A city-wide poetry contest is under way! Friends of the San Francisco Public Library and their Poet-in-Residence Jack Hirschman, together with the San Francisco Public Library are hosting a contest and reading series called Poets 11. They’ll be collecting poems from every neighborhood in each of San Francisco’s 11 districts.

Local poets are encouraged to submit up to three poems. Writings which reflect San Francisco’s diversity of language and culture and those written in languages other than English are highly encouraged. Selected poets will be presented with a $50 honorarium and their poems will be published in an anthology.

Submissions are due March 1, 2010. To find out how to submit, go here.

Our friends at Intersection for the Arts are offering a free writing workshop this Thursday, January 28. The workshop is led by playwright Chinaka Hodge and is inspired by the upcoming world premiere of her new play, “Mirrors in Every Corner.” It’s open to all ages and runs from 6 to 8 pm. More details here.

The Human Rights Watch International Film Festival in partnership with Adobe Youth Voices seeks youth-produced film, video and animated works on human rights issues made by youth ages 19 and under for its third annual Youth Producing Change program. Selected films will travel to New York, London, and San Francisco.

To find out how to submit a film, click here. Watch last year’s films here.

Be published in YARN and win a $25 gift certificate to the local indie bookstore of your choice! The theme is Family Gatherings from a Teen Perspective (of any kind, any time of year). The contest is open to writers of all ages, but the content should be of interest to young adult readers. The deadline is January 10. Go to their website here for more details.

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts is now accepting applications for its Young Artists at Work (YAAW) program. This is a paid, multidisciplinary arts, activism and job training after-school program. In addition to developing artistic skills, students also attend a weekly class. It’s open to San Francisco public high school teens ages 14 to 19. There are spots for 30 youth. The deadline is October 30. Interviews take place in December and the program starts in January 2010. Go here for more info and to download the application. Sounds like a great opportunity!