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2 NOVEMBER 2023 — thursday
- Lunch Poems, UC Berkeley's noontime reading series, presents poet and essayist Kay Gabriel, Kissing Other People, Morrison Library inside Doe Library, 101 Library Ct., University of California campus, Berkeley, free, 12:10-12:50 pm PDT (More information here: www.lib.berkeley.edu/visit/lunch-poems)
- Nevada City Live! presents poet, teacher, and editor Chris Olander, organizer for the Berkeley Watershed Poetry Festival, former Artistic Director for the Nevada County Poetry Series, and author of River Light and Twilight Roses, for a retrospective of his poetry from the 1990s to 2023, joined by musicians Cool Hand Uke Scanlan, Tynowyn, Kelly Fleming, Samson Suneyez, Ludi Hinrichs, and Elena Rayo, performing semi-improvisational music to back the poems, Nevada Theatre, 401 Broad Street, Nevada City, California, $30 premium reserved seating, $20 general admission, 7:30 pm PDT (Purchase tickets here: paulemerymusic.com)
3 NOVEMBER 2023 — friday
- Mill Valley Public Library presents a reading with featured poets Anders Carlson-Wee, Disease of Kings, and Douglas Manuel, Trouble Funk, both reading from new work, followed by a conversation moderated by Marin County Poet Laureate Francesca Bell, Bright Stain, finalist for the Washington State Book Award, books available for sale and signing at the event, Main Reading Room, Mill Valley Public Library, 375 Throckmorton Avenue, Mill Valley, free, 7:00-9:00 pm PDT (Register to attend: millvalleylibrary.libcal.com/event/11139544)
- Beyond Baroque presents an evening of poetry featuring poets Zack Rogow, Irreverent Litanies, Lynne Thompson, former Poet Laureate of Los Angeles and author of Fretwork, winner of the 2019 Marsh Hawk Poetry Prize, and Michelle Bitting, Nightmares & Miracles, winner of the Wilder Prize, all reading from new and selected works, Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice Beach, Los Angeles, free, 8:00 pm PDT (RSVP to attend: www.beyondbaroque.org)
4 NOVEMBER 2023 — saturday
- Catamaran Literary Journal presents the 2023 Poetry Prize Book Launch, featuring this year's winner Brad Crenshaw, Chased by Lunacies and Wonders, joined in reading by poet Alison Turner, The Second Split Between, winner of the 2021 Catamaran Poetry Prize, introduced by judge Dorianne Laux, What We Carry, finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, a book signing will follow the reading, San Francisco Historical Society, 608 Commercial Street, San Francisco, $20 ticket price includes a copy of the book, 5:00-7:00 pm PDT (Purchase tickets here: catamaranliteraryreader.com/events-2023)
- Beyond Baroque celebrates prolific and innovative poet W.S. Merwin (1927-2019) with a screening of Even if the Whole World is Burning, a documentary about his life and work, accompanied by a panel and readings by poet Susan Suntree, Sacred Sites: The Secret History of Southern California, winner of the PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Award for Narrative Poetry, editor and essayist Cheri Colby [Davis] Langdell, Reading WS Merwin in a New Century: American and European Perspectives, Tim Langdell, Zen Master Teacher at StillCenter Zen, and poet and essayist Daniel E. Lambert, Mere Anarchy, Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center, 681 Venice Blvd., Venice Beach, Los Angeles, free, 7:00 pm PDT (RSVP to attend: www.beyondbaroque.org)
5 NOVEMBER 2023 — sunday
- Poetry Flash presents a reading by poet and jazz singer Lisa B (Lisa Bernstein), God in Her Ruffled Dress, and writer Dick Cluster, translator of the acclaimed poetry collection, Fiat Lux, by Paula Abramo, Art House Gallery & Cultural Center, 2905 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, two blocks north of Ashby BART, refreshments, free, 3:00 pm PDT (poetryflash.org).
6 NOVEMBER 2023 — monday
- The Poetry Center, in conjunction with Small Press Traffic, presents a solo reading with poet Alice Notley, reading from her recent books, Early Works and The Speak Angel Series, both published by Fonograf Editions, introduction by Trisha Low, The Lab, 2948 16th Street, San Francisco, free, 7:00-9:00 pm PDT (Register to attend: poetry.sfsu.edu/event/alice-notley-solo-reading-the-lab)
7 NOVEMBER 2023 — tuesday
- Medicine for Nightmares presents "Liminal Women: Poetry Prose, and In Between," a reading that celebrates female imagination in traditional literary genres, featuring Nona Caspers, The Fifth Woman, London Pinkney, Kimi Sugioka, Poet Laureate of Alameda and author of Wile & Wing, Barbara Tomash, Her Scant State, and Valerie Witte, A Rupture in the Interiors, Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore, 3036 24th Street, San Francisco, free, 7:00-9:00 pm PST (More information here: medicinefornightmares.com/events)
- Cobalt Poets presents a reading with featured poet Melinda Palacio, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate and author of How Fire Is a Story, followed by an open mic, online via Zoom, free, 7:30 pm PDT (Register to attend: www.poetrysuperhighway.com/cobalt/calendar.html)
8 NOVEMBER 2023 — wednesday
- Medicine for Nightmares presents poet Xochitl Julisa Bermejo, reading from her new book, Incantations: Love Poems for Battle Sites, forthcoming this fall from Mouthfeel Press, joined by poets Kevin Dublin, How to Fall in Love in San Diego, and Gaby Herrera Stern, hosted by Leticia Hernandez-Linares, Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore, 3036 24th Street, San Francisco, free, 8:00-9:30 pm PST (More information here: medicinefornightmares.com/events)
9 NOVEMBER 2023 — thursday
- Green Apple Books presents a reading with featured poets Kazim Ali, Sukun, Gillian Conoley, Notes from the Passenger, and Brian Teare, Poem Bitten by a Man, all reading from their latest collections, Green Apple Books on the Park, 1231 9th Avenue, San Francisco, free, 7:00 pm PDT (More information here: www.greenapplebooks.com/event/9th-ave-kazim-ali-gillian-conoley-and-brian-teare)
- Medicine for Nightmares presents Poets for Palestine, a fundraiser for Palestinian life and liberation, a reading in solidarity with Palestinians, proceeds will be split between direct aid to Gaza and the Palestinian Youth Movement, Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore, 3036 24th Street, San Francisco, sliding scale $10-40, no one turned away for lack of funds, 6:00-8:00 pm PST (More information here: medicinefornightmares.com/events)
- San Francisco Public Library presents the monthly Poem Jam, hosted by San Francisco Poet Laureate emerita Kim Shuck, Noodle, Rant, Tangent, this month featuring writers published in the latest issue of Sinister Wisdom, a multicultural lesbian literary and art journal, Latino/Hispanic Meeting Room A, Main Library, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco, free, 6:00-7:00 pm PDT (More information here: sfpl.org/events/2023/11/09/kim-shucks-poem-jam)
10 NOVEMBER 2023 — friday
11 NOVEMBER 2023 — saturday
- Sacramento Poetry Alliance presents a poetry reading with poets Paul Aponte, Del Cactus, and Jo Ann Anglin, Words Like Knives, Like Feathers, Sacramento Poetry Alliance, 1169 Perkins Way, Sacramento, free, 4:00 pm PDT (More information here: www.facebook.com/sacramentopoetryalliance)
- Specs' Bar celebrates the book release for the late poet Rosemary Manno and her posthumous collection, El Sol: Last Poems, written during the final years of her life after a terminal diagnosis of brain cancer, with readings by poets Agneta Falk, Jessica Loos, Sarah Menefee, Roger Strobel, and Bobby Yarra, music by Craig Vantresco, Specs' Bar, 12 William Saroyan Place, San Francisco, free, 5:00-6:00 pm PST (More information here: www.specsbarsf.com/events)
- Medicine for Nightmares and RichOak Events present the Day Dreamer's Poetry Showcase, a monthly spoken word performance highlighting voices that are often silenced or overlooked, this month featuring poet Papi Grande, bronze medalist at the 2023 Bigfoot Regional Poetry Slam Festival, followed by an open mic, Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore, 3036 24th Street, San Francisco, $10 pre-sale, 4:00 pm PST (More information here: medicinefornightmares.com/events)
- Left Margin LIT presents "Pulling Yourself out of Writer Quicksand (Forever)," a workshop led by poet and multidisciplinary artist MK Chavez, Dear Animal, attendees of this highly interactive workshop will explore their personal quicksand and build a toolkit to address writer's block, book inertia, and other writing roadblocks in their writing practice, all genres and experience levels welcome, Left Margin LIT, 1543 Shattuck Avenue, Suite B, Berkeley, $195, 10:00 am-3:00 pm PST (with one-hour lunch break) (Enroll here: www.leftmarginlit.org/pulling-yourself-out-of-writer-quicksand-chavez)
12 NOVEMBER 2023 — sunday
- Second Sunday Readings presents poets Sonia Greenfield, All Possible Histories, Megan Freshley, Hypnic Jerk, and Jared Harél, Let Our Bodies Change the Subject, winner of the 2022 Raz/Shumaker Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Poetry, hosted by Siân Killingsworth, online, free, 3:00 pm PST (Register to attend: secondsundayreadings.com)
13 NOVEMBER 2023 — monday
- Green Apple Books presents poet Michael Dhyne, reading from his new collection, Afterlife, joined by poet Shelley Wong, As She Appears, longlisted for the 2022 National Book Award and a finalist for the Northern California Book Award, Green Apple Books on the Park, 1231 9th Avenue, San Francisco, free, 7:00 pm PDT (More information here: www.greenapplebooks.com/event/9th-ave-michael-dhyne-shelley-wong)
- City Lights Books presents poet Iván Argüelles, Looking for Mary Lou, winner of the William Carlos Williams Award, reading from his new book, The Unfinished Breath, hosted by Solomon Rino, City Lights Books, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, free, 6:00 pm PST (Register to attend: citylights.com/events)
- Bird & Beckett presents a reading with featured poets Zara Jamshed, Neither Created Nor Destroyed, finalist for the Stories Award for Poetry, and K.R. Morrison, Cauldrons, hosted by San Francisco Poet Laureate emerita Kim Shuck, Exile Heart, followed by an open mic, online via Zoom, free, 7:00 pm PST (Register to attend: birdbeckett.com)
14 NOVEMBER 2023 — tuesday
- City Lights Books presents poet Joseph Lease, The Body Ghost, reading from his new collection, Fire Season, online via Zoom, free, 6:00 pm PST (Register to attend: citylights.com/events)
- Cobalt Poets presents a reading with featured poet Rich Boucher, All of This Candy Belongs to Me, followed by an open mic, online via Zoom, free, 7:30 pm PST (Register to attend: www.poetrysuperhighway.com/cobalt/calendar.html)
- Left Margin LIT presents a reading with featured poets Claire Wahmanholm, Meltwater, Sarah Ghazal Ali, Theophanies, selected as the Editor's Choice for the 2022 Alice James Award, and Hua Xi, free, Left Margin LIT, 1543 Shattuck Avenue, Suite B, Berkeley, 6:30 pm PST (More information here: www.leftmarginlit.org)
15 NOVEMBER 2023 — wednesday
- San Francisco Public Library presents a reading featuring queer and trans BIPOC writers from the Bay Area, who are contributors to I Still Love You, an artistic conversation and exhibit that showcases queer ancestors from SFPL archives in poetry and artwork, connecting a complex lineage to people living today, currently on view at Western Addition Branch, Western Addition General Floor Area, 1550 Scott Street, San Francisco, free, 6:00-7:30 pm PST (More information here: sfpl.org/events/2023/11/15/performance-i-still-love-you-poetry-reading)
- Medicine for Nightmares presents The Last Supper Party, a monthly spoken word and music series curated by Kimi Sugioka, featuring poets Shizue Seigel and Tureeda Mikell, Synchronicity: The Oracle of Sun Medicine, nominated for the 2020 California Book Award, with music by Cadence Myles, open mic to follow, Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore, 3036 24th Street, San Francisco, free, 7:00-9:00 pm PST (More information here: medicinefornightmares.com/events)
16 NOVEMBER 2023 — thursday
- Medicine for Nightmares presents Speaking Axolotl, the monthly Latinx/Chicanx poetry reading series every third Thursday of the month, featuring Freddy Gutierrez, Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore, 3036 24th Street, San Francisco, and online via Zoom, free, 7:00-9:00 pm PST (More information here: medicinefornightmares.com/events)
- City Lights Books presents poet Clark Coolidge, author of over fifty books of poetry including A Book Beginning What and Ending Away: Selected Poems, 1962-1985, reading from his new book, The Crystal Text, hosted by Garrett Caples, poetry editor at City Lights Books and author of Lovers of Today, City Lights Books, 261 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, free, 6:00 pm PST (Register to attend: citylights.com/events)
- The Poetry Center presents poet and essayist Michael Kleber-Diggs, celebrating his debut collection, Worldly Things, selected as the winner of the Poetry Center Book Award, as well as the Max Ritvo Poetry Prize and the Balcones Poetry Prize, among others, joined in a reading by Cynthia Parker-Ohene, judge for the Poetry Center Book Award and author of Daughters of Harriet, online, free, 6:00-7:30 pm PST (Register to attend: poetry.sfsu.edu/event/poetry-center-book-award-reading-michael-kleber-diggs-and-cynthia-parker-ohene)
- Green Apple Books presents artist Jody Servon and poet Lorene Delany-Ullman, Camouflage for the Neighborhood, winner of the 2011 Sentence Award, celebrating Saved: Objects of the Dead, their photographic and poetic collaboration exploring life, death, and memory, featuring over forty photographs and prose poems, Green Apple Books on the Park, 1231 9th Avenue, San Francisco, free, 7:00 pm PDT (More information here: www.greenapplebooks.com/event/9th-ave-jody-servon-lorene-delany-ullman)
17 NOVEMBER 2023 — friday
- City Lights Books and Small Press Traffic present poet, critic, and editor Robert Glück, Communal Nude, celebrating his new book, About Ed, a portrait of the artist Ed Aulerich-Sugai, Glück's sometime lover during 1970s San Francisco, introduced by Brandon Brown, The Lab, 2948 16th Street, San Francisco, free, 7:00 pm PST (Register to attend: citylights.com/events)
18 NOVEMBER 2023 — saturday
- San Francisco Public Library presents The Presidio Poetry Series, with readings highlighting local poets, writers, and musicians, featuring poets Jessica Loos and Neeli Cherkovski, recipient of the PEN Josephine Miles National Award and author of ABC's, Presidio Meeting Room in the Presidio Branch Library, 3150 Sacramento Street, San Francisco, free, 2:00-3:00 pm PST (More information here: sfpl.org/events/2023/11/18/author-jessica-loos-and-neeli-cherkovski)
- Point Reyes Books presents writer and editor Susan Ito, celebrating her new memoir, I Would Meet You Anywhere, in conversation with Eirinie Carson, program coordinator at Mesa Refuge and author of The Dead are Gods, Dance Palace, 503 B Street, Point Reyes Station, free, 2:00 pm PDT (Register to attend: www.ptreyesbooks.com/event/susan-ito-and-eirinie-carson)
19 NOVEMBER 2023 — sunday
- Poetry Flash presents a poetry reading by Anders Carlson-Wee, Disease of Kings, and Marin County Poet Laureate, Francesca Bell, What Small Sound, Art House Gallery & Cultural Center, 2905 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, two blocks north of Ashby BART, refreshments, free, 3:00 pm PST (poetryflash.org).
- Join acclaimed poet Sally Love Saunders, Sally's Casserole, in an online reading, bring a poem of your own to read or come to listen to others, hosted by John Rowe, Bay Area Poets Coalition, online via Zoom, free, 11:00 am PDT (Email: rowepoet@yahoo.com for Zoom information; more information here: www.sallylovesaunders.org)
20 NOVEMBER 2023 — monday
- City Lights Books presents novelist and poet Gail Scott, Permanent Revolution, shortlisted for the Le Grand Prix du livre de Montreal, reading from her new collection, Furniture Music, in conversation with poet and playwright Camille Roy, Sherwood Forest, online via Zoom, free, 6:00 pm PST (Register to attend: citylights.com/events)
21 NOVEMBER 2023 — tuesday
22 NOVEMBER 2023 — wednesday
23 NOVEMBER 2023 — thursday
24 NOVEMBER 2023 — friday
25 NOVEMBER 2023 — saturday
- Fourth Saturdays presents the Poets About Town annual open mic reading, welcoming all poets of all ages and levels, bring your own work to share and listen to others in this shared poetry community, two poems or two pages per reader (whichever comes first), sign-ups start at 1:50 pm, poets are welcome to bring copies of their work to sell or trade, Claremont Helen Renwick Library, 208 N. Harvard Avenue, Claremont, free, readings begin at 2:00 pm PST (RSVP to attend: www.facebook.com/fourthsaturdayspoetry)
26 NOVEMBER 2023 — sunday
- Cobalt Gallery presents Poetry at the Cobalt, a new reading series to be held on the last Sunday of the month, featuring poets Mary Rose Kaczorowski and Jamie Armstrong, followed by an open mic, five minutes per reader, Cobalt Gallery, 430 Main Street, Fort Bragg, free, 4:00-6:00 pm PST (For more information, contact: cobaltgallery@mcn.org)
- Medicine for Nightmares presents the Odd Verse open mic, a justice-oriented open mic every final Sunday of the month, aimed at amplifying voices of underrepresented communities and calls to collective action for justice and liberation, come for an evening of powerful poetry, art, and community, Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore, 3036 24th Street, San Francisco, free, sign-ups at 5:00 pm, reading 4:30-7:00 pm PST (More information here: medicinefornightmares.com/events)
27 NOVEMBER 2023 — monday
28 NOVEMBER 2023 — tuesday
- Cobalt Poets presents a reading with featured poet and novelist Lana Hechtman Ayers, When All Else Fails, followed by an open mic, online via Zoom, free, 7:30 pm PST (Register to attend: www.poetrysuperhighway.com/cobalt/calendar.html)
29 NOVEMBER 2023 — wednesday
- Lyrics and Dirges, a monthly reading series featuring a variety of prominent and emerging poets, hosted by poets MK Chavez, Dear Animal, and Sharon Coleman, Paris Blinks, Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, free, 7:00 pm PST (More information here: www.pegasusbookstore.com/event)
30 NOVEMBER 2023 — thursday
- City Lights Books presents Oscar Peñaranda, poet, activist, and founding member of the Filipino American National Historical Society, for an evening of storytelling and literary pyrotechnics, featuring a reading from Peñaranda's latest book, Follower of the Seasons, joined by Shirley Ancheta, Joaquin Tuason Cruz, and Jason Bayani, City Lights Books, 261 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco, free, 6:00 pm PST (Register to attend: citylights.com/events)
- Writers Read Ukiah presents short story writer Dan Hibshman, launching his new book, Of a Lifetime: Stories 1963-2023, followed by an open mic reading, six minutes per reader, Grace Hudson Museum, 431 South Main Street, Ukiah, free/$5 suggested donation, 7:00 pm PST (Email Michael Riedell at innisfreeriedell@gmail.com for more information)
- Poetry Flash presents a poetry reading by Raffi Del Bourgo, A Tune Both Familiar and Strange, forthcoming, and David Watts, Katy Bridge, Art House Gallery & Cultural Center, 2905 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, two blocks north of Ashby BART, refreshments, free, 7:00 pm PST (poetryflash.org).
- The Marin Poetry Center presents the member appreciation workshop, "Docupoetry and Experimental Poetics," led by poet and editor Dr. Taylor Byas, I Done Clicked My Heels Three Times, winner of the 2023 Maya Angelou Book Award, online via Zoom, free for members, $50 general admission, registration fee includes a one year membership to the Marin Poetry Center, 6:30-8:00 pm PST (Register to attend: www.eventbrite.com/e/the-marin-poetry-centers-member-appreciation-workshop-docupoetry-experimental-poetics-tickets-764231756757?aff=oddtdtcreator)
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