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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260605T210000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260605T230000
DTSTAMP:20260613T092741
CREATED:20260603T181917Z
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SUMMARY:Coit Tower Poetry Club reads Robert Creely
DESCRIPTION:Join the Coit Tower Poetry Club for the June installment of their First Friday residency on the back lawn of Coit Tower. This month’s featured poet turns toward the spare\, searching voice of Robert Creely (1926–2005). A central figure in the Black Mountain poetry movement and a close collaborator of Charles Olson\, Creeley wrote with radical economy — short lines\, fragmented syntax\, and an intense focus on the rhythms of thought and feeling as they unfold in real time. Following the club’s tradition\, attendees gather in a circle on the back lawn of Coit Tower\, passing around selected works and reading aloud\, with the city and Bay spread out below — an open\, informal evening of poetry in a neighborhood long shaped by the literary traditions Creeley helped define. \n 
URL:https://offbeatsf.com/event/coit-tower-poetry-club-2-6/
LOCATION:Coit Tower\, 1 Telegraph Hill Blvd\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94133\, United States
CATEGORIES:Poetry
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://offbeatsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/IMG_0212.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260501T210000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260501T230000
DTSTAMP:20260613T092741
CREATED:20260428T235523Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260428T235523Z
UID:10012148-1777669200-1777676400@offbeatsf.com
SUMMARY:Coit Tower Poetry Club reads Mario Santiago Papasquiro and Leopoldo Maria Panero
DESCRIPTION:Join the Coit Tower Poetry Club for the May installment of their First Friday residency. This month\, the gathering turns toward the restless\, insurgent voices of Mario Santiago Papasquiaro (1953–1998) and Leopoldo María Panero (1948–2014)\, two poets whose work challenges convention through intensity\, fragmentation\, and a refusal of polite literary boundaries. \nThe Featured Poets \nMario Santiago Papasquiaro\, a central figure in Mexico City’s Infrarealist movement\, wrote poetry that feels immediate and unfiltered—charged with motion\, urban life\, and a kind of ecstatic urgency. A contemporary and collaborator of Roberto Bolaño\, Papasquiaro rejected institutional literary culture in favor of raw expression\, often composing in bursts that blur the line between diary\, manifesto\, and poem.\nLeopoldo María Panero\, one of Spain’s most transgressive literary voices\, produced work that is dark\, hallucinatory\, and deeply philosophical. Associated with the “Novísimos” generation but always at its edges\, Panero’s poetry grapples with madness\, exile\, and the breakdown of language itself. His writing resists easy interpretation\, instead inviting readers into a disorienting\, often unsettling interior landscape.\nTogether\, their work offers a confrontation with poetry as something alive\, unstable\, and untamed. \nThe Ritual \nThe reading takes place outdoors on the back lawn of Coit Tower. Following the club’s tradition\, attendees form a circle and pass around selected works by the featured poets. Anyone is welcome to step forward and read aloud—whether in English or Spanish—though simply listening and absorbing the atmosphere is equally part of the experience. \nThe Setting \nAt the summit of Telegraph Hill\, Coit Tower overlooks the city and the bay\, creating a striking contrast between the vast\, open horizon and the intimate circle of voices below. As evening settles in\, the setting lends itself to the unpredictable\, dreamlike qualities of the poems being shared. \nThe Community \nThis is an informal\, welcoming gathering open to all. No prior familiarity with Papasquiaro or Panero is required. Whether you come with a favorite passage or encounter their work for the first time\, you’re invited to join the circle and take part in a shared exploration of poetry at its most boundary-pushing.
URL:https://offbeatsf.com/event/coit-tower-poetry-club-2-5/
LOCATION:Coit Tower\, 1 Telegraph Hill Blvd\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94133\, United States
CATEGORIES:Poetry
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://offbeatsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/IMG_0212.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260403T210000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260403T230000
DTSTAMP:20260613T092741
CREATED:20260331T163125Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260331T163821Z
UID:10012147-1775250000-1775257200@offbeatsf.com
SUMMARY:Coit Tower Poetry Club
DESCRIPTION:Join the Coit Tower Poetry Club for the April installment of their First Friday residency. This month\, the gathering focuses on the work of Lucille Clifton (1936–2010)\, an American poet celebrated for her spare\, powerful language and her exploration of the endurance of the human spirit. \nThe Featured Poet\nLucille Clifton was a prolific author of poetry and children’s books whose work is noted for its economy and directness. A former Poet Laureate of Maryland and a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize\, Clifton developed a signature style characterized by a lack of capitalization and minimal punctuation. Her writing centers on themes of the body\, family history\, and the African American experience\, turning everyday observations into profound statements on survival and self-definition. \n\nwon’t you celebrate with me what i have shaped into a kind of life? i had no model. born in babylon both nonwhite and woman what did i see to be except myself? From won’t you celebrate with me (1993) \n\nClifton’s poetry is often described as unadorned and grounded. By stripping away traditional formal constraints\, she allowed the rhythm of common speech to carry the weight of her narratives. Reading her work at the summit of Telegraph Hill—where the city meets the open bay—complements her focus on the relationship between the individual and the vast\, often difficult world around them. \nThe Ritual\nThe reading takes place outdoors on the back lawn of Coit Tower. Following the established club tradition\, attendees form a circle and pass a collection of the featured poet’s work from hand to hand. There is an open invitation for anyone to step forward and read a selection aloud\, though listening is equally encouraged. \nThe Setting\nPerched at the top of Telegraph Hill\, the location provides a 360-degree view of San Francisco and the waterfront. The natural quiet of the hill after dark creates a focused environment for the spoken word\, offering a brief departure from the activity of the city below. \nThe Community\nThis is a grassroots\, unpretentious gathering. It is open to all\, regardless of their familiarity with Lucille Clifton’s work. Whether you are a regular attendee or a passerby walking the Filbert Steps\, you are welcome to join the circle.
URL:https://offbeatsf.com/event/coit-tower-poetry-club-2-4/
LOCATION:Coit Tower\, 1 Telegraph Hill Blvd\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94133\, United States
CATEGORIES:Poetry
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://offbeatsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/IMG_0212.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260306T210000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260306T230000
DTSTAMP:20260613T092741
CREATED:20260304T000507Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260304T000507Z
UID:10012146-1772830800-1772838000@offbeatsf.com
SUMMARY:Coit Tower Poetry Club
DESCRIPTION:Vibe: Surrealist Nightfall | Candlelit Verse | Telegraph Hill Magic \nJoin the Coit Tower Poetry Club for a specialized installment of their First Friday residency. This month\, the club gathers on the back lawn of Telegraph Hill to read the works of Joyce Mansour (1928–1986)\, the Egyptian-French author celebrated as the most significant woman poet of the second-generation Surrealist movement. \nThe Featured Poet: Known for her “convulsive” beauty and unabashed exploration of desire\, anatomy\, and the macabre\, Joyce Mansour’s work challenged the traditional boundaries of Surrealism. Her poetry is visceral\, darkly humorous\, and intensely psychological—perfectly suited for the atmospheric fog of a San Francisco evening. \n\nI have eaten your desire I have drunk your breath I have slept in your shadow I have lived in your death I have seen the white bird Of your soul in my hand I have heard the low song Of the sea in your land. \n\nFrom “Cris” (1953) \nJoyce Mansour’s work often focused on the subversion of domesticity and the exploration of the “female gothic.” Her writing was a cornerstone of the post-WWII Surrealist movement in Paris\, championed by André Breton himself. Reading her work at the base of Coit Tower—surrounded by the night fog and the mechanical hum of the city—highlights the dreamlike\, disorienting power of her prose. \nThe Ritual: The reading takes place outdoors on the lawn behind Coit Tower. Following a long-standing North Beach tradition\, poets and attendees pass a book of the featured poet’s work around the circle\, with an open invitation for anyone to step forward and read a favorite passage. \nThe Setting: Perched at the summit of Telegraph Hill\, the venue offers a 360-degree backdrop of the city lights and the bay. The combination of Mansour’s surrealist imagery and the quiet\, elevated sanctuary of the tower creates a “transformative and magical” experience that feels disconnected from the modern city below. \nThe Community: This is an unpretentious\, grassroots gathering. Whether you are a lifelong scholar of French Surrealism or a passerby who happened to follow the sound of verse up the Filbert Steps\, you are welcome to join the circle.
URL:https://offbeatsf.com/event/coit-tower-poetry-club-2-3/
LOCATION:Coit Tower\, 1 Telegraph Hill Blvd\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94133\, United States
CATEGORIES:Poetry
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://offbeatsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/IMG_0212.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260206T210000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260206T230000
DTSTAMP:20260613T092741
CREATED:20260205T235948Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260206T214117Z
UID:10012145-1770411600-1770418800@offbeatsf.com
SUMMARY:Coit Tower Poetry Club
DESCRIPTION:Join the Coit Tower Poetry Club with a reading on the back lawn of Coit Tower. \nThis month’s featured poet\, Gabriela Mistral (1889–1957) \nBio: Gabriela Mistral (the pseudonym of Lucila Godoy Alcayaga) was a Chilean poet\, educator\, and diplomat who became the first Latin American author to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1945. Born in a small village in the Andes\, her early life was shaped by the rugged beauty of the Elqui Valley and the influence of her grandmother’s Bible readings. \nMistral’s work is deeply rooted in the themes of motherhood\, sorrow\, and a profound empathy for the marginalized—specifically children\, women\, and the poor. Beyond her literary success\, she was a transformative educator who helped reorganize the rural school systems in Mexico and served as a cultural representative for Chile across the globe. Her poetry often possesses a ritualistic\, prayer-like quality\, blending intense emotional honesty with a spiritual\, Franciscan worldview. \n\nSelected Poem: Tiny Feet (Piececitos)\nOne of Mistral’s most famous works\, this poem exemplifies her lifelong advocacy for children and her ability to find sacredness in the humble and the suffering. \nPiececitos \nPiececitos de niño\, azulosos de frío\, ¡cómo os ven y no os cubren\, Dios mío! \n¡Piececitos heridos por los guijarros todos\, ultrajados de nieves y lodos! \nEl hombre ciego ignora que por donde pasáis\, una flor de luz viva dejáis; \nque allí donde ponéis la plantita sangrante\, el nardo nace más fragante. \nSed\, puesto que marcháis por los caminos rectos\, heroicos como sois perfectos. \nPiececitos de niño\, dos joyitas sufrientes\, ¡cómo pasan sin veros las gentes! \n\nTranslation: Tiny Feet \nTiny feet of children\, blue with the cold\, how can they see you and not cover you\, my God! \nTiny feet wounded by every stone\, abused by the snow and the mud! \nMan\, being blind\, ignores that where you step\, a flower of bright light you leave; \nthat there where you place your bleeding little sole\, the tuberose grows more fragrant. \nBe\, since you walk along the straight paths\, heroic as you are perfect. \nTiny feet of children\, two suffering little jewels\, how can the people pass without seeing you!
URL:https://offbeatsf.com/event/coit-tower-poetry-club-2-2/
LOCATION:Coit Tower\, 1 Telegraph Hill Blvd\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94133\, United States
CATEGORIES:Poetry
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://offbeatsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/IMG_0212.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260206T210000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260206T230000
DTSTAMP:20260613T092741
CREATED:20251205T014909Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260312T182322Z
UID:10015139-1770411600-1770418800@offbeatsf.com
SUMMARY:Coit Tower Poetry Club
DESCRIPTION:Join the Coit Tower Poetry Club with a reading on the back lawn of Coit Tower.
URL:https://offbeatsf.com/event/coit-tower-poetry-club-2/2026-02-06/
LOCATION:Coit Tower\, 1 Telegraph Hill Blvd\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94133\, United States
CATEGORIES:Poetry
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://offbeatsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/IMG_0212.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260102T210000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260102T230000
DTSTAMP:20260613T092741
CREATED:20251205T014909Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260312T182322Z
UID:10012144-1767387600-1767394800@offbeatsf.com
SUMMARY:Coit Tower Poetry Club
DESCRIPTION:Join the Coit Tower Poetry Club with a reading on the back lawn of Coit Tower.
URL:https://offbeatsf.com/event/coit-tower-poetry-club-2/2026-01-02/
LOCATION:Coit Tower\, 1 Telegraph Hill Blvd\, San Francisco\, CA\, 94133\, United States
CATEGORIES:Poetry
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://offbeatsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/IMG_0212.webp
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