12 to 12:45 PM

Old Trees, Still Standing

Reading Venue: Mi Cafecito

  • Megan Bohigian

  • Corrinne Clegg Hales

  • John Hales

  • Grace Olguin

    What it is to last? to live in the continuous, remembered past, clear-eyed present, and imagined future? To stand up strong, for justice for humans, nature, and the planet, and to stay open and connected to what matters. At the peak of their craft, three poets and a nonfiction writer’s words offer a clearer view, long memories intact, standfast hearts open.

Dreamscape: fantasy, nightmare, escapism

Reading Venue: SourMilk

  • Mateo Perez Lara

  • Shelby Pinkham

  • CJ Wheelan

  • Felix Colson

What do your dreams say about you? Lucid or daydream? Real or Not Real? So visceral, so vivid, let's examine the language, thin line between dream and reality. Enter the portal, cross the boundary of a glowing mind, close your eyes, envision it, welcome to primetime.

It’s Not OK
Reading Venue: Teazer’s World Market

  • Erica Castro

  • Peter Lechuga

  • Clara Roque-Wagner

  • Hope Cerna

It’s Not Okay is a poetry event featuring four powerful voices speaking out against injustice. These poets will share work about the impact of immigration policies on families, the violence in Gaza, and the pain and frustration so many are feeling.

Exploration and Discovery

Reading Venue: Spectrum Art Gallery

  • Mia Amor Hernandez

  • Brandon Xiong

  • Mariah Gabler

  • Jessika Torres

A series of poems and creative nonfiction, all pieces are perspectives from recently graduated Fresno State University students, navigating the world, life, and the future.

She Who Speaks: A Black Woman Cipher

Reading Venue: Hart’s Haven

  • Kwamise “Lady K” Fletcher

  • Nefesha Ruth Ysira'el

  • La'Tasha Kiongozi

  • Alexandria Benn

She Who Speaks: A Black Woman’s Cipher is a poetic gathering of four unapologetic Black women who bring their truth to the mic with power, vulnerability, and reverence. Through rhythm, reflection, and resistance, they speak life into shared experiences of identity, survival, and sacred sisterhood...holding space in rooms not made for them, yet refusing to shrink. This cipher is not just performance...it’s testimony, healing, and home.

Our Web of Poems

Reading Venue: Cell Pros

  • Mary Yang

  • Carrie Belko

  • Domingo Munoz

  • Yeiri Farias

The reading will be composed of poetry inspired by the unique experiences of each poet. Varying in ages and backgrounds, each set of poems plays around with the multifaceted aspects of life and the development of humanity through the years. From military experience overseas, to the never-ending cycle of working to live, the betrayal within family, to the personal takes on love that haunts. The diversity of the poems is interconnected based on the humanity that connects the poets and the desire to write.

New Voices, City Poets

Reading Venue: Tower Yoga: Lotus Room

  • Hosted by California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick

Come hear the vibrant, diverse poetry of Fresno City College students, past and present. Poets will read on a range of themes, sure to move and inspire. California Poet Laureate Lee Herrick will introduce the event and the student poets as they take the stage to share their original poems.