Second Tuesday Poetry: Modesto Poet Laureate Angela Drew + Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate Valentina Zeff

Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center is pleased to present Second Tuesday Poetry featuring Modesto Poet Laureate Angela Drew with special guest Valentina Zeff, Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate

Date: Tuesday, August 12,  2025
Time: 7:00 pm PST
Where: Bookish Modesto, 811 W. Orangeburg Ave, in the Roseburg Square shopping center

Open mic following featured poets (3 min per poet); sign up at the event. Hosted by Gillian Wegener

ANGELA DREW 

Poet Angela Drew sitting on chair with dramatic backlighting Angela Drew is a mother, dancer, author, poet, and self-proclaimed linguistic artist who has loved the rhythm of words for as long as she can remember. Born in Berkeley, California, she began writing at age eight, and has always understood that words have the power to soothe, stir, or solidify connection. She has played with the magic of storytelling ever since.  Angela is the winner and first-place slam champion of Modesto’s 2021 ILL List 16 Poetry Slam. She has performed her spoken word poetry at an array of venues, just to name a few: Yoshi’s Jazz Club, Oakland, California; Gallo Center for the Arts and the State Theater, Modesto, California; Brickhouse Art Gallery, Sacramento, California, and Apache Cafe, Atlanta, Georgia–a landmark poetry lounge that is home to some of Atlanta’s finest creatives. 

She is the author of ElderBerry Wine, a children’s book written in poetic verse that celebrates the beauty and majesty of our elders, and the richness they bring by  simply being a part of our lives. Join Angela on her poetic journey on all social media platforms. Her book is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other booksellers. 

 

VALENTINA ZEFF

Valentina ZeffValentina Zeff is a sixteen-year-old poet from Modesto, California who is currently enrolled in the International Baccalaureate program at Modesto High School. Zeff has been writing free verse and ballad poetry since her freshman year of high school.

Zeff is active within her community and school through social and environmental activism, extracurricular projects, and volunteering. She was selected to be a member of the Park’s Youth Committee (April 2024-current), Modesto Youth Commission (October 2024-current), and student representative for Modesto High School’s Student Senate for both ninth and tenth grade. During the 2023-2024 Speech and Debate season, she was a top finalist for Original Spoken Word Poetry at State Qualifications. She is also the founder and Co-President of Modesto High School’s Book Club where she leads discussions on novels and poems of interest. Additionally, she is the Secretary and head layout editor/designer of the Panther Press, Modesto High School’s monthly newspaper.

 

MoSt Summer Poetry Workshop “Poetry in Full Colors – Poesía a Todo Color”

MoSt Summer Poetry Workshop at the Salida Library    September 13, 2025    1:00-3:00 p.m.   

Poetry in Full Colors -a workshop -Creating your Pallet of Expression in Colors

Come write with Janette Jameson and Vielka Solano, board members of MoSt Poetry.

We will use words such as blue, green and brown to accentuate the emotions, tone and messages in our poems or prose. Colors such as red, orange and yellow will also be invited to declare themselves in joy and sadness.

Bring a favorite pen and your pad or notebook and meet with others who write with a variety of experience.

Supplies for writing will also be provided.

 

MoSt Taller de Poesía de Verano  en la Biblioteca de Salida    Septiembre 13, 2025    1:00-3:00 p.m. 

Poesía a Todo Color – un taller – Creando tu Paleta de Expresión en Colores

Ven a escribir con Janette Jameson y Vielka Solano, miembros de la junta de MoSt Poetry. 

Usaremos palabras como azul, verde y marrón para acentuar las emociones, tono y mensajes en nuestros poemas y prosa. Colores como rojo, naranja y amarillo también serán invitados a declararse en alegría y tristeza.

Trae tu pluma favorita y tu libreta y conoce a otros escritores con varios niveles de experiencia. 

Útiles para escribir también estarán disponible.

MoSt Poetry on Saturday featuring Joshua McKinney & Cecil Morris

Please join host Gary Thomas at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, August 30, 2025 at Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock, CA for a poetry reading featuring Joshua McKinney and Cecil Morris. There will be light refreshments and an open mic following the featured poets. This event is free and open to the public.

Joshua McKinney’s fifth book of poetry, Sad Animal (2024), was the recipient of the John Ridland Poetry Prize from Gunpowder Press. His work has appeared in such journals as Boulevard, Denver Quarterly, Kenyon Review, New American Writing, and many others. He is co-editor of the online ecopoetics journal, Clade Song.

Cecil Morris taught high school English for 37 years in Roseville, the small northern California city where he grew up. At Work in the Garden of Possibilities is his debut poetry collection. A Pushcart and Best of the Net nominee, Morris has poems in The 2River Review, Ekphrastic Review, Hole in the Head Review, Lascaux Review, Rust + Moth, Sugar House Review, and elsewhere. He and his wife, the mother of their children, divide their year between their California hometown and the cool Oregon coast, where they walk the beach and marvel at the sea and tide pools and joyful romping dogs.

 

 

MoSt Summer Poetry Workshop – The Journey Itself is Home: Haibun as Travel Journal

Haibun——the blending or braiding of prose poetry and haiku——has been a vehicle to reflect upon and write about human journeys——external and internal——since the days of the 17th Century Japanese poet Bashō. Join MoSt board member Gary Thomas as we consider and make some sense of the journeys we take in life. Writing supplies will be provided, but feel free to bring your favorite pen, pad, tablet, and/or travel photos!

As always, this MoSt Summer Poetry Workshop is free and open to the public. We hope to see you from 1:00-3:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 16th at the Salida Public Library, 4835 Sisk Road, Salida CA.

Free Poetry Workshop: Paint Chip Poetry at the Library

Join Stella Beratlis at the Salida Library on July 19, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. in a cool, fun, and relaxed environment to try out a variety of poetry prompts inspired by the descriptive language of paint chips. All ages invited.

Feel free to bring your own extra paint chips to add to the prompt possibilities.