University of Arizona Poetry Center

@uapoetrycenter

“The best living room in America for reading poetry.” poetry.arizona.edu

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University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· May 16

January in June! Save the date for a reading with January Gill O’Neil on June 4 at the Poetry Center! poetry.arizona.edu/calendar/202...

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· May 12

Register for summer classes today! Coming up in June are classes taught by January Gill O'Neil and Ames Meeks. poetry.arizona.edu/blog/summer-...

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· May 9

Get excited for summer! We're thrilled to announce an exciting array of classes and workshops this summer—an exciting mix of writing-intensive generative poetry studios, lively workshops, and rigorous writing seminars. Writers of all levels are invited to join. poetry.arizona.edu/blog/summer-...

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· Apr 21

Poetry Out Loud's national competition is next week! Representing Arizona is Liam McLaughlin, from Gary K. Herberger Young Scholars Academy in Phoenix. Tune into the livestream here: arts.gov/initiatives/poetry-out-loud

April 28 - National Semifinals
April 29 - National Finals

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· Mar 4

Stop by to see our newest exhibit at the Poetry Center: Indigenous Poets from the Rare Book Room! Featuring stunning work from N. Scott Momaday, Leslie Marmon Silko, Natalie Diaz, Layli Long Soldier, and Diné poet and politician Rex Lee Jim. poetry.arizona.edu/calendar/ind...

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· Jan 21

Submit your poems to the Haiku Hike! Theme: Connection Deadline: Feb 2 downtowntucson.org/events/haiku...

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· Nov 14

To celebrate our final school year of the Zine and Zine Libraries theme for our Brave Books Program, we are asking for zine submissions from K-12 students. We accept zines by students of all grades, about any topic! poetry.arizona.edu/blog/celebra...

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· Nov 12

Celebrating the poet Andrea Gibson, you won't want to miss "Come See Me in the Good Light." Playing for ONE NIGHT ONLY at The Loft Cinema Wed Nov 19, 7:30pm

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· Nov 4

Hurry! Only a few spots remain in this upcoming class! Explore poetry and superbly dark night skies at 7,000 feet in this unique writing workshop focused on poetry and astronomy. Date: Nov 15, from 3:30 - 8:30 pm Cost: $150 poetry.arizona.edu/calendar/poe...

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· Oct 17

Join us for a Poetry Reading with Tracy K. Smith, former poet laureate, as part of the Tucson Humanities Festival! Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 7:00pm poetry.arizona.edu/calendar/tuc... You're also invited to livestream from anywhere: poetry.arizona.edu/readings/live

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· Sep 23

You never have to miss a poetry reading! Anyone, anywhere can attend Poetry Center readings live from your phone, iPad, or computer! poetry.arizona.edu/readings/live Our next reading will feature Josh Riedel and Thomas Dai Thursday, September 25, 2025 - 7:00pm

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· Sep 4

Join us TONIGHT for a poetry reading with Jennifer Chang! Sept 4 at 7:00 pm at the Poetry Center — Come in-person or watch via livestream 😊 poetry.arizona.edu/calendar/rea...

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· Jul 30

Since the 2023 #SealeyChallenge, @nicolesealey.bsky.social has entrusted the University of Arizona’s Poetry Center with caring for this incredible month of reading poetry. Let's enter this poetic pilgrimage together as we pursue the radical joy of reading 31 books of poetry in 31 days.

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· Jan 21

Very few spots remain in this generative workshop taught by Kimberly Blaeser!! Register today! poetry.arizona.edu/calendar/ill...

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· Jan 8

Hurry! Few seats remain in this upcoming Poetry Center class! Geopoetics: Reading & Writing at Planetary Scale with Kathy Wu Saturday, January 18, 2025 - 1:00pm to Saturday, February 1, 2025 - 3:00pm Register today: poetry.arizona.edu/calendar/geo...

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· Jan 7

Submissions open soon for the 2025 Haiku Hike! The 6th Annual Haiku Hike, presented by the Downtown Tucson Partnership & the University of Arizona Poetry Center, features 20 winning haiku displayed in planters along Congress Street and Stone Avenue. downtowntucson.org/events/haiku-hike

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· Dec 11

Get excited for this incredible lineup of writing classes and workshops slated for Spring 2025! FINANCIAL AID IS OPEN NOW THRU DEC 16!! poetry.arizona.edu/blog/spring-... Financial aid awards will be offered to cover the tuition cost of a course offered—spread the word!

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· Nov 20

In collaboration with the University of Arizona’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies, we are proud to present a reading by Hala Alyan. Join us TOMORROW November 21, 2024 - 7:00pm at the Poetry Center—or tune in via livestream here: poetry.arizona.edu/readings/live

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· Apr 16

Grateful for this moving new blog piece by guest contributor Saraiya Kanning. poetry.arizona.edu/blog/teachin...

This is why we turn to the arts, where we find tools to put the unspeakable into words or images. To express. And in doing so we weave connections of empathy and validation.

Giving birth and the subsequent task of caring for a baby has been a deep cleaning of the spirit, the excess of life scrubbed out of corners. What remains? Gratitude and empathy that bring me to my knees every day. Every relationship is shot through with new meaning.

Don’t we all want to be held by the universe? Don’t we all want to know it will get better?

I believe poetry can accomplish this. Poetry can, in a sense, mother us through the storm.

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· Apr 11

Ice-cream, murals, poetry, and a self-paced tour: Join us for a celebration of the recently completed Speedway Corridor Mural project! April 23 at 5:00 pm Free street parking after 5:00 poetry.arizona.edu/calendar/spe...

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· Apr 4

Tonight at 7:00 pm, we warmly invite you to The Place Where Clouds Are Formed, featuring poets Ofelia Zepeda, Amber Lee Ortega and Su:k Chu:vak Fulwilder. The event will also be livestreamed here: poetry.arizona.edu/readings/live

A portrait of Ofelia Zepeda, Amber Lee Ortega and Su:k Chu:vak Fulwilder

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· Apr 2

Stay up-to-date on the latest Poetry Center news. (P.S. We only send one email a week) poetry.arizona.edu/connect

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· Mar 13

John Murillo reads at the Poetry Center TOMORROW, March 14 at 7:00 pm. Everyone is welcome to join! You can also join by livestream here: poetry.arizona.edu/readings/live

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· Mar 13

"Start with loss. Lose everything. Then lose it all again." Come check out John Murillo's books of poetry—"Up Jump the Boogie" and "Kontemporary Amerikan Poetry"—ahead of his reading this week!

Poetry books by John Murillo: Up Jump the Boogie and Kontemporary Amerikan Poetry

Variations on a Theme by Elizabeth Bishop
BY JOHN MURILLO
Start with loss. Lose everything. Then lose it all again.
Lose a good woman on a bad day. Find a better woman,
then lose five friends chasing her. Learn to lose as if
your life depended on it. Learn that your life depends on it.
Learn it like karate, like riding a bike. Learn it, master it.
Lose money, lose time, lose your natural mind.
Get left behind, then learn to leave others. Lose and
lose again. Measure a father's coffin against a cousin's
crashing T-cells. Kiss your sister through prison glass.
Know why your woman's not answering her phone.
Lose sleep. Lose religion. Lose your wallet in El Segundo.
Open your window. Listen: the last slow notes
of a Donny Hathaway song. A child crying. Listen:
a drunk man is cussing out the moon. He sounds like
your dead uncle, who, before he left, lost a leg
to sugar. Shame. Learn what's given can be taken;
what can be taken, will.

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· Mar 8

New on the blog: an interview with Robert Carr by guest contributor Jon Riccio. poetry.arizona.edu/blog/intervi...

Writing is practice, and in this practice I have nothing to lose. I write every day. I read the work of poets I admire every day. I'm not afraid. If a draft poem frightens me, I assume I must be onto something important.

Robert Carr, Poetry Center Interviews

Portrait of Robert Carr alongside the cover of his book "the heavy of human clouds"

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· Mar 6

"Poetry is a space where we don’t have to normalize or 'make sense' or have the answer, where yes is also no and truth is also a question." —Jennifer Elise Foerster (Mvskoke) poetry.arizona.edu/blog/beyond-...

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· Mar 1

Celebrate Women's History Month with this beautiful playlist from the Voca archives—featuring a selection of performances by women who read for the Poetry Center in the first three decades of the Reading Series. voca.arizona.edu/playlists/ce...

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· Feb 28

Would you like to write for the Poetry Center's blog? Pitches can range from enthusiasms (celebrations and appreciations of a collection), interviews, close-reads of poems, unpacking poetic techniques, writing prompts, curated reading lists, exploring Voca, or really ANYTHING related to poetry!

University of Arizona Poetry Center@uapoetrycenter· Feb 27

Next month we're offering an exciting class taught by Saretta Morgan! You’ll walk away from this class with new approaches for finding pleasure alongside the texts you love (as well as the ones you don't). Learn more and register: poetry.arizona.edu/calendar/sta...