As part of San José Poetry Festival 2020, former Santa Clara County Poet Laureate David Perez leads a writing workshop on cultivating a distinctive poetic voice. This workshop will be held on Zoom and will open up 15 minutes prior so that folks can get comfortable. Please have writing utensils and any snacks or beverages handy. This workshop is expected to run more than two hours.

This is Day Six of our six-day festival! Check out this list of all the events that are part of the sixth annual San José Poetry Festival! Help support Poetry Center San José by becoming a member.

David’s workshop description: “There’s the poetry people like, then there’s the poetry they remember. Being memorable is about more than quality. It’s a curious amalgam of relentless honesty, funky word choice, faith in the reader, and the courage to take a few risks. In this workshop we’ll discuss examples of some unmistakable voices in poetry and do some exercises that will help you write in ways that are more undeniably ‘you.’ ”

David Perez served as the 2014-2016 Santa Clara County Poet Laureate. He is a recipient of the Arts Council Silicon Valley Fellowship for Literary Art; a repeat guest on the NPR storytelling series, Snap Judgment; and author of the poetry collection Love in a Time of Robot Apocalypse from Write Bloody Publishing.

San José Poetry Festival 2020

Want more poetry? Check out the rest of the San José Poetry Festival 2020 lineup. The sixth annual San José Poetry Festival celebrates our community’s diverse ethnic and cultural heritage with a wide range of topics and literary styles reflected in performances, workshops, and a small press fair. This year, the festival will move online to keep our community safe while keeping us all connected.

San José Poetry Festival 2020 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; funding from Poets & Writers; and with support from Anne & Mark's Art Party and The Center for Literary Arts. We would like to acknowledge and offer our deepest gratitude to our originally booked live venues for this festival: the Art Boutiki, Books Inc., Caravan Lounge, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, Forager, History/San José, Recycle Bookstore, and Works/San José.

Follow Poetry Center San José on Facebook and Twitter for announcements about performers and events as we get closer to the festival. Also, hear about other amazing South Bay poetry events!