2nd Thursdays at Dodge ft. Poets of the TL
Thursday April 9, 2026
At Dodge Alley (Turk & Larkin St.)
Free to attend | No registration required
$15 vouchers for food/drink at nearby businesses first come first serve
In celebration of National Poetry Month and a new exhibit about Tenderloin poet Mary TallMountain at TLM, 2nd Thursdays at Dodge Alley will feature a superlative review of San Francisco poets, most of whom were friends of Mary and all of whom are inspired by the Tenderloin.
Tenderloin Museum continues the 2025-2026 season of “Sounds of the Tenderloin” programs with another “2nd Thursdays at Dodge Alley in collaboration with the TLCBD. This month, we present an evening of poetry (and a bit of accompanying jazz!) in honor of National Poetry Month and in celebration of Finding Our Way Home: Mary TallMountain in the Tenderloin at TLM. Over roughly two “sets,” this month’s show will feature readings and performances by:
Kitty Costello - Mary TallMountain’s literary executor, friend, and fellow poet
Kim Shuck - Cherokee Nation poet, weaver, bead work artist, and 7th Poet Laureate of San Francisco
Jesse James Johnson - author of Mine is a Community of Misfits and Outlaws and recipient of the most recent Mary TallMountain Award
Joel Yates - poet, Tenderloin advocate, and Skywatchers/ABD Productions Lead Artist
Nazelah Jamison - poet, emcee, vocalist, and recently named the 2026 Janice Mirikitani Poet Theologian in Residence at Glide Memorial Church
Adrian Arias - multi-disciplinary artist, poet, and performer and creator of two recent large scale murals in the TL: River to the Sky and Indigenous Forever
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Charles Curtis Blackwell - poet, playwright, painter, and dean of the TL art scene
Devorah Major - writer, performer, educator, and 3rd Poet Laureate of San Francisco
Perform with two master musicians: Sandra Poindexter (Violin) & Donald Griggs (Trumpet)
Free, outdoor, music-centric happenings at a once notorious Tenderloin alley began in 2022 through a collaboration between TLM, the Tenderloin Community Benefit District, and longtime residents of the alley. These events were some of the first “Sounds of the Tenderloin” programs, a series of events “animating the TL’s under-sung cultural history through live music” that began with a grant from Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, continued with more support from the State of CA’s Museum Grant Program, and now exists as a monthly block party at Dodge Place. Since those initial shows, the alley has benefited from substantial community investment, including a Community Challenge Grant project that brought two stunning murals to the alley and an ongoing grant through the TLCBD to bring monthly music to the Alley along with free food/drink vouchers to spend at adjacent businesses. TLM is thrilled to return to programming Dodge Alley and to grow the vibrancy of this amazing community space and truly urban venue.
Programmed in collaboration with the TLCBD & SF Office of Economic and Workforce Development. A limited number of vouchers for free food and drink at local businesses will be available!