Poetry at AMOCA: Martha Ronk’s Clay
Sunday, October 26, 2025 • 3:00–4:00 PM • In Person • Free w/Admission
Join us in the gallery for a poetry reading with southern California poet Martha Ronk. Ronk’s newest book Clay: Bodies + Matter is comprised of poems that find meaning and connection in the process of creating pottery from clay.
Ronk’s written work often takes shape in the spaces between various forms, vocabularies, and genres, with each book operating as a coherent whole rather than a series of individual poems. Her poems may focus on on paintings, photographs, ceramics, and photograms. In Clay, Ronk draws from her own experience creating pots and throwing on the wheel. The author of thirteen books of poetry, a memoir, and a collection of short stories, she is the emeritus Irma and Jay Price Professor of English at Occidental College in Los Angeles.
What is a bowl? A vase? Any thrown vessel? Is it not, above all, an envelope for emptiness? And what is it, then, to leave that vessel empty? The courage of emptiness—to welcome it, to plumb it, and above all, to feel it with the fingertips—drive this hybrid text in which memoir, quotation, and gorgeous lyricism track a network of inter-cultural traditions all based on clay. Ronk finds an aerial lightness in this famously heavy material while simultaneously, through it, celebrating the weight of the world.
-Cole Swenson
The poetry reading will take place in Gallery B. Books will be available for purchase, and the poet will sign books after the reading. Light refreshments will be served.
The cost of this in-person event is included with museum admission. AMOCA is open from 11 AM–4 PM on Sunday, October 26. Come early to explore all the current exhibitions.
Be sure to arrive at least 15 minutes early to allow ample time to park, purchase admission, and find a seat. We ask that you pre-register for the poetry reading at the link below to reserve your spot and help us know how many guests to expect.
Event RSVP
Register automatically using the button below. If you prefer, you may also RSVP by calling (909) 865-3146 during business hours.
AMOCA may photograph or video visitors for educational and promotional purposes. Attendance to a workshop or event constitutes the attendee’s consent regarding the possibility of appearing in Museum or Studio marketing materials.
Clay: Bodies + Matter
Poems by Martha Ronk. Omnidawn, 2025. Paperback, 92 pp.
For Ronk, pottery raises questions about the value of repetition, inevitable failure, and how we may become one with matter. As the potter’s hands ache and age, the bowl seems to age as it slumps or breaks. Clay includes observations from other potters and writers as well as small photographs of pots.
This book is available for purchase at the AMOCA store—order today, and choose the free “pick up” option — your copy will be waiting for you at the poetry reading!
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399 N Garey Ave Pomona, CA 91767
909.865.3146 | info@amoca.org
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