Welcome to The Poetry Center

SEVENTY YEARS OF THE POETRY CENTER AT SAN FRANCISCO STATE, 1954–2024

Mission Statement: The Poetry Center presents and documents the work of outstanding contemporary poets and writers, creating and preserving original new and historic audio and video recordings, while assuring public awareness of and access to live performances and archival resources. 

The Poetry Center organizes some 20–30 public readings, performances, and poetry-related talks each year, on the San Francisco State University campus and at other Bay Area venues, featuring poets and writers from across the literary spectrum. The Poetry Center Reading Series is one of the longest consistently-running such programs in the country, with roots in the 1950s San Francisco Poetry Renaissance. New program videos alongside historic recordings from seven decades are being migrated to online access at Poetry Center Digital Archive.

poet with dark skin and hair, dark glasses, a wide smile, wearing a white jacket, light blue shirt + striped t-shirt

Undisciplining the Fields: Major Jackson, reading and in conversation with Tonya M. Foster

The Poetry Center and City Lights Books co-present renowned poet Major Jackson, reading from his recent book, Razzle Dazzle: New & Selected Poems, and engaging in conversation with poet and scholar Tonya M. Foster. This event is the latest in Foster's series co-organized with The Poetry Center, Undisciplining the Fields, and takes place onsite at City Lights. The event will also be broadcast on zoom. Register to attend here

2 poets, each in glasses, one before City Lights Bookstore, one before a blue and copper painting

Gillian Conoley and Rodrigo Toscano, reading at Medicine for Nightmares

The Poetry Center is happy to welcome poets Gillian Conoley, in town from Sonoma County, and Rodrigo Toscano, formerly of the Bay Area though for this occasion he's flying in from where he now lives, in New Orleans. We'll be co-hosting the two of them with our friends at Medicine for Nightmares bookstore and galeria, on 24th Street in San Francisco's Mission district. Come down for the poetry and check out this distinctive and dearly welcome cultural and community space. 

two poets, one in profile, short cropped hair and beard; one looking to the side, hand at her face, long hair drawn back

Chris Martin and Imane Boukaila: On Poetry, Autism and Our Neurodivergent Future

Please join us for this very exciting program, co-presented with our friends at the Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability at San Francisco State. Poet and educator Chris Martin is visiting from Minneapolis, from where he's been realizing his deep dream of teaching poetry to autistic youth. That work has resulted in a series of new books of remarkable poetry, in Milkweed's Multiverse series, edited by Martin. Young poet Imane Boukalia joins us from her home in Toronto, Ontario, to help us welcome her debut book of poetry into the world. Please register to attend, either online or in person. 

Events

Poetry Center Digital Archive

boxed open reel audio tapes on shelves in the Poetry Center archive

Poetry Center Digital Archive

The Poetry Center houses the American Poetry Archives, a historic collection of some 5,000 hours of original audio and video recordings documenting The Poetry Center Reading Series from 1954 to the present. Now available online:

  • Poetry Center Archive Goes Live! Historic Videos Newly Available: 1973–1984
  • Historic Original Audio Recordings: 1950s and 1960s
  • New Full-Program Video Programs produced by DocFilm Institute: 2015–present 
  • New Program Video Highlight Clips produced by DocFilm Institute: 2015–present 
  • Recent Livestream Video produced by DocFilm Institute: 2020–present
  • Poetry Center Archive Goes Live! Historic Video Clips: 1973–1984
  • More Video Highlight Clips from the Archive: 2009–2014

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Awards

The Poetry Center offers several awards each year to recognize distinguished poets.

Resources

In addition to our Reading Series and recorded Archives, we host a 7,000 volume poetry collection in our Reading Room, Humanities 512.

Donate

The Poetry Center couldn't do what we do without your financial support. Please join us!