16th and Mission Thursday Night
Encyclopedia
16th and Mission Thursday Night, more commonly known as 16th & Mission or simply "The Corner", is a weekly underground
poetry and music performance event that takes place in the late evening to midnight at the street corner outside the entrance to the 16th Street and Mission BART Station in San Francisco. 16th and Mission Thursday Night was conceived by a group of local poets, musicians and New College of California
students known as the Collaborative Arts Insurgency (CAI) in 2004 as the "open mic without the mic."
In lieu of an actual stage, a chalk circle is drawn on the sidewalk around which the audience sits. Performers take turns "jumping in The Circle." Unlike open mics and traditional performance venues, there are no set lists or sign up sheets so artists take the stage when they feel like going up. If more than one performer jumps in The Circle at the same time, they sometimes determine who will go next by playing rock, paper, scissors
but priority is usually given to first-timers.
The ongoing event gained international notoriety as an artistic spawning ground in literary magazines such as Evergreen Review
for many acclaimed Bay Area poets, musicians, and independent press publishers some of whom include beatbox-flautist Greg Patillo and author Alan Kaufman
. The 16th & Mission Review is a quarterly literary anthology
published by Seven7h Tangent Press which has featured poems and short stories by such notable and award-winning writers as Neeli Cherkovski
, Ruth Weiss
, and Sharon Doubiago. The Corner was featured in the independent film documentaries The Living Poets and Sweet Onion Salad. 16th & Mission journalists, performers and artists participated as lecturers and facilitators in the inaugural Free University of San Francisco
teach-ins held on February 6–8, 2011.
Underground
Underground most commonly refers to:* The regions beneath the surface of the EarthUnderground may also refer to:-Places:* London Underground, a rapid transit system* The Underground , a Christian-affiliated concert venue...
poetry and music performance event that takes place in the late evening to midnight at the street corner outside the entrance to the 16th Street and Mission BART Station in San Francisco. 16th and Mission Thursday Night was conceived by a group of local poets, musicians and New College of California
New College of California
New College of California was founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1971 by former Gonzaga University President, Father John Leary. After 37 years, it ceased operations in early 2008....
students known as the Collaborative Arts Insurgency (CAI) in 2004 as the "open mic without the mic."
In lieu of an actual stage, a chalk circle is drawn on the sidewalk around which the audience sits. Performers take turns "jumping in The Circle." Unlike open mics and traditional performance venues, there are no set lists or sign up sheets so artists take the stage when they feel like going up. If more than one performer jumps in The Circle at the same time, they sometimes determine who will go next by playing rock, paper, scissors
Rock, Paper, Scissors
Rock-paper-scissors is a hand game played by two people. The game is also known as roshambo, or another ordering of the three items ....
but priority is usually given to first-timers.
The ongoing event gained international notoriety as an artistic spawning ground in literary magazines such as Evergreen Review
Evergreen Review
Evergreen Review is a U.S.-based literary magazine founded by Barney Rosset, publisher of Grove Press. It existed in print from 1957 through 1973, and was re-launched online in 1998...
for many acclaimed Bay Area poets, musicians, and independent press publishers some of whom include beatbox-flautist Greg Patillo and author Alan Kaufman
Alan Kaufman
Alan Kaufman is an American novelist, memoirist and poet who was instrumental in the development of the Spoken Word movement in literature. He is the author of the memoir Jew Boy, the novel Matches, and is listed as editor of The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry.He is also listed as co-editor of The...
. The 16th & Mission Review is a quarterly literary anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
published by Seven7h Tangent Press which has featured poems and short stories by such notable and award-winning writers as Neeli Cherkovski
Neeli Cherkovski
Neeli Cherkovski: Neeli Cherkovski: Neeli Cherkovski: (born Nelson Cherry, 1945, Santa Monica, California, Cherkovski grew up in San Bernardino, California. Cherkovski has resided in San Francisco since 1975 where he is known as a poet and memoirist. In the 1970s he was a political consultant in...
, Ruth Weiss
Ruth Weiss
Ruth F. Weiss, also known as Wèi Lùshī 魏璐诗, was a Jewish-born Austrian-Chinese educator, journalist, and lecturer...
, and Sharon Doubiago. The Corner was featured in the independent film documentaries The Living Poets and Sweet Onion Salad. 16th & Mission journalists, performers and artists participated as lecturers and facilitators in the inaugural Free University of San Francisco
Free University of San Francisco
The Free University of San Francisco was founded by Alan Kaufman and began with an organizing meeting on December 19, 2010. Alan Kaufman gave opening remarks. Over fifty people attended the first meeting...
teach-ins held on February 6–8, 2011.