Events
Our Poetry to the People outreach events over the 2023-24 year were made possible with generous support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit www.calhum.org. We are grateful for their work on behalf of the local arts community!
*Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this website do not necessarily represent those of California Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Save The Dates! 2024 Upcoming Events/Readings: Instagram for updates: @sdpoetryannual
May 2, 5-8:00pm, SDPA authors + Poets Underground combo event at Template in Ocean Beach, open reading with hosts Sunny Rey, Anthony Azzarito, and Michael Klam. Sign up or get involved by email: sdpoetryannual@gmail.com, SDPA Instagram: @sdpoetryannual and Poets Underground Instagram: @poets_underground_
Headliners:
Madison Victoria (SDPA and Poets Underground anthologized author and performer, 2023-24)
Valarie Hastings (Kowit Prize Coordinator, award-winning poet, and OB resident)
Billiekai Boughton (poet and SDPA Veterans Section Editor)
Margarita Pintado (PLNU professor and author of Ojo en Celo, The University of Arizona Press, 2023)
Janice Zhang (poet, SDPA, 2023-24)
May 5, 1-3:00pm, Escondido Municipal Arts Gallery, SDPA authors featured at Poets INC, Inland North County with host Robt O. Sign up or get involved by email: sdpoetryannual@gmail.com) Instagram: @sdpoetryannual
May 17-26, all day, CECUT, Elixir, 2024 Bilingual Edition of SDPA, Feria del Libro at the Tijuana Cultural Center. Instagram: @sdpoetryannual
May 26, 2-4:00pm, last Sunday, Poets at the Grove in Balboa Park, SDPA and community reading with host Deborah Ramos. (Sign up or get involved by email: sdpoetryannual@gmail.com) Instagram: @sdpoetryannual
June 7, 5:15 – 6:45pm, SDWI/Inspirations Gallery in Liberty Station, SDPA authors open reading at San Diego Writers, Ink (SDWI) First Friday Reading. Sign up or get involved by email: sdpoetryannual@gmail.com) Instagram: @sandiegopoetryannual
June 12, 7pm, Wandering Words: SDPA’s Executive Editor Michael Klam joins San Diego Poet Laureate Jason Magabo Perez and USD professor/poet Leonora Simonovis for Wandering Words – San Diego’s only reading series devoted to place-based writing.
June 29, 3:00pm, SDPA Veterans Reading, San Diego Writer’s, Ink, hosted by veteran and SDPA Veterans Section editor Billiekai Boughton. Sign up or get involved by email: sdpoetryannual@gmail.com) Instagram: @sdpoetryannual
July 21, 2:00 – 5:00pm, La Jolla / Riford Library Community Room, 7555 Draper Ave. La Jolla, CA 92037. San Diego Poetry Annual open reading. Host: Seretta Martin, SDPA Managing Editor. Open to the Public — Published readers followed by Open Mic. Sign up or get involved by email: sdpoetryannual@gmail.com) Instagram: @sdpoetryannual
August TBD: Poetry In Ocean returns with featured local artists and authors panel, music, nosh, prizes, and ocean-themed open mic. Sign up or get involved by email: sdpoetryannual@gmail.com) Instagram: @sdpoetryannual
August 25, 2-4:00pm, last Sunday, Poets at the Grove in Balboa Park, SDPA‘s Karla Cordero and Michael Klam Prose + Poetry and community open reading with host Deborah Ramos. (Sign up or get involved by email: sdpoetryannual@gmail.com) Instagram: @sdpoetryannual
Sept 8, 3:00pm, @ Spacebar with host Jim Moreno in person and on Zoom. (Sign up or get involved by email: sdpoetryannual@gmail.com) Instagram: @sdpoetryannual
Sept. 24, 7:00pm, multilingual Zoom reading, SDPA’s bilingual edition, Elixir, authors from San Diego/Tijuana/Mexico/Spain (Galicia). Zoom link and details forthcoming.
*********Past Events**********
April 23rd, 6:30-8pm, Doggerel is back and better than never! San Diego Central Library in the Mary Hollis Clark room. Take a break from the hustle of National Poetry Month and enjoy an evening of low-brow, overly-contrived, and badly constructed poetry! Win unforgettable prizes for your lack of eloquence or surprise your audience with something approaching a cohesive thought! Register here. It will change your life.
April 6, 12:45-3:15pm, San Diego Writers Festival Reading and Open Mic: Poetry to the People event. Coronado Island, 650 D Avenue, Multipurpose Room, Building 400. Join current and former SDPA authors and editors as we celebrate local poets! Featured SDPA readers will be followed by a community open mic. Bring a poem to share and/or grab a seat to hear work by renowned poets Kazim Ali, Carly DeMento, reg e gaines, Katie Manning, Margarita Pintado, Leonora Simonovis, Ted Washington, SDPA bilingual edition editor Olga García, and inaugural San Diego Poet Laureate Ron Salisbury. Hosted by SDPA execs Michael Klam and Jane Muschenetz, this event highlights SDPA authors and is open to all. To read, email sdpoetryannual@gmail.com To volunteer and join the team, sign up here.
April 8, 6:30-8:00, SDPA Book Launch and Celebration our last Poetry to the People event, featuring 2024 SDPAauthors, community readers, and community leaders, Point Loma Library, 3701 Voltaire St, San Diego, CA 92107, SDPA Book Launch and Celebration featuring 2024 SDPA authors, community readers, and community leaders. Email sdpoetryannual@gmail.com to sign up early or sign up in the library on the evening of the event.
Thank you Jennifer Chung, for the cover art! Check out the PDFs of the new SPDA editions here.
Instagram: @sdpoetryannual
April 13, 3:30-5:30, Mission Hills-Hillcrest/Knox Branch Library: SDPA authors and community open reading with hosts Charlie Berigan, Adam Greenfield, and Michael Klam. (Sign up or get involved by email or @sdpoetryannual)
April 16, 6:30 – 8:00pm, The Annual Steve Kowit Poetry Prize Celebration honoring the winners and honorable mentions with hosts Bill Harding, Marc Chery, Valarie Hastings, Anthony Blacksher, and Michael Klam. Central Library, Downtown San Diego. Winning poets will read their poems and receive their cash awards and special gifts. Music by professor Brandon Cesmat. Open to all, community event. See the winners on SDPA Instagram @sdpoetryannual More about the Kowit prize here.
October 12, 7-9PM, San Diego Central Library, *Poetry to the People Event*: Hafez Day in the Neil Morgan Auditorium. Register HERE. Hafez Shirazi (1315-1390 CE) is one of the most beloved and influential poets in the world and is especially revered in his home country of Iran. His legacy of inspiring love, joy, justice and peace with his beautiful words is celebrated in Iran and many other countries on Hafez Day with poetry recitals, music, food, art, and community. Organized with the San Diego Iranian Community and SDPL, this event is FREE and open to all. FEATURED POETS & MUSICIANS: Kazim Ali, Carly DeMento, Zoe Ghahremani, Adam Greenfield, Shadab Zeest Hashmi, Ari Hornarvar, Michael Klam, Katie Manning, Jane Muschenetz, Robt O, San Diego Poet Laureate Jason Magabo Perez, Margarita Pintado, Gill Sotu, and Namaad Ensemble of Persian Classical Music.
———————–Past Events————————–
September 27, 6:30-8:30PM: Open Mic at Libélula Books Want to submit to the San Diego Poetry Annual but still have some questions? Join us for a quick information session in Barrio Logan with Regional Editor Karla Cordero, Bilingual Editor Olga Garcia, and Executive Editor Michael Klam. Open to the public!
October 3, 6:30-8PM, San Diego Central Library, *Poetry to the People Event*: Doggerel Workshop + Share in the Shiley Event Suite. Poetry doesn’t have to be serious! A “Doggerel” (comic verse in an irregular pattern) is a great excuse for literary silliness. Come for some ridiculous fun, pranks, prizes, chuckles and guffaws. Family friendly, open to all, FREE. Registration details coming soon.
September 18, 7-9PM, Zoom, *Poetry to the People Event*: Imagine SDPA Bilingual Volume Reading, co-hosted by SDPA Executive Editor, Michael Klam, SDPA Bilingual Volume Editor, Olga Garcia, and SDPA Marketing Coordinator, Alana Rodriguez. Spanish/English poets and works from the SDPA will be presented. Contact Michael, sdpoetryannual@gmail.com, to be added to the lineup. Free and open to all. Register to attend HERE.
September 10, 3-5PM, Spacebar, *Poetry to the People Event*: SDPA Reading + Open Mic – with Jim Moreno, 7454 University Ave A, La Mesa, CA 91942. East County, here we come! FREE and open to all. Priority at the Mic for SDPA published poets.
September 16th, 11AM-12PM, Kids! SDPA Workshop – Calling all young poets! The Kids! SDPA will be hosting a workshop in Mission Hills Library. Learn about poetry and how to write poems! All participants can submit their poems for publication in the 2023 Kids! San Diego Poetry Annual. FREE Registration is required as space is limited. (Please close the pop up window that comes up with the link.)
August 26: *Poetry to the People Event*: Kids! SDPA Workshops – Calling all young poets! The Kids! SDPA will be hosting workshops in North and South County. Learn about poetry and how to write poems! All participants will have an opportunity to submit their poems for publication in the 2023 Kids! San Diego Poetry Annual. Registration is required as space is limited.
August 19: San Diego Union-Tribune’s Festival of Books – For book lovers of all ages, the 7th Annual Festival of Books will be happening Aug. 19th at the University of San Diego campus. Come visit the SDPA booth with Bethel Swift at Author Alley (see map). Our Director of Partnerships Jane Muschenetz will have a panel at the Poetry Stage at 11:45AM! Friends of the SDPA, Katie Manning and SD Poet Laureate Jason Magabo-Perez will also take the stage (see schedule). See you there!
August 5, 10AM, Zoom: *Poetry to the People Event*: SDPA Submission Tutorial + Submission Party in partnership with Women Who Submit Lit (WWS). Led by SDPA Regional Editor, Karla Cordero, and SDPA Director of Partnerships, Jane Muschenetz, Co-founders of the San Diego Chapter of WWS. Open to women/nonbinary writers and allies.
Thursday, July 13 @ 5:30 p.m. at the Centro Cultural in Tijuana:
Lit fans, writers, and translators unite! Come join hosts Mónica Morales and Michael Klam in Tijuana as we celebrate Imagine, the 2023 bilingual edition of San Diego Poetry Annual. The reading and events will take place during the Feria del Libro Tijuana @ CECUT. Find all the details below in the posters and HERE (Feria del Libro Website) and HERE (SDPA Instagram). Special thanks to SDEAG and, in part, California Humanities for programming support!
April 10 @ Point Loma Library: Mark your calendars and join the celebration. The evening will feature readings, prizes, and surprise guests of honor. Register to save your seat here! Anthologized poets have priority at the open mic. All poets from the community are encouraged to sign up at sdpoetryannual@gmail.com, but can also sign up on the evening of the show. We hope to see you there!
April 29 @ Mission Hills Library, SDPA + open reading hosted by Curran Jeffrey. Mission Hills-Hillcrest/Knox Library, 215 Washington St., SD.
Join SDPA for celebration readings and events, starting in March. SAVE THESE DATES! These gatherings will feature readings, prizes, and surprise guests of honor. Watch our socials (@sdpoetryannual) and read our newsletters for more information on how to sign up to read soon. Hope to see you there!
Save The Dates! Upcoming 2022-23 San Diego Poetry Annual Events/Readings:
*Details and registration info for each event coming soon in separate announcements.*
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May 7 @ Escondido Municipal Arts Gallery
June 3 @ La Jolla Library
Sept 10 @ Spacebar
November 22 @ San Diego Writers, Ink (third Sunday in November, details coming soon)
TBD:
October 7 @ San Diego Writers Festival (details coming soon)
Twiggs CWP live audience panel (details coming soon)
OLDER EVENTS:
Mar 28 @ .modbom. (formerly Amplified, East Village), Poets Underground: You’re invited to a preview reading of the 2022-23 SDPA! Hosted by Michael Klam, Sunny Rey, and Anthony Azzarito, SDPA poets will headline the Acid Vault speakeasy stage. Come early and clap loudly! Sign up to read at the show or email sdpoetryannual@gmail.com to sign up early.
Also joining us will be Pushcart nominee, Carly DeMento. Carly Marie DeMento is a writer and active citizen living in Encinitas, California. She recently began to submit her work at the age of 40. A Pushcart Prize nominee, her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in the North American Review, Green Hills Literary Lantern, and the San Diego Poetry Annual.
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April 7 @ Central Library: San Diego Poetry Annual, San Diego Writers Festival, Library Foundation SD, and San Diego Central Library proudly present an evening of inspiration and celebration in honor of the city’s vibrant poetry community and seminal poet, Steve Kowit. Taking place on April 7th, 6:30-9:00PM at Central Library, the free and open-to-the-public event will feature a mini-book-fair reception, music, food, and, of course, poetry. Keynote speaker and California’s newest Poet Laureate, Lee Herrick, will be joined on the awards stage by San Diego Poet Laureate, Jason Magabo Perez and local poets of note, including the 2023 Kowit Award winner, Julia Levine, Ron Salisbury, Jeff Walt, Gill Sotu, among others. The event organizers and supporters include representatives from Write Out Loud, San Diego Writers, Ink, Friends of SD Public Library. Sponsorship opportunities available. Contact us at sdeag1@gmail.com to learn more. Click here to register!
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Tuesday, March 21:
Sunday, November 20:
SDPA reading and tribute to Seretta Martin from 5-7 pm at Inspirations Gallery • Liberty Station Barracks 16, Suite 204. Here are the details from from Judy Reeves:
From 5-7 pm at Inspirations Gallery • Liberty Station Barracks 16, Suite 204, San Diego Writers, Ink and the San Diego Poetry Annual invite you to an afternoon of poetry as poets featured in the 2021-22 San Diego Poetry Annual take to the Open Mic to read their poems. The afternoon will also feature a tribute to San Diego poet and long-time and much-loved leader in the San Diego literary community, Seretta Martin. Seretta’s published work comprises poems in many styles and she is especially noted for her gifts of haiku, both the form itself as well as promotion and celebration of the art. We invite participants to celebrate Seretta at the event by creating a haiku in her honor to read along with your poem from the Annual.
Wednesday, November 9:
Wandering Words @ Monkey Bar, located at Town & Country Resort. Gathering begins at 7:30pm, and readings begin at 8pm. Hosted by Michele Bigley and Team Wandering Words: Michele Bigley, Sara Clemence, Mary Ann Fearing, and Ligaya Malones. Please join for appetizers, discounted drinks, and readings by Michael Klam, executive editor of San Diego Poetry Annual, co-editor of A Year in Ink, Volume 6, an anthology by San Diego Writers, Ink, and host of Central Library’s Conversations with Poets; Elaine Masters, freelance writer covering unsung destinations, sustainable tourism, and soft adventure for Edible San Diego, Matador Network, Roadtrippers Magazine, and more; and Annelise Jolley, freelance writer and essayist focused on travel, food, ecology, and faith for national magazines and literary journals including National Geographic, The Atavist, Hidden Compass, and The Sunday Long Read.
Friday, November 11 to Sunday, November 13:
As part of the 2022 Fall for Writing Conference, San Diego Writers, Ink is holding the “A Year in Ink Through the Years” reading hosted by the amazing Jill G. Hall. The reading will take place IN PERSON in Inspirations Gallery (upstairs in Barracks 16, 2730 Historic Decatur Rd #204, San Diego, CA, 92106) on Saturday, November 12 at 7pm and will include anthology authors from Volumes 1 to 15.
Sunday, November 13:
Poetry Karaoke Is Back! Hosted by Judy Reeves and Steven Montgomery @ the Ink Spot (as part of the Fall for Writing festivities). The fun starts at 3pm. Find all the details above and here.
Saturday, November 26:
Summation 14 book launch, reading, and celebration from 4 until 7pm at the Escondido Municipal Arts Gallery. I’m so honored to be part of Summation! All the details coming soon in a full post here on Poetry & Art San Diego.
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Sat., Oct. 8, all day in Coronado: Writers Festival. Come find us! SDPA and Steve Kowit Poetry Prize will be there together. Come say Hi!
Original fliers and post:
Fri., Oct, 14 at 6:30 p.m. at Central Library in the Shiley: Poetry In Ocean Panel and Open Reading @ Central Library + Drawing to Win Hank Warner Surfboard and more! Details.
The evening starts with nosh and mingling then a panel discussion led by lifelong surfer and executive editor of the San Diego Poetry Annual, Michael Klam. Panelists are author and lifelong surfer, artist, and contributing writer at The Surfer’s Journal, Cher Pendarvis, surf journalist Scott Bass, classical pianist/surfer Jeeyoon Kim, and poet/visual artist Ted Washington. Open mic follows the panel. All poets and writers of any genre are invited to share their take on the influence and inspiration they draw from the sea. Open mic readers will share one poem (or two short ones) or one piece of short prose each. Writers can sign up on the night of the show or preregister at sdpoetryannual@gmail.com and on the library event registration: Poetry in Ocean: Sunset, Surf and the Sea | San Diego Public Library (librarymarket.com)
The Friends of the San Diego Central Library will also be hosting a membership drive to support the library. Everyone who stops by their table will get a raffle ticket and be eligible to participate, no purchase necessary. Prizes include a Hank Warner custom surfboard, $100 dinner gift certificates to Bully’s East Prime Bistro Sports Bar (and ball caps and shirts from the restaurant), and assorted swag from Rocky’s Crown Pub. Here are the details.
Sat., Oct. 22 from 1:00-4:30 p.m.: Our annual SDPA reading and celebration at the Encinitas Library! Reading will take place in the Community Room. Poets published in SDPA will get first shot at the mic, but all poets are welcome to come and join and read with our community. This reading is hosted by the grooviest host of all the hosts, our beloved Marit Anderson! Writers can sign up there or preregister at sdpoetryannual@gmail.com.
Saturday, July 23, 2-5 p.m.: San Diego Poetry Annual reading with special guest Jack Webb, founder and director of the Border Voices Poetry Program. Join us at the La Jolla/Riford Library, located at 7555 Draper Ave, La Jolla, CA 92037. Hosted by Seretta Martin, Managing Editor, SDPA. All authors, fans of lit arts, and poets looking to publish are welcome. Come to watch, share, and celebrate. Sign up to read by email at mkklam@gmail.com or text (619) 957-3264. Please indicate in your message whether or not you’ve previously published work in SDPA.
Conversations with Poets hosted by Michael Klam and CWP P&A
Poetry & Art – June 14, 2019
On Friday, June 14, Poetry & Art Series 2019 at the San Diego Art Institute (SDAI) presents the 2018-19 San Diego Poetry Annual (SDPA) reading. The event features author, director and Tony Award-winning playwright reg e gaines, who contributed poetry to this year’s SDPA. Authors published in the 2018-‘19 SDPA and Kids! San Diego Poetry Annual collections are invited to read their work and get free admission for the evening. Authors Judy Reeves, Bill Harding and Jeff Walt will be on hand to share news about SDPA and this year’s upcoming $1,000 Steve Kowit poetry prize. Hosted by Michael Klam. DJ Gill Sotu will provide music and sound throughout the show.
Poetry & Art – April 7, 2018
On Saturday, April 7, San Diego Writer’s, Ink and Poetry & Art Series 2018, hosted by Jim Moreno and Michael Klam, present Cultures Connect in San Diego, featuring authors Francisco Bustos, Sharon Elise, Angela Narciso Torres, Viet Mai, Alexis Ng, Pilar Rodríguez Aranda, and Ted Washington. DJ Barry Thomas will provide music and sound throughout the show.
This interactive arts and culture experience will include beverages, snacks and time to mingle. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. Members are free, non-members $6 at the door. The event takes place at the San Diego Art Institute, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park.
Poetry & Art – Nov. 10, 2017
Poetry & Art Series 2017 presents authors Tomas Gayton, Jim Moreno and Chris Vannoy. People’s Choice Poem Performance Awards follow featured readings and performances. This interactive arts and culture experience will include beverages, snacks and plenty of time to mingle. DJ Barry Thomas will provide music throughout. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the show starts at 7 p.m. Members are free, nonmembers $5 at the door. Bring a snack or beverage to share and get in free. The event takes place in the San Diego Art Institute, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park.
Cheapest Flight to La Bodega – July 27, 2017
Cheapest Flight to La Bodega! Puna Press/Michael Klam book opening at Ted Washington’s Palabra reading in Barrio Logan. Click on the flier to see the press release.
Poetry & Art – June 23, 2017
On Friday, June 23, Poetry & Art Series 2017 presents the 2017 San Diego Poetry Annual (SDPA). Editors and authors published in the anthology read poems from this year’s edition. There will guest appearances by San Diego authors Adam Greenfield and Jimmy Jazz, and Franco Z will perform A Brief History of Jazz. People’s Choice Poem Performance Awards follow featured readings and performances. DJ Gill Sotu will provide music and sound throughout the show. This interactive arts and culture experience will include beverages, snacks and plenty of time to mingle. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the show starts at 7 p.m. Members are free, nonmembers $5 at the door. The event takes place in the San Diego Art Institute, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. Bring a libation or snack to share and get in free!
Poetry & Art – March 25, 2017
On Saturday, March 25, Poetry & Art presents artist and performer Perry Vasquez and San Diego poet Sunny Rey. Renowned street artist, Mr. Maxx Moses makes a special guest appearance. People’s Choice Poem Performance Awards follow featured readings and performances. DJ Gill Sotu will provide music and sound throughout the show. This interactive arts and culture experience will include beverages, snacks and plenty of time to mingle. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the show starts at 7 p.m. Members are free, nonmembers $5 at the door. The event takes place in the San Diego Art Institute, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park.
Poetry & Art San Diego 