Welcome to The Poetry Center
SEVENTY YEARS OF THE POETRY CENTER AT SAN FRANCISCO STATE, 1954–2024
Mission Statement: The Poetry Center presents and documents the work of outstanding contemporary poets and related artists, creating and preserving original new and historic audio and video recordings, while assuring public awareness of and access to live performances and archival resources.
The Poetry Center organizes public readings, performances, and poetry-related talks each year, on the San Francisco State University campus and at other Bay Area venues, featuring poets and writers from across the literary spectrum. The Poetry Center Reading Series is one of the longest consistently-running such programs in the country, with roots in the 1950s San Francisco Poetry Renaissance. Newly-documented program videos alongside historic recordings from seven decades are migrated to online access at Poetry Center Digital Archive.
¡INTER-RANCHO-NAL! Flor y Canto reading with three Mexican poets: Minerva Reynosa, Indira Isel Torres Crux, Aziz Córdova
A rare midsummer event for The Poetry Center, joining forces with San Francisco International Flor y Canto Literary Festival and our friends at Medicine for Nightmares, to co-present three poets flying in from Mexico to take part in the annual festival. Minerva Reynosa, Indira Isel Torres Crux, and Aziz Córdova will be featured guests on Saturday evening, with Josiah Luis Alderete as host and emcee. Further festival events by the poets at the link below. Supported by Paseo Artístico and the Poetry Coalition.
Alexis Pauline Gumbs in conversation with Tonya M. Foster
The Poetry Center, as part of the Undisciplining the Fields series, in collaboration with City Lights Books co-presents Alexis Pauline Gumbs in conversation with Tonya M. Foster. This virtual event hosted by City Lights online takes place Wednesday November 6, 7:00 pm PST, to celebrate the publication of Survival Is a Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2024). More information and free registration here.
Tribute to the Life and Work of Tyrone Williams
The Poetry Center in collaboration with City Lights Books co-presents a Tribute to the Life and Work of Tyrone Williams (1954–2024). Organized by Jeanne Heuving and erica lewis, this in-person Bay Area tribute to our friend and fellow poet takes place Tuesday November 19, 7:00 pm, at City Lights Bookstore, 261 Columbus Avenue, in North Beach. This event will be livestreamed; register here. More on Tyrone Williams, posted at The Poetry Project, here.
Poetry Center Digital Archive
Poetry Center Digital Archive
The Poetry Center houses the American Poetry Archives, a historic collection of some 5,000 hours of original audio and video recordings documenting The Poetry Center Reading Series from 1954 to the present. Now available online:
- Poetry Center Archive Goes Live! Historic Videos Newly Available: 1973–1984
- Historic Original Audio Recordings: 1950s and 1960s
- New Full-Program Video Programs produced by DocFilm Institute: 2015–present
- New Program Video Highlight Clips produced by DocFilm Institute: 2015–present
- Recent Livestream Video produced by DocFilm Institute: 2020–present
- Poetry Center Archive Goes Live! Historic Video Clips: 1973–1984
- More Video Highlight Clips from the Archive: 2009–2014
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Awards
The Poetry Center offers several awards each year to recognize distinguished poets.
Resources
In addition to our Reading Series and recorded Archives, we host a 7,000 volume poetry collection in our Reading Room, Humanities 512.
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The Poetry Center couldn't do what we do without your financial support. Please join us!