2023 San José Poetry Festival Pass & Schedule Info

Poetry Center San José promotes and supports the literary arts in San José. Over the past four decades, PCSJ has brought hundreds of exceptional writers from around the country to read from their works and, in many cases, to conduct workshops for local writers. PCSJ is a nonprofit organization established in 1978. Its base of operations is in the charming turn-of-the-century Victorian home where the renown poet Edwin Markham once lived, now located in San Jose History Park. Since the Fall of 2000, PCSJ has sponsored a series of readings by local poets throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Poetry Center San José is a member supported organizationhttp://www.pcsj.org/

Poetry Center San José

The 9th Annual San José Poetry Festival will be held in person and online September  7-10. Get your festival pass here!

2023 San José Poetry Festival

The 9th Annual San José Poetry Festival will feature local legends, new voices, workshops and readings, and you'll meet the newly appointed Youth Poets Laureate. Your festival pass gets you into everything and all youth 19 and under get in for free.

The 9th Annual San José Poetry Festival reaches beyond the greater Bay Area. This year’s festival will focus on voices from elsewhere that have had an impact on poets in San Jose. We will host a number of free Zoom events online and some incredible in-person performances and writing workshops. This year, the entire festival is free to anyone aged 19 and under! Passes and all individual ticketed events can be paid for at each venue. Saturday's Youth Poets Laureate event is free to all PCSJ Members.NOTE:<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/2023-san-jose-poetry-festival-2550159"> INDIVIDUAL EVENT TICKETS CAN ALSO BE FOUND HERE.</a>SCHEDULE OF EVENTS(Pass holders will get an event reminder in their inbox for every day of the festival.)THU, SEPTEMBER 77PM—[IN PERSON]—<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-san-jose-poetry-festival-opening-night-tickets-706738974297">Opening Night with Lorna Dee Cervantes</a>, Matt Sedillo, Rachelle Escamilla and Elizabeth Jiménez Montelongo. Doors at 6:30. First Unitarian Church, 160 N 3rd Street, San Jose. <a href="https://parksj.org/third-street-garage/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Nearest parking garage</a>. T﻿his event is free to all youth aged 19 and under and to those with a festival pass. $20 for general public and $15 for PCSJ Members. Admission may be purchased at the door.FRI, SEPTEMBER 84﻿PM–6PM—[IN PERSON]—<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-sj-poetry-festival-friday-fun-youth-poetry-workshop-tickets-706777479467">Friday Fun Youth Poetry Workshop</a> facilitated by Mighty Mike McGee. W﻿illow Glen Library, 1157 Minnesota Ave, San Jose. FREE. 6:30PM—[on ZOOM]— <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-sj-poetry-festival-cultura-poetry-night-open-mic-tickets-706790709037">¡Cultura Poetry Night! Open Mic</a> with Claudia Meléndez Salinas and Hector F. Castañeda. FREE.8PM—[IN PERSON]—<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-sj-poetry-festival-poets-of-write-bloody-publishing-tickets-706801601617"> Poets of Write Bloody Publishing</a> with Derrick Brown, RC Weslowksi, John-Francis Quinonez and Ashia Ajani. Doors at 7:00PM. Tabard Theatre, 29 N San Pedro Street, San Jose. <a href="https://parksj.org/market-san-pedro-square-garage/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Nearest parking garage</a>. T﻿his event is free to all youth aged 19 and under and to those with a festival pass. $20 for general public and $15 for PCSJ Members. Admission may be purchased at the door.SAT, SEPTEMBER 910AM—[on ZOOM]— <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-sj-poetry-festival-workshop-palabras-poetry-tickets-706848712527">WRITING WORKSHOP | Palabras &amp; Poetry: Principles of Liberation with Elizabeth Jimenez Montelongo</a>. FREE.11AM—[on ZOOM]—<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-sj-poetry-festival-black-poets-laureate-reading-tickets-706857709437"> Black Poets Laureate</a> with E. Stanley Richardson, Henry L. Jones, Dasha Kelly, Dasan Ahanu and Rhea “RheaSunshine” Carmon—hosted by Tshaka Campbell. FREE.NOON—[on ZOOM]— <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-sj-poetry-festival-yuki-teikei-haiku-society-tickets-707181949247">Yuki Teikei Haiku Society</a> with Roger Abe, Linda Papanicolaou and Carol Steele1PM—[in PERSON]— <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-sj-poetry-festival-writing-workshop-with-derrick-brown-tickets-707214476537">WRITING WORKSHOP with Derrick Brown</a> at Tabard Theatre, 29 N San Pedro Street, San José. <a href="https://parksj.org/market-san-pedro-square-garage/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Nearest parking garage</a>. Not included in Festival Pass. $30 for general public, $20 for PCSJ members and youth 19 and under.4PM—[in PERSON]—<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1335145273770188" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Los Lorcas | Poetry and Music </a>poets Partridge Boswell and Peter Money, along with guitarist Nat Williams, fuse poetry and music in a passionate and surprising mash-up. Tabard Theatre, 29 N San Pedro Street, San José. <a href="https://parksj.org/market-san-pedro-square-garage/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Nearest parking garage</a>. FREE.7PM—[IN PERSON]—<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-sj-poetry-festival-youth-poets-laureate-tickets-707231116307">2023 SCC Youth Poets Laureate</a> – PCSJ Introduces the newly appointed Santa Clara County Youth Poet Laureate, Vice Poets Laureate and Youth Finalists. Hosted by Tshaka Campbell. Mexican Heritage Plaza, 1700 Alum Rock, San José. T﻿his event is free to all youth aged 19 and under and to those with a festival pass. $20 for general public and $15 for PCSJ Members. Admission may be purchased at the door.SUN, SEPTEMBER 1010:30-1:30PM—[IN PERSON]—<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-sj-poetry-festival-small-press-fair-and-reading-tickets-707293994377">Small Press Fair &amp; Reading</a> at Markham House at History Park, 1650 Phelan Avenue, San José. FREE.<a href="https://parksj.org/market-san-pedro-square-garage/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer"></a>1:30-3:30PM—[IN PERSON]—<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-sj-poetry-festival-writing-workshop-with-yesika-salgado-tickets-707302590087">WRITING WORKSHOP with Yesika Salgado</a> at Markham House at History Park, 1650 Phelan Avenue, San José. Not included in Festival Pass. $30 for general public, $20 for PCSJ members and youth 19 and under.<a href="https://parksj.org/market-san-pedro-square-garage/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer"></a>7PM—[IN PERSON]—<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-sj-poetry-festival-san-jose-poetry-slam-with-yesika-salgado-tickets-707303763597">FESTIVAL CLOSE: San José Poetry Slam with Yesika Salgado</a> at Tabard Theatre, 29 N San Pedro Street, San José. <a href="https://parksj.org/market-san-pedro-square-garage/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Nearest parking garage</a>. T﻿his event is free to all youth aged 19 and under and to those with a festival pass. $20 for general public and $15 for PCSJ Members. Admission may be purchased at the door.Follow Poetry Center San José on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/poetrycentersanjose/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Facebook</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/poetrycentersanjose/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Instagram</a> for announcements about other amazing South Bay poetry events happening throughout the rest of the year. Help support Poetry Center San José by <a href="https://www.pcsj.org/membership" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">becoming a member</a>.COVID NOTICE: If a venue cancels, the San José Poetry Festival event will be broadcast to PCSJ’s Zoom channel. All ticket holders will receive a link to the Zoom. Refund requests for unattended individual events moved online due to a venue cancellation will be reviewed and considered.San José Poetry Festival 2023 is presented by Poetry Center San José and is sponsored in part by: Festival and Cultural Affairs grants from the City of San José; a grant from SVCreates, in partnership with the County of Santa Clara and the California Arts Council and also supported in part by a SVCreates National Endowment for the Arts American Rescue Plan grant; support from the offices of San José City Council Members David Cohen (D4) and Peter Ortiz (D5); Literary Arts Emergency Fund supported by the Mellon Foundation; and with support from Anne &amp; Mark's Art Party, Applied Materials Foundation, Brandenburg Family Foundation and Silicon Valley Community Foundation. We thank Four Points by Sheraton for hotel accommodations. We would like to acknowledge and offer our deepest gratitude to past and current venues worthy of your support: Art Boutiki, Books Inc., Caravan Lounge, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, First Unitarian Church of San José, History/San José, MACLA, Mama Kin, Recycle Bookstore, Tabard Theatre, Willow Glen Public Library and Works/San José. Please support these spaces however you can. And we thank all our volunteers whose time and effort make this festival possible.

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