Public Programs

Public programs have been a core part of SPT operations since our early years, when we were still a bookstore. Starting in 1976, Robert Glück programmed poetry readings and workshops for SPT, inviting Gloria Anzaldúa to lead her popular El Mundo Surdo series centering women of color in 1980-81, and leading his own workshops; one on experimental fiction brought people together who later came to be known as New Narrative writers. In addition to fifty years of programming poetry readings, we have held and co-sponsored groundbreaking conferences, including the Left/Write Conference of 1981; Expanding the Repertoire: Continuity and Change in African-American Writing in 2000, organized by Renee Gladman and giovanni singleton; Indigenous Writing Now in 2001, organized by then-SPT director Elizabeth Treadwell; and co-sponsorship of Communal Presence: New Narrative Writing Today in 2017, organized by Eric Sneathen and Daniel Benjamin. We’ve also presented multidisciplinary programs throughout our existence, from talks and art exhibitions to performances and multimedia presentations. SPT is proud to have served as the cornerstone for San Francisco Poets Theater for decades, including presenting countless plays written and directed by Kevin Killian (with a host of collaborators and a rotating cast of stars) and twelve years of annual community Poets Theater events curated by members of SPT’s board of directors, including David Buuck, Stephanie Young, Brent Cunningham, and Cynthia Sailers. In 2024, we presented the revival of the San Francisco Poets Theater Festival produced by Maxe Crandall and co-curated by Crandall and Elena Gross for SPT’s 50th anniversary programming. Of course, we love the glitz and glam, but intimate poetry readings, conversations, and learning environments are at the center of our work, too. We invite you to scroll through the list of offerings SPT has presented over the course of our history. (And check out the SOURCE column for links to where and how we found these programs!) PLEASE NOTE: This list is not complete — we know there are many more programs SPT has presented, cosponsored, and hosted. If you participated in or know of an event that isn’t listed here, please send us the details and a link to any sources online or an image of a flyer, photo, or other documentation.