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.

two writers, one in a lush green forest near a mossy wall of a stone; one on a gravelly hilltop wearing a straw sunhat

Maia Ipp and Michael David Lukas, reading and in conversation

The Poetry Center welcomes Michael David Lukas and Maia Ipp, friends and fellow essayists and novelists, for a Prose at The Poetry Center evening — with our venue shifted to Medicine for Nightmares bookstore and galeria on 24th Street in the Mission district. Lukas (Assistant Professor, Creative Writing, SF State) and Ipp will each read from their work, then engage in conversation with one another and their audience. Join us, and help support this vital community space. 

two poets: one in a small cap + dark moustache, holding a red flower; one looking up before a background of trees, long hair streaming

Mazza Writer in Residence Priscilla Wathington and Sam Sax, reading and in conversation

The Poetry Center's Mazza Writer in Residence for Spring 2024, poet Priscilla Wathington, is joined for this mid-afternoon occasion by poet Sam Sax. The two of them each read from their work then engage in conversation with one another and their audience. This is the first of two public programs during Wathington's week-long residency, where she'll be visiting classes across the SF State campus as guest artist. Co-presented with Race & Resistance Studies. Supported by the Sam Mazza Foundation. 

a woman with a camera, in shadow within a car with street scene through the window glass; a poet with eyeglasses, dark hair pulled back, light pink top and cloudy sky behind with tree branches

Mazza Writer in Residence Priscilla Wathington with Colette Ghunim and Sara Maamouri

The Poetry Center presents Mazza Writer in Residence Priscilla Wathington, reading her poetry that draws from her experiences as a Palestinian American and her past human rights advocacy work with local Palestinian organizations, and joining in conversation with filmmakers Colette Ghunim and Sara Maamouri. Their work-in-progress film Traces of Home (2024) explores the impact of exile (from Palestine and Mexico), through the lives of Ghunim's parents. Supported by the Sam Mazza Foundation. 

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!