1 to 1:45 PM

Stegner Fellows

Reading Venue: Fresno Music Academy and Arts: Vista Theatre (1298 N Wishon Ave)

  • Adedayo Agarau

  • Jalen Eutsey

  • Luciana Arbus-Scandiffio

  • Joseph Rios 

Fresno’s history with the Stegner Fellowship at Stanford University dates back to Peter Everwine and Philip Levine attending in 1957 and 1958. Twenty years later,  the poet Victor Martinez became a fellow in 1979. Fresno’s current poet Laureate, Joseph Rios, is a first year fellow and has packed a car with a few members of this year’s cohort and brought them over the Pacheco Pass to visit Fresno for the first time. 

Aideed Medina presents: La Poeta y La Milpa, Una lectura poética en español y náhuatl

Reading Venue: Fresno Music Academy and Arts: Doris Gallery (814 E Olive Ave)

  • Itzel Xochicuicatl

  • Diosa Xochiquetzalcóatl

  • Norma Beatriz Sánchez Sánchez

  • L.S. Arévalo

Curated as an ofrenda to Fresno poetry audiences, this proposed reading brings together two local poets and two Southern California poets. They are a beautiful sliver of the many poets who write in Spanish and indigenous languages in California. The topics covered by each of these women span from the political to the sacred. The unifying theme is an authentic expression of language as each singular poem dictates. Each of these hermanas has the power to translate time and space. All life and creative force are rooted in and fed by the milpa.

Shangri-la: On the Healing Power of Cooking, Gardening, and Other Forms of Magic
Reading Venue: Fresbrew (810 E Olive Ave)

  • Alena Hairston

  • Sylvia Savala

  • Michelle Patton

  • Marisol Baca

Four local poets share their work on the sustenance and alchemy of food, plants, and friendships, on nurturing and being nurtured by what is given and what is received in the gardens of our lives.

Imbued in the Soil

Reading Venue: Hart's Haven Used Bookstore (950 N Van Ness Ave)

  • Cristina Sandoval

  • Michael Cantu

  • Andrea Marin Contreras

  • Alberto Saldaña Uribe

Four writers explore the dualities of their lives, from the cycles of intergenerational trauma and grief to the smallest, quiet triumphs. Some call the Central Valley home, others transients, but the soil holds onto more than just dissolved nutrients. Everything has a reason, and these four writers explore those invisible trails of purpose in each of their individual works.

The Anatomy of Vellum: Storytelling Through the Eyes of Four Fresno Writers

Reading Venue: Labyrinth Art Collective (1470 N Van Ness Ave)

  • Audra Burwell (she/her)

  • Sharon K. McClain (she/her)

  • Michael Steiner (he/him)

  • Dirk Tharpe

Four Fresno State writers strive to immerse you in the beauty of aesthetics and storytelling, offering an escape from the chaos of reality. Tethered together by their love of the written word, they merge both poetry and prose to create a dynamic experience for their readers. Let them take you on a journey through experiences both lived and conceptualized, an amalgamation of fantasy and reality.

Taking Off: Expect the Unexpected

Reading Venue: Spectrum Art Gallery (608 E Olive Ave)

  • Linnea Alexander (she/her)

  • Jack Chavoor (he/him/his)

  • Will Freeney (he/him/his)

  • Dani Potter (she/her)

Four writers with ties to Fresno and a simultaneous desire to travel beyond its boundaries come together to read from their new works. Some of the ideas they explore include the almost universal idea that travel changes one’s view of the world. They ponder the reasons why we need to leave our more predictable lives and take unnecessary risks. They also delve into the very definition of travel. Could it be a dream? Or a memory? Our definitions may vary and overlap but we all agree that travel and adventure will inevitably lead to the unpredictable.

Poetry Out Loud Student Reading

Reading Venue: Teazers (645 E Olive Ave)

  • Student readers from Fresno County High School Poetry Out Loud

Fresno County High School Poetry Out Loud participants perform recitations and share their own writing.

Say it LOUDER: The 2023 Central Valley Slam Team

Reading Venue: Tower Yoga: The Lotus Room (626 E Olive Ave)

  • Jose Jimenez (he/him)

  • Brinn Spencer (they/them)

  • Walks-Between-Worlds (he/him)

  • Michael Jasso

The Loud Mouth Poetry Jam of Visalia continues it's tradition of assembling a Slam Team consisting of our top represent Ives from the season. This past Summer our team went above and beyond to represent our community through competition traveling to Portland, Salt Lake City, and Berkeley. This reading will demonstrate the work we put out this season, and prove that the Central Valley is home to some of the world's best Poets.