Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center

Youth Poet Laureate: Speak Your Silence poetry open mic
2023-12-16 13:30 - 15:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Turlock Library, 550 N. Minaret Ave, Turlock, 95382, United States
Speak Your Silence is a reading on December 16, 2023 at the Turlock Library in remembrance of Sandy Hook (Dec. 14 is the Sandy Hook Day of Remembrance).

Speak Your Silence, a student-led campaign organized by Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate Faith Delgado, is intended to address and combat all types of violence that occurs in the schools. Youth poets are invited to share their stories and/or experiences in the form of poetry, slam poetry, speeches, spoken word, etc. This can be about sexual or physical violence, any kind of bullying, and/or your experience of how the school handled it. work on the topic of school violence. For middle- and high-schoolers; original work please.

Feel free to contact Faith at faithd@mostpoetry.org for any questions about the event!

Painless Poetry for Teens: Learn about the Stanislaus Youth Poet Laureate Contest
2024-01-13 14:00 - 15:00 | Turlock Library, 550 N. Minaret Ave, Turlock, 95382, United States
January 13, 2024. Future Youth Poets Laureate, Unite! In this first gathering, learn about the Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate program and learn tips for completing the contest application, which is due Jan. 27. Read on to find out about this monthly series.

Painless Poetry: Workshops for Aspiring Teen Poets/Spoken Word Performers
Join Faith Delgado, 2023-24 Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate, in a series of informal gatherings to explore the world of spoken word and performance poetry. Watch inspiring spoken word performances, learn about and practice spoken word technique, and socialize with fellow writers, poets, and performers. Light refreshments served. All events start at 2 pm and are held in the Turlock Library Makerspace. In partnership with the Stanislaus County Library.
January 13, 2024. Future Youth Poets Laureate, Unite! In this first gathering, learn about the Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate program and learn tips for completing the contest application, which is due Jan. 27.
February 24, 2024. Spoken Word: Learn from the Masters. Let’s view iconic spoken word performances and talk about what makes them so great.
March 16, 2024. Spittin’ Bars: Spoken Word/Performance Strategies. How do you inhabit the space on stage when performing a piece? How about holding a microphone and reading from a page? Let’s share strategies and explore what might work for us.
April 20, 2024. Spittin’ Bars Part 2/Open Mic Performance. Show off what you’ve been working on all these months!

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.

Painless Poetry for Teen Poets: Performance Strategies
2024-03-16 14:00 - 15:30 | Turlock Library, 550 N. Minaret Ave, Turlock, 95382, United States
Painless Poetry: A Workshop for Aspiring Teen Poets – Performance Strategies
Turlock Library in the Maker Space

How do you inhabit the space on stage when performing a piece? How about holding a microphone and reading from a page? Join Faith Delgado, 2023-24 Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate, who will share strategies and explore what might work while performing spoken word poetry. This program is presented in partnership with Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center (MoSt)

Sponsored by Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center

Youth Poet Laureate's Painless Poetry: Open Mic Performance
2024-04-20 14:00 - 15:30 | Turlock Library, 550 N. Minaret Ave, Turlock, 95382, United States
Saturday, Apr. 20, 2 pm

Join Faith Delgado, 2023-24 Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate, in this final installment of Painless Poetry. Come show off what you’ve been working on these past months! Connect with Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate Faith Delgado if you’d like more information: faithd@mostpoetry.org

Light refreshments will be served while they last.

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.

Poetry Reading and Open Mic featuring Youth Poet Laureate Zoe Byron
2024-11-23 12:00 - 13:00 | Oakdale Library, 151 South First Avenue, Oakdale, CA, 95361, United States
Please join Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center and Stanislaus County Library at a poetry reading and open mic at the Oakdale Library, featuring Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate Zoe Byron. Bring a poem—your own or a favorite–to share at open mic. Reading starts at 12:00; free and open to all.
Zoe, a student at Oakdale High School, was selected by a panel of judges to serve as the county’s second Youth Poet Laureate. The Youth Poet Laureate program is a partnership between MoSt Poetry, Stanislaus County Library, SCOE, and MJC’s School of Language Arts & Education. For more info: ypl@mostpoetry.org.

Second Tuesday: Members' Holiday Open Mic & Potluck
2024-12-10 18:00 - 19:30 | The Dragonfly Art for Life, 1210 J Street, Modesto, CA, 95350, United States
The Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center presents Second Tuesday: Members’ Holiday Open Mic and Potluck. Bring a dish to share, and help us celebrate 15 years of bringing poetry to the community through our Second Tuesday series. If you’re not a MoSt member yet, you are warmly encouraged to attend and join us at the door.
On Tuesday, December 10 at the Dragonfly Art for Life, 1210 J Street, Modesto CA 95354.
MoSt Poetry is proud to serve our community with free poetry events, including the Second Tuesday Poetry series, Poetry on Saturdays at the Carnegie Arts Center, Free Summer Poetry Workshops at the Library, New Year’s Poetry Challenge, Poetry Everywhere initiative at Stanislaus County K-12 public schools, and more. Programs we administer or in which we partner include Poetry Out Loud, Aileen Jaffa Youth Poetry Contest, Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate, and the City of Modesto’s Poets’ Corner Contest.
On Facebook, Instagram, and Threads: @mostpoetry.

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.

Stanislaus Cty Youth Poet Laureate Reading & Open Mic with Zoe Byron
2025-04-19 12:00 - 13:30 | Nick W. Blom Salida Regional Library Branch, 4835 Sisk Road, Salida, 95368, United States
Join Zoe Byron, 2024-2025 Youth Poet Laureate of Stanislaus County, as she reads poems in celebration of National Poetry Month. Be sure to bring a poem or two to share at the Open Mic, following Zoe’s reading. They don’t have to be poems you’ve written! Just come have some fun with us.
At the Salida Library, April 19 at noon.

Youth Poet Laureate Send-Off Reading & Open Mic: Zoe Byron
2025-05-17 13:00 - 15:00 | Oakdale Library, 151 South First Avenue, Oakdale, CA, 95361, United States
Please join us as we bid a fond farewell to 2024-2025 Youth Poet Laureate Zoe Byron, whose tenure as youth laureate is complete at the end of May. She’s the second ever Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate and has done a beautiful job representing the voice of youth through her poems.
This final reading will take place at the Oakdale Public Library, 151 S. First Avenue, Oakdale CA 95361. Please bring a poem to share at open mic! Reading starts at 1:00 p.m. in the Community Room just inside the front entrance.

Welcome 2025-2026 Youth Poet Laureate: Reading & Reception
2025-05-31 13:00 - 14:00 | Modesto Junior College West Campus, 2201 Blue Gum Avenue, Modesto, CA, 95358, United States
We’ll be celebrating our incoming youth poet laureate, Valentina Zeff, at a reading/reception at Modesto Junior College’s Science Community Center. Come listen to a few poems, meet youth poets, and learn about the youth poet laureate program.
Valentina 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.
Please welcome our incoming Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate, Valentina Zeff!
The Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate program is administered by Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center (MoSt Poetry) with partners MJC Library & Learning Center & MJC School of Language Arts & Education, Stanislaus County Office of Education, Stanislaus County Library, and Stanislaus Library Foundation.

Author Bio Workshop & Youth Poet Laureate Q & A
2025-10-25 13:00 - 13:30 | Zoom
Mini Author Biography Workshop & Youth Poet Laureate Q & A
Valentina Zeff, current Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate, answers your questions!
Join us on Saturday, October 25, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. as Youth Poet Laureate Valentina Zeff shares tips on how to write an author bio. This is great to have when you’re submitting poems to anthologies and poetry journals, entering poetry contests, and when you’ve been asked to feature at a poetry reading.
Feel free to drop in and meet Valentina and learn about the Woven Words: Teen Voices from the Central Valley Anthology and how you can submit poems for that.
Zoom Meeting Link

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.

Mini-Workshop for Teens: Write a Tiny Poem - Contest Deadline Jan. 31
2026-01-17 13:00 - 14:00
Mini Workshop & Youth Poet Laureate Q & A
Valentina Zeff, current Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate, answers your questions!
Teens are invited to join Valentina on Zoom on one (or both!) of these two dates: Saturday, January 17 and Saturday, January 24, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. Valentina shares great tips on how to write a tiny poem for the Woven Words Teen Contest.
Then you can easily submit your poems to our contest! Deadline for that is January 31, 2026.
Feel free to drop in and meet Valentina and learn about the Woven Words: Teen Voices from the Central Valley Anthology.

January 17 Zoom Meeting
January 24 Zoom Meeting

Write a Tiny Poem Workshop Postponed until February--date TBA
2026-01-31 13:00 - 14:00
Mini Workshop & Youth Poet Laureate Q & A

Zoom workshop has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstance. Please return to this page to see future workshops during the month of February!
WOVEN WORDS Youth Poetry Contest deadline extended: February 28, 2026.

Valentina Zeff, current Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate, answers your questions!

Join us on Saturday, January 24, 2026 January 31, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. as Youth Poet Laureate Valentina Zeff shares tips on how to write a tiny poem for the Woven Words Teen Contest.

Then you can easily submit your poems to our contest!

Feel free to drop in and meet Valentina and learn about the Woven Words: Teen Voices from the Central Valley Anthology and how you can submit poems for the contest.

Write a Tiny Poem: Workshop with Youth Poet Laureate Valentina Zeff
2026-02-28 13:00 | Zoom
Tiny Poem Workshop With Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate Valentina Zeff. All are welcome!
Learn how to write a tiny poem + enjoy a Q&A with the Youth Poet Laureate. Find out how to submit your poems to the contest. The Woven Words Tiny Poem Contest is FREE and open to teens who live in or attend high school in Stanislaus County. The contest is a publication opportunity–the entries will be woven into a larger poem and published in a book, and we will celebrate together a bit later in the spring!
PLUS YOU CAN WIN PRIZES–top poem in each theme wins $50. Note: all poems will be accepted for publication. Please see contest guidelines for details.
Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85093492645

Aileen Jaffa Young Poets Contest Deadline
2026-04-03
Co-sponsored by Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center and National League of American Pen Women, Modesto Chapter
Cash awards will be given in each of four categories: K-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12
Stanislaus County students in grades K-12 can submit up to 3 poems with an entry fee] of $1 per poem. Each poem must be the student’s original creative work, 24 lines or less in any style. Submit 2 copies of each poem, one without the student’s name and one with the student’s name plus an attached entry form. Poems entered in the Aileen Jaffa Young Poets Contest cannot be simultaneously submitted to the Poets’ Corner Contest or any other poetry contest. Submissions must be postmarked by the April 3, 2026 deadline.
Please visit Aileen Jaffa Young Poets Contest for full contest rules.

Woven Words Tiny Poem Contest — Reading & Reception
2026-05-20 17:30 - 18:30 | Queen Bean Coffee House, 1126 14th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
Woven Words Tiny Poem Contest — Reading & Reception
You’re invited to a poetry reading to celebrate the publication of Woven Words, an anthology of short poems featuring the work of Stanislaus County youth poets.
Hosted by Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate Valentina Zeff
📅 Wednesday, May 20, 2026 | 5:30 PM 📍 Queen Bean Coffeehouse 1126 14th St., Modesto, CA 95350

About the Program
The Stanislaus County Youth Poet Laureate program is administered by Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center (MoSt Poetry) with partners MJC Library & Learning Center & MJC School of Language Arts & Education, Stanislaus County Office of Education, Stanislaus County Library, and Stanislaus Library Foundation.
