Pathways to Poetry
Apr
19

Pathways to Poetry

Are you a poet in Las Vegas and looking for a stage to share your work? Or are you looking for an avenue for connecting with other poets with diverse experiences? Whatever you may be searching for as a poet, we aim to provide a pathway to that destination.

This is why UNLV Poetry Club is excited to bring you Pathways To Poetry, a night of performances and a mixer created for local poets of ALL levels and expertise.

  • Location: The Writer’s Block

  • Date & Time: April 19, 6-8pm PT

  • Special Guests: KB Brookins, Ashley “Ms. AyeVee” Vargas, and the Spotlight Poetry slam team!

This is a community partnership with the Black Mountain Institute.

View Event →
An Intimate Conversation with George M. Johnson
Feb
28
free, in-person

An Intimate Conversation with George M. Johnson

Join George M. Johnson at The LGBTQ+ Center for an intimate conversation about their work in partnership with the Black Mountain Institute (BMI). Moderated by KB Brookins (BMI), the discussion will invite attendees to ask the author questions about their books, as well as about the art and craft of writing.*

View Event →
Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writer's Conference
Oct
9
to Oct 10
in-person

Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writer's Conference

  • Virginia G Piper Center for Creative Writing (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

You can grab a ticket here: https://piper.asu.edu/conference

At Desert Nights, Rising Stars (DNRS) Writers Conference you will find a nurturing caring community of writers and stellar faculty to help you discover and tell your story.

The 2025 keynote speaker is legendary author Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street.

View Event →
Neon Lit Reading ft. KB Brookins
Sep
12
free, in-person

Neon Lit Reading ft. KB Brookins

Join us for our first live reading of the season: Friday, Sep 12 at Segue - the rooftop venue at the @beverlytheater. Admission is always FREE! Everyone who attends will get a complimentary drink ticket upon entry. 🍸Come check out a brand new lineup of readers, including a handful of first year MFA students who just arrived in Las Vegas! 🎤✨️👏🏻

Readers: @wordsmithpraise @sumayya_jaeh @jskin94 @poeta.paz @yo.its_linds and BMI Shearing Fellow: @earthtokb @blackmtninst

Live Music: Dave Wright
Doors / Live Music: 6:30 pm PT
Showtime: 7 - 9 pm PT

#neonlit #neonlitlv #lasvegaslit #livereading #unlvmfa
Poster by: @taylorbradley91
A Variation on "The Son of Man" by Rene Magritte

View Event →
Bloodmercy: The Online Launch
Sep
9
free, virtual

Bloodmercy: The Online Launch

September 9, 2025 • 8 PM CT 🐐🌿✨

This is a free, virtual event celebrating the release of the monumental debut poetry collection Bloodmercy from poet I.S. Jones. The lineup features Sarah Ghazal Ali, Gabrielle Bates, Jari Bradley, KB Brookins, Kameryn Alexa Carter, Ajanae Dawkins, Séamus Fey, Brittany Rogers, & I.S. Jones.

RSVP here: http://tinyurl.com/isjones

View Event →
Creative Writing for Carceral Justice
Jul
9

Creative Writing for Carceral Justice

INSTRUCTOR: KB Brookins

​TIME: Wednesday, July 9, 6-9 pm CST/CDT

PRICE: Free, though intended for the formerly incarcerated, their friends and family (all are welcome)

Become a Writespace Member here.

RSVP link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/creative-writing-for-carceral-justice-tickets-1409860032309

LOCATION: Writespace, 1907 Sabine Street, #125, Houston, TX 77007 (map)

LEVEL: All levels

CAP: 15

Did you know that Texas taxpayers spend over $1 billion on keeping Texans in jail? Did you know, also, that more than 70% of jail populations in Texas are people who haven’t been found guilty of a crime, and you can do something about it? In this workshop, we will learn and write about Texas jails — with a specific focus on erasure poetry and opinion editorials using excerpts from the ACLU of Texas’ groundbreaking jail brief. By the end of the session, participants will have at least two pieces that speak truth to power, and serve as a tool to talk about the criminal (in)justice system.

This workshop is free and open to the public, though it is made with currently and formerly incarcerated writers in mind. All participants in this workshop have the opportunity to be considered for two paid performance and writing opportunities with the ACLU of Texas.

KB Brookins is a Black queer and trans writer, educator, and cultural worker from Texas. KB’s poetry collection Freedom House (2023) won the American Library Association Barbara Gittings Literature Award and the Texas Institute of Letters Award for Best First Book of Poetry. KB’s memoir Pretty (2024) won the Great Lakes Colleges Association New Writers Award and the Dorothy Allison/Felice Picano Emerging Writer Award. They are currently the ACLU of Texas Artist-in-Residence and a Black Mountain Institute Shearing Fellow at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Follow KB online at @earthtokb.

View Event →