December 27, 2021, 3pm
Our Voice with Ray Tyler
December 18, 2021, 1pm
Marias at Sampaguitas Issue Launch & Reading
December 14, 2021, 4pm
Peninsula Family Service & Daly City Library & Recreation Services’ 2nd Annual Virtual Holiday Celebration
Join us Tuesday December 14 from 4pm – 5pm for our Holiday Celebration on Zoom! Spoken word, songs, fun and games for all ages. Featuring Poet Laureate Aileen Cassinetto, artist and musician Gloria Soliz, and poet Roberta Gonzales-Gregg. Use the link to participate: https://tinyurl.com/DPLHoliday
December 14, 2021, 9am
Poet Laureate Opening of San Mateo County Board of Supervisors Meeting
December 12, 2021, 2pm
Pop-Up Pasko sa Dynamico
A community holiday celebration featuring a pop-up holiday bazaar, Christmas carol sing-along, Filipino Christmas bites, and lots of holiday cheer!
Featuring:
» St. Augustine Children’s Choir
» SOMA Seniors Choir
» Leon Palad
» Fatima David
» Aileen Cassinetto
» Steps, Styles & Spotlights
» DJ Mixsterious
FREE ADMISSION and open to the public.
Dynamico Space
447 Sutter Street, 3rd Floor
San Francisco, CA
December 10, 2021, 5pm
City of Menlo Park’s Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony & Donation Drive
Program: Mayor Drew Combs and San Mateo County Poet Laureate Aileen Cassinetto
Community members are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item to donate to others in need. Donated food items will benefit local families with the help of local nonprofit organization, Samaritan House. Donated food items must be non-perishable, unexpired food items in their original, unopened retail packaging. Examples of needed food items include: pastas, grains, rice, macaroni, peanut butter, instant potatoes, breakfast cereals, canned fruits and vegetables, and similar nutritious food items.
Fremont Park, Santa Cruz Avenue at University Drive, Menlo Park
December 1 & 8, 2021, 5pm-6pm
Daly City Youth Poet Laureate workshop via Zoom. Register by November 30, info@dcpla.org
Apply to become the 2022-2023 Daly City Youth Poet Laureate!
November 30
Deadline to submit to the SMK Janice Farrell Poetry Prize Category.
November 28 & 29
Nature & Culture Poetry Festival
Copenhagen
November 19, 2021, 5pm
San Mateo County Transgender Day of Remembrance
November 18, 2021, 4:30pm
Skyline College Poetry Corner Celebrates Non-English Poetry
Please register here: bit.ly/skypoetryRSVP
This Poetry Corner event will be facilitated by Pia Walawalkar in collaboration with Prof. Lucia Lachmayr and Prof. Rob Williams. Faculty are encouraged to bring their class and/or consider offering credit for participation.
November 14-20, 2021
United Against Hate Week
The County of San Mateo and participating cities within the County (Burlingame, Colma, Daly City, Hillsborough, Menlo Park, Millbrae, Pacifica, Portola Valley, Redwood City, San Bruno, San Carlos and the City of San Mateo), stand united against hate. Click here for more info about United Against Hate Week.
Students in Grades 6-12 are invited to participate in the first ever Burlingame Stands United Against Hate Art & Poetry Slam on the front porch of the library on Saturday, November 20 at 4:30pm! All art and poetry must have a social justice theme & submissions are due by Saturday, November 13. Please register your poem or artwork at https://forms.office.com/r/5yrhju6ATA
November 3, 2021, 12:30pm Pacific
2021-22 Poets Laureate Fellows Virtual Convening
“TAYO: Filipino Americans of San Mateo County”
Kimberley Acebo Arteche, Dado & Maria Banatao, Jo Boston, Gio Cuevas, Emily Danuco, Althea Avice De Guzman, Allen Mata, Lisa Suguitan Melnick, Reina Montenegro, Flor Nicolas, Christine Padilla, and Leora Tanjuatco Ross share their stories of being Pinoy in San Mateo County, in celebration of Filipino American History Month. Coming soon on the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco’s Facebook page!
October 29, 2021 TBD
Just Lutheran Livestream with Bishop Megan Rohrer & SMCPL Aileen Cassinetto
Event page: https://fb.me/e/WtX0nWOL
October 22, 2021, 10am-2pm
Housing Leadership Day 2021
Join the Housing Leadership Council’s second virtual conference. Attendees will have the chance to (re)connect with one another, join a workshop, and learn more about our work in San Mateo County. HLC Members receive discounted prices!
ALL REGISTRANTS WILL BE ENTERED TO WIN A PRIZE! Register here.
October 19, 2021, 5pm PST
Virtual Book Launch Party
The Philippine American Writers and Artists, Inc. and Paloma Press are hosting a virtual book launch party to celebrate the release of Lara Stapleton’s short story collection, The Ruin of Everything.
Joining Lara are Filipino American writers Eileen Tabios, Beverly Parayno and Ricco Siasoco. Aileen Cassinetto and Edwin Lozada will host.
October 19, 5pm PST/8pm EST via Zoom & FB Live.
More information about the book here.
September 14, 2021, 6pm PST
Aquí: Immigrant Poets on Building and Belonging
Celebrate our community as a place where everyone belongs — no matter where you’re from, we welcome you to San Mateo County! Join our Office of Community Affairs Immigrant Services team as they kick off #WelcomingWeek2021 with a poetry workshop featuring San Mateo County’s Poet Laureate Aileen Cassinetto and local poets Hilary Cruz and Kevin Madrigal. Via FB Live.
On September 16 at 9:30am, join us for the Immigrant Engagement Summit, bit.ly/3DFKZvt
August 26, 2021, 5pm PDT
Women’s Equality Day
The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and Women in County Government (WICG) are hosting a virtual event for this year’s Women’s Equality Day on Thursday, August 26 from 5:00-6:15pm.
From 5:00-5:30pm we are featuring San Mateo County Poet Laureate Aileen Cassinetto, Supervisor Carole Groom, Presidents of the WICG & CSW and important aspects of the upcoming election by the Voter Education and Outreach Advisory Committee.
From 5:30-6:15pm we are hosting and rotating Networking Break-Out Rooms focusing on:
– At Work: the Value of Experience & Learning to Adapt to Change
– Career Opportunities & Career Transitions for Women
– Childcare Resources
– Leadership Opportunities for Women
– Collaborating on Projects that impact Women in SMC
Please register at https://tinyurl.com/WomensEqualityDay2021 to receive the zoom link and calendar invitation to your inbox.
August 20, 2021, 7pm PDT
Poetry for the People hosted by Kim McMillon
Register here.
August 14, 2021, 2pm PDT
Celebration: Poets Honor Janice Mirikitani
Poets celebrate the life and legacy of Janice Mirikitani. Featuring San Francisco Poet Laureates past and present, Tongo Eisen-Martin (January 2021 – present), Kim Shuck (June 2017 – January 2021), Alejandro Murguía (July 2012 – December 2015), Jack Hirschman (January 2006 – January 2008, devorah major (April 2002 – April 2004). Along with many esteemed and loved Bay Area and beyond poets, Aileen Cassinetto, Susan Kitazawa, Genny Lim, Lauren Ito, Kimi Sugioka, Dr. Mary Wardell Ghirarduzzi, Michael Warr and Nelly Wong.
Janice Mirikitani was a visionary, a revolutionary artist and the very embodiment of San Francisco’s compassionate spirit. As a poet, including as Poet Laureate of this City from 2000 to 2002, she used the power of her words to further the fight for equality and to call for a more just and peaceful world. Through her work at Glide Memorial Church, along with her husband the Reverend Cecil Williams, she served our most vulnerable residents for decades and provided a place of refuge and love for all. She was boundless in her energy and in her devotion to this City and to her fellow San Franciscans.
Register to join the webinar or watch on YouTube.
August 11, 2021, 5pm PDT
Youth Ecopoetry Workshop with Meera Dasgupta
Register here.
July 31, 2021, 9am-10am
Have you ever wanted to plan and build your own city? Well, now’s your chance. Join Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County for a family-friendly and socially distanced day at the beach and build your own sand city! In the process, we’ll learn what makes an ideal city and how best to advocate for affordable homes.
Snacks, water, buckets and shovels will be provided, but you are welcome to bring your own. You’ll have 1 hour to build your own city out of sand!
All ages welcome.
Register here: https://hlcsmc.salsalabs.org/sandmateocounty/index.html
July 28, 2021, 6pm-8pm
La Honda Lit Nite
Hosted by Joe Cottonwood and Terry Adams, featuring SMC Poet Laureate Aileen Cassinetto with Monica Korde and Megan Duffy Brown. Please bring a poem to share!
We’ll meet on the patio behind the Restaurant at 8865 La Honda Rd. There will be space for distancing. Masks are welcome. Dress for coolness (both kinds).
July 1-November 4, 2021, 3pm-7pm
Make It Main Street
Make It Main Street is a new collaborative community event taking place in Downtown Half Moon Bay on the first Thursday of each month. The event will bring together artists, musicians, and other performers to celebrate local arts and culture and to support the businesses in downtown Half Moon Bay.
When: First Thursday of the month, 3pm–7pm, July through November 2021 (2022 dates to be determined) Where: Main Street in Half Moon Bay
Plenty of free parking is generally available within a block of Main Street on Johnston and Purisima Streets.
June 29, 2021, 6-7:30pm PDT
Environmental Justice in our Backyards
*Featuring Kevin Madrigal of Farming Hope, Ken Chan of the Housing Leadership Council, and Wendy Chou of Acterra
Join on Zoom:
Webinar ID: 891 8913 0643
Passcode: 238360
March-July 2021
Burlingame Public Library’s community Book to Action program “Burlingame Reads,” running March-July 2021, with support from California Center for the Book, and with Community Partners Citizens Environmental Council, Sustainable San Mateo County, Farming Hope, San Mateo County Poet Laureate Aileen Cassinetto, and Nethra Samarawickrema and Yuri Zaitsev of the Listening Lab.
June 19, 2021
Youth Climate Ambassadors Summer Retreat organized by the Office of Sustainability
*With Keynote Address & Workshop by National Youth Poet Laureate Alexandra Huynh
(The Ecopoetry workshop, organized by San Mateo County Poet Laureate Aileen Cassinetto, was made possible with support from The Academy of American Poets and Urban Word NYC.)
SMC Pride Celebration, June 6-12
Grand Celebration includes poetry by Mimi Tempestt, Randy James, Hilary Cruz, Michael Sagum & Loa Niumeitolu on June 12, 1pm to 3pm
Register here.
May 2021
Breaking the Cycle Against Hate
Our program “Breaking the Cycle Against Hate” will premiere today, at 4:30pm on (local Comcast) Cable Channel 30 and will air the whole month of May on Tuesdays at 4:30pm, Thursdays at 11am, Saturdays at 5pm, Sundays at 9:30am, and Mondays at 9pm. To watch the program outside the local broadcast area, please visit: The Midpen Media Center
Featuring San Mateo County Harbor District Commission President & Menlo Park Fire Protection Board Director Virginia Chang Kiraly, Burlingame City Councilmember Donna Wills Colson, Redwood City Councilmember Jeff Gee, East Palo Alto City Councilmember Antonio López, former City of South San Francisco Mayor Karyl Matsumoto, and Redwood City Councilmember Michael Smith, as well as youth activist Ashlyn So, Filoli and The Midpen Media Center team for supporting the program.
May 28, 2021, 6pm PDT
The Menlo Park Youth Advisory Committee cordially invites you to the 2021 Poetry Slam and Open Mic Night.
Our annual Youth Poetry Contest has returned!
Join us for a virtual celebration of the winners reading their original poems that captured the elements of our theme “Under the Stars.”
All winners will be presented with cash prizes generously provided by the Menlo Park Library Foundation.
In addition, we will be featuring our Open Mic presenters with Menlo Park youth, and special guests:
City of East Palo Alto Councilman Antonio Lopez & San Mateo County Poet Laureate Aileen Cassinetto
May 26, 2021, 7pm PDT
Where meditation and verse come to life.
Mindfulness and poetry are related and helpful practices for gaining a sense of safety and agency in our lives.
Celebrated local poets will read poetry and discuss its connection to mindfulness, followed by an introduction of the Calm app.
Begin your poetry and mindfulness journey with San Mateo County Poet Laureate Aileen Cassinetto, San Mateo County Poets Laureate Emerita Caroline Goodwin and Lisa Rosenberg, and San Mateo County Supervisors Carole Groom and Warren Slocum. Presented by the San Mateo County Libraries.
May 25, 2021, 3:30pm PDT
Skyline College Human Book Mixer
Join us for the our second Human Book Mixer, a chance for Human Library volunteers like you are invited to share and connect in a relaxed, no schedules kind of way. On Zoom, this is a little different so in advance of next week, we ask that you let us know if you are open to being a “book” again or if you prefer to be a reader for this event. Please email Pia at walawalkars@smccd.edu if you are interested in being a “book”.
May 20, 2021, 4pm PDT/7pm EDT
National Youth Poet Laureate Competition
*SMCPL Aileen Cassinetto served as one of the judges
May 19, 2021, 5pm PDT
Kapwa: Filipino Writers on History, Legacy and Building Community featuring Eileen Tabios, Kirby Araullo, Leny Mendoza Strobel and Vince Gotera
Hosted by Daly City Public Library & San Mateo County Poet Laureate Aileen Cassinetto
Register here.
May 17, 2021, 7pm
Event with SMC Youth & Midpen Media Center
Details forthcoming.
May 12, 2021, 5:30pm-7pm PDT
GROWING HOME: Youth Poetry, Art & Music Competition in celebration of Affordable Housing Month
May 3, 2021, 6pm PDT
Menlo Park Library’s Mental Health Awareness Virtual Open Mic
Whether in poetry, spoken word, or music, let’s bring our voices together to break the silence surrounding the mental health impacts of rising anti-Asian sentiments and stand in solidarity with the AAPI community. Share your own words, or listen to others. Register here. For more info, please email John Weaver.
April 30, 2021
HLCSMC
April 29, 2021, 7pm PDT
Literary Speakeasy Benefiting Bay Area Creative
Event Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83105767581
RSVP as “Going” to receive the Zoom password.
This month Literary Speakeasy is celebrating National Poetry Month by teaming up with Bay Area Creative & SPARC Poetry. We will be collecting funds for this amazing non-profit and we have four spectacular Bay Area poets for the evening, including Guy Biederman, Aileen Cassinetto, Randy James, and Ayo Khensu-Ra. Your curator and host every month is James J. Siegel.
Bay Area Creative provides opportunities for creative expression and the study of the cultural impacts of famous and contemporary works of spoken word poetry that empower individuals to develop empathic communication skills and foster positive change in themselves and their communities. Please join us in celebrating poetry and the work of Bay Area Creative.
April 29, 2021, 3pm-5pm PDT
Community & Covid Town Hall: A Year Later
*SMC Poet Laureate will present at 3:20
Register here.
April 29, 2021, 9am to 9pm
School visit with Portola Valley first graders
Meeting with Housing Leadership Council
Paloma Press meeting
Community & Covid Town Hall
Literary Speakeasy
April 28, 2021, 6pm
Portola Valley Town Council Meeting & National Poetry Month observance
April 27, 2021, 4pm PDT
Words That Heal: An Intergenerational Community Gathering in Celebration of National Poetry Month
Explore poetry’s power to heal and to foster self-care. Enjoy readings by San Mateo County Poet Laureate Aileen Cassinetto, Tony Acarasiddhi Press, Roberta Gonzales-Gregg, Barbara Campitelli and Daly City Youth Poet Laureate Madeleine Hur. Share an original or favorite poem, or join in the creation of a community “word cloud.” All are welcome! Participate on Zoom at http://bit.ly/poetry-event or on Facebook Live.
via Zoom
April 26, 2021, 4pm
Deep Dope Soul Reading hosted by Raymond Tyler
April 26, 2021, 10:30am-3pm
AAPI event
April 24, 2021, 1pm-3pm EDT
Write Now! Poetry Festival: A community conversation addressing gun violence and providing our youth with a voice and a path forward, hosted by the Poets Laureate of the State of Delaware, twin poets Al Mills and Representative Nnamdi O. Chukwuocha (D)
April 20-25, 2021
Workshop
April 19, 2021, 6:30pm PDT / 9:30pm EDT
Redwood City Public Library is proud to present National Poetry Month Readings featuring Angela Narciso Torres with Dilruba Ahmed, Naoko Fujimoto, and Karen Llagas.
Register here.
April 17, 2021, 6:30pm PDT
Please join us on Saturday, April 17 at 6:30 pm as we celebrate the achievements of the Daly City Public Library Associates (DCPLA) over the past decade and name the Daly City Youth Poet Laureate, the first Youth Poet Laureate in San Mateo County! All attendees will be entered into a raffle to win an Apple Watch.
April 16, 2021, 6pm
ILLUMINATE II: Asian and Asian American Womxn Speak Out
Aileen Cassinetto, San Mateo County Poet Laureate; Anouk Yeh; Christine No; Clara Hsu; Jireh Deng; Kimi Sugioka, Alameda Poet Laureate; Lisa Lim; Melinda Luisa de Jesus
Statements from SF Poet Laureate, Tongo Eisen-Martin & Kim Shuck SF Poet Laurete emeritus
Co-Hosted by Lauren Ito & Kim Shuck, SF Poet Laurete emeritus
April 14, 2021
HLCSMC
DCPLA
April 8 & 13
Meeting with BoS
April 7, 2021 to April 22, 2021
Announcing Burlingame Reads 2021!
Featuring Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (free copies are available while supplies last!), with support from the California Center for the Book, and with Community Partners Citizens Environmental Council, Sustainable San Mateo County, Farming Hope, San Mateo County Poet Laureate Aileen Cassinetto, and Nethra Samarawickrema and Yuri Zaitsev of the Listening Lab. Burlingame Reads is a Book to Action program featuring a series of events centering discussions and action around environmental justice, equity, and community care.
*Burlingame Library has a community art space out front where everyone can display a piece of art and/or words of support for the Asian American community. Find out more.
March 26, 2021, 6:30pm
Meet & Greet with CADEM API Caucus Candidates
Details forthcoming.
March 24, 2021, 12pm
The Future of Women’s History presented by the San Mateo County Commission on the Status of Women
Featuring Sanjyot Pia Walawalkar, Amanda Safi, Sophie Mateja & Hilary Cruz Mejia. With Tanya Beat & Aileen Cassinetto. (Watch the FB recording here.)
March 18, 2021, 4pm-5:30pm
With a theme of ecofeminism, EMPOWER WOMEN, EMPOWER EARTH brings together three esteemed writers in celebration of the joint work of feminism and environmentalism in saving our planet. On March 18, we’ll welcome Dr. Persis Karim, Maya Khosla, and Kim Shuck (find full bios here: http://bit.ly/PoetBios)
Registration Link: tinyurl.com/PoetryCornerEWEE
We invite you to enjoy the afternoon with us (via Zoom). If you like, bring a favorite poem or a personal piece to share. Bring a friend!
This session of Poetry Corner is brought to you by the Skyline College Library, English department faculty and Poetry Club President Hilary Cruz Mejia, in collaboration with Aileen Cassinetto, San Mateo County Poet Laureate.
The Poetry Corner Series offers the Skyline College community a space to gather and celebrate diversity and lyrical power through the art of poetry.
Poetry Corner is supported by a President’s Innovation Fund award.
March 9, 2021, 9am
Poet Laureate Opening of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors Meeting in honor of Women’s History Month
via Zoom
March 8, 2021, 2pm PST / 5pm EST
“A Panel Discussion with Filipino-American Women Writers”
Hosted by the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. in honor of International Women’s Day
Panelists: Cecilia Manguerra Brainard, Migs Bravo Dutt, Luisa A. Igloria, Gayle Romasanta
Moderator: Aileen Cassinetto
Register here.
February 26, 2021, 2-4pm PST
Skyline College’s Poetry Corner: Words Changing Worlds: Activist Poetry
February 20, 2021, 5pm to 6:40pm
11th Annual Lunar New Year Celebration with Redwood City Councilmember Jeff Gee
Co-hosted by San Mateo County Harbor District Commission President Virginia Chang Kiraly & San Mateo County Poet Laureate Aileen Cassinetto
Streaming platform: Peninsula360Press.com
February 14, 2021, 12pm
Haiku Reading at Filoli (special announcement of the Haiku Competition winners)
Congratulations to the winners!
February 11, 2021, 7-9pm
THIRD ANNUAL SAN MATEO COUNTY POETRY OUT LOUD COMPETITION
“Igniting student potential through the power of poetry”
Come and watch inspiring students from various San Mateo County schools compete in the Third Annual San Mateo County Poetry Out Loud Competition on Thursday, February 11th, from 7-9 pm Via Zoom Webinar!
Register for this FREE Event here: bit.ly/SMCPoetryOutLoud2021
For more information about the California Poetry Out Loud Competition, visit https://www.capoetryoutloud.org/
For more information about the San Mateo County Arts Commission, visit https://cmo.smcgov.org/arts-commission
Submit Your Haiku on Filoli’s Winter Garden!
Entries due January 31 | Winner announced Feb 14
Filoli is pleased to bring back for a second year its Winter Garden Haiku Poetry Competition, open to all. Entrants may submit up to three original, previously unpublished poems in the 5/7/5 format that reflect or are inspired by the beauty of Filoli’s garden in winter. San Mateo County Poet Laureate Aileen Cassinetto will judge the entries blind, selecting ten finalists and awarding prizes for first and second place (adult) and best under 18 years of age. Entries must be submitted by January 31, 2021 at midnight PST. Finalists will be announced on the website on February 10, 2021. The winners will be announced via Zoom on February 14, 2021. For more information and to submit an entry, visit: filoli.org/haiku.
February 2, 2021, 5pm PST / 8pm EST
Power to the Poets: Black History Month
Featured readers:
Tongo Eisen-Martin, new Poet Laureate of San Francisco
Glenis Redmond
Bernard Collins
James Cagney
Karla Brundage
McTate Stroman II
Raymond Tyler
Tony Robles
Tureeda Mikell
Elijah Pringle III
January 29, 2021, 2pm PST
Virtual Reading & Conversation featuring Dr. Frederick Foote, author of Medic Against Bomb, and Jeanne-Marie Osterman, author of Shellback.
Join here.
January 29, 2021, 2pm PST
January 25-February 5, 2021
San Carlos Education Foundation’s (SCEF) First Annual Read-a-Thon
January 24, 2021, 3pm PST/6pm EST
Reaching for Joy, Four Poets Read
Four poets — Jeanne-Marie Osterman, Janice N. Harrington, Laure-Anne Bosselaar, and Christopher X. Shade — read from their recent books to honor loss and grief, and at the same time celebrate hope and healing. Co-hosted by CAGIBI, a journal of poetry and prose, and Paloma Press, a San Francisco Bay Area-based independent literary press publishing poetry, prose, and limited edition books.
The link to register & join is: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/reaching-for-joy
January 18-20, 2021
Release of I Have a Dream: Inaugural Poems for a New Generation by San Mateo County Youth in honor of MLK Day 2021 and Inauguration Day
January 12, 2021, 9am
Poet Laureate Opening of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors Meeting
via Zoom
January 5, 2021, 1pm PST
Opening of the San Mateo County Harbor Board District‘s Swearing-in Ceremony with a Poetry Reading by Aileen Cassinetto, Joe Cottonwood & Diane Moomey
*Photo courtesy of Commissioner Virginia Chang Kiraly
Aileen Cassinetto 