Two veterans of the San Francisco poetry scene open the reading, and an open mic closes it out. Come to Bird & Beckett on the first Thursday of each month to take it in and lend your voice.

Judith Ayn Bernhard is a founding member and past chair of Marin Poetry Center. She is the author of a book of poems, Prisoners of Culture. Her most recent work is Marriages, a collection of short prose pieces. She lives with her husband, Byron Spooner, in San Francisco.

Byron Spooner is the author of Rounding Up a Bison: Stories (Andover Street Archives Press, 2021). He is retired as the Literary Director of the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library after 21 years. His writing has been published widely on a variety of platforms and won Honorable Mention in the 2021 Dillydoun International Fiction Prize competition for his story “The Acrobat Rides the Horse in Sequins” and the 2022 Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest for his story “Marshmallows.” His story “Elvis Walks the Earth” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2023. As If Nothing Happened, his unpublished novel, was shortlisted for the 2022 Bottom Drawer Prize from Black Spring Press.

Michael Koch and Jerry Ferraz host. Bring a poem for the open mic, or just come to hear the poets. No charge, but any donation for the featured poets to augment their small honorarium is appreciated! BYOB.