"With the plummeting of arts funding and the general disappearance of public space, salon-style events ("house readings") are taken very seriously in the Bay Area; performing at one can garner more kudos than at a public venue. House readings frequently take place on the weekend and are just as devoted to partying as to poetizing. When the reading begins the party slams to a halt and attention is rapt.
The atmosphere may be casual—those not lucky enough to snag a seat on a couch are crammed together on the floor, some are sprawled across a mattress that somebody—who knows who—actually sleeps on, but this audience knows poetry, and they listen with razorlike precision. At such readings, whether I'm performer or audience, I feel like a beat in a larger matrix of communal creativity." —Dodie Bellamy
To celebrate the long tradition of non-instutitional spaces for poetry and writing in the Bay Area, we're throwing a looong weekend party. And you're invited!
We've invited many poets from around the US to converge on Oakland to give readings, lead conversations, mix cocktails, and teach and learn from each other. Confirmed readers include Anne Boyer, Anna Vitale, Bhanu Kapil, David Wolach, Dolores Dorantes, Jen Hofer, Maged Zaher, Douglas Rothschild, Frank Montesonti, Sophie Sills, Matt Longabucco, Mathew Timmons, and Uyen Hua. Many more names to come!
The summit will start on Friday night with a house reading and party. Saturday readings and talks in the daytime, breaks for big group dinner, and a reading and party in the evening. Sunday ditto. Monday, a daytime barbecue and house reading to decompress and recover from the mayhem.
For our poets coming from out of town, we are asking that the community can pitch in and help with the cost of their travel. All the readings and events will be absolutely FREE! so any help you can provide would be critical to help these poets with the burden of travel costs.
Let us know you are coming at our Facebook Event Page!
Reading Schedule
Friday, May 24th
7:00 p.m. @ 2127 Blake St, Berkeley
Uyen Hua
Douglas Rothschild
Melissa Buzzeo
Jen Hofer
David Wolach
Saturday, May 25th
4:00 p.m. @ Long Haul: 3124 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA
Cassie Smith
Sue Landers
Matthew Timmons
Katy Bohinc
Frank Sherlock
6:00 p.m. Potluck at Woolsey Heights: 1628 Woolsey St, Berkeley (house in back)
8:00 p.m. @ Woolsey
Bhanu Kapil
Andrew Durbin
John Coletti
Jared Stanley
Dolores Dorantes
Jenn McCreary
Sunday, May 26th
3:00 p.m. @ The Public School: 2141 Broadway, Oakland
Anne Boyer
Anna Vitale
Laura Henriksen
Sophie Sills
Frank Montesonti
7:00 p.m. @ Tender Oracle: 531 22nd St, Oakland
Maged Zaher
Matt Longabucco
Dawn Lundy Martin
Monday, May 27th
BBQ at David Buuck’s. Contact us for the location.
