THE FIRST EVER SACRAMENTO POETRY WEEK IS OCTOBER 20TH-26TH!
Sacramento Poetry Day was declared by Mayor Anne Rudin in 1986. This event honored the groundbreaking anthology Landing Signals. Revived in 2022 with the support of the American Academy of Poets, Sacramento Poetry Day has featured the creation of a locally sourced poetry curriculum (free and available to the public), cash-prize contests, and a ceremony honoring our most powerful voices.
In 2024, we’re expanding this tradition into Sacramento Poetry Week, a full week of events designed to amplify our city's unique voices. This includes expanding the curated poetry curriculum for students to be multilingual, cash prize contests for adults and youth, the awards gala, beloved poetry events all week long, free RT rides on Sacramento Poetry Day (October 26th), and dedicated mental health support programs launching for poets. Partnering with the Sacramento Library, the Sacramento Poetry Center, Sol Collective, and some of our city's most influential creatives, we aim to inspire, educate, and uplift our community through the transformative power of poetry. Join us in celebrating the diverse voices that have made Sacramento the poetry capital of California.
Locally sourced poetry lesson plans known as the Ten Twenty Six curriculum, designed by and for Sacramento, that meet core education standards across grades K-12 for poetry, language and comprehension. Available for free.
This year we have added Ten Twenty Six’s first bilingual lesson plans.
Open to all residents of Sacramento county, both youth and adult cash-prize contests are back this year! Win one of multiple cash prizes up to $500 for your poem no matter your age or experience. All poems must be original work. Work is not shared publicly and poets maintain all rights to their work.
Contest(s) launched September 20th and are open until October 26th.
This year we’ve got multiple ways to bring poets into your student’s classrooms. Some of the city’s favorite poets will be Zooming into classrooms across the city throughout the week. We are also open for co-curation of poetry performances, appearances, and assemblies in your school.
Email SacramentoPoetryDay@gmail.com to be a part of poet Zooms into classrooms.
Honoring some of the city’s most impactful voices with a night of powerful performances and well deserved recognitions for the poets that make Sacramento the poetry capital of California. Advance tickets available to Poetry Week partners. The dress code is fly. The food will be delicious. The vibe will be right. The Sacramento Poetry Awards Gala is free to the public of all ages.
Public tickets will be available October 1st via Eventbrite.
From Sacramento cornerstones like Mahogany and Speak Out Sac to Drunk Poetry (for the 21+), and our first ever event en Espanol, the entire week of October 20-26th will be full of poetic happenings throughout every corner of the city including the official declaration of Sacramento Poetry Week.
Stay tuned for the official event lineup drop.
We have partnered with Sacramento Native American Health Center to provide mental health support for poets via individual and group therapy, and more. In addition, SNAHC is working to support Medi-Cal enrollment for poets to support their physical, mental, and emotional health.
This is a first of its kind pilot program. Any interested therapists interested in providing discounted services for poets please contact us.
A fresh collaboration for the inaugural Sacramento Poetry Week, Poetry Pays are new partnerships between Regional Transit, and The Crocker Art Museum that will allow patrons to ride or go to the museum by showing a poem by a Sacramento poet on October 26th to celebrate Sacramento Poetry Day.
La Semana de la Poesía en Sacramento honra la riqueza de la poesía en español y en espanglish. Por esta razón, y a partir de este año tendremos poesía legendaria de los poetas pioneros de estas tierras en el currículum de las escuelas y en los eventos culturales conmemorativos, como tertulias, mingas y lecturas de poesía original con música, chicha y mucho más.
We are very proud to honor Sacramento’s rich history of Span(gl)ish poetry with our first Span(gl)ish events and curriculum featuring some of Sacramento’s legendary Spanish speaking poets.