Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center

Aileen Jaffa Young Poets Contest Deadline
2017-04-14, 2020-04-03
Today is the postmark deadline. Please see the Aileen Jaffa contest page for more information!

Aileen Jaffa Poetry Contest Awards Ceremony
2017-05-21 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Carnegie Arts Center, 250 N. Broadway, Turlock, CA, 95380, United States
Come join us at the Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock for the Awards Ceremony for this year’s Aileen Jaffa Young Poets Contest! First, second and third place winners in each category will receive cash awards from the MoSt Poetry Center. Prizes are: First Place $25, Second Place $15, Third Place $10. In addition, the Modesto Branch of the National League of American Pen Women will award a $60 Aileen Jaffa Outstanding Poem award in each of two combined categories, Categories 1 and 2, and Categories 3 and 4. The current president of the NLAPW Modesto chapter will present the awards, and you’ll get to hear a reading featuring the winning poems.

6th Annual Modesto Poetry Festival
2018-02-03 09:30 - 16:00 | St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1528 Oakdale Road, Modesto, CA, 95355, United States
We are thrilled to announce the details of our 6th Annual Modesto Poetry Festival, coming up on February 3rd!
Each year in February we organize and hold an all-day poetry festival featuring workshops, readings, and a featured poet. This year, we are proud to welcome featured poet William O’Daly as our guest poet and workshop leader.
Join us on Saturday, February 4th, 2017 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Modesto for a day of poetry, learning, and inspiration! Click on the image at right to download the PDF flyer, and you can click here to download the registration form (which also has details about this year’s festival poetry contest).
Themes for this year’s contest are 1. Arrivals and Departures; 2. The Disappearance of Things; 3. Empty Spaces; 4. Inheritances. Submissions to the poetry contest must be postmarked by the CONTEST DEADLINE: JANUARY 11, 2018. Please see the form for more information.

Poetry Out Loud County Finals
2018-02-07 18:00 - 20:00
MoSt is coordinating the county competiton of the Poetry Out Loud contest, a national recitation contest for high school students. The county competition will be held at MJC on Feb. 7 at 6:00. If you are interested in participating as a judge or just coming to see these talented students perform amazing poetry, please email us at info@mostpoetry.org.

Aileen Jaffa Poetry Contest Awards Ceremony
2018-05-20 14:00 - 17:00, 2019-05-19 14:00 - 17:00 | Carnegie Arts Center, Gemperle Gallery, 250 N. Broadway Ave., Turlock, CA, United States

Poetry Festival Contest Deadline
2019-01-11, 2020-01-11
Today’s the postmark deadline for the poetry contest held at our annual Modesto Poetry Festival! For more information, take a look at the main event page.

7th Annual Modesto Poetry Festival
2019-02-02 09:30 - 16:00 | St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1528 Oakdale Road, Modesto, CA, 95355, United States
We are thrilled to announce the details of our 7th Annual Modesto Poetry Festival, coming up on February 2nd, 2019!
Each year in February we organize and hold an all-day poetry festival featuring workshops, readings, and a featured poet. This year, we are proud to welcome back featured poet Indigo Moor, Sacramento’s Poet Laureate, as our guest poet and workshop leader. CLICK HERE to read more about the workshop theme.
Join us on Saturday, February 2nd, 2019 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Modesto for a day of poetry, learning, and inspiration! Click on the image at right to download the PDF flyer, and you can click here to download the registration form (which also has details about this year’s festival poetry contest).
Themes for this year’s contest are 1. Here in this House; 2. What Remains; 3. The Edge of the Sea; 4. In and Out of Fashion (Life a la Mode). Submissions to the poetry contest must be postmarked by the CONTEST DEADLINE: JANUARY 11, 2019. Please see the form for more information.

Poetry Out Loud County Competition
2019-02-06 19:00 - 21:00 | Little Theatre, MJC, 435 College Ave, Modesto, CA, 95350, United States
Poetry Out Loud is a national poetry recitation contest for students, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, and the Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center is proud to announce that we will be holding our county-level competition at the MJC Little Theatre on February 6th. Last year, our county winner took third place at the state level, so don’t miss the chance to witness this year’s contest!

Student Chapbook Contest Deadline
2019-03-01
Today’s the deadline for our annual George Rogers-Lee Nicholson Student Chapbook Contest! Check out the main contest page for full details.

Poets' Corner Contest Deadline
2019-03-08
See Poets’ Corner contest page for details.

8th Annual Modesto Poetry Festival
2020-02-01 09:30 - 16:00 | St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1528 Oakdale Road, Modesto, CA, 95355, United States
We are thrilled to announce the details of our 8th Annual Modesto Poetry Festival, coming up on February 1st, 2020!
Each year in February we organize and hold an all-day poetry festival featuring workshops, readings, and a featured poet. This year, we are proud to welcome Lee Herrick and Camille Norton as our guest poets and workshop leaders.
Join us on Saturday, February 1st, 2020 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Modesto for a day of poetry, learning, and inspiration! Click on the image at right to download the PDF flyer, and you can click here to download the registration form (which also has details about this year’s festival poetry contest).
Themes for this year’s contest are 1. The Graceful Stumble; 2. Handling Earth with Care; 3. Notre Dame; 4. Following a Thread. Submissions to the poetry contest must be postmarked by the CONTEST DEADLINE: JANUARY 11, 2020. Please see the form for more information.

Lee Herrick has authored three poetry books, Scar and Flower, Gardening Secrets of the Dead, and This
Many Miles from Desire. His poems have also appeared in numerous literary magazines and anthologies. He is co-editor of The World I Leave You: Asian American Poets on Faith and Spirit (forthcoming in Spring, 2020 from Orison Books). Born in Daejeon, Korea, Lee served as Fresno Poet Laureate from 2015 to 2017, and teaches at Sierra Nevada College and Fresno City College.
Camille Norton’s first collection of poems, published by HarperPerennial, was a National Poetry Series winner in 2004. Other honors include the Grolier Prize in Poetry, accolades from the National Endowment
of the Humanities, and residencies at the MacDowell Art Colony and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Professor of English at University of the Pacific in Stockton, Camille co-edited Resurgent: New Writing by Women, featuring experimental writing by women in literature, film, and the visual arts. Her latest poetry book is A Folio in the Dark (Sixteen Rivers).

Poetry Out Loud County Competition
2020-02-12 18:00 - 20:00 | Little Theatre, MJC, 435 College Ave, Modesto, CA, 95350, United States
Poetry Out Loud is a national poetry recitation contest for students, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, and the Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center is proud to announce that we will be holding our county-level competition at the MJC Little Theatre on February 12th. Our county winners have earned places at the state level in recent years, so don’t miss the chance to witness this year’s contest!

Deadline: 4th Annual Lee Nicholson-George Rogers Poetry Contest
2020-03-01
MODESTO-STANISLAUS POETRY CENTER
THE FOURTH ANNUAL LEE NICHOLSON – GEORGE ROGERS POETRY CONTEST
CONTEST GUIDELINES
MONETARY PRIZES!!!
DEADLINE: MARCH 1, 2020
ABOUT LEE NICHOLSON AND GEORGE ROGERS
Beloved by generations of their students, Lee Nicholson and George Rogers dedicated much of their lives to teaching and inspiring the youth of our community. Lee Nicholson was an instructor at Modesto Junior College for thirty-two years, and had earlier taught at Turlock High School. A Modesto native, George Rogers taught for thirty years at Orville Wright Elementary School in Modesto. Both Lee and George were highly accomplished poets and lovers of the creative process, and both will long be remembered for their passionate devotion to the young people whose lives they touched.
This contest is open to all poets residing in Stanislaus County who are 16 to 25 years of age.
􀀀 Send up to three (3) poems, with subjects and themes of your own choosing
􀀀 Poems must be typed in 12 point, Times New Roman, with 1-inch margins
􀀀 32 line limit; longer poems will not be considered
􀀀 Poems must be the poet’s original work and previously unpublished
􀀀 If sending through regular mail, please send two copies of each poem – one copy with the poet’s name, address, email, phone number in the upper right hand corner, as well as the title of the poem, and a second copy of the poem, with the title of the poem, but without the poet’s name, address, e-mail, and phone number.
􀀀 If sending through email, send poems as doc or docx attachments (one attachment with page divisions is fine; three attachments with one poem each is fine); include two copies of each poem – one copy with the poet’s name, address, email, phone number in the upper right hand corner, as well as the title of the poem and a second copy of the poem, with the title of the poem, but without the poet’s name, address, e-mail, and phone number; include CONTEST in the subject line of the email.
2 ways to submit:
Through regular mail to:
MoSt Poetry Center
PO Box 578940
Modesto, CA 95357
or by email to info@mostpoetry.org
Include the word CONTEST in the subject line of your email.
PRIZES:
First Place (awarded for best poem): $100.00
Second Place: $60.00
Third Place: $40.00
Submission dates: November 1, 2019 to March 1, 2020
Poets will be notified via email or phone following the judging process.
Selected poems will be published in a chapbook. All poets submitting
poems will receive two (2) copies of the chapbook
For more information contact: info@mostpoetry.org

Deadline Poets' Corner Contest: postmark date
2020-03-07
The Modesto Poets’ Corner Contest is now accepting entries for 2020! This year’s theme is “Kindness and Connection: How do we help to heal the divisions between people, ideas and beliefs? How can we be kind, or make connections with each other, even when being compassionate is inconvenient, uncomfortable or even dangerous?” As always, don’t worry about answering all the guiding questions – they’re designed as a jumping-off point. Feel free to write about whatever kindness and/or connection means to you! And remember, we also accept poems on any topic of your choice in the general category. They do not have to be written recently, they just have to be unpublished.

Entries will be accepted via mail using the entry form below or via email at poetscornermodesto@gmail.com. All work must be postmarked by Saturday. March 7, 2020. Winners will be notified in a post here, on Facebook, and by email in April. We’ll have our annual winners’ reading on Sunday, May 3 at 1:00 p.m. in the McHenry Museum. Happy writing!

Deadline: NAACP Youth Video Contest
2020-11-30
MoSt is proud to help co-sponsor this contest!
Do you use artistic expression to help cope with COVID-19 and its impact on your community? Can you record a 3-5 minute video showcasing your creative activities?
NAACP is hosting a Virtual Showcase for you to show off your talent! We are looking for individuals between the ages 14-25 to participate. Every participant will be given a T-Shirt for participation in addition to being placed into a drawing to win some prizes. Your video will be posted on many social media platforms & live TV! If you are 17 and under, please submit a Release Form with your parent signature, along with your video for complete submission. If you haven’t already, please check out our sample video of what we are looking for. In order to participate, you MUST be a resident of Stanislaus County.
The contest deadline has been extended to November 30th.
Click here for more information and the entry form.

Contest Deadline: Chaparral Poets
2021-01-31
The Annual Contest for the California Federation of Chaparral Poets is open! The entry fee is free for members, and $5 per poem for non-members. Submissions must be postmarked or e-mailed by midnight, January 31, 2021.
For more information, please visit the contest website!

City of Modesto Poets Corner Contest Deadline
2022-03-18
The Poets Corner Poetry Contest is sponsored by the Modesto Poets’ Corner Committee, a subcommittee of the Modesto Culture Commission.
WHO MAY ENTER
Poets of any age who reside in Stanislaus County*
GENERAL: Any kind of poetry on any subject, rhymed or
unrhymed. Free verse and form welcome. Group of three haiku
accepted as one entry.
SPECIAL: Gratitude and Hope: How can we be grateful and
hopeful in these challenging times? How could we be open to our
need to discover and share hope and chances for joy? How do we
create time and space to care about being alive? What might happen
with gratitude and hope?
Deadline
Entries must be postmarked by Friday, March 18, 2022 or submitted electronically by 11:59 pm on Friday, March 18, 2022.

WINNERS
Winners will be notified by email (or mail, when email is unavailable.)
Poets will be invited to read their winning poems on Sunday, May 15, 2022 at 1:00 P.M. at the McHenry Museum, followed by light refreshments.
All building uses are subject to COVID-19 protocols and restrictions. All uses are subject to change and may be canceled or adjusted at owner’s discretion for compliance. Winning poems will be collected in a booklet. Each winner will receive a booklet, and a copy will be added to the Poets’ Bookshelf at the McHenry Museum.
PLEASE GO TO the City of Modesto’s Poets’ Corner Page for the entry form and full submission instructions.

Deadline for STANISLAUS COUNTY YOUTH POET LAUREATE Contest
2023-02-27 23:59
Please check our YOUTH POET LAUREATE Contest page for all the details plus application.
Applications for the 2023 Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate open January 1, 2023!

Are you a teen? Are you SUPER into poetry? We want to hear from you!
Introducing the Inaugural process to choose a Youth Poet Laureate for Stanislaus County!
Teens ages 15–19 who reside or go to school in Stanislaus County may submit up to five original works of poetry demonstrating their commitment to the mastery of the art and craft of poetry.
RULES:
● Poems may be in any style or form.
● You must submit at least 3 poems but no more than five poems.
● Poems must be the original creative work of the poet. Plagiarism will result in immediate disqualification from this and all future Youth Poet Laureate opportunities.
● All poems must be typed. Single or double spaced, 12 pt Times New Roman preferred unless the poem’s form dictates the format (example: blackout poetry, erasures, visual poetry, spoken word, etc.)
● Brief artist statement/biography describing why you want to be a Youth Poet Laureate. Who inspired you to write poetry?
● No gratuitous violence or sexual content. No hate speech. No slander.
Submission Dates:
SUBMIT APPLICATION
JANUARY 1 – FEBRUARY 27, 2023.
Email PDF application and poem attachment per instructions on application.

IF SELECTED, POET:

will receive $500
serve a one-year term from June 1, 2023 – May 31, 2024
must be available for public appearances throughout Stanislaus County
must either live in or be enrolled in a school in Stanislaus County at time of submission and for the entire term if chosen
must attest that their work is solely their own original creative work
will work with a mentor from the Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center; display their poems in the Young Adult section of the Modesto Library and elsewhere; and will mentor others;
will write at least 3 poems during their term and present these at events to be decided

will be asked to participate in at least two poetry events in the community focusing on engaging other youth in poetry. Examples of these possible Youth Poet Laureate activities are as follows:

If they’d like to create a poetry-related project of their own, the Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center will offer assistance/support;
feature at a reading as part of the Second Tuesday Reading Series at the end of their term; and/or
write a poem for the City of Modesto’s Poet’s Corner event.

Deadline: City of Modesto Poet's Corner Contest
2023-03-24
The Parks, Recreation and Neighborhoods Department and the City of Modesto’s Poet’s Corner Committee are pleased to offer an Annual Poets’ Corner Contest. Please view the Poet’s Corner Contest Submission Form for full details.
Submissions
Poems will not be returned after the contest, so entrants should keep copies of their work.
Electronic Submissions

Include one cover page with poet’s name, address, email and title(s) of poem(s). If poet is a student, then indicate grade, school and name of teacher on the cover page.
Submit cover page and poem/poems in one file in .doc, .docx or .pdf format to the Poets Corner Contest Submission Email.

Mailed Submissions
Submit one copy of each poem along with one entry form for each poet to one of the following locations:

Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center, C/O Poet’s Corner Contest, PO Box 578940, Modesto, CA, 95353
McHenry Museum, C/O Poet’s Corner Contest,1402 I Street, Modesto, CA, 95354

Printed Entry Form and Contest Rules
May be picked up at the following locations:

Parks, Recreation & Neighborhoods Department Office – 1010 Tenth Street Place, Suite 4400
McHenry Museum – 1402 I Street
McHenry Mansion Visitor’s Center and Gift Shop – 924 15th Street
Stanislaus County Library – 1500 I Street

Deadline
Entries must be postmarked by Friday, March 24, 2023 or submitted electronically by 11:59 pm on Friday, March 24, 2023.
Requirements
The contest is open to all Stanislaus County residents.
Categories

General: Any kind of poetry on any subject, rhymed or unrhymed. Free verse and form welcome. Group of three haiku accepted as one entry.
Special: “Renewal: How do we restore and renew ourselves and our community after years of pandemic? How do we individually and collectively allow ourselves the space to mourn and feel what has been lost while holding optimism and being open to possibility? What might renewal look like in nature, ourselves, our families, and our communities? What does it feel like to be hopeful, imagine a better world, and create the future?”

Entry Limitations

Two poems per person
Each poem may not exceed 32 lines
All entries must be typed on standard 8.5″ x 11″ paper, double-spaced, in standard font
Entries must be unpublished at the time of submission
Entries may be two of one category or one of each category
At the top of each poem, indicate contest category and, if under the age of 18, grade in school
Do not put name of poet on any submitted poem: put name on cover page or entry form only
No plagiarism or offensive language.

Contest Winners
Contest winners will be notified by email (or mail, when email is unavailable). Poets will be invited to read their winning poems on Sunday, June 4, 2023 at 1:00 PM at the McHenry Museum, followed by light refreshments.
Winning poems will be printed in a booklet that will be placed in the Poets’ Bookshelf, which contains published works by local writers and will be kept at the McHenry Museum. Each winner will receive a copy of the booklet.

City of Modesto Poet's Corner Reading/Reception
2023-06-04 13:00 - 15:00 | McHenry Museum, 1402 14th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
Join us at McHenry Museum on Sunday, June 4 at 1 pm for a reading featuring the winners of the 2023 Poet’s Corner Contest, sponsored by the City of Modesto.
For contest information, please visit the City of Modesto Poet’s Corner page. (Contest info will be updated soon.)

Poetry Out Loud - Informational Meetings on Zoom
2023-10-25 14:30 - 17:00 | Zoom
Bring Poetry Out Loud to your school!
Poetry Out Loud is a national poetry Recitation Contest for high
school students that starts at the school level with students
memorizing and reciting poems. School winners move on to the
county contest run by Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center in early
February 2024. The finalist there goes on to the state contest in
Sacramento in March, 2024.
Please attend one of these informational Zoom meetings to find out
more: Wednesday, October 25 at 2:45 and at 3:45. (Same meeting,
two different times for your convenience.)
https://us02web.zoom.us/i/87048923866?
pwd=[REDACTED]
This link can also be found at www.mostpoetry.org, the website of
Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center. Contact us with any questions.

Deadline to apply for Youth Poet Laureate
2024-01-27
Young poets: Don’t forget to apply for the Youth Poet Laureate contest by January 27, 2024. Open to poets ages 15-19 who live or attend school in Stanislaus County and who will reside in the area through the youth poet laureate term (June 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025). All details at the Youth Poet Laureate contest page.
Deadline is 11:59 pm on Saturday, January 27, 2024.

Aileen Jaffa Contest Awards Ceremony
2024-05-11 14:00 - 15:00 | Carnegie Arts Center, 250 N. Broadway, Turlock, CA, 95380, United States
Join us at the Carnegie Arts Center on Saturday, May 11 at 2:00 pm to celebrate our youth contest winners! Presented by the North American League of American Pen Women, Modesto Branch, in partnership with MoSt Poetry.

City of Modesto Poets' Corner Reading & Reception
2024-05-19 13:00 - 15:30 | McHenry Museum, 1402 14th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
Join us at the McHenry Museum for a reception and reading for the annual Poets’ Corner contest.
When: Sunday, May 19, 2024
Where: McHenry Museum
Time: 1:00 pm
A copy of the Poets’ Corner anthology will be available to contributors.
Presented by the City of Modesto with assistance from the Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center

City of Modesto Poets' Corner contest deadline
2025-04-04
The Parks, Recreation and Neighborhoods Department and the City of Modesto’s Poets’ Corner Committee are pleased to offer an Annual Poets’ Corner Contest.

Entries Due byFriday, April 4, 2025.

Contest Winners

Winners will be notified by email (or mail, when email is unavailable.)

Poets will be invited to read their winning poems on Sunday, June 1, 2025 at 1:00 P.M. at the McHenry Museum, followed by light refreshments.

Winning poems will be printed in a booklet that will be placed in the Poets’ Bookshelf, which contains published works by local writers and will be kept at the McHenry Museum. Each winner will receive a copy of the booklet.

Who May Enter

Rules

Submissions

Deadline

Poets of any age who reside in Stanislaus County

General: Any kind of poetry on any subject, unrhymed or rhymed. Free verse and formal poetry is welcome. Group of three haiku accepted as one entry.

Special: The Natural World — beautiful, destructive, sustaining. Write about nature — the wildness of it, the beauty of it, how it inspires and moves us, or how it can destroy with thoughtless abandon.

City of Modesto Poets' Corner Reading & Reception
2025-06-01 13:00 - 15:00 | McHenry Museum, 1402 14th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
The Parks, Recreation and Neighborhoods Department and the City of Modesto’s Poets’ Corner Committee are pleased to offer an Annual Poets’ Corner Contest.
Contest Winners
Poets will be invited to read their winning poems on Sunday, June 1, 2025 at 1:00 P.M. at the McHenry Museum, followed by light refreshments.
Winning poems will be printed in a booklet that will be placed in the Poets’ Bookshelf, which contains published works by local writers and will be kept at the McHenry Museum. Each winner will receive a copy of the booklet.
Winners will be notified by email (or mail, when email is unavailable.)
For more info go to https://www.modestogov.com/558/Poets-Corner-Contest

Mini Workshop for Teen Poets: How to Write a Tiny Poem
2025-12-13 13:00 - 13:30
Woven Words Tiny Poem Contest: Teen Voices from the Central Valley, presented by MoSt Poetry’s Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate program, is now open for submissions from Stanislaus County high school students grades 9-12.
Poets are invited to submit 1-3 very short poems (3-5 lines). The contest is free and open to anyone living in or attending high schools in Stanislaus County.
The author of the winning poem in each of the five categories wins $50. Poets are also invited to submit poems to the anthology without connecting them to the contest themes. The contest deadline is January 31, 2026. Stanislaus County YPL Valentina Zeff will weave the short submissions together to create one book-length poem, to be published as an anthology and distributed to participants.
Zeff will be conducting a mini-workshop on writing a tiny poem and will discuss the contest on Saturday, December 13, 202, at 1:00 pm on Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81498958531
The Stanislaus Youth Poet Laureate program is presented by MoSt Poetry in partnership with SCOE, Stanislaus County Library, MJC’s School of Language Arts & Education and the Library & Learning Center, and the Stanislaus Library Foundation.
