Intersection for the Arts continues its 50th Anniversary celebration with 50/50 Poetry Nights, four evenings of readings by poets from its past and the emerging voices of today who are carrying the art form forward in dynamic new ways.

From its inception in 1965, Intersection provided a home for many of the Bay Area’s poets. No matter where Intersection was located -- from the Tenderloin to North Beach to the Mission -- for decades the poets would gather on Tuesday nights and read their newest works in an informal, welcoming, and at times, raucous setting. The list is a Who’s Who of the greats: Alan Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Dianne di Prima, Ntozake Shange, Jessica Hagedorn, Jose Montoya, Audre Lorde, Bill Berkson, Gary Snyder, Jack Hirschman -- hundreds of poets, on and on and on for decades. 

Sadly, Intersection’s poetry series ended some time ago. But poetry still thrives in the Bay Area and new forms have emerged, including rap and spoken word. Carrying on the tradition of presenting the best poets of our day, Intersection revives the Tuesday poetry jams of old at the new Tenderloin Museum with 50/50 Poetry Nights. Curated by Mg Roberts and Youth Speaks, each event will be hosted by local literary organizations such as Small Press Traffic and Kearny Street Workshop with strong ties to Intersection and the San Francisco Bay literary communities. 

October 6:  
Hosted by Small Press Traffic, featuring Cheena Marie Lo, Justin Waltin, and legacy poet Juliana Spahr

October 13: 
Hosted by Kelsey Street Press, featuring Rena Rosenwasser, Patricia Dienstfrey, Nascha Poole, and legacy poet Nellie Wong

November 10: 
Hosted by Kearny Street Workshop, featuring Francois Luong, Jason Bayyani, and legacy poet Truong Tran

November 17: 
Hosted by Nomadic Press, featuring Tonga Eisen-Martin, Arisa White, Zack Haber, J.K. Fowler and legacy poet Shar Rednour

The Circle is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, Grants for the Arts, Forest City and Glide Memorial Church. Media support is provided by KQED, Art Practical and KPFA.

For a complete schedule of Intersection’s 50th Anniversary programming, go to www.theintersection.org

50/50 Poetry Nights will be held Tuesdays, October 6 & 13 and November 10 & 17 at 7 PM.
Admission is free and the public is invited, must RSVP to attend.

Temporal Cities:
During this event we'll be hosting Temporal Cities, an oral history project created by Tenderloin artists Lizzy Brooks and Radka Pulliam. Using analog slide projection and interactive story telling, Temporal Cities examines the experience of living in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood through the stories of its residents. More on Temporal Cities here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1646609908949982/