Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center

Poetry for Peace and Justice
2016-04-29 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | 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.

MoSt Board Meeting
2016-04-28 18:30 - 20:00
Our next Board Meeting is scheduled for April 28 at 6:30 at Tom Portwood’s home. Please contact us at info (at) mostpoetry.org for more information about attending.

MoSt Annual Gala
2016-04-17 14:00 - 17:00 | Barkin’ Dog Grill, 940 11th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
Join us during our open house for food and drink, music, a silent auction, and poetry. Funds raised at this benefit will help MoSt Poetry Center to continue to bring poetry to schools, senior centers, and community organizations. Just this year, we have held our annual poetry festival in February, are working on establishing a chapbook series for local up-and-coming poets, and are partnering with the Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock to bring United States Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera to the Carnegie for a reading and workshop.
Music by Dr. David Chapman and Travis Silvers of the Modesto Junior College Music Department. Silent auction items to include gift baskets, arts and crafts, gift certificates, and more! Please contact info@mostpoetry.org if you have a silent auction item to donate.
Tickets $20 each; includes food and beverage. Tickets are available from MoSt board members, at the door, or online at Eventbrite–just click below.

Deadline: Aileen Jaffa Young Poets Contest
2016-04-15
This contest is offered as a means of encouraging young writers throughout Stanislaus County and as a way to remember poet Aileen Jaffa, the founding President of the Poets of the San Joaquin and member of the Modesto Branch of the National League of American Pen Women.
Any student enrolled in a Stanislaus County school, grades K through 12, is eligible to submit up to 3 entries, at $1 per entry. Read more and download the entry form on the Contest Page.

Deadline: Poets' Corner Contest
2016-03-11
March 11th is the deadline for this year’s Modesto Poets’ Corner contest! The guidelines are up at https://www.modestogov.com/prnd/poet_corner.asp. Share the link and let everyone and their parents know that this contest is out there!

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 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.”

MoSt Board Meeting
2016-02-25 18:30 - 19:30
We will be having a Board meeting on Thursday, Feb. 25 at 6:30 p.m. at Gillian’s house.

Fourth Annual Modesto Poetry Festival with Troy Jollimore and Heather Altfeld
2016-02-06 09:00 - 16:00 | 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.

Second Tuesday @ Barkin' Dog
2016-01-12 18:00 - 20:00 | Barkin’ Dog Grill, 940 11th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
Come to the Barkin’ Dog on Tuesday, January 12 for a great meal and some great poetry. The reading starts at 6:00 and this month will feature the terrific Kate Asche and poets from the New Year’s Poetry Challenge. Don’t miss out!
Our featured reader will be Kate Asche. Her poetry has appeared in The Missouri Review (audio online) and in Bellingham Review, RHINO, and elsewhere. Her poem “Incoming” was selected by Camille Dungy for the summer 2015 issue of Colorado Review. A graduate of the UC Davis creative writing progroma, she teaches workshops in Sacramento and is contributig editor at Under the Gum Tree. Follow her at social media and at www.kateasche.com. Her chapbook, Our Day in the Labyrinth, came out from Finishingline Press in 2015.
Also this evening, we’ll celebrate the completion of the 7th annual New Year’s Poetry Challenge and hear poems from this year’s poets! See you at the Barkin’ Dog!

Second Tuesday @ Barkin' Dog
2015-12-08 18:00 - 20:00 | Barkin’ Dog Grill, 940 11th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
The Second Tuesday Poetry Series
is happening at
the Barkin’ Dog Grill!
~~940 11th Street, Modesto~~
Join us on December 8 at 6:00p.m.
for a great reading,
and come and enjoy a great dinner too.

Ed Bearden
Ed Bearden is Modesto’s immediate past poet laureate and recipient of the 2007 literary arts award. His poetry has received three Pushcart prize nominations. He is the author of several poetry chapbooks and one full length collection, Riding the Tractor. He has also authored a book of humor and a collection of more than 80 articles published by local newspapers.
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Roberta Bearden
Roberta is a poet, a painter, and a musician. She has been writing poetry for thirty years. She recently had her first full-length poetry book On The Museum Steps published. She plays ukulele with a small band through Memorial Hospitals complimentary therapies for cancer survivors. She was selected Outstanding Woman in Stanislaus County in 1991 for her volunteer work with people with disabilities.
Our Most Excellent Open Mic will follow the featured readers, so bring a poem or two to share!
Download the PDF flyer here. For more information, email info@mostpoetry.org.

SLaM on RyE
2015-11-05, 2015-09-24 | Prospect Theater Project, 1214 K Street, Modesto, CA, United States
SLaM on RyE will return this fall with poetry slams on Thursday, September 24th and Thursday, November 5th. There will be featured poets, an open mic, cash prizes, DJ Jimmy, and lots more. All this will take place at the Prospect Theater. Ticket links are still in the works, so more on this soon!

Northern California Women’s Music Festival
2015-10-23 19:00 - 2015-10-24 23:00 | Unnamed Venue, 11th Street, Modesto, CA, United States
The Northern California Women’s Music Festival will be held on October 23rd and 24th in downtown Modesto. This includes the poetry portion of the event with readings by the winners of the poetry contest and the launch of the chapbook honoring this festival. Buy your tickets now. Info at www.northerncaliforniawomensmusicfestival.com.

Tuolumne Writers Retreat
2015-09-25 08:00 - 2015-09-27 17:00 | Columbia State Historic Park, 11255 Jackson Street, Columbia, CA, United States
The Tuolumne Writers Retreat is coming up on September 25th-27th in Columbia. You can find out more at www.sonorawriters.org or by calling 209-743-8097. This will feature 16 writers’ workshops, prose and poetry open mics, a Ghost Poetry Walk, guest speakers, book signings, and performances. It sounds like a lot of fun, so if you are interested sign up early and give yourself something to look forward to.
UPDATE: Salvatore Salerno of Modesto, a MoSt board member, will be teaching a workshop titled “Making a Poem” on Saturday, September 26 at the Tuolumne Writers’ Retreat. His recent chapbook is “New Wine in Old Barrels.”

George A. Rogers Park Fundraiser
2015-09-19
A fundraiser for George A. Rogers Park which honors the memory of the much-loved George Rogers, teacher, poet, and musician, will be held on Sept 19. Information about tickets is in the flyer below. This event will also be the launch of the new chapbook of George’s poetry, definitely something to read and enjoy. All proceeds benefit the park and programs for children.

Second Tuesday @ Barkin' Dog
2015-09-08 18:00 - 20:00 | Barkin’ Dog Grill, 940 11th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
The Second Tuesday Poetry Series is happening at the Barkin’ Dog Grill! 940 11th Street, Modesto.
Join us on September 8 at 6:00 p.m. for a great reading, and come and enjoy a great dinner too.
Jeanne Foster
Jeanne, a professor of English Literature and Creative Writing at St. Mary’s College, divides her time between Berkeley, and Italy. Widely published, she is currently working on two Italian-centered projects: a memoir of ballroom dance in Italy and, along with poet Alan Williamson, translations of the poetry of Bianca Tarozzi. Jeanne is co-editor of Appetite: Food as Metaphor (BOA), and her critical work A Music of Grace, explores the sacred in contemporary poetry. Her collection A Blessing of Safe Travel won the Quarterly Review of Literature Poetry Award, and her new collection, Goodbye, Silver Sister, was published by Northwestern University Press in 2015.
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Tom Myers
Tom is a retired elementary teacher who has lived the vast majority of his life in California’s Central Valley. He lives with his wife Anne and assorted pets and is active in the Modesto poetry scene. Much of his work originates from his love of nature – hiking and birding are two of his favorite activities. His poems have appeared in More Than Soil, More Than Sky, hardpan, Quercus Review, Collision II, 4more, Modesto Poets’ Corner, and Stanislaus Connections. He has one chapbook, The Lost Language of Birds.
Our Most Excellent Open Mic will follow the featured readers, so bring a poem or two to share! For more information, email info@mostpoetry.org.
You can also download a PDF flyer right here.

Submission Deadline: The Biggest Valley
2015-08-30
SEEKING POEMS
The Biggest Valley: Poems from California’s Heartland will showcase poems written by individuals who were born, raised, or have lived or worked for at least five or more years in California’s Central Valley. The anthology will be published by Sugartown Publishing in the spring of 2016. For more info, download the PDF flyer.

Poetry on Sunday Series @ Carnegie
2015-08-23 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 Karen Mitchell, Gillian Wegener, Jennifer Lagier, and nancee kinkaid maya. 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.

Collision IV Exhibit and Reading
2015-08-20 18:00 - 20:00 | Mistlin Gallery, 1015 J Street, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
On August 20, there will be an exhibit and reading for Collision IV, the fourth collaboration between poets and photographers. 16 photographers worked with 16 poets to create new work and take new perspectives on existing work. Join us for the exhibit at the Mistlin Gallery on J Street, in downtown Modesto. The event starts at 6:00 and the reading will be about 7:00. Come and enjoy!

Second Tuesday @ Barkin' Dog
2015-08-11 18:00 - 20:00 | Barkin’ Dog Grill, 940 11th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
The Second Tuesday Poetry Series continues on August 11 with featured readers Margaret Sy Baldwin and Nancy Haskett. As always the reading starts at 6:00 at the Barkin’ Dog, and the featured readers are followed by an open mic so bring a poem or two to share. Read more info about the poets below, and download a PDF flyer here!
Sy Margaret Baldwin
Sy Margaret Baldwin was born and raised in the West Midlands of England. She worked as a Wildlife Technician for the Stanislaus National Forest in the Sierra until her retirement in 2008. Her poems have been published widely in literary journals including Poetry Now,Tule Review, Common Ground Review, and Calyx. Her chapbook, Deer-hoof Machete, was published by Blackberry Books. Her first poetry collection, Signal Fires, was published by Word Project Press in October 2014.
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Nancy Haskett
Nancy Haskett is a retired educator who now enjoys having more time to write poetry. She is a member of MoSt, National League of American Penwomen, Ina Coolbrith Circle, and Afternoon Poetry group. Nancy’s poetry has won numerous awards and has appeared in More than Soil, More than Sky; Stanislaus Connections; Song of the San Joaquin; the Penwoman magazine, Penumbra, Iodine Press, Homestead Review, and others.

Second Tuesday @ Barkin' Dog
2015-07-14 18:00 - 20:00 | Barkin’ Dog Grill, 940 11th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
Please join us on July 14 at 6:00 pm to hear Connie Post and Sheila Landre read their work! See the attached flyer for more info.

Save the Date: MoSt Annual Meeting
2015-06-28 14:00 - 16:00
Our next board meeting will be on June 28 at 2:00. This is our official ANNUAL MEETING open to regular MoSt members! For more information about the meeting location and to RSVP, please email info@mostpoetry.org

Second Tuesday @ Barkin' Dog
2015-06-09 18:00 - 20:00 | Barkin’ Dog Grill, 940 11th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
Come on out on June 9 to hear David Campos and Michael Medrano read from their books. The reading starts at 6:00, and following the featured readers, there will be an open mic so bring a poem or two to share. Please check out the attached flyer and feel free to print it, post it, and share it in all ways possible.
This is a big anniversary for the reading series. The June 9th reading will mark the 6th anniversary of the Barkin’ Dog series. Many thanks to Hanibal and Evin of the Barkin’ Dog, and many thanks to all of you who have come out and supported poetry in our area!

Poetry on Sunday Series @ Carnegie
2015-05-31 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 Stella Beratlis, Brian Wright, Jessica Dickman and Linda Prather.. This event is FREE and open to the public, with an open mic following the reading. Join us in celebrating the spoken word!
Click to view larger version
From the official press release:
The Modesto-Stanislaus Poetry Center (MoSt) is pleased to announce the third in a series of quarterly poetry readings, The Poetry on Sunday Series, hosted by Carnegie Arts Center (Gemperle Gallery), 250 N. Broadway, Turlock, California on Sunday, May 31, 2015 at 2 pm. The featured readers in May for The Poetry on Sunday Series reading will be Stella Beratlis, Jessica Dickman, Brian Wright and Linda Marie Prather. The event is FREE and OPEN to the public. An Open Mic will follow the featured readers, so bring your words to share.
FEATURED READERS SHORT BIOGRAPHIES:
STELLA BERATLIS up in a Greek-American family in Northern California. Her work has appeared in Quercus Review, Penumbra, Song of the San Joaquin, California Quarterly, and other journals, as well as in the anthology The Place That Inhabits Us: Poems from the San Francisco Bay Watershed (Sixteen Rivers Press, 2010). She is coeditor of the collection More Than Soil, More Than Sky: The Modesto Poets (Quercus Review Press, 2011). Beratlis is a librarian in Modesto, where she lives with her daughter. She has just published her first collection of poems entitled Alkali Sink (Sixteen Rivers Press, 2015).
JESSICA DICKMAN is a Central Valley native, but as a child she grew up both in the heat of the Arizona desert and the iciness of New England. Returning to the Central Valley in her post-adolescent years, Dickman attended Modesto Junior College and completed her B.A. in English at CSU Stanislaus. She is a current graduate student in Rhetoric and Teaching Writing. Dickman, an avid yogi, molds young minds as a substitute teacher and tutor. Her passions lay in education and helping others attain their highest potential.
BRIAN WRIGHT is a third generation native Californian. Brian received his BA in English from California State University, Stanislaus and an MA In English and Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. He has published locally since the 1970s. He is a retired high school English teacher who divides his time between the Bay Area and the Sierra Nevada.
LINDA MARIE PRATHER says much of her poetry is inspired by what Charles Wright speaks of as, “language, landscape, and the idea of God”. The image of things in landscape is often her springboard into writing. Linda has four chapbooks published, the latest Unforced Rhythms, from Finishing Line Press, which won 3rd Place award in the NLAPW 2014 Biennial Letters Competition. Her first full-length manuscript, Summer Song, is waiting to be released. She is an editor for Song of The San Joaquin, a Modesto resident and artist who belongs to the National League of American Pen Women, in Arts and Letters. Her poetry appears in More Than Soil, More Than Sky/ The Modesto Poets. She has been published widely and received prizes from Penumbra, Poets’ Dinner Contest, Ina Coolbrith Circle, the Golden Pegasus Award, and has been nominated twice for a Pushcart Prize. Linda has three works of art and a poem in the Inspiring Women show at Carnegie Arts Center (2015).

Writer's Digest Poetry Contest - Early Bird Deadline
2015-05-04
WD’s Annual Writing Competition has an early-bird deadline on May 4th–if you enter by May 4th, the entry fee is lower! Rules and information here.

2nd Annual MoSt Poetry Center Benefit
2015-05-03 14:00 - 17:00 | Barkin’ Dog Grill, 940 11th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
Tix available at EventBrite: http://mopogala.eventbrite.com/
Our first year was so fun that we thought we should do it again.
Enjoy food, drinks, and music while mingling with poetry-minded friends. Bid on silent auction items, including art from local artists, original crafts from local artisans, and poetry book baskets.
Maybe even write a few lines of poetry yourself–we’ll have writing prompts and ideas on hand.
Your attendance helps us raise money to support the creation, enjoyment, and dissemination of POETRY in the Stanislaus County region. Hope to see you there!
You can also join our Facebook event page at https://www.facebook.com/events/1420506498260268/
Check out photos from last year’s event here.

Slam on Rye
2015-04-16 19:30 - 22:00 | Prospect Theater Project, 1214 K Street, Modesto, CA, United States
On April 16, the legendary Slam-on Rye will return at 7:30 at the Prospect Theater in downtown Modesto. Tickets are sold out, but if you’ve already got yours, you’re guaranteed a good time. The slam will feature Stockton/LA poet “Saint” and Oakland poet “Queen D.”

Second Tuesday Reading: Beratlis, Wickes, and Robertson
2015-04-14 18:30 - 20:00 | Barkin’ Dog Grill, 940 11th St, Modesto, CA, 95354, United States
Join us for cake and poetry as we celebrate the release of three new Sixteen Rivers Press collections: Alkali Sink by Stella Beratlis, World as We Left It by Helen Wickes, and The Orbit of Known Objects by Lisa Erin Robertson.
“Stella Beratlis writes unforgettable poems that stir inside you long after you’ve finished reading them. Alkali Sink is simultaneously domestic and wild, urban and rural, full of surprises and wisdom. Your axis may shift after reading this remarkable book. Beratlis is a fierce talent whose beautiful mind encompasses the land, the open road, the kitchen window, and the heart’s inconstancies. Her first full-length collection is one of the best debuts I have read.” —Lee Herrick, author of Gardening Secrets of the Dead
“Such good poems in Helen Wickes’ new collection, poems about memory and loss that skillfully combine the startling poetic image (“off we’d go // into the cold air’s bright teeth”) and exuberant colloquial language (“everyone knows I don’t like dogs—/ the smell, the noise, and the drool”). At the heart of World as You Left It are the poems centering on the poet’s late father — both hilarious (as in “Loot,” about his old address book with its delicious list of big blonds and “sweet patooties”) and mysterious, as touching as they are enlivening.”
-Lloyd Schwartz
“In The Orbit of Known Objects, Lisa Erin Robertson explores memory and history, especially through the eyes of women and family. She is a poet intimate with loss and regret, as well as persistence and resolve. She knows, as another writer from the South put it, that “the past is never dead. It’s not even past.” In the universe of her poems, buried moments cast off their dirt and rise again for the consideration of her readers. Robertson is a poet of exquisite sensibilities, with a generous heart and an eye for the sadness and beauty of our brief, mysterious lives.”
—Edward Falco
Event starts at 6:30 pm (please note slight time change!) with featured readers and concludes with open mic. Please join us to help celebrate the publication of these collections, and feel free to download and share the FLYER!

Hildegard Festival of Women in the Arts
2015-03-26 - 2015-03-29 | CSU Stanislaus, 1 University Circle, Turlock, CA, 95382, United States
The Hildegard Festival is sponsored by the College of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and will convene on the CSU Stanislaus campus March 26-29, 2015. The purpose of the Hildegard Festival is to celebrate the creative work of women in the arts and to provide opportunities for participating artists to engage one another and gain familiarity with one another’s creative work.
On March 27, the Hildegard Festival at CSU Stanislaus will host a chamber music concert with poetry interludes, starting at 4:30 in the Snider Music Hall. Several local poets will be participating, so don’t miss out.
