Writers’ and Poets’ Events

Current Events and Readings
Ongoing Events and Readings
Saturdays • Sundays • Mondays
Tuesdays • Wednesdays • Thursdays • Fridays

SATURDAYS

Saturdays
Saturday Morning Book Group
10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. (two Saturdays per month)

Please join us for coffee, cookies, and lively book discussions with Carrie, Margaret, and Dean.  Book groups are a wonderful way to meet new people.  Free and open to the public.  Please drop in!

LOCATION:   A Clean, Well-Lighted Place for Books, 601 Van Ness, San Francisco, CA  94102
TELEPHONE:   (415) 441-6670; (415) 567-6876 for events
E-MAIL:   books@bookstore.com
WEB:   http://www.bookstore.com

Saturdays
Mango Mic:  An Asianamerican Open Mike
8:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. (every second Saturday of the month)

Mango Mic presents Calligraphy of Thought, a Muslim-American poetry collective of poets of various ethnic and artistic backgrounds who use the spoken word and poetry to promote social awareness and spiritual growth.  The collective meets each other at open mics for the Muslim-American community and now produces a show that occurs every quarter, A Night of Conscious Poetry and Soulful Music with Calligraphy of Thought.  Calligraphy of Thought also performs at rallies, fundraisers, and concerts and will be published in Chicken Soup for the Hiphop Soul.

Bring your creativity, stories of struggle and resistance, victory songs, revolutionary chants, rituals, prayers, and other random poems, songs, and thoughts for the open mike!

All ages.  Donations requested.

LOCATION:   Pusod (Center for Culture, Ecology & Bayan), 1808 Fifth Street, Berkeley
TELEPHONE:   (510) 883-1808
E-MAIL:   aaopenmic@yahoo.com
WEB:   http://www.bwf.org/pusod

SUNDAYS

Sundays
Agenda Sunday Poetry
7:30 p.m.

Open reading, music, poetry.  Hosted by poet Andrew Apodaca.

LOCATION:   Agenda Lounge, 399 South 1st Street, San Jose, California
E-MAIL:   xaphanzod@aol.com

Sundays
Q Comedy
Reception at 7:30 p.m.; show starts at 8:00 p.m. (second and fourth Sundays of the month)

LOCATION:   Jon Sims Center, 1519 Mission Street (between 11th Street and South Van Ness), San Francisco
TICKETS:   May be purchased at the door ($8-$15 sliding scale).  Call for upcoming shows.
OTHER:   Volunteers are welcome to assist with outreach and distribution of event post cards and to help out at performances.
CONTACT:   Larry Roberts
TELEPHONE:   (415) 541-5610
E-MAIL:   larrybob@io.com
WEB:   http://www.qcomedy.com

Sundays
The Readers’ Group
7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.

Interested in performing?  Looking for a new way to entertain others?  Seeking to connect with your own voice and expand your opportunities?  Then join other writers, comedians, monologists, performance artists, theater artists, et al., and come prepared to laugh and have fun!

Come read, develop, and discuss any projects you are working on and discover a delightful new perspective in communicating with others (and even yourself).  And if you don't have any material to read, start improvising onstage and create new material on the fly.  By reading your work out loud to the readers’ group, you can get the support and feedback that will help move your work that next step forward.  Play readings, joke telling, monologues, and poetry readings are all welcome.

COST:  Donation, sliding scale ($5-$10 suggested)
TELEPHONE:  (415) 928-4060
LOCATION:   Our Little Theater, 287 Ellis Street, San Francisco (between Mason and Taylor, behind the Hilton Hotel), downtown San Francisco
TELEPHONE:  (415) 928-4060

Sundays
Pacifica Table Readers
(One evening potluck per month)

Pacifica Table Readers is a table-reading group meeting monthly to read aloud new works by playwrights and screenwriters.  We provide a friendly, relaxed environment where you can hear your works given voice and obtain valuable feedback.  We are always looking for new works and have been meeting for over three years.  Out-of-town playwrights or screenwriters need not be present if logistics are an issue (MS Word .doc submissions preferred); we can audiotape the discussion.  Writers and actors are always welcome.

CONTACT FOR DETAILS:  Ann
TELEPHONE:  (650) 359-0692
E-MAIL:   carlnann@pacbell.net

MONDAYS

Mondays
Yarn Spinners
8:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. (third Monday of the month)

Write a short piece and bring it to read.

LOCATION:   Edinburgh Castle, 950 Geary Street, San Francisco
E-MAIL:   yarnspinnersSF@aol.com

Mondays
Carquinez Writers Group
6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. (first and third Mondays of the month)

Writers of fiction, poetry, essays, creative nonfiction, memoirs, plays, etc., are invited to attend a writing group in the beautiful town of Vallejo.  Bring some writing (a story, chapter, scene, or whatever), get input from other writers, and have fun.  All ages welcome.  If you are interested in attending, e-mail an excerpt to Hunter Austin.

LOCATION:   Listen & Be Heard Poetry Café, 818 Marin Street, Vallejo
CONTACT:   Hunter Austin
E-MAIL:   norcalreview@yahoo.com
WEB:   www.listenandbeheard.net/htmlarea/poetrycafe/

Mondays
The Last Word Poetry Series
7:00 p.m. (first Monday of every month except January)

Hosted by Dale Jensen, Tim Donnelly, and Diana Q.

LOCATION:   Pegasus Books, 2349 Shattuck Avenue (at Durant), Berkeley (two blocks from the Downtown Berkeley BART station)
TELEPHONE:   (510) 649-1320

TUESDAYS

WEDNESDAYS

Wednesdays
Mechanix Poets
6:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. (first Wednesday of the month)

Roundtable recitation of original work by local poets, published and unpublished, based on monthly topic.  New topic every month.  Please bring a poem on the topic to read and share with us.  This event is free and open to the public, and friends are welcome.

Dessert is served.  Enjoy a free glass of wine!

LOCATION:   Mechanics' Institute, 57 Post Street (near the Montgomery BART station at Market and Montgomery in downtown San Francisco), Room 405 (Fourth Floor Board Room), San Francisco, CA  94102
CONTACT:   Yves Moralex, Moderator
TELEPHONE:   (415) 393-0119x192
E-MAIL:   yves_moralex@hotmail.com
WEB:   www.milibrary.org

CONFIRMED FUTURE TOPICS
September 6—"Affirmation"
October 4—"Collaboration"
November 1—"Leg, Thigh, or Breast?"
December 6—"Poets without Borders"

Wednesdays
Il Piccolo Poetry Series
7:00 p.m. (third Wednesday of the month)

Featured reading followed by an open mike.  Hosted by the Saturday Poets.

LOCATION:   Il Piccolo Caffe, 1219 Broadway, Burlingame
CONTACT:   Amy MacLennan
TELEPHONE:   (650) 631-5732
E-MAIL:   amy.maclennan@saturdaypoets.org
WEB:   www.saturdaypoets.org

Wednesdays
Open Mike at Magnet
7:30 p.m. signup; 8:00 p.m. show (third Wednesday of the month)

Smack Dab is an open mike hosted by Kirk Read and Larry-Bob Roberts, making the Castro safe for performance again.  Bring five minutes of words, music, comedy, or miscellany; bring your charm and magic and cheerful can-do attitude; or just come and watch and cheer folks on.  All ages and genders welcome and adored.

COST:   None
LOCATION:   Magnet, 4122 - 18th Street (between Castro and Collingwood), San Francisco
CONTACTS:   Kirk Read and Larry-Bob Roberts
E-MAIL:   kirkread@earthlink.net
WEB:   www.magnetsf.org

THURSDAYS

Thursdays
Open Mike at the Belrose
8:00 p.m.-10:30 p.m.

Come perform with an array of poets, comedians, improv artists, singers, musicians, and storytellers in a friendly little-theatre setting inside a beautifully renovated historical building in downtown San Rafael.  Voted Best Live Theater in Marin by the Pacific Sun (2002).

COVER:   $5 and one-drink minimum
LOCATION:   The Belrose Theatre, 1415 Fifth Avenue (near E Street), San Rafael, California
CONTACT:   Margie Belrose
TELEPHONE:   (415) 454-6422
E-MAIL:   thebelrose@yahoo.com
WEB:   www.thebelrose.com

Thursdays
Open Mike at the Hotel Cosmo
6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

Join Hosts Jeanne Powell and Philip T. Nails for poetry, prose, music, and open-mike nights with surprise features, including book- and CD-release parties!  Also enjoy drink specials at the Neo Bar—its original mahogany walls and artistic energy give off a memorable vibe from the beatnik era.  Call, e-mail, or visit us on the Web for more information, to sign up for an open mike, or to schedule your book- or CD-release party.

LOCATION:   Hotel Cosmo, 761 Post Street (at Jones), San Francisco
COVER CHARGE:   $3 at the door
TELEPHONE:   (415) 673-3080
E-MAIL:   johnnyd@artworksf.com
WEB:   www.artworksf.com

Thursdays
Playwrights Café
7:00 p.m. sharp*-10:00 p.m. (second Thursday of the month)

A welcoming, supportive group of playwrights—all levels welcome!  Bring your script scenes to read (up to ten pages), with a copy for each character.  The first hour is often devoted to a talk by a guest speaker from the local theatre and film community.

*Because exterior doors are locked and we will not be able to hear you, it is important to arrive on time or early.

LOCATION:   Berkeley, California (see Playwrights page for next meeting location)
COVER:   $10
TELEPHONE:   (510) 704-8855
E-MAIL:   salyons@playcafe.org
WEB:   www.playcafe.org

FRIDAYS

Fridays
Oakland S.O.U.P. (Sing, Open Up, and Poetize)
6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. (fourth Friday of the month)

Open mike and a featured reader.  This is a great venue for sharing whatever the muse dictates—all forms of creative expression are welcome—and the café offers scrumptious food.

LOCATION:   Temescal Café, 4920 Telegraph Avenue (at 50th Street), Oakland
CONTACT:   Selene Steese
TELEPHONE:   (510) 872-0928
E-MAIL:   selene@matchlessgoddess.com

Fridays
Poetry Scene

Live, streaming radio-show broadcast via Internet access.

WEB:   www.lighthouse-sf.org/audio/Friday.htm

Submissions?
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