The Sacramento Poetry Center

The Sacramento Poetry Center Since 1979, The SPC has worked to advance the practice & application of poetry & the literary arts. They are why we exist.

Since its founding in 1979, the Sacramento Poetry Center has been a major force and advocate for literary artists in Northern California, especially in the Sacramento area. We offer readings, workshops, writers' conferences, publications, a lending library, and more to our local community. Though primarily serving as the premier literary center for the greater Sacramento metropolitan area, SPC’s p

ublications are recognized nationally, and its annual writers’ conference has featured some of the most important poets of our time, including Pulitzer Prize winners Gary Snyder and Philip Levine, former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Hass, and other luminaries such as Lucille Clifton, Galway Kinnell, Robert Bly, Diane DiPrima, Carolyn Forche, Anne Waldman, Maya Angelou, Jack Hirschman, Jimmy Santiago Baca, Dorianne Laux, Kim Addonizio, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Cole Swensen, Michael McClure, Jose Montoya, Robert Creeley, Robert Peters, and many others. As important are the scores of local and regional poets, established and emerging, who have participated in SPC readings and events over the decades. Unique among literary centers in that it is not affiliated with a university, The Sacramento Poetry Center, while maintaining close ties with the area’s universities and colleges, is a fully independent organization, affording it, and associated artists, the opportunity to explore the medium and opportunities unrestricted except by its own bylaws. The Poet Tree Inc, dba The Sacramento Poetry Center is a small, regional 501(c)3 not for profit organization. SPC is supported in part by grants received from The Sacramento Office of Arts and Culture, The California Arts Commission, and other sources, as well as through the generosity of our membership. The Poetry Center is located at 1719 25th Street, Sacramento, California, in the R25 theater complex.

The Board of Directors of SPC is excited to welcome two new members to the table. The full details and roster will appea...
08/23/2026

The Board of Directors of SPC is excited to welcome two new members to the table. The full details and roster will appear in the September issue of Poet News and on the website.

Alex Bravo joins as Secretary. He will step into the role vacated by Maris Juwono -- big shoes to fill! Maris will be moving up to Seattle soon to pursue her MFA at UW.

Mario Ellis Hill joins as member at large, and brings his experience as organizer and host of many poetry events to the table.

We welcome them both! They will participate in important developments at SPC over the next year.

Alex is an editorial assistant for Poetry Northwest (Seattle), and previous poetry editor for Westwind (LA). His experience in small press literary publishing is a welcome addition. He earned his BA in English at UCLA.

Mario is a well known figure in the Sacramento-Davis poetry scene, having hosted at a number of venues, most notably Joe Montoya’s Poetry Unplugged at Luna’s Cafe. He earned his BA in Applied Behavioral Sciences from UC Davis.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, August 18 at Twin Lotus, fyi.
08/17/2026

Tomorrow, Tuesday, August 18 at Twin Lotus, fyi.

SPC's Monday Night Series continues its break through August, but we'll return with a bang!Join us on September 7 for th...
08/13/2026

SPC's Monday Night Series continues its break through August, but we'll return with a bang!

Join us on September 7 for the wonder that is Straight Out Scribes!

Go for it!Academy of American PoetsFirst Book AwardDeadline: September 1, 2026Entry Fee: $35Cash Prize: $5,000E-mail add...
08/13/2026

Go for it!

Academy of American Poets
First Book Award

Deadline: September 1, 2026
Entry Fee: $35
Cash Prize: $5,000
E-mail address:
[email protected]
Website:
http://poets.org/academy-american-poets/american-poets-prizes

A prize of $5,000 and publication by Graywolf Press is given annually for a poetry collection by a writer who has not published a book of poetry in a standard edition. The winning book will be distributed to over 5,000 members of the Academy of American Poets. Using only the online submission system, submit a manuscript of 48 to 100 pages with a $35 entry fee (fee waivers may be requested via e-mail) from July 1 to September 1. Visit the website for complete guidelines.

Academy of American Poets, First Book Award, 195 Broadway, #9, New York, NY 10007. Ry Cook, Senior Programs Manager.

Since 1934, the Academy of American Poets has provided visibility and financial support to poets

TONIGHT!
08/07/2026

TONIGHT!

Just a reminder that there are no Monday night readings @ SPC in August. They resume on Monday, September 7 with Straight Out Scribes!

In the meantime, join us for a special event on Friday, August 7, 7-9 p.m.:
Devour Me Again: A Celebration of Bambi Lake!

Just a reminder that there are no Monday night readings @ SPC in August. They resume on Monday, September 7 with Straigh...
08/03/2026

Just a reminder that there are no Monday night readings @ SPC in August. They resume on Monday, September 7 with Straight Out Scribes!

In the meantime, join us for a special event on Friday, August 7, 7-9 p.m.:
Devour Me Again: A Celebration of Bambi Lake!

FYI.
07/31/2026

FYI.

Tupelo Press, Inc., which released its first five books in fall 2001, is an independent, literary press devoted to discovering and publishing works of poetry, literary fiction, and creative nonfiction by emerging and established writers.

It was another great Monday night on July 27 at SPC with Oswaldo Vargas & Josiah Patterson featuring, and guest host Mar...
07/28/2026

It was another great Monday night on July 27 at SPC with Oswaldo Vargas & Josiah Patterson featuring, and guest host Mario Ellis Hill leading the open mic -- capped off by unsuspecting reader Natachi Mez giving us a powerful closing performance!

In case you don't know, the Monday night series is taking a hiatus until September 7 when the Straight Out Scribes will kick start us into fall!

In the meantime, please join us for our only event in August --

FRIDAY, August 7, 7 p.m. for Devour Me, Again: A Celebration of Bambi Lake / Reading & Book Signing

In celebration of the release of Devour Me, Again by Bambi Lake (Nightboat Press, June 2026), SPC welcomes August Bernadicou, the editor of the collection, to discuss the publication, speak about the legendary Bambi Lake, and present a short film about the beloved (and bad-mouthed) icon of San Francisco’s counterculture. He will be joined by Sacramento poets, Oswaldo Vargas, Kay Miller, Anthony Jackson, Michelle Acquisto ,and Sadie Keller, who will read selections from the book. The collection includes a series of interviews by August Bernadicou, with a foreword by Brontez Purnell.

Bambi Lake (1950-2020) was a trans chanteuse performer, provocateur, and countercultural darling of the ‘70s, and subsequent decades. “The Glamorous Life follows me around,” she wrote, and sang about in her ballad, “The Golden Age of Hustlers” (later popularized by Justin Vivian Bond). Her life in San Francisco — including being on the fringes of the Cockettes (a psychedelic, glitter-drenched acid drag, sexual anarchy, and chaotic musical theater that redefined gender norms), and a member of the adjacent Angels of Light — was “sort of legendary,” sort of “sweet, sticky, nasty,” and always precarious, lived in spite of addiction, homelessness, and the horrors that came from chasing and surviving her own desires.

See you there!

Address

1719 25th Street
Sacramento, CA
95816

Telephone

+19165209985

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Sacramento Poetry Center posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to The Sacramento Poetry Center:

Shortcuts

Featured

Share

Category