Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center

Fourth Annual Modesto Poetry Festival with Troy Jollimore and Heather Altfeld
2016-02-06 09:00 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1528 Oakdale Road, Modesto, CA, 95355, United States
The Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center is proud to announce its 4th Annual Poetry Festival featuring workshops with special guests Troy Jollimore and Heather Altfeld, luncheon, and poetry contest. 9:30 am – 4 pm at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1528 Oakdale Road, Modesto.
$30 for MoSt members; $35 for non-members. (Hint: you should join.)
*Participants are encouraged to pre-register, but may register at the door. Doors open at 9 am.For questions about the festival, please email info@mostpoetry.org. For questions concerning the poetry contest, please email Louise Kantro at kantro@sbcglobal.net.
See our flier and contest/registration forms.

Poetry on Sunday Series @ Carnegie
2016-02-28 14:00 - 16:00 | Carnegie Arts Center, Gemperle Gallery, 250 N. Broadway Ave., Turlock, CA, United States
Come join us at the Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock for our next installment of the quarterly Poetry on Sunday series, featuring Angela Morales Salinas, Nancy Haskett, Sarah Haskett, and Katy Brown. This event is FREE and open to the public, with an open mic following the reading. Join us in celebrating the spoken word!
Download the PDF flyer here.

Poet and photographer Katy Brown, whose work frequently appears on Medusa’s Kitchen Blogspot and Convergence, has won awards in The Ina Coolbrith Circle, The Berkeley Poets’ Dinner, and The International Dance Poetry Competition. Her poetry has been in Brevities, Rattlesnake Review, The Song of San Joaquin, Poetalk, Persimmon Tree, and Harpstrings, as well as in several anthologies such as Sacramento Voices, Entering, and Fog and Woodsmoke. Other writing credits include, automobile humor, greeting cards, a multiple-ending book, a poetry workbook, and a series of short mysteries for young readers. Her secret power is that she can catch a lizard with a blade of grass.
Nancy Haskett has been writing since she was in high school. An educator for over 30 years, she retired in 2011 and is an active member of the poetry community in Modesto, CA. She is a member of the Ina Coolbrith Circle, MoSt (Modesto Stanislaus Poetry Center), National League of American Penwomen and other local writing groups. Nancy has presented her poetry at the Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock, CA and has been published in many places, including the anthology More than Soil, More than Sky; Stanislaus Connections; Penumbra; Homestead Review; Iodine Press; Song of the San Joaquin; The Pen Woman, and more. In her spare time, Nancy enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her family.
Sarah Haskett is the daughter of an English teacher and an artist; surrounded by these inspirations, she has, not surprisingly, been writing poetry since she was a child. She is a high school English Honors and Creative Writing teacher, and therefore much of her inspiration to write comes from her classroom, as well as the injustices of society. Having recently graduated as a Master in Teaching for Social Justice, Sarah finds ways to meld her passion for writing with her passion for bringing awareness to those social issues. Her writings have been published by Modesto Poet’s Corner, Stanislaus Connections, and the booklet she publishes with her Creative Writing students each year. In her almost non-existent spare time, she likes to travel and hike with her husband and their two dogs, Ringo and Whiskey.
Angela Morales Salinas is a retired kindergarten teacher who writes poetry for love. She has been published locally in Penumbra, Something So Write, Stanislaus Connections, and hardpan.
Angela states, “I came to this country speaking nothing but Spanish. When I went to school, I quickly learned to speak English. I fell in love with how two languages could work together to create something unique. I have been in the San Joaquin Valley for most of my life, starting at the very southern end, Kern County, and making my way slowly but surely up north. I have chosen to work in a neighborhood that many people do not like to think about. I understand. It is hard to look at want and fear because if you are not careful that is all you will see. You have to be able to look past that and see the absolute joy and hope that is there beneath the surface. This crazy mix of languages, people, and ideas has been my inspiration. There is beauty in the ugliness, and harshness masks a gentleness that’s also there. If I can give voice to what our valley is trying to tell us, I will have done I think, what I was sent to do. But to accomplish this I know I must listen carefully, look deeply and allow love to guide my voice.”

Second Tuesday @ Barkin' Dog
2016-03-08 18:00 - 20:00 | Barkin’ Dog Grill, 940 11th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
The Second Tuesday Reading Series continues with featured readers Julia Levine and Linda Prather. 6:00 at the Barkin’ Dog Grill — more info to come!

Poetry for Peace and Justice
2016-04-29 18:00 - 20:00 | Peer Recovery Art Gallery, 1222 J Street, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
A Free Community Event at the Peer Recovery Art Gallery, 1222 J Street Modesto CA 95354.
Come listen to original poems, spoken word, music by local artists and peace readings from thought leaders, hosted by The Modesto Peace Life Center. Download the PDF flyer for more information.

Second Tuesday @ Barkin' Dog
2016-05-10 18:00 - 20:00 | Barkin’ Dog Grill, 940 11th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
Join us for our monthly reading series featuring fantastic local poets and an open mic following the reading!

35th Annual Poets' Corner Celebration
2016-05-15 13:00 - 15:00 | McHenry Museum, 1402 14th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
A reading to celebrate the 35th annual Poets’ Corner contest from the City of Modesto; 1:00 at the McHenry Museum.

Poetry on Sunday @ Carnegie
2016-05-22 14:00 - 16:00 | Carnegie Arts Center, Gemperle Gallery, 250 N. Broadway Ave., Turlock, CA, United States
This very special reading will feature the winning youth poets from the Aileen Jaffa Poetry Contest, administered by MoSt and the Modesto Chapter of the National League of American Pen Women. Please join us! Download the PDF flyer here.
Read more about the competition on our Contests page.

Second Tuesday @ Barkin' Dog
2016-07-12 18:00 - 20:00 | Barkin’ Dog Grill, 940 11th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
Join us for our monthly reading series and open mic at the Barkin’ Dog Grill in Modesto! This month’s featured readers will include MoSt secretary Tom Portwood and Susan Kelly DeWitt.
Tom Portwood is a founding member of the Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center, and serves on its board as its Secretary. His poems have appeared in Modesto Poets Corner, Stanislaus Connections, hardpan, Many More, Describing the Depths, and Song of the San Joaquin, as well as More than Soil, More than Sky: the Modesto Poets anthology. By the Pond is his first chapbook.
Susan Kelly-DeWitt is the author of Spider Season (Cold River Press, 2016) and nine previous poetry collections, including The Fortunate Islands (Marick Press, 2008). A former Wallace Stegner fellow, her work has appeared in numerous anthologies and journals at home and abroad. She has also been featured at Wordstock, and on Writer’s Almanac, Verse Daily, and Ted Kooser’s American Life in Poetry. For more information, please visit her website at www.susankelly-dewitt.com.

Second Tuesday @ Barkin' Dog
2016-08-09 18:00 - 20:00 | Barkin’ Dog Grill, 940 11th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
Join us for our monthly reading series and open mic following the reading! This month’s featured poets include Mai Der Vang and members of the Hmong American Writers’ Circle.

Poetry on Sunday @ Carnegie
2016-08-28 14:00 - 17:00 | Carnegie Arts Center, Gemperle Gallery, 250 N. Broadway Ave., Turlock, CA, United States
Come join us at the Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock for our next installment of the quarterly Poetry on Sunday series, featuring Laura Bayliss, Pat Egenberger, Lynn M. Hansen, and Jennifer Lagier. This event is FREE and open to the public, with an open mic following the reading. Join us in celebrating the spoken word!
Click here to download the PDF flyer.
Laura Bayless is the author of three collections of poetry, The Edge of the Nest, White Streams and Touchstones, and Persistent Dreams. Her poems have appeared in local and national publications, and anthologies, including Dancing on the Brink of the World, Selected Poems of Point Lobos, Porter Gulch Review, The Homestead Review, and Blue Heron. She is co-editor of an award-winning compilation of stories and poems about the Carmel River – Passion for Place. She participated in seven Women’s Voices readings at the Carl Cherry Center in Carmel and multiple Women and Food art and poetry presentations on the Monterey Peninsula. “In the practice of writing poems I find what has been waiting for me, what sheds another layer of pretense. I am uplifted, enriched, reconciled, and reminded of all that I do not know. I cast my poems to itinerant winds, unquestioning of where they might reseed in the meadow of another heart.”
Pat Egenberger‘s first published poems appeared in the early 1970’s in Original Works, a multi-language journal. Locally, Song of the san Joaquin, Modesto Poets’ Corner, and Between Sheets have published her poems over the years. Her work was included in the anthology More Than Soil More Than Sky, the Modesto Poets. Other publications include Spirit of the Rose Journal, Women Talking, Women Listening, and Medicine Jug. Pat taught for about 38 years in public schools–middle school through university–various subjects, such as English, foreign languages, art/drama electives, and video production. She enjoys learning foreign languages, exploring various art media, doing volunteer work, and spending special time with grandchildren. She lives in Modesto with her husband of 49 years, Leroy.
Lynn M. Hansen, author of Flicker, Poems by Lynn M. Hansen, has lived in the Modesto, California area since 1955. Her roots are rural as reflected in her poetry celebrating Valley living. A naturalist and trained biologist she uses her poetry to immortalize natural environments like vernal pools and grasslands special to the Central Valley. She is Past President of the Modesto Chapter of National League of American Pen Women, a founding member of MoSt Poetry Center, a member and 2014 Grand Prize winner of the Ina Coolbrith Circle’s annual Poets’ Dinner Contest. Her poems have appeared in The Pen Woman; More Than Soil, More Than Sky, an Anthology of the Modesto Poets; Quercus Review; hardpan; and Song of the San Joaquin, among others. She lives with her husband Richard Anderson in Modesto, California not far from the Tuolumne River, lifeblood for Valley farmers and spawning salmon.
Jennifer Lagier has published ten books and in literary magazines. She taught with California Poets in the Schools, co-edits the Homestead Review, helps coordinate monthly Monterey Bay Poetry Consortium Second Sunday readings. Forthcoming books: Harbingers (Blue Light Press), Scene of the Crime (Evening Street Press), Camille Abroad (FutureCycle). Website: http://jlagier.net

Modesto Poet Laureate @ Queen Bean
2016-09-06 19:00 - 21:00 | Queen Bean Coffee House, 1126 14th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
Our new Modesto Poet Laureate (and founding Board member of MoSt) Stella Beratlis will be featured in the Queen Bean’s poetry reading series this month! Join us and show your support for poetry in the community.

Second Tuesday @ Barkin' Dog
2016-09-13 18:00 - 20:00 | Barkin’ Dog Grill, 940 11th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
Join us for our monthly reading series and open mic following the reading! This month’s featured poets are from awg.

U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera
2016-09-18 15:00 - 16:30 | Carnegie Arts Center, 250 N. Broadway, Turlock, CA, 95380, United States
United States Poet Laureate, Juan Felipe Herrera, is coming to the Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock, and we could not be more excited.
Mr. Herrera will give a reading on Sunday, September 18 at 3:00 P.M. Seating is limited for the event, so please purchase your tickets soon. Individual tickets are $25 general, $20 for Carnegie Arts Center and MoSt members, and $15 for students. A select group of premium tickets are available for $50 and will include a pre-lecture reception (starting at 2 P.M.) and book signing with the author.
Tickets can be purchased at the link below.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/juan-felipe-herrera-reading-tickets-25586839927

Great Valley Bookfest
2016-10-08 10:00 - 16:00 | Bass Pro Center, 280 Lifestyle Road, Manteca, CA, 95337, United States
Come and see MoSt members and a panoply of authors from the Central Valley and beyond!
Celebrate the fun of reading with author talks, autographs, cooking demos, workshops, costume parade, contests, vendors, and books, books, books! — Admission is free!
MoSt president Gillian Wegener and board member Linda Scheller will be reading in the Poets’ Corner, and MoSt board member and treasurer Sarah Stevenson will be presenting in the afternoon on the Mystery! Thriller! Romance! stage. Dozens of authors will be available all day, chatting with readers and selling books in the Author Alley.
Take some time out on a Saturday to celebrate the love of reading! For more information, visit the Great Valley Bookfest website.
The Great Valley Bookfest is held at:
The Promenade Shops at Orchard Valley (aka Bass Pro Center)
Highway 120 at Union Rd exit
280 Lifestyle Road
Manteca, CA 95337

Second Tuesday @ Barkin' Dog
2016-10-11 18:00 - 20:00 | Barkin’ Dog Grill, 940 11th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
Come join us at the Second Tuesday reading series at the Barkin’ Dog Grill! This month, our poets are Jerry Fleming and Melchor Sagahun, and as always, you are invited to stay for the open mic after the reading.
Also, we are giving away tickets to this year’s Ill List Poetry Slam! But you have to be here to win…so don’t miss this one!

Poetry Reading at the Library
2016-10-29 14:00 - 16:00 | Stanislaus County Library, 1500 I Street, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
On Saturday, October 29 at 2:00 at the downtown Modesto library, there will be a poetry reading! Modesto Poet Laureate Stella Beratlis and former Poet Laureate Gillian Wegener will be reading with Bay Area poets Rosa Lane and Nina Lindsay. Stay after the reading for a Q&A and book signing.
All four poets have books published by Sixteen Rivers Press. Join us for a great afternoon!

Second Tuesday @ Barkin' Dog *Date Change
2016-11-15 18:00 - 20:00 | Barkin’ Dog Grill, 940 11th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
Our usual Second Tuesday reading is being held a week later — same time, same place — with Modesto Poet Laureate Stella Beratlis and Alice Anderson. Come join us for a reading followed by our usual open mic!

Poetry on Sunday @ Carnegie
2016-12-04 14:00 - 17:00 | Carnegie Arts Center, Gemperle Gallery, 250 N. Broadway Ave., Turlock, CA, United States
Our Poetry on Sunday quarterly reading series at Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock continues on December 4th at 2 pm–feel free to print and distribute the flyer, available as a PDF right here.
Featured readers:
Stella Beratlis is the author of Alkali Sink (Sixteen Rivers Press, 2015) and co-editor of the collection More Than Soil, More Than Sky: The Modesto Poets. Alkali Sink was a nominee for the Northern California Book Award in poetry this year. Stella was also very recently appointed Modesto Poet Laureate for the 2016-2018 term. She lives in the Central Valley and works as a public librarian in Tracy.
Rhony Bhopla was born in London and raised in California. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Sacramento Poetry Center, is the editor of Poetry Now, and moderates a weekly poetry workshop at the Sacramento Library. Rhony holds a Bachelor of Science with a minor in Comparative Literature from the University of California, Davis, and a multiple-subject teaching credential from San Francisco State University. Her work appears in: Medusa’s Kitchen, Brevities, Sacramento Voices, Flumes, among others. Ceremony, Rhony’s chapbook, includes reveries on ancestral themes.
debee loyd lives in modesto, writing, making music, teaching and reaching to put eager fingers on faux-ivory keys. Gathering inspiration from everywhere.
creds: one chapbook, noon, twilight, midnight, published by Kathy Kieth, Rattlesnake Press, 2005
time in the poet laureate box for the city of modesto
hours and fortunes spent chasing elusive spaces in my brain where the best poetry hides. Finally decided to excavate on my own.
“poems visit like rain. Am always waiting for the next downpour”.
Gillian Wegener has had poetry published in Spillway, Packinghouse Review, Sow’s Ear, and Wherewithal. Her chapbook Lifting One Foot, Lifting the Other was published by In the Grove Press in 2001, and her first full-length collection of poetry, The Opposite of Clairvoyance was published in 2008 by Sixteen Rivers Press. Her second collection, This Sweet Haphazard, will be published in early 2017. In the meantime, she hosts the monthly 2nd Tuesday Reading Series, is founding president of the Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center, and served as poet laureate for the City of Modesto from 2012-2016.

Second Tuesday @ Barkin' Dog
2017-01-10 18:00 - 20:00 | Barkin’ Dog Grill, 940 11th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
Join us at the Barkin’ Dog for the January edition of the Second Tuesday Reading Series. Our featured readers will wow and inspire us with their work, and our Most Excellent Open Mic will knock your socks off.
Susan Cohen is the author of two poetry chapbooks and two full-length collections, including A Different Wakeful Animal, winner of the 2015 Meadowhawk Prize from Red Dragonfly Press and finalist for half a dozen other awards. Stephen Dunn wrote: “There are pleasures in almost every poem in Susan Cohen’s excellent A Different Wakeful Animal, pleasures that arise out of an alertness to the natural world, and the original phrasing she seeks and regularly finds.” She earned an MFA after a career as a journalist, and lives in Berkeley.
Paul Neumann‘s first book of poetry was published in 2003. His second collection, This Valley, appeared in 2013 and was informed by his love for the land and the people in the Central Valley. Beginnings and Endings, his most recent collection,begins with a series of poems inspired by the birth of his granddaughter, Mary. The last segment of the book examines issues of aging, a subject influenced by his own sense of mortality.

Writers Resist: Modesto Louder!
2017-01-15 18:30 - 21:00 | Prospect Theater Project, 1214 K Street, Modesto, CA, United States
Official Press Release:
MODESTO WRITERS JOIN NATIONWIDE EFFORT TO “RE-INAUGURATE” DEMOCRACY
“Writers Resist” Event Planned Locally
for January 15th, 2017
MODESTO, California, December 31, 2016 — A recent Facebook post unleashed a nationwide movement of writers organizing and promoting independent “Writers Resist” events to reclaim democracy planned for January 15, 2017.
The flagship Writers Resist event, founded by poet Erin Bilieu and co-sponsored by PEN America, will feature famous literary figures braving January weather on the steps of the Public Library in New York City to read historic and contemporary writings on the ideals of democracy and free expression. Additional Writers Resist events, are being held in Boston, Los Angeles, Oakland, Austin, Portland, Omaha, Seattle, London, Zurich, Hong Kong, and many more cities.
Locally, the City of Modesto’s poet laureate, Stella Beratlis—along with writer Shanyn Vitti Avila and poet Elizabeth Sousa—is organizing Writers Resist: Modesto in response to concern during the recent Presidential campaign over public cynicism, disdain for truthfulness, and the unleashing of hatred and bigotry. Beratlis, a longtime member of the League of Women Voters of Stanislaus County, wanted to present an event which might galvanize Modesto audiences to become active in the civic life of the community, support nonprofits that address social justice issues, and network with like-minded people while having fun.
Thirty readers, including Lillian Vallee, Manny Moreno, Trudy Wischemann, Sam Pierstorff, Flora Carter, Paula Treick DeBoard, Aishah Saleh, Nancy Maya, Chad Sokolovsky, Optimism One, and many others are scheduled to read their own work plus selections from the Constitution and from diverse voices addressing the ideals of democracy and free expression.
The Modesto event is free and open to the public and will be held at the Prospect Theater, 1214 K Street in downtown Modesto on Sunday, January 15, starting at 6:30 pm. Doors open at 6:00 pm. Organizers will be raising funds at the event to support the work of the Modesto Peace/Life Center, specifically to help underwrite its planned radio station.
Writers and interested public who want to attend can visit www.writersresist.org for a list of cities holding readings. To contact local organizers, please write to writersresistmodesto@gmail.com or call 209-613-9283
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Writers Resist (www.writersresist.org) is a national network of writers driven to #WriteOurDemocracy by defending the ideals of a free, just and compassionate democratic society. #WritersResist

5th Annual Modesto Poetry Festival
2017-02-04 09:30 - 16:00 | St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1528 Oakdale Road, Modesto, CA, 95355, United States
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 Susan Wooldridge 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. Across the Generations; 2. Rivers and Streams; 3. Fault Lines; 4. Polarities / Attractions. Submissions to the poetry contest must be postmarked by the CONTEST DEADLINE: JANUARY 11, 2017. Please see the form for more information.
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Second Tuesday @ Barkin' Dog
2017-02-21 18:00 - 20:00 | Barkin’ Dog Grill, 940 11th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
Due to Valentine’s Day, our February edition of Second Tuesday will be held on Tuesday, February 21st!

Poetry on Sunday @ Carnegie
2017-02-26 14:00 - 17:00 | Carnegie Arts Center, Gemperle Gallery, 250 N. Broadway Ave., Turlock, CA, United States
Our Poetry on Sunday quarterly reading series at Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock continues on December 4th at 2 pm–feel free to print and distribute the flyer, available as a PDF right here.
Featured readers:
Noel Crane began writing poetry six years ago and hasn’t stopped. Her poetry explores her childhood struggles with listlessness and excessive daydreaming. Noel has a Bachelor’s degree in English. When she’s not writing, she enjoys yoga, hiking, and plants. Noel is currently working on another degree in Horticulture.
Tom Myers is a retired elementary teacher who was raised and still lives in the Great Central Valley with his wife and assorted pets. Wild places sustain him and frame much of his poetry. He is a founding board member of MoSt. Desert Treasure is his third chapbook.
Lillian Vallee is a writer, translator, retired college instructor and amateur naturalist who lives at the center of the world, in Modesto, in California’s Great Central Valley, a region of immense riches and only partially realized potential. Vallee’s work expresses her region’s telluric mysteries, its profound failings and everyday striving for healing and wholeness.
Gillian Wegener has had poetry published in Spillway, Packinghouse Review, Sow’s Ear, and Wherewithal. Her chapbook Lifting One Foot, Lifting the Other was published by In the Grove Press in 2001, and her first full-length collection of poetry, The Opposite of Clairvoyance was published in 2008 by Sixteen Rivers Press. Her second collection, This Sweet Haphazard, will be published in early 2017. In the meantime, she hosts the monthly 2nd Tuesday Reading Series, is founding president of the Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center, and served as poet laureate for the City of Modesto from 2012-2016.

Second Tuesday @ Barkin' Dog
2017-04-11 18:00 - 20:00 | Barkin’ Dog Grill, 940 11th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
Join us for our monthly reading series and open mic at the Barkin’ Dog Grill in Modesto! This month’s reading features our own Gillian Wegener reading from her new book This Sweet Haphazard, as well as her fellow Sixteen Rivers poet Erin Rodoni, author of Body, In Good Light.

Second Tuesday @ Barkin' Dog
2017-05-09 18:00 - 20:00 | Barkin’ Dog Grill, 940 11th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
Join us for our monthly reading series and open mic at the Barkin’ Dog Grill in Modesto! This month’s reading features MoSt board member Linda Scheller celebrating her debut poetry collection, Fierce Light, out now from Future Cycle Press. Our second reader is TBA.

Aileen Jaffa Poetry Contest Awards Ceremony
2017-05-21 14:00 - 16:00 | 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.

California Poet Laureate Dana Gioia
2017-07-14 19:00 - 20:30 | Carnegie Arts Center, 250 N. Broadway, Turlock, CA, 95380, United States
MoSt is excited to announce that California Poet Laureate, Dana Gioia, will be at the Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock for a reading and conversation. This event is free and open to all, so please join us for a wonderful evening of poetry. See below for more information:

Second Tuesday @ Barkin' Dog
2017-08-08 18:00 - 20:00 | Barkin’ Dog Grill, 940 11th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
Join us for a great reading this Tuesday, August 8 at the Barkin’ Dog in downtown Modesto at 6:00. This month’s poets are Modesto’s own Gordon Preston and William O’Daly.
William O’Daly has translated eight books of poetry by Pablo Neruda, all published with Copper Canyon Press. He’ll publish his ninth book of Neruda’s poetry, Book of Twilight, with Copper Canyon in October, 2017. His collection of poems, Water Ways, was published in 2017, and his homage to Neruda, The Road to Isla Negra, in 2015, both by Folded Word Press.
Gordon Preston has appeared in Cutbank, Five Points, Miramar, Missouri Review, and Rattle. He is a founding member of MoSt, Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center. His newest publication is What Morning Brings, a mini-chapbook from Tiger’s Eye Press Infinities.

Poetry on Sunday @ Carnegie
2017-08-27 14:00 - 17:00 | Carnegie Arts Center, Gemperle Gallery, 250 N. Broadway Ave., Turlock, CA, United States
Our Poetry on Sunday quarterly reading series at Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock continues on August 27 at 2 pm–feel free to print and distribute the flyer, available as a PDF right here.
Featured readers:
Sy Margaret Baldwin was born and raised in the West Midlands of England. Presently she lives in the Sierra of California where she worked from 1992 to 2008 as a Wildlife Technician for the Stanislaus National Forest. Her poems has been published widely in literary magazines. Her poetry collection, Signal Fires, was published in 2014 by Word Project Press.
Salvatore Salerno has an M.F.A. from University of North Carolina, where he was awarded The Academy of American Poets University Prize. He worked as a poet and playwright in the Visiting Artist Program in North Carolina. More than 110 of his poems have appeared in such magazines as Descant, Poem, and Quercus Review. His poetry books are Sunleaf, Inkboat and the recently released New Wine in Old Barrels. Salvatore is a founding member of Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center.
Linda Scheller‘s writing has appeared in nearly 50 journals and anthologies including Notre Dame Review, Lone Star Legacy, Slipstream, Howling Dog, Hawaii Pacific Review, and The Distillery. FutureCycle Press recently published Ms. Scheller’s first book, Fierce Light, a collection of persona poems based on years of research into the lives and accomplishments of 36 women from world history and culture. For more information, visit her website at www.lindascheller.com.
Gillian Wegener is the author of a chapbook, Lifting One Foot, Lifting the Other (In the Grove Press, 2001), a full-length collection, The Opposite of Clairvoyance (Sixteen Rivers Press, 2008), and was a coeditor of More Than Soil, More Than Sky: The Modesto Poets (Quercus Review Press, 2011). Her most recent collection, This Sweet Haphazard, was published this year by Sixteen Rivers Press. She is founding president of the Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center, has served as poet laureate for the City of Modesto, and has run the Second Tuesday Reading Series for the past eight years. She lives in Modesto with her husband, daughter, and a button-eating dog.

Second Tuesday @ Barkin' Dog
2017-09-12 18:00 - 20:00 | Barkin’ Dog Grill, 940 11th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
September’s 2nd Tuesday Reading Series is on September 12 at 6:00 at the Barkin’ Dog! Our featured poets are Erica Goss and Ed Coletti.
Erica Goss served as Poet Laureate of Los Gatos, California from 2013-2016. She is the author of Night Court (2014, Pushpen Press) and Vibrant Words: Ideas and Inspirations for Poets (2012, Finishing Line Press) Her latest poetry collection, Wild Place, won the 2016 Lyrebird Prize from Glass Lyre Press. Widely published, Erica was the host of Word to Word, a Show About Poetry, on KCAT Cable TV in Los Gatos, and wrote The Third Form, a column about video poetry, for Connotation Press. She is the co-founder of Media Poetry Studio, a poetry-and-film camp for teen girls. Erica lives in Eugene, Oregon, and teaches classes in poetry and video.
Ed Coletti is a poet, painter, fiction writer and middling chess player. Recent poems have appeared in The Brooklyn Rail, North American Review, Volt, Spillway, and Blueline. Most recent poetry collection The Problem With Breathing (Edwin Smith Publishing –Little Rock- 2015). Ed also curates the popular ten-year-old blog “No Money In Poetry.” He lives with his wife Joyce in Santa Rosa, California.
