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"Racism pledges allegiance to a flag with 50 bullet holes for stars and prison bars for stripes."
Briana L 8th Grade

news &  events

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Pacifica After School Clubs are Back

Sign up for an after school program at your school

 Info and Registration +

Bring a Poet into your Class

Slam Poets teach creative writing, stage performance, and social activism in-person or remotely

Find out more +

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March Madness Open Mic & Poetry Slam

Poetry From All Over the Bay Area compete in a 2 round slam!

Starry Plough - Berkeley Satruday March 12 from 1:30pm until 4:00pm        More Info +  Sign Up +

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BAC Equity Statements

Our position on access, social justice, and equity

More info +




To our community,

This is a week of gratitude where Bay Area Creative would like to show appreciation to our generous funders!


Bay Area Creative received generous funding and support from The Alameda County Arts Council. We would like to extend our deepest appreciation for the support and contribution that their organization granted Bay Area Creative. Our long standing relationship has created opportunities for creative expression that empower individuals to develop empathic communication skills and foster positive change in themselves and the community.


With conscientious advocates like The Alameda County Arts Council, we will advance student success, outlets to filmmaking, creative writing, stage performance, and social activism in classes and camp programs. Bay Area Creative has four key mission programs: SPARC Poetry, REvisions -Therapeutic Arts, Educators for Empathy, and Spoken Works; Bay Area Creative impacts over 6,000 people per year at over 100 different schools and community sites. We are greatly appreciative of The Alameda County Arts Council and their support of our work through their General Relief and Arts Fund initiatives that assisted in funding our spoken word poetry workshops at Ochoa, Bret Harte and Cesar Chavez, Winton and MLK middle schools in Hayward.


Their contribution supported additional funding which led to year long creative writing residencies in the classrooms with multiple teachers at each school. The Alameda County Arts Council has been a longtime supporter of Bay Area Creative providing crucial aid during the pandemic. The arts programs they have helped to fund directly promote well-rounded, healthy people by encouraging cultural sensitivity, social justice, and emotional balance.

Bay Area Creative also predominantly serves families of color in underserved neighborhoods. The relationship between The Alameda County Arts Council and Bay Area Creative has been central to our work and has influenced our non-profit's expansion, its reach, visibility, and overall advancement of social/cultural reform!


Bay Area Creative will continue to showcase The Alameda County Arts Council’s generosity through social media, donor collateral, newsletters, and the official Bay Area Creative Website. We look forward to continuing our relationship and will keep everyone up-to-date on event news, volunteer opportunities, and executive board openings.

Our links to Social Media posts for this donor appreciation week:


Instagram Thank You Link

Sincerely Grateful,

Patrick Ohslund and Mike Taylor

Founders and Directors of Bay Area Creative



To our community,


This is a week of gratitude where Bay Area Creative would like to show appreciation to our generous funders!


Bay Area Creative received generous funding from The California Arts Council. We would like to extend our deepest appreciation for the support and contribution that their organization granted Bay Area Creative. Our relationship has continued to create opportunities for creative expression that empower individuals to develop empathic communication skills and foster positive change in themselves and the community.


With conscientious advocates like The California Arts Council, we will advance student success, outlets to filmmaking, creative writing, stage performance, and social activism in classes and camp programs. Bay Area Creative has four key mission programs: SPARC Poetry, ReVisions -Therapeutic Arts, Educators for Empathy, and Cultural Crossroads; Bay Area Creative impacts over 6,000 people per year at over 100 different schools and community sites. We are greatly appreciative of The California Arts Council and their support of our work through their: Arts & Cultural Organizations General Operating Relief, Creative Youth Development and Arts Exposure grants.


Their contribution not only affects the number of communities we serve, but directly promotes well-rounded, healthy people by encouraging cultural sensitivity, social justice, and emotional balance. Bay Area Creative also predominantly serves families of color in underserved neighborhoods. Our developing relationship with The California Arts Council and Bay Area Creative has influenced our non-profit's expansion, its reach, visibility, and overall advancement of social/cultural reform!


Bay Area Creative will continue to showcase The California Arts Council's generosity through social media, donor collateral, newsletters, and the official Bay Area Creative Website. We look forward to continuing our relationship and will keep everyone up-to-date on event news, volunteer opportunities, and executive board openings.


Our links to recent Social Media posts

Instagram: Thank You CAC



Sincerely Grateful,


Patrick Ohslund and Mike Taylor

Founders and Directors of Bay Area Creative






Light the Mic is a youth performance event to celebrate courageous youth voices, their revolutionary creativity and the communities that support them. If you are a youth from ages 13 - 19 this event is for you!


Each performer will receive a $25 gift card and stage time of up to 5 minutes to do your thing. Much of the performances will be spoken word poetry written by youth in Bay Area Creative’s SPARC poetry program.


All forms of expression are good to go and the Mic is open for all youth!

Event details and a link to sign up are below - we look forward to seeing you at the show!


Sign Up


Location: The Ryse Center

3939 Bissell Ave. Richmond, CA

Date: March 30th

Time: 4:30 sign ups (Sound check if you are performing something with an instrument or backing track)

Youth Performances: 5:00 - 6:45

Are you a Bay Area Teacher?

Get a window into what it is like to have a poet in your classroom!

More Info: bayareacreative.org/sparcpoetry

Are you interested in bringing art into your workplace?

We do corporate performances and team building events with ERGs and departments

More Info: SpokenWorks.org.


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