The Poetry Lab

The Poetry Lag is a community learning space dedicated to mentoring and encouraging poets and writers as they craft their learning journeys. A creative journey itself, The Poetry Lab was co-founded in February 2013 by friends Markus D. Manley and Danielle Mitchell.

The Poetry Lab is located in the physical world in Pomona, California and on the World Wide Web at thepoetrylab.com. Our original vision has spawned a thriving literary community, with events featuring some of Southern California’s most prominent luminaries. Our collaborators include award-winning poets such as F. Douglas Brown, Cathy Linh Che, Geffrey Davis, Natalie J. Graham, Nate Pritts, Chad Sweeney, Stephen S. Mills, Mahogany L. Browne, Chiwan Choi, James Meetze, Ashaki M. Jackson, Lynne Thompson, torrin a. greathouse, Brendan Constantine, Lauren Eggert Crowe, Matthew Hittinger, Nicelle Davis, Alyesha Wise, and many others.

We have received sponsorship and support from Poets & Writers and the Long Beach Arts Council. Inspired by our sessions, Lab members have gone on to form publishing companies, open mics, critique groups, and literary magazines. Our goal, now more than ever, is to hold space for writers so that they can read, write, and collaborate within their communities, connecting us in a larger literary landscape. In 2020, we began offering our sessions virtually. We hope that this extends our reach so that folks all over the world are able to access our unique and inclusive programming.

To Write!  One of The Poetry Lab’s primary goals is to inspire artists to write new work. We approach our generative workshop sessions with curiosity and thrill. Writing together is one of our great joys.

For more writing inspiration please consider joining us on the 3rd Sunday of the month for our Sunday Workshop Series. Upcoming visiting artists include Shira Erlichman, Michael Torres, and Mike “The Poet” Sonksen.

To Read! At The Poetry Lab we are dedicated to a healthy diet of poetry books. If you don’t know what to read next, or even where to begin, we can help!

To Collaborate! How do we collaborate at The Poetry Lab? Collaboration can come in many forms: giving feedback, co-sponsoring events, sharing our knowledge, and holding space.

We hope that when you enter The Poetry Lab you bring with you a generosity of spirit and desire to connect, because once you walk through our doors you have taken one step closer to finding your people.

Whether you’re joining us online or IRL, we know you’ll soon be collaborating with us.

Check out our latest project: The 30/30 Prompt Challenge. Submit your writing prompts to be featured on our website and Instagram account during the month of April

To learn more and find current workshops find us here!