Instagram story viewer> @tarabean> Posts

Tara

@tarabean

933

followers

3913

following

✏️Inaugural Poet Laureate for @cityofmanteca🏡
💚 @poeticasinstitute
💙 @masimprov209

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

So in love with this design for my first year as Manteca’s Poet Laureate designed by @_checo1_. 🙌🏽
Its been great to work with you again @_checo1_ !! Go follow @_checo1_ for your graphic design needs! 🫶🏽

Thank you community and friends for your ongoing support as I do my best to bring #poetry to the people! 🙏🏽💜🙌🏽

#poetlaureate #manteca #thepowerofpoetry #poetry #poetrytothepeople #poetryheals #poetryenlightens #poetrydreams #poetrytellsthetruth #poetrytellsourstories #poetrymovesus #poetryistherapy #poetryismagic by @tarabean

53

0

2 years ago

Incredible lineup of poets, artists, and friends 🤩🩵 by @tarabean

35

0

6 months ago

Central Valley Poet Laureates are 🔥✨💥

Manteca* Stockton* Lodi* Modesto* Lathrop

💫What a time I have had serving as a Manteca’s first poet laureate and connecting with poets all over!! 🩵

Im not the greatest at staying on top of posts. These are from February and March. Looking forward to all the incredible work we will continue to do here in the CV 🌄

Thank you fellow poet laureates for your love and support along the way! 🎉

#raisingourvoices #poetsandwriters #poetlaureates #californiaportlaureates #centralvalley #cencal #manteca #stockton #lodi #modesto #lathrop #209andbeyond by @tarabean

52

2

a year ago

Life is busy busy but full of good things. Just a little recap of what I’ve been up to outside of all the work 💜 #lifewithliz by @tarabean

10

0

2 days ago

✂️Once a month we offer a zine make and take here in Manteca. Admission and supplies are FrEe and every month In The Margins teaches a new creative way to Zine. 📖

🦋Saturday 10/17 we are doing a pop-up Dia De Los Muertos ofrenda zine to honor our loved ones and our cultura. 💜

🙌🏽What I love about what we do is that we provide all the creative crafting materials, consider how to make the tutorial easy for all learning styles, and create a variety of access points to participate with us. No matter your skill level, zining is for every one! Every person, every style, every idea. 💡

“if you have a thought, you have a zine” -Sai G.

☀️Hope you and your people can make it out and join us for zining tomorrow.

10/17/25
4:30-6:30pm
Quickly Donuts
502 E. Yosemite Ave., Manteca CA

#Poeticasinstitute #mantecazinesters #inthemargins209 #209creatives #theartofwords by @tarabean

2

0

2 days ago

🙌🏽 I took on a lot of projects these past couple months and ended up hitting 3 different events a few Saturdays ago. I’ve been regrouping ever since!

My nonprofit received a grant to help promote our film festival in April, so we were able to host a screening at Mr Otto’s bookstore. Thank you to Alex for sharing their cool space with us!

☀️ That day we also tabled, performed, and paneled at Wordstock 209 at Delta college with Tuleburg Press. It was a hot day but a great time with our San Joaquin county writing community! I also had a great surprise of running into my lifelong friend Jenny who was on a panel at the same event for indie bookstores! If you haven’t checked out @riponbookstore Please do so fast!

✏️Finally, one of my poems was selected for a project in Sacramento called Journey of Hope, which uses art and poetry to share experiences with mental health. My poem got paired with an incredibly talented local artist and sculptor named Jordan, who was also from Manteca!

🚙After checking out the reception in Sac, I returned to Stockton and ended the Wordstock event with a poet laureate panel with Lathrop poet laureate. It was great to share this past week spreading the good news of what’s going on in the Central Valley!

🙌🏽I couldn’t have done it without my friends and volunteers Steff and Sai who kept me on track and brought all the coolest merch! Be sure to checkout their creative events with @in_the_margins209.

😴Well that’s all for now social media land. Until next time!

#Onlinediary #busybragging #october2027 #209community #writerlife by @tarabean

11

1

4 days ago

This month’s open mic was extra special! ✨

🙏🏽A huge thank you to Tuleburg Press, their affiliates, and Wordstock 209 for helping us bring a mini Wordstock 209: Manteca Edition to life, complete with poetry, a Boggle tournament, and zines!

🎤Following the tournament was our epic open mic! As always, our open mic was filled with incredible performers, big-hearted community, and a warm, uplifting atmosphere that makes these nights so special. Thank you to everyone who showed up, our features, shared your work, cheered each other on, and helped make the room feel like home. ❤️ and to our girl Erica and The R&B for running the dopest spot in downtown and always welcoming us with an open heart!

📚And if you loved the mini version, be sure to check out the main Wordstock 209 this Saturday 10/03/2026 at Sj Delta College from 10am - 3pm.

#Wordstock209mantecaedition
#mantecaopenmic #poeticasinstitute #theartofwords #209poetry by @tarabean

15

0

19 days ago

Among my favorite things happening in our Valley are small in-house publications with an aim to amplify our voices and archive our stories.
Meet The Valley Violet, created and edited by Cristi La Poeta and Tara Rico.

This is a quarterly online publication for new, emerging, and established artists to submit to, with an emphasis on showing how great the art scene is here, and inclusion of BIPOC and LGBTQI+ voices.

However, they accept visual arts submissions, too!

Cristi La Poeta, has been on the poetry scene in Modesto for well over a decade. Born in LA but raised in Modesto, she grew up a musician and appreciator of all kinds of media, she performed monthly back in the days of the original Poetry Night at The Queen Bean, has been as active in the literary and poetry scene as possible, and got her MFA in Creative Writing from Fresno State in 2024.

Tara Rico is the Poet Laureate of Manteca, and the founder of Poetica's Institute, a Valley-based non-profit dedicated to community literacy through written word, performed work, and other creative mediums. She is also a mother and an educator.

When approaching the naming of this project, the two looked at the fauna that creates such beauty in the valley and stumbled upon the California Lilac known as the Valley Violet. They loved how this related to agriculture, and especially how big a role that palys in our area, doing so much labor of growing the food that feeds our country.

Their tagging is "Feeding our country & loving our land/tierra"

Anyone over 18, from or inspired by the Central Valley may submit - submissions are open now! by @tarabean

43

0

2 months ago

👀👀 Did you know it’s already August!!!? 2nd Monday of the month and that means … WRITING GROUP!

✏️Come hang out with us at Vitality Bowls in Manteca and get Monday off your mind! Low-pressure and welcoming group. We write, we share, we give tools, we support each other — and we want you to join us!

🎉The Listening Room— a place to write, listen, and connect! See you there!

🩷All ages and all peoples are welcome! 🙏🏽

✨Tonite 8/9/2026
5pm- 7pm
🎯882 Lifestyle, Manteca CA

@vitalitybowlsmanteca
@listeningwaxandwords
@poeticasinstitute

🌟Also tonite we welcome our newest Listening Room moderator: Lawrence Silveira! Come out and meet Lawrence and see what he is writing about!

#poeticasinstitute #writenight #writeclub #thelisteningroom #209mondays by @tarabean

15

0

2 months ago

👀👀 This month’s open mic in Manteca comes with some special news!!! 🤗🤗🤗

🎉 Don’t miss the get-together this Monday July 26, 2026 7pm - 9pm at The R&B in downtown Manteca!

@listeningwaxandwords
@therandb_

@poetrydelcorazon
@tarabean
@missellielopez

@heatherbrule1
@irirdescent

#poeticasinstitute #mantecaopenmic #209openmic #theartofwords #downtownhappenings by @tarabean

14

0

3 months ago

🎙️Had a fun time with my friends at the Open Mic!

@brownissues
#brownissues #brownissuesopenmic #209 #community #meandallmyfriends by @tarabean

35

1

3 months ago

I loooooooooove this community! Don’t miss this months stellar open mic with the best people in the Central Valley!

Manteca’s open mic is fun, inspiring, and brings all the good feels with the dopest hosts, the realest talent, and an open-heart community that is helping cultivate the growing art movement of central California.

Come check out this months phenomenal features! Heather brings the ska girl vibes and Isaiah lifts up the room with his poetry that radiates with anthems of self love and identity. They are also 2 of my favorite people! 🥰

Bring your friends, throw the family in the car, or just bring your wonderful self to meet the crew and get your Monday night right! ✨

Ready to take flight? Bring your poetry, music, comedy, set, creative prose, or other art and share it with us during the open mic before and after our features.

🎙️Seeeeee you there!
#supportyourlocalpoet
#manteca #mantecaopenmic #poeticasinstitute #julyopenmic

@poeticasinstitute by @tarabean

18

1

3 months ago