All good things must come to an end. WritersCorps 15th anniversary exhibition, This Place Called Poetry, closes on Saturday, January 24th. Join us at our closing reception on Friday, January 23 and see the show before it’s gone. Light refreshments will be served.

When: Friday, January 23, 2009, 3 to 6 pm

Where: San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery
401 Van Ness Ave (at McAllister), San Francisco, CA 94102

Calling all poets! Share your writing and show your style at the WritersCorps open mic and poetry contest this Thursday. The event takes place at our exhibition, This Place Called Poetry, and some of the students featured in the exhibition will be reading their work. But that’s not all. The winner of the poetry contest will take home a $50 gift card.

What: Food 4 Thought: A WritersCorps poetry contest and open mic. Hosted by Antonio Caceres, aka Primo.

When: Thursday, December 18, 2008, 7 to 9 pm

7 to 7:30 pm Sign Up
7:30 to 8:30 pm Open Mic
8:30 to 9 pm Poetry Contest

Where: San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery
401 Van Ness Ave (at McAllister), San Francisco, CA 94102

Sherman Alexie, winner of the 2007 National Book Award, will be at City Arts & Lectures on December 1 in an event benefiting WritersCorps. A Spokane/Coeur d’Alene Indian, Alexie is known for his work exploring and reworking perceptions of Native Americans. He is the author of the independent film”Smoke Signals” and the award-winning book “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian,” a semi-autobiographical account of his childhood both on and off the reservation. He also wrote the foreword to the new WritersCorps anthology, “Tell the World,” released this fall from Harper Collins. We’re excited to celebrate our new book with Sherman Alexie in person!

Who: Sherman Alexie

What: City Arts & Lectures, 2008 Cultural Studies Series

When: Monday, December 1, 2008, at 8 pm

Where: Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave

Cost: $20 general admission

$100 VIP tickets. VIP tickets include a copy of “Tell the World,” entrance to a 6 pm reception with Alexie at the SFAC Gallery, and excellent seats at Alexie’s talk. There are a limited number of VIP tickets!

Purchase tickets here. Please click on the Sherman Alexie event. On the following page, you will have the option of purchasing a general admission ticket or a VIP ticket from a pull-down menu.

Proceeds benefit WritersCorps

What happens when poetry comes into your life? Can poems make a difference? Meet 11 San Francisco youth who’ve embarked on a lifelong journey with words. This exhibition of art and film tells the stories of young people finding and claiming their place.

When: November 7, 2008 to January 24, 2009

Opening Night Reception: Thursday, November 13, 2008, 5:30 to 7:30 pm

Closing Night Reception: Friday, January 23, 2009, 3:00 to 6:00 pm

Where: San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery
401 Van Ness Ave (at McAllister), San Francisco, CA 94102
415-554-6080

Gallery Hours: Open Wednesday to Saturday, 12 to 5 pm

Cost: Free

For more information about this exhibition, the featured poets, and to view film previews, and download a lesson plan, click here.

Following up on their dynamite performance at Litquake, youth poets and teachers from WritersCorps will read from our just-released anthology, “Tell the World.” In a starred review, KLIATT says “Tell the World” has “an energy and honesty that characterizes these gathered pieces.”

When: Friday, November 14, 2008, 7:30 pm

Where: The Booksmith
1644 Haight Street, San Francisco

Cost: Free

Join WritersCorps as we celebrate the launch of our new national anthology, “Tell the World,” a collection of poems by teens who have taken part in our workshops. This reading by our students and teachers is part of the Litquake Litcrawl.

When: Saturday, October 11, 6 pm

Who: WritersCorps students Annie Yu, Indiana Pehlivanova, and Robin Black

And WritersCorps teaching artists Myron Michael Hardy, Cindy Je, Milta Ortiz and Aracely Gonzalez

Where: Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco, Columbia Park Clubhouse
450 Guerrero St (between 16th and 17th Streets)

Cost: Free

Join WritersCorps for our last event of the school year, featuring the WritersCorps Apprentices.

The WritersCorps Apprentice Program gives youth from across the city a chance to form a community of writers who support one another’s development as young artists.

This year, the Apprentices hosts a youth open mic and performance event, What is the Cure?, at Galeria de la Raza. Come take a journey through the ups and downs of today’s world as seen through the eyes of these youth.

Youth open mic sign ups begin at 6:00 pm. Youth open mic begins at 6:30 pm. The featured artist, the Apprentices, perform at 7 pm. Reception with beverage and food to follow.

What: What is the Cure? — A WritersCorps Open Mic

When: Tuesday, June 10, 2008, 6:00 to 8:00 pm

Where: Galeria de la Raza, 2857 24th St

Cost: Free

The San Francisco Giants has chosen WritersCorps as a community partner for an upcoming Giants vs. Mets game. WritersCorps student Angela Starks of International Studies Academy will read at home plate with her WritersCorps teacher Beto Palomar. Come out to the park for baseball — and poetry.

What: Write Like a Giant

When: Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 7:15 pm

Where: AT&T Park, 7:30 pm

WritersCorps students from all over the city come together to perform in this annual end-of-the-year celebration. Expect powerful performances and new books and publications featuring writing and art by WritersCorps students. Reception to follow.

Featuring writers from:

Downtown High School
International Studies Academy
Log Cabin Ranch
Malcolm X Academy
Mission High School
Sanchez Elementary
San Francisco Public Library, Main Branch
WritersCorps Apprentice Program

What: WritersCorps Literary Festival

When: Thursday, May 22, 2008, 5:30 to 6:30

Where: San Francisco Public Library, Main Branch, Koret Auditorum, 100 Larkin St

Cost: Free

WritersCorps and Intersection for the Arts celebrate their 5th consecutive year collaborating on a multigenerational reading series. In the final reading this season, WritersCorps teaching artists and youth poets from Ida B. Wells High School and Downtown High School share the stage with award-winning poet, columnist, novelist, travel writer and teacher Linda Watanabe McFerrin (”Namako: Sea Cucumber,” “The Hand of Buddha,” “The Impossibility of Redemption is Something We Hadn’t Figured On”).

“Watanabe McFerrin’s poetry rises from the true encounter between language and vision, between wonder and exploration…” - Ray Gonzalez, Bloomsbury Review

Who: Linda Watanabe McFerrin with Karla Robinson & WritersCorps youth poets

What: Readings Across Generations, a reading series by WritersCorps and Intersection

When: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at 7:30 pm

Where: Intersection for the Arts, 446 Valencia St (between 15th and 16th)

Cost: $5-$15/sliding scale, general admission

About Linda Watanabe McFerrin
Linda Watanabe McFerrin is a contributor to numerous journals, newspapers, magazines, anthologies and online publications including the Washington Post and Salon.com. She is the author of two poetry collections, a novel, and a collection of award-winning short stories, “The Hand of Buddha.” Linda is currently at work on a novel set in China.

Linda holds an undergraduate degree in Comparative Literature and a Master of Arts degree in creative writing. A popular panelist, lecturer and workshop leader, she has been a mentor for the Loft Literary Series, a guest instructor at the Oklahoma Institute for the Arts and a judge of the San Francisco Literary Competition. When she is not on the road, she directs art, consults on communications and product development and teaches creative writing.