Join the Fresno Arts Council for a live poetry reading by Ashley M. Jones-Thompson, the Poet Laureate Emeritus of Alabama. Ashley is the first African American and the youngest individual to serve in this prestigious role.

There will be a panel discussion with current and former Poets Laureate of Fresno including Aideed Medina, Joseph Rios, Megan Bohigian, Marisol Baca, James Tyner, and Evy Singh.

This poetry reading is part of the Taste of Freedom Project’s “Standing on their Shoulders” event. It is an intergenerational/multicultural arts celebration scheduled on October 10, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM at Fresno Pacific University to honor the legacy of elders in our communities.

This is a free event poetry event hosted by the Fresno Arts Council in partnership with the Taste of Freedom Project. This event was made possible by the Central Valley Community Foundation and the James B. McClatchy Foundation.