Poetry Unplugged at Silver Linings: Joy Montoya's Poetry Unplugged returns, now to Silver Lining Cocktail Bar (formerly Luna's Cafe), 1414 16th St., Sacramento. Open mic, no cover.
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•••Third Thursdays, 7-10pm: He Brews Coffee Open Mic, 1540 Jefferson Blvd., W. Sacramento, CA. Host: Nubian Sunflower.
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•••Fridays, 6-8pm: A Seat at the Table Books Open Mic. Poetry, music, dance, spoken word, comedy. 9257 Lagna Springs Dr., Elk Grove, CA.
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•••1st and 3rd Saturdays, 12-6pm: Poetry at the African Market Place, 2251 Florin Rd., Sacramento. Free. Info: https://www.florinsquare.com/african-market-place.html/.
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•••Second Saturdays, 7-9pm: Out the Way on J, Mahogany and Rose Salon, 2612 J St., Suite 5, Sacramento, CA. Live jazz and spoken word. Info/tix: https://www.mahoganyandrose.com. Tickets $30/$25.
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•••Sundays, 8pm: LabRats Sunday Sessions Music and Poetry Jam at the Torch Club, 904 15th St., Sacramento, CA.
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WORKSHOPS: Weekly and Otherwise
From Sac. Poetry Center:
The above are weekly workshops at Sac. Poetry Center;
for info on these, click poster to enlarge
or go to www.facebook.com/sacpoetrycenter/.
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Also:
•••Mondays, 5pm: Two Sylvias Readings, Workshops and Retreats from Two Sylvias Press. Info: https://twosylviaspress.com/weekly-muse-calendar.html/.
•••Tuesdays, 2-3:30pm: City of Sacramento Hart Center Workshop for adults 50+ years and older at the Ethyl McLeod Hart Senior Center, 915 27th St., Sacramento, CA (916-808-7908). Meetings provide a workshop consisting of sharing of poetry information and discussion, followed by readings, positive commentary, and thoughtful critique on each person's poem. Select work is publish annually in a group anthology. No advance registration is required. Info: chulabrowne@gmail.com/.
•••Tuesdays, 7pm: Rediscover Your Writing w/M. Todd Gallowglas: streaming web show LIVE!—writing, living a writer’s life, books that have taught him about writing, possibly some Lit Theory, and/or whatever else happens to pop into his brain. Live chat channel, so viewers can ask questions in real-time. Join at twitch.tv/ mgallowglas. Gallowglas workshop details can be found at https://mtoddgallowglas.com/gallowclass/. Monthly workshops focus on specific aspects of the craft of writing. Unless otherwise stated, the Workshops and Reading as a Contact Sport are FREE (with a donation option).
•••First Tuesdays and Third Thursdays of each month, 5:30pm: El Dorado County Library Poets and Writers Workshop for adults, led by Lara Gularte and Beverly Parayno,
Cameron Park Library, 2500 Country Club Dr., Cameron Park, CA on the
first Tuesday and third Thursday of each month. Bring copies for 7 of
one or two poems, or up to 6 pages of prose, double-spaced. Free.
Beginners welcome.•••Tuesdays at Two Poetry Group led by Taylor Graham, El Dorado County Library, 345 Fair Lane, Placerville, CA.
•••Thursdays at Two Poetry Group (1st & 3rd Thursdays) led by Taylor Graham, Georgetown Library, 6680 Orleans St., Georgetown, CA.
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Check these out for more happenings:
•••For more info about El Dorado County poetry events, go to Taylor Graham's Western Slope El Dorado poetry on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ElDoradoCountyPoetry/.
•••El Dorado County's Lara Gularte also has a Facebook page to announce poetry events and all things poetic in the county. See www.facebook.com/groups/382234029968077/.
•••Find out more about the Poetry Night Reading Series in Davis, California by visiting http://www.poetryindavis.com.
Invite your friends to sign up for the mailing list. To learn more
about Dr. Andy’s tiny media fiefdom, check out his weekly podcast at https://poetrytechnology.buzzsprout.com/. Find his other musings at https://andyjones.substack.com/.
•••Another newsletter resource, this one for the East Bay, is Deborah Fruchey’s monthly Strictly East (www.strictly-east.org). Check it out for a calendar, groups on Zoom and in person, special events and submission calls.
•••Bethanie Humphreys holds online workshops: see https://bethaniehumphreys.com/upcoming-workshops/.
—Public Domain Illustration
