Saint Louis Poetry Center

MATI Conference: Write On - Poetry at the Confluence
2026-07-18 12:30 - 14:30 (America/Chicago) | MO
How St. Louis and East St. Louis Changed American Arts and Culture Through Poetry

This event will be held in-person at High Low. RSVP required.

Saint Louis Poetry Center is thrilled to co-present Shirley Bradley LeFlore Foundation’s Poetry in Motion panel for Music at the Intersection!

ABOUT THE PANEL & SPEAKERS

Write On: Poetry at the ConfluenceHow St. Louis and East St. Louis Changed American Arts and Culture Through Poetry

One River. Two Cities. Infinite Voices.

Presented during Music at the Intersection (MATI) weekend, this gathering brings together literary giants and cultural visionaries to explore how poetry has shaped the artistic, cultural, and social fabric of our bi-state region.

The conversation will trace the enduring connections between St. Louis and East St. Louis—from the legacy of the 1917 East St. Louis Race Massacre and the Civil Rights Movement, to the transformative influence of Katherine Dunham, the iconic Black Artists Group (BAG), and the artists carrying that legacy forward today.

Using the Mississippi River as both metaphor and meeting place, this unforgettable conversation celebrates poetry as a force for truth-telling, cultural memory, artistic innovation, and social change while honoring the enduring creative bond between our two cities.

Featured panelists:

Dr. Eugene B. Redmond

Terry “Kujaliwa” Kennedy

Pacia Elaine Anderson

MODERATED BY: Dr. Jason Vasser-Elong

HOSTED BY: Lyah B. LeFlore-Ituen

RSVP INFO

Write On: Poetry at the Confluence is presented as part of the 2026 MATI Conference. MATI’s annual thought leadership conference provides free panels, keynote discussions and networking opportunities targeted at artists, creatives and entrepreneurs. Attending the Conference is free but requires an RSVP.

A MATI Conference RSVP is required to attend this panel.

MATI – Learn More

MATI – RSVP for Write On

PRESENTED BY

EVENT ORGANIZER

MATI Block Party: Poetry in Motion
2026-07-18 17:00 - 23:00 | MO
St. Louis Poets Take the Mic

This event will be held in-person at High Low.

Saint Louis Poetry Center is thrilled to co-present Shirley Bradley LeFlore Foundation’s Poetry in Motion reading for Music at the Intersection!

SCHEDULE

Drum Voices Take The Mic5:00–6:30 PM

Eileen G’Sell

Jacqui Germain

Travis Massotti

David A.N. Jackson

Cheryl DS Walker and Kamau OS Walker

Special Tribute: Lyah Beth LeFlore-Ituen leads a collective tribute honoring beloved St. Louis poets, artists, musicians, and cultural leaders, including Ruth Garnett, Ira Jones, and Darrell Mixon, whose work continues to inspire our creative community.

Guest Musician Stanley Coleman

Unapologetic Voices Of The D9 & HBCU’s Take The Mic6:45–8:00 PM

Mari Carter

Louis Conphliction

Aja La’Starr

Maurice Minor

Miss Interpretation

Steph’on Rigginx

Dr. Jason Vasser-Elong

Jaye Willis

Word Warriors Take The Mic Featuring The Ish Ensemble8:15–9:30 PM

KMoney The Poet

Brooking Caldwell, featuring Karin Bliznik on trumpet

Poet Lightening

Aaron (Al) Smith

Cheeraz Gormon

A Celebration of 80 Years of WordsPresented by Saint Louis Poetry Center9:45–10:45 PM

Join poets, writers, artists, and supporters from across the region as we celebrate Saint Louis Poetry Center’s 80th Anniversary and close out an incredible day of poetry, conversation, and community.

ABOUT THE BLOCK PARTY

Poetry in Motion: St. Louis Poets Take the Mic is presented as part of the 2026 MATI Block Party. This event is free and open to the public. From 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, July 17 and 18, MATI is activating Grand Center Arts District with live music, a performance art stage, a roller skating rink, pop-up fashion shows, mural and art exhibits, poetry, local vendors, and tastes of St. Louis’ favorite culinary dishes.

MATI Block Party – Learn More

PRESENTED BY

EVENT ORGANIZER

SLICE & SLPC Present: Sip & Scribe
2026-07-25 12:00 - 13:30, 2026-08-29 12:00 - 13:30 | High Low, 3301 Washington Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63103
Coffee and composition in community!

Hang out, write things, share your work. Join SLICE and the Saint Louis Poetry Center for an afternoon of writing!

SLICE and the Saint Louis Poetry Center are happy to co-host monthly Sip & Scribes at the High Low on the last Saturday of the month, 12-1:30 p.m.! Bring your laptop or your notebooks, grab a cup of coffee at Blueprint, and join your fellow poets, authors, and lyricists for semi-structured writing time and an opportunity to share your work with friends.

GUIDELINES & REGISTRATION

Registration is required, and is first-come, first-served.

Those registering are expected to attend the workshop.

PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

VENUE

Sunday Workshop: Registration Due
2026-08-12 23:59 | High Low, 3301 Washington Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63103
In conjunction with our September Observable Readings, Saint Louis Poetry Center is thrilled to welcome poet Anna Ojascastro Guzon for the August Sunday Workshop! This will be a generative workshop.

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP

Exploring Poetic Pathways: Curiosity, Attention, & Play

In this generative workshop, attendees will explore how poems can begin from many kinds of inspiration: literature, music, visual art, food, the outdoors, and playful writing challenges. Together, participants will begin by brainstorming aloud and writing as a group, then move into individual writing time.

Attendees will have the opportunity to draft new work during the workshop and share works in progress aloud, if they choose. Anna Ojascastro Guzon’s approach draws on workshop practices developed by poets and educators David Lehman and Kenneth Koch, and invites writers to use curiosity, attention, and creative play as pathways into new poems.

GUIDELINES & REGISTRATION

Please note: this workshop is limited to 15 participants. Registration is required, and is first-come, first-served.

Registration is due by Wednesday, August 12

This is a generative workshop in which participants will draft & revise their own poems

No poem submissions will be accepted for this event

Poets will not review manuscripts or provide feedback ahead of time

Those registering are expected to attend the workshop

To register, email:sunday.workshop@stlouispoetrycenter.org

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: August 12, 2026

ABOUT THE POET

ANNA OJASCASTRO GUZON is a Filipino-American writer, mother, teacher, former physician, and co-founder of YourWords STL, a nonprofit that uses creative writing workshops to amplify the voices of St. Louis youth. She received an MD from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine and an MFA from The New School Graduate Writing Program in New York City. One may find her writing in Bone Bouquet, The Boiler Journal, and Bellingham Review, among other publications. A Moth Collection is her debut book of poetry, released in May of 2026, by Finishing Line Press.

VENUE

Sunday Workshop: Anna Ojascastro Guzon
2026-08-16 13:30 | High Low, 3301 Washington Ave, Saint Louis, MO, 63103
This workshop will be held in-person at High Low.

In conjunction with our September Observable Readings, Saint Louis Poetry Center is thrilled to welcome poet Anna Ojascastro Guzon for the August Sunday Workshop! This will be a generative workshop.

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP

Exploring Poetic Pathways: Curiosity, Attention, & Play

In this generative workshop, attendees will explore how poems can begin from many kinds of inspiration: literature, music, visual art, food, the outdoors, and playful writing challenges. Together, participants will begin by brainstorming aloud and writing as a group, then move into individual writing time.

Attendees will have the opportunity to draft new work during the workshop and share works in progress aloud, if they choose. Anna Ojascastro Guzon’s approach draws on workshop practices developed by poets and educators David Lehman and Kenneth Koch, and invites writers to use curiosity, attention, and creative play as pathways into new poems.

GUIDELINES & REGISTRATION

Please note: this workshop is limited to 15 participants. Registration is required, and is first-come, first-served.

Registration is due by Wednesday, August 12

This is a generative workshop in which participants will draft & revise their own poems

No poem submissions will be accepted for this event

Poets will not review manuscripts or provide feedback ahead of time

Those registering are expected to attend the workshop

To register, email:sunday.workshop@stlouispoetrycenter.org

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: August 12, 2026

ABOUT THE POET

ANNA OJASCASTRO GUZON is a Filipino-American writer, mother, teacher, former physician, and co-founder of YourWords STL, a nonprofit that uses creative writing workshops to amplify the voices of St. Louis youth. She received an MD from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine and an MFA from The New School Graduate Writing Program in New York City. One may find her writing in Bone Bouquet, The Boiler Journal, and Bellingham Review, among other publications. A Moth Collection is her debut book of poetry, released in May of 2026, by Finishing Line Press.

VENUE

The Sunday Workshop series is supported in part by:

Poetry at the Point: Chris Watkins & Grace McGovern
2026-08-25 19:30 | Focal Point, 2720 Sutton, Maplewood, MO, 63143, United States
This reading will be held in-person at Focal Point, and also streamed live to this event page and to Saint Louis Poetry Center’s Facebook page.

PHOTO CREDIT: Darla Winn (Watkins)

Poetry at the Point welcomes poets Chris Watkins & Grace McGovern.

ABOUT THE POETS

CHRYSANTHEMUM (CHRIS) BROOK WATKINS is a trans poet/writer, environmental activist, and author of The Drag Gospel of Queer Jesus. Chris lives in North Florida and spends as much time as she can on the water and in the swamps. A proud board member of Apalachicola Riverkeeper, Chris received their PhD in Poetry with a focus in Ecopoetics and Environmental Writing, Poetic Forms, and Queer Literature, studying at Florida State University. Chris now works as the Academics and Partnerships Coordinator at FSU’s Office of Sustainability (Sustainable Campus) and teaches both writing and sustainability courses. Her recent work has appeared in The Academy of American Poets’ Poem a Day series, in Poetry, Ecotone, and Terrain.org among other publications.

GRACE MCGOVERN is a poet whose work is concerned with the lyric voice, lesbian domesticity and interiority, and sites of simultaneous unease and tenderness—as well as kitschy figurines of all kinds. She is an MFA candidate in poetry at Washington University in St. Louis. She was born in Rhode Island and now lives in St. Louis with her wife and their dog and two cats.

VENUE

The Poetry at the Point series is supported in part by:
