Submissions open! Announcing our curators

Curators for the Poetry in Parks 2025 literary mixtape: Liz Cahill and Rhea Joseph, courtesy the artists

On Saturday, September 13, Quiet Lightning and California State Parks present Poetry in Parks 2025, an annual collaboration that began in 2015, at China Camp Village in San Rafael’s China Camp State Park.

As part of the event, which will have live music, youth readings and a featured Better Ancestors set, we are accepting writing of all forms to be presented as a literary mixtape: curated through an anonymous process, all selected writers will read without introductions or banter in a 2-set show designed to be larger than the sum of its parts. All selected authors will be paid and the show will be published in a book featuring art by Helia Pouyanfar, which we’ll hand out to the first 100 people at the show and make free to read online.

We’re excited to announce our curators for this mixtape: Rhea Joseph and Liz Cahill!

Rhea Joseph is a poet, curator, event producer, and emerging dancer who comes from a family of artists and entrepreneurs. She lives in San Francisco, but writes from a global perspective, intertwining her experience of growing up queer in India and blooming in Boston. She is the co-creator of the monthly series Poolside Poets and a founding member of Decentered Arts, a non-profit dedicated to building community through art of all mediums. She is currently working on her first book of poems. You can connect with Rhea on Instagram @rheality_check_

Liz Cahill is a poet, producer, artist and curator based in San Francisco. Her writing explores the impacts of late stage capitalism, income inequality and waste, while trying to find beauty in the garbage age. She’s the co-founder of Decentered Arts, a non-profit building community through art of all mediums and the Piles Collective. Her first book Garbage Age lady is fourthcoming on Decentered Press. You can connect with Liz on Instagram @liz.cahll

More about Decentered Arts

Decentered Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to building community through art of all mediums. The organization releases books under Decentered Press and albums under Decentered Records. Based in San Francisco, it produces accessible arts programming, including weekly open mics, writers’ groups, poetry reading series, visual art shows, and fashion shows. It’s free community resources include the DCA Eventracker. You can learn more at www.decentered.org and connect with @decenteredarts on social media.

More information

Submissions will be open Friday, May 30 through Sunday, July 20.
There is no cost to send in your writing.
You can RSVP for Poetry in Parks 2025 here.
Questions? Write evan@quietlightning.org

‘Submissions Open’ images feature photos by Danielle Shi, taken at Poetry in Parks 2024

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