Naked bulb presents: The ReturnNaked Bulb began as a private, backyard open mic once a month in a tidy little Fruitvale neighborhood. The core tenant, that everyone has something to say, is what transformed Naked Bulb from a gathering of writers into a larger venue for the Oakland's creative community. Naked Bulb Press was born out of this gathering and is now on its seventh publication - Andrew J. Thomas, Elynn Alexander, Andy Keating, Kelly Landmine, Gary Turchin, Ruth Crossman, and G Macias Gusman. ![]() Tureeda Mikell is a story medicine woman, poet, Qi Energy Worker and Black Panther alum, selected MoAD 2022 Poet in Residence. Committed to voices seldom heard, she has published over 70 at-risk student classroom anthologies from five bay area counties. Her work has traveled or Zoomed across several countries and continents from China, U.K. to Egypt. Synchronicity: The Oracle of Sun Medicine, was nominated for the California Book Award, and co-curated The Patrice Lumumba Anthology with EastSide Arts Alliance both published by Nomadic Press, now available by Black Lawrence Press, New York. ![]() Since the pandemic, K.R. Morrison has been searching for mermaids in a sea town in Southern California, often returning to the Bay Area for her poetry nests and to play drums for two all-female fronted rock bands – HARRIOT and UNICRÖNE. Morrison is a Pushcart Nominee for her poem, “Her Altar” and still enjoys readings and podcasts celebrating Cauldrons, published by Paper Press Books. K.R. spent 17 years as a sea captain for the teens at Galileo High School– using creative writing and literature, she worked with countless students, earning the name “Mama Mo” with many who left her classroom armed with writing and literacy tools for healing. Morrison continues her work in education through workshops in the juvenal hall system and online teaching. These days, Morrison gypsies up and down the coast for music and poetry and drowns in an abyss of new poems that will hopefully, take the form of three separate manuscripts. ![]() Lee Foust is an author and performer from Oakland, California who has lived in Italy since the late-1990s. He teaches literature and creative writing at the Sant’Anna Institute in Sorrento and lives in the Piedigrotta neighborhood of Naples. He is the author of Poison and Antidote, nine Bohemian tales of 1980s San Francisco, and four novels: Inbetween, Here Lies, San Salvi, and Fake Novel. Foust’s fiction, poetry, recordings, and essays have appeared in journals in Europe, Australia, Canada, and the U.S.A. You can download his audiobooks and performance recordings at bandcamp.com. ![]() William Taylor Jr. lives and writes in San Francisco. He is the author of numerous books of poetry, and a volume of fiction. His work has been published widely in literary journals, including Rattle, The New York Quarterly, and The Chiron Review. He was a recipient of the 2013 Kathy Acker Award, and edited Cocky Moon: Selected Poems of Jack Micheline (Zeitgeist Press, 2014). His new poetry collection, A Room Above a Convenience Store, is available Roadside Press. ![]() M.D. Wallace Is a Bay area transplant from the Midwest. A musician and seeker of creative endeavors. His poetry is an expression of observation. ![]() Retired bus driver and all-around good guy Jon Nelson says poet Joel Landmine’s work is “pretty good.” Both of Landmine’s collections are available from Punk Hostage Press. He lives in Oakland with his wife and cats. LEG 2: 5:30pm-6:30pm Venue: Graffiti Pizza Festival day is July 22, 2023
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![]() Beast Crawl Literary Festival created the Reginald Lockett Memorial Open Mic to commemorate the life and contributions of poet Reginald Lockett. Reginald was a founding member of the Black Students Alliance at San Francisco State University. He would later return to teach creative writing there, as well as at City College of San Francisco, Laney College and College of Marin. He was a tenured instructor of Language Arts at San Jose City College for the last 20 years. A dedicated teacher, Mr. Lockett was best known as a poet. He was also the owner and publisher of Juke Box Press, which published many other poets and raised thousands of dollars for Hurricane Katrina victims with the publication of "Words upon the Water." Reginald was the author of "Where the Birds Sing Bass," which won a PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Award in 1996, "Good Times & No Bread," "The Party Crashers of Paradise" and "Random History Lessons," published by Creative Arts Books in 2003. (Source) Leg 2 (5:30pm - 6:30pm) Venue: Night Heron ![]() Night Heron, a colorful cocktail bar that pays homage to Oakland’s history and diversity through the works of talented local artists. Night Heron is an art-studded destination for craft cocktails, bento boxes, and all the right vibes located across the street from The Fox Theater. Food is available from neighboring restaurant Itani Ramen, whose chef/owner Kyle Itani curated two Bento Boxes exclusively for Night Heron. Patrons can order via QR code and food will be delivered directly to them. Colossus:Body |
Sharon Coleman's poetry and prose appear in Your Impossible Voice, Faultline, The Ana, Dream Pop Press, White Stag, and Rivet. She co-curates the reading series Lyrics & Dirges, and co-directs the Berkeley Poetry Festival. Her books include Paris Blinks (micro-fiction) and Half Circle (poetry chapbook). She received the Maverick Award from the ruth weiss Foundation, a Luso-American Fellowship for the Disquiet Literary Conference in Lisbon, and the Brereton scholarship for the Napa Valley Writers Conference. |

Elisa Salasin has had poetry, essays, op-eds, and photography, published in Colossus:Body, Colossus:Freedom, AMP:always electric, SF Public Library Poem of the Day, sPARKLE & bLINK, CounterPunch, and the Bay Area Writing Project’s Digital Paper. Her chapbook, She Watches Wild Horses, is available from Finishing Line Press.

Kim Shuck is a visual artist, poet and general troublemaker. Kim is solo author of ten books and editor of a further ten anthologies. Shuck served as the 7th Poet Laureate of San Francisco. She was named as an inaugural National Laureate Fellow by the Academy of American Poets, was awarded a Censorship Award by PEN Oakland, and volunteered for over 20 years in San Francisco public schools teaching math principles by folding origami which resulted in a stack of Volunteer awards. Shuck’s most recent publications are This Wandering State vol. 1 and Noodle Rant Tangent.
Our intention is to create a space where we can gather in the spirit of resistance to call out cruelty and support concrete change through fundraising. In 2017, we released the first installment of Colossus, raising money for Freedom for Immigrants through ticket and book sales. In 2020, we released Colossus:Home, our second anthology, to support Moms4Housing and help bring attention to the growing problem of homelessness in the Bay Area and around the world. This was followed by Colossus:Freedom, and in summer, 2023, Colossus:Body Voices in support of the sovereignty of the self The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of hope and freedom throughout the world. As the political weather of our country roils toward fascism, it stands as a reminder that a strong, countervailing spirit pushes back against that narrative of fear. At the foot of the Statue of Liberty lies Emma Lazarus’s sonnet, “The New Colossus.” The words of this poem provide the focal point for our writing.
LEG 2: 5:30-6:30p VENUE: Bookmark Bookstore 721 Washington St

ABOUT BOOKMARK BOOKSTORE:
Bookmark Bookstore
The Bookmark Bookstore is a nonprofit used bookstore that is owned and operated by the Friends of the Oakland Public Library and staffed by volunteers. All of the many thousands of books and media in store are donated, and all proceeds support the Oakland Public Library. A true local establishment, the Bookmark celebrated its 30th anniversary this past year. Located at 721 Washington Street in Old Oakland, the store is open Wednesday-Friday from 11:00am – 4:00pm and Saturday-Sunday from 10:30am – 5:30pm.
Bookmark Bookstore
The Bookmark Bookstore is a nonprofit used bookstore that is owned and operated by the Friends of the Oakland Public Library and staffed by volunteers. All of the many thousands of books and media in store are donated, and all proceeds support the Oakland Public Library. A true local establishment, the Bookmark celebrated its 30th anniversary this past year. Located at 721 Washington Street in Old Oakland, the store is open Wednesday-Friday from 11:00am – 4:00pm and Saturday-Sunday from 10:30am – 5:30pm.

A monthly reading series, Lyrics & Dirges creates space for the celebration of the voices that make up the vibrant Bay Area literary scene, with a carefully curated mix of seasoned writers, emerging talents, and beginners sharing their work. At Lyrics and Dirges, we believe that every voice deserves to be heard and amplified, no matter how big or small. We honor the stories and experiences that make us uniquely human and strive to create a welcoming and inclusive space where everyone can feel seen and heard. We create magical gatherings where community comes together to share words, share stories and build a literary ecosystem that uplifts and empowers us all.
Curators are Beasts!

Lyrics & Dirges celebrates the literary luminaries who make things happen! Curators are Beasts celebrates an array of curators from across the Bay Area, each of whom has spent countless hours, days, and weeks crafting immersive literary events that feed our minds, souls, and spirits. So join Lyrics & Dirges for an evening of gratitude, inspiration, and artistic revelry as we celebrate the powerful impact of event curators on the literary landscape.

Cassandra Dallett has been published in over a hundred online and print magazines, was named a writer to watch in 7x7 magazine 2016, look for links at cassandradallet.com. Cassandra hosts the monthly writing workshop OnTwoSix, and co-hosts the quarterly reading series Moon Drop Productions. Her first full-length book of poetry Wet Reckless (Manic D Press) was released in 2014. In 2015, she authored five chapbooks one of them, On Sunday, A Finch (Nomadic Press) was nominated for a California Book Award, 2018 brought the release of another full-length collection, Collapse, also on Nomadic Press, most recently A Pretty Little Wilderness on Be About it Press 2020.

Kelechi Ubozoh is a Nigerian-American writer and mental health advocate who blends the reality of trauma, race, and mental health into her writing. Kelechi co-hosts the Bay Area submission-based reading series MoonDrop Productions with Cassandra Dallett. She has performed at the Berkeley Poetry Festival (2019), Oakland’s Beast Crawl (2016-2017) and San Francisco’s Litquake (2018-2019). For the past three years she has performed at Litcrawl with Cocoa Fly, an all-Black women troupe. Her work is published in Endangered Species, Enduring Values edited by Shizue Seigel. In 2019, she published her anthology with L.D. Green, We’ve Been Too Patient: Voices from Radical Mental Health. She is currently working on a collection of poetry through memoir.

Paul Corman-Roberts is the author Bone Moon Palace from Nomadic Press (2021) a CLMP Firecracker nominated full length poetry collection. Most recently he released the graphic chapbook The Sincere (with Ray Swaney) from Libran Apocaplyse Books (2022.) An original founder and organizer of the Beast Crawl Lit Festival (Summer Beast 2022 - Beast Crawl Literary Festival) he currently teaches workshops for the Older Writer’s Lab, the SF Creative Writing Institute and the Oakland Unified School District, as well as co-founder, co-director of Collapse Press. He sometimes fills in as a drummer for the U.S. Ghostal Service and the Poznansky Sisters, but mostly he is just exhausted.

Sam Sax is a queer jewish writer and educator. They're the author of Pig (Scribner, 2023), Bury it (winner of the James Laughlin Award), and Madness (Winner of the National Poetry Series). They're a lecturer in the ITALIC Program at stanford university and their first novel Yr Dead will be out with McSweeney's in 2024.

Maw Shein Win's most recent poetry collection is Storage Unit for the Spirit House(Omnidawn) which was nominated for the Northern California Book Award in Poetry, longlisted for the PEN America Open Book Award, and shortlisted for CALIBA's Golden Poppy Award for Poetry. Win's previous collections include Invisible Gifts (ManicD Press) and two chapbooks Ruins of a glittering palace (SPA) and Score and Bone (Nomadic Press). Win’s Process Note Series features poets and their process. She is the inaugural poet laureate of El Cerrito, CA and teaches poetry in the MFA Program at the University of San Francisco. Win often collaborates with visual artists, musicians, and other writers and was recently selected as a 2023 YBCA 100 Honoree. Along with Dawn Angelicca Barcelona and Mary Volmer, she is a co-founder of Maker, Mentor, Muse, a new literary community. mawsheinwin.com

Kevin Dublin is an educator, advocate, and writer. As founder of The Living Room SF and director of Litquake’s Elder Writing Project, he’s committed to helping nurture emerging writers of all ages. He is author of How to Fall in Love in San Diego (Finishing Line Press, 2017), Eulogy (Raven & Wren Press, 2023) and his words have recently appeared in The San Franciscan, Cincinnati Review, North Carolina Literary Review & more. He resides in San Francisco, holds an MFA from San Diego State, and for a little Black boy from Smithfield, NC, believes he has been brought a mighty long way.
Leg 2 (5:30-6:30pm) Venue: The Hatch

The Hatch We are back! Thank you for your support. Its been a year like no other but we are happy to still be here serving you your favorite food and drinks.
Small bites for every occasion featuring our world famous fresh cut fries and homemade sauces.
Enjoy our signature burgers and sandwiches or make your own custom creation. Sky's the limit.
Your favorire Hatch Cocktails, Slushes and beers are now available for takeout.
Your friends at The Hatch.
Small bites for every occasion featuring our world famous fresh cut fries and homemade sauces.
Enjoy our signature burgers and sandwiches or make your own custom creation. Sky's the limit.
Your favorire Hatch Cocktails, Slushes and beers are now available for takeout.
Your friends at The Hatch.
Preachers, Reachers, and Teachers
California Poets in the Schools Laney College presents "Preachers, Reachers and Teachers." Tobey Kaplan and friends: Long -time Oakland poet and educator presents the best of the BEAST-- literary luminaries--writers who teach and encourage critical and creative process in the classroom and in the streets; these EAST BAY instructors will share their own work that inspires others to craft their own memoirs, poetry, essays and fiction.

Tobey Kaplan, a poet originally from New York City, with degrees from Syracuse and San Francisco State Universities, has been teaching in the San Francisco Bay Area for thirty years. An active member of California Poets in the Schools and Associated Writing Programs, Ms. Kaplan has given readings, workshops and presentations throughout the country regarding creative process, literacy and social change. She had previously worked for the Washoe Tribe to coordinate a range of educational services and identify career building programs for the Native American community in Alameda Country.
Ms. Kaplan has received grants from the California Arts Council, 1979-1982 to serve as poet in residence at community mental health centers, and has also taught creative writing as an adult education instructor at Pleasant Hill Adult School. She has also worked for Contra Costa County Schools as an instructor in the jails, and for Project Second Chance as the detention facilities tutor coordinator. Her honors include: being named Dorland Mountain Colony Fellow, honorable mention Crazyhorse poetry prize 2008 and Affiliate Artist at the Headlands Center for the Arts, as well as being the recipient of a Bay Area Award (New Langton Arts, 1996). Among her publications are: Across the Great Divide ( Androgyne, 1995). Her poems are contained in numerous literary anthologies. As an adjunct faculty member, Tobey Kaplan currently teaches creative writing, literature, humanities, reading and composition at several East Bay community colleges.
Ms. Kaplan has received grants from the California Arts Council, 1979-1982 to serve as poet in residence at community mental health centers, and has also taught creative writing as an adult education instructor at Pleasant Hill Adult School. She has also worked for Contra Costa County Schools as an instructor in the jails, and for Project Second Chance as the detention facilities tutor coordinator. Her honors include: being named Dorland Mountain Colony Fellow, honorable mention Crazyhorse poetry prize 2008 and Affiliate Artist at the Headlands Center for the Arts, as well as being the recipient of a Bay Area Award (New Langton Arts, 1996). Among her publications are: Across the Great Divide ( Androgyne, 1995). Her poems are contained in numerous literary anthologies. As an adjunct faculty member, Tobey Kaplan currently teaches creative writing, literature, humanities, reading and composition at several East Bay community colleges.

Novelist, poet and essayist Judy Juanita’s poetry collection, Manhattan my ass, you’re in Oakland, won the American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation in 2021. In her semi-autobiographical novel, Virgin Soul [Viking, 2013]; its protagonist joins the Black Panther Party in the sixties in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her collection of short stories, The High Price of Freeways, won the 2021 Tartt Fiction Award, [Livingston Press, 2022 ]. Her work has Pushcart Prize nominations for (poem) “Bling” 2012; (essay) “The Gun as Performance Poem” 2014; and (short story) “The Black House” 2022.

Sarah Kobrinsky is the former Poet Laureate of Emeryville, CA. She is the author of Nighttime on the Other Side of Everything (New Rivers Press). Her poems and stories have appeared in Magma Poetry, Red Light Lit, Eleven Eleven, Monkeybicycle, *82 Review, 100 Word Story, Fjords Review, among many others. She was long-listed for the 2019 University of Canberra Vice Chancellor's Poetry Prize. She was born in Canada, raised in North Dakota, seasoned in England, and tempered in California. Sarah and her husband have a handmade ceramic dinnerware company in the Bay Area called Jered's Pottery. She is also a martial artist and an aspiring polyglot.

Carol Dorf is a Zoeglossia fellow, whose poetry has been published in several chapbooks and in journals that include "About Place," “Cutthroat, “Unlikely Stories," "Great Weather For Media,” "The Mom Egg," "Sin Fronteras," "Scientific American," and "Maintenant." She is founding poetry editor of Talking Writing. She’s taught in a variety of settings including BCC, Berkeley High School, Berkeley Arts Magnet, Lawrence Hall of Science, and as a California poet-in-the-schools.
Leg 2 (5:30pm - 6:30pm) Venue: Oakland Photo Workshop

Oakland Photo Workshop is a community gallery and workspace, offering exhibitions by local photographers and community groups, as well as photography classes, talks by local artists, photo walks, and meetups.
We’re in the historic Asian Resource Center building, in the heart of beautiful Oakland Chinatown.
We’re in the historic Asian Resource Center building, in the heart of beautiful Oakland Chinatown.

Lower Grand Radio (LGR) is a local online radio station that has operated out of Oakland for the last 9 years. It is a community spaces that broadcast underground music, talk radio, poetry, and experimental sound. Makes it's space, equipment, and resources free for community members, so they can broadcast their stories, music, and voices to a larger audience.
Down Bad & spit in the ocean
This is a collaborative event between two Lower Grand Radio Shows that center the voices of Bay Area writers! In this reading, poets will come face to face with their down bad.

Zoe Williams works and lives in San Francisco.
Twitter: yeeetgang
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Twitter: yeeetgang
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D'mani Thomas (he \ they) is a writer, nerd and aspiring game enthusiast from Oakland, California. He’s interested in the tiny moments that capture attention spans. He has received invitations to fellowship from The Watering Hole, Foglifter, Afro Urban Society, and UC Berkeley’s Art & Research Center via The Engaging the Senses Foundation. In 2023, they became a finalist for the 2022 Penrose Poetry Prize. They were also recently awarded an emerging voices fellowship through PEN America for the 2023 cycle. D’mani’s debut chapbook, “Grown-up Elementary”, was published earlier this year through Nomadic Press. Outside of poetry, catch them studying horror movies, dancing, and eating too many fries.

Lora Mathis is from San Diego. She has published two collections of poetry including The Women Widowed to Themselves and Here I Am In It. Her third book, The Snakes Came Back, is coming out with Metatron Press in September. They have been sharing her art and poetry online for the last twelve years, and have utilized digital tools as a part of their practice. Mathis primarily works in digital mediums, including video, photography, and graphic design, although she has also gotten into making sculptures and printmaking. Lately she has been performing poetry with her sound collaborator Matty Terrones.

Seraphina Perkins is a multidisciplinary artist, poet and folk musician. She weaves these themes together through traditional song, hymns and deep sound accompanied by string instruments. These expressions allow her to explore ancestry, connection to nature, steady growth, loss and longing in an ephemeral way.

Ocean Escalanti (she/her) is an indigenous visual artist and poet residing in Oakland, CA. Her written work is a testimony of urban living and navigating space while searching for communion with natural elements. Ocean has read poetry and/or facilitated natural dye workshops at BAMPFA, Berkeley and the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco. She self publishes both her written and visual work, vending zines and printed ephemera throughout the West Coast and beyond.

Sophie Appel is a poet, archivist, and curator based in Los Angeles.
Leg 2 (5:30pm - 6:30pm) Venue: Tamarack

Tamarack is a collectively run bar and restaurant, serving simple and delicious comfort food with inspiration from all over the world. Our menu includes rotating craft cocktails focused on house made ingredients, in addition to a selection of local beer, wine, and premium liquor. We see the communal act of eating, drinking, and being together as a foundation for growing friendships and building the world of our dreams.
Liwanag 3: Readings From the Filipinx American Arts Anthology
SOMA Pilipinas in collaboration with Kearny Street Workshop is proud to release the newest entry into the Liwanag series. As the original Liwanag (1975) and Liwanag 2 (1993) amplified the voices of local, Bay Area Pilipinx American artists of those time periods, Liwanag 3 showcases and reflects upon the evolution of the Pilipinx identity of today. Liwanag 3 features a wide range of genres in poetry, fiction, playwriting, comics and graphic novels; Visual arts include paintings, illustrations and photography.
AbOut Kearny Street Workshop (KSW)
Founded in 1972, during the height of the Asian American cultural movement, Kearny Street Workshop (KSW) is the oldest Asian Pacific American multidisciplinary arts organization in the country. Kearny Street Workshop offers classes and workshops, salons, and student presentations, as well as professionally curated and produced exhibitions, performances, readings, and screenings. KSW makes artists out of community members and community members out of artists. For the past 51 years, KSW has nurtured the creative spirit, offered an important platform for new voices to be heard, and connected artists with community. ABOUT SOMA PILIPINAS The cultural heritage district honors the over 120-year Filipino history and living legacy of making home, celebrating culture, building community and fighting for economic and racial justice. Embodying the spirit of bayanihan, SOMA Pilipinas supports a community-in-action in the highly gentrified South of Market neighborhood — the technology capital of the world for the last decade. SOMA Pilipinas was officially established as SF’s Filipino Cultural Heritage District in 2016 and was among the first selected for state designation by the California Arts Council in 2017. SOMA Pilipinas in collaboration with Kearny Street Workshop is proud to release the newest entry into the Liwanag series. As the original Liwanag (1975) and Liwanag 2 (1993) amplified the voices of local, Bay Area Pilipinx American artists of those time periods, Liwanag 3 showcases and reflects upon the evolution of the Pilipinx identity of today. Liwanag 3 features a wide range of genres in poetry, fiction, playwriting, comics and graphic novels; Visual arts include paintings, illustrations and photography.
Leg 2 (5:30-6:30) Venue: First Edition 1915 (Balcony)

First Edition 1915
Located in Uptown Oakland, we have over 3000 square feet of available space, including two mezzanines, an outdoor roof deck, and two full bars. All of our art is graphic novel/comic book inspired and created by local artist Michael Brennan. We aim to create a casual, neighborhood environment where exploration of new cocktails and introductions to new friends is the norm. Whether you're enjoying a happy hour cocktail on the patio or dancing the night away with our weekend local DJs events, we’re here to share our passion for making cocktails fun and approachable in a clean, safe, inclusive environment.
Located in Uptown Oakland, we have over 3000 square feet of available space, including two mezzanines, an outdoor roof deck, and two full bars. All of our art is graphic novel/comic book inspired and created by local artist Michael Brennan. We aim to create a casual, neighborhood environment where exploration of new cocktails and introductions to new friends is the norm. Whether you're enjoying a happy hour cocktail on the patio or dancing the night away with our weekend local DJs events, we’re here to share our passion for making cocktails fun and approachable in a clean, safe, inclusive environment.
#We- queer perspectives

#we presents four powerful writers from marginalized segments of the queer spectrum, including trans, intersex, and poets of color, will present their perspectives and very likely change yours.

Dena Rod is a non-binary poet and essayist whose work has been highlighted in My Shadow is My Skin: Voices from the Iranian Diaspora, Autostraddle, and The Rumpus. Their debut poetry collection Scattered Arils is now in its fourth print run from Milk and Cake Press. Dena writes to illuminate their experiences in the Iranian American diaspora and queer communities. They're currently at work on their first novel. Connect with Dena at their website, denarod.com.

LD Green (they/them) is a queer and non-binary writer, performer, and community college professor living in Richmond, California on Ohlone Land. They have been published on Salon, The Body is Not an Apology, Foglifter, and elsewhere. They co-edited We've Been Too Patient: Voices from Radical Mental Health with Kelechi Ubozoh (North Atlantic Books, 2019) and authored Phoenix Song (Nomadic Press, 2022). Their queer and trans rom com fantasy screenplay Journey to the Enchanted Inkwell has been a finalist in the Script2Comic Contest and Screencraft Virtual Pitch Contest in 2023 and earned them a spot at a Stowe Screenwriting Retreat. They are working on adapting this script into a graphic novel with artist Ana 'Vee' Valdez.

Julian Mithra hovers between genders and genres, border-mongering and -mongreling. Winner of the 2023 Alcove Chapbook Prize, Promiscuous Ruin (WTAW, 2023) twists through labyrinthine deer stalks in the imperiled wilderness of inhibited desire. Unearthingly (KERNPUNKT, 2022) excavates forgotten spaces. Read recent work in Paperbark, Heavy Feather Review and newsinews.

Tom Odegard is a gender-fluid empath, a non-binary two-spirit, builder, sailor, retired firefighter, jack of many trades and in order to remain sane, a poet. He learned he was intersex (47 xxy/KS) when he was 65. It was a vindication for all the struggles he'd endured until then. Since that time he has been an outspoken advocate for all intersex folk. He lives variously in Oakland, CA and Friday Harbor, WA.
#we was a bi-monthly talk and reading series of queer perspectives curated by Richard Loranger in Oakland, CA. Each installment featured two presenters from various segments of the queer spectrum, each of whom gave a prepared talk on their perspective on or experience of queerness, followed by a reading or performance of their creative work. The series had an emphasis on marginalization from without and/or within the queer community, though did not require that exclusively. The series ran from November 2018 through January 2020, then preferring an in-person experience, shut down due to the pandemic. We hope to start it up again sometime soon.
Leg 2: 5:30-6:30p Venue: Awaken Cafe 1429 Broadway
ABOUT AWAKEN CAFE:
Awaken Cafe
Rocking it in downtown Oakland since 2008, Awaken Cafe & Roasting is a community coffee-house, espresso bar, best-in-class coffee gear retailer, restaurant, beer & wine bar, and event venue. But mainly we are here to help bring people together to launch what's next for Oakland and the world, and we might as well #drinkgoodcoffee while we're at it. We roast our coffee regularly at Pulley Collective in West Oakland.
ABOUT AWAKEN CAFE:
Awaken Cafe
Rocking it in downtown Oakland since 2008, Awaken Cafe & Roasting is a community coffee-house, espresso bar, best-in-class coffee gear retailer, restaurant, beer & wine bar, and event venue. But mainly we are here to help bring people together to launch what's next for Oakland and the world, and we might as well #drinkgoodcoffee while we're at it. We roast our coffee regularly at Pulley Collective in West Oakland.

Pochino Press offers a multi-media stage for change makers and culture creators. Our mission is to publish works that illuminate stories, which originate in the intersections where hybrid cultures not only meet, but form a new sensibility.
Pochino Press' showcase for the 2023 Beast Crawl Festival is a celebration of the anthology "Después del Aguacero," a collection of works from the Pan Dulce Reading Series. This event took place between 2015 and 2017 at La Reyna Bakery in the Mission District of San Francisco. This will be an intergenerational event with veteran writers Paul Aponte, Ricardo Tavarez, Norma Smith, Lina Rincón reading alongside up-and-coming poets.
Pochino Press' showcase for the 2023 Beast Crawl Festival is a celebration of the anthology "Después del Aguacero," a collection of works from the Pan Dulce Reading Series. This event took place between 2015 and 2017 at La Reyna Bakery in the Mission District of San Francisco. This will be an intergenerational event with veteran writers Paul Aponte, Ricardo Tavarez, Norma Smith, Lina Rincón reading alongside up-and-coming poets.
Paul Aponte is a Chicano Poet from Sacramento. He is a member of the writers groups Círculo and Escritores Del Nuevo Sol. His work has been anthologized in El Tecolote Press’ Poetry in Flight, Sacramento Poetry Center's Poetry Now, and Soñadores - We Came To Dream. He can be found at poetry readings throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area.
Lina Rincón is an immigrant, sociologist, teacher and poet. She is originally from Colombia. Her poetry has been published in Harvard’s journal “Palabritas”, Acentos Review, in Puerto del Sol's series "Voz," Rejoinder Magazine and iō Literary Journal.
Norma Smith lives in Oakland, Cali. She has worked as a journalist, a translator-interpreter, community scholar-educator, event and conference organizer, and as an editor, writing coach, and workshop facilitator. Nomadic Press published Norma’s first book of poems, HOME REMEDY in 2017.
Ricardo Tavarez is a Bay Area educator and arts organizer. He co-founded the Pan Dulce Poets with Louie Gutierrez from La Reyna Bakery for the 2015 International SF Flor y Canto Festival. You can find Ricardo jogging along Lake Merritt and hiking along the Oakland Hills.
Lina Rincón is an immigrant, sociologist, teacher and poet. She is originally from Colombia. Her poetry has been published in Harvard’s journal “Palabritas”, Acentos Review, in Puerto del Sol's series "Voz," Rejoinder Magazine and iō Literary Journal.
Norma Smith lives in Oakland, Cali. She has worked as a journalist, a translator-interpreter, community scholar-educator, event and conference organizer, and as an editor, writing coach, and workshop facilitator. Nomadic Press published Norma’s first book of poems, HOME REMEDY in 2017.
Ricardo Tavarez is a Bay Area educator and arts organizer. He co-founded the Pan Dulce Poets with Louie Gutierrez from La Reyna Bakery for the 2015 International SF Flor y Canto Festival. You can find Ricardo jogging along Lake Merritt and hiking along the Oakland Hills.
Leg 2 (5:30pm - 6:30pm) Venue: Oaklandish

Oaklandish started in 2000 as a public art project designed to illuminate Oakland’s local history and unique cultural legacy. After years of covert multi-media stunts around the Town, the Oaklandish brand of apparel was introduced to help support our ongoing calendar of free events and pro bono work.
Our mission is to spread “local love” by way of our civic pride-evoking tees and accessories, while creating quality jobs for locals, and giving back to the people and places that maintain our city’s trailblazer spirit. So, wear it well. When you rock these roots, you're representing and supporting Oakland!
Our mission is to spread “local love” by way of our civic pride-evoking tees and accessories, while creating quality jobs for locals, and giving back to the people and places that maintain our city’s trailblazer spirit. So, wear it well. When you rock these roots, you're representing and supporting Oakland!
El Martillo Press
Ceasar K. Avelar is the second poet laureate of Pomona, CA. As a poet, Ceasar is dedicated to the working class. His poems speak the truth, not only to people in a position of power, but also to the everyday person that views the working class as a stigmatized identity. Ceasar is of Central American descent. His mother is an immigrant from Honduras and his father is from El Salvador. Ceasar’s poems tell the stories of workers of color, their families and the obstacles they face in the United States; not just as workers, but as immigrants living in a country where their existence is commodified. Ceasar is the resident poet for Café con Libros Press, a cultural center and bookstore. He runs Obsidian Tongues open mic, which strives to bring poetry, art, and free expression to the community of Pomona. |
Margaret Elysia Garcia is the author of Graft, a collection of Chicanx noir short stories set in Southern California and published by Tolsun Press, the eBook Sad Girls & Other Stories, and the audiobook Mary of the Chance Encounters, and the poetry chapbook Burn Scars published by the Lit Kit Collective. She’s the co-editor of the forthcoming Red Flag Warning: Northern Californians Living with Fire to be published by HeyDay books in 2024. She’s the co-founder of Pachuca Productions—a Latina theater troupe producing original and social justice plays in the Lost Sierra and teaches a poetry class with Community Literary Initiative in Los Angeles. the daughterland is her first full-length poetry collection. |
Donato Martinez was born in in small pueblo, Garcia de la Cadena, Zacatecas, Mexico and immigrated into the USA at six years old. He teaches English Composition, Literature, and Creative Writing at Santa Ana College. He has also taught classes in Chicano Studies. He has been a co-coordinator of the Puente Program for 25 years. He hosts and curates many artistic events that feature poetry and music at his campus or in the community. He is also a poet and writes about his barrio experience, his community, his Chicano culture, bilingual identities, and other complexities of life. He is influenced by the sounds and pulse of the streets, people, music, and the magic of language. He has a self-published collection with three other Inland Empire poets, Tacos de Lengua. His work has been published by City Works, East Side Rose, The Acentos Review, San Diego Poetry Annual, Ofrenda Magazine, The Mixtape Literary Journal, Latin@ Literatures, and La Raiz Magazine. He loves the outdoors and is inspired by books, music, and his children, Gabriel and Abigail. |
OUR FOUNDERS: Matt Sedillo has been described as the "best political poet in America" as well as "the poet laureate of the struggle". His work has drawn comparisons in print to Bertolt Brecht, Roque Dalton, Amiri Baraka, Alan Ginsberg, Carl Sandburg and various other legends of the past.
David A. Romero is a Mexican-American spoken word artist from Diamond Bar, CA. Romero is the author of My Name Is Romero (FlowerSong Press), a book reviewed by Gustavo Arellano (¡Ask a Mexican!), Curtis Marez (University Babylon), and founding member of Ozomatli, Ulises Bella.
About EL MARTILLO PRESS El Martillo Press publishes writers whose pens strike the page with clear intent; words with purpose to pry apart assumed norms and to hammer away at injustice. El Martillo Press proactively publishes writers looking to pound the pavement to promote their work and the work of their fellow pressmates. There is strength in El Martillo. Founded in Los Angeles in 2023 by Matt Sedillo and David A. Romero, and launched with a diverse group of celebrated and hardworking writers who embody our working-class intellectual spirit, El Martillo Press maintains an editorial board that makes its selections for publishing.
David A. Romero is a Mexican-American spoken word artist from Diamond Bar, CA. Romero is the author of My Name Is Romero (FlowerSong Press), a book reviewed by Gustavo Arellano (¡Ask a Mexican!), Curtis Marez (University Babylon), and founding member of Ozomatli, Ulises Bella.
About EL MARTILLO PRESS El Martillo Press publishes writers whose pens strike the page with clear intent; words with purpose to pry apart assumed norms and to hammer away at injustice. El Martillo Press proactively publishes writers looking to pound the pavement to promote their work and the work of their fellow pressmates. There is strength in El Martillo. Founded in Los Angeles in 2023 by Matt Sedillo and David A. Romero, and launched with a diverse group of celebrated and hardworking writers who embody our working-class intellectual spirit, El Martillo Press maintains an editorial board that makes its selections for publishing.
LEG 2: 5:30-6:30p VENUE: Make Westing 1741 Telegraph Av

ABOUT MAKE WESTING:
www.makewesting.com
What's with the name?
The name "Make Westing" comes from a short story by Oakland native Jack London. While a bit grim and violent, the tale centers on the overwhelming need to make the westing wind back home to Oakland - to a place of warmth and family (and bocce courts?).
Who are we?
Make Westing is located in the thriving Uptown district of Oakland. Wood, iron, and slate make up the décor that resonates with the industrial heritage of our city. We are equipped with a full bar, a variety of gourmet bites, an outdoor patio, and two indoor bocce courts. The Fox theater is less than one block away, and the 19th st. BART stop is across the street.
Why Bocce?
While we are not bocce aficionados per se, we did play at some of our favorite bars in Brooklyn and the lanes fit the space perfectly, while serving as an entertaining companion to a cocktail. The courts are first come, first serve and are free. When there are others waiting, each group may play one game to seven and then give up the court to the next group in line. If you would like to rent the bocce courts, we do so at $50 per hour, per court.
What else?
Make Westing is more a bar than restaurant and as such (according to the alcohol beverage control rules) no one under 21 is allowed, infants included. For credit cards, we request a $10 minimum. As relates to credit cards - some banks will place a temporary double charge on certain cards only as a hold and will release the charge within 7-10 business days. We have no idea why they do this, but it happens often enough that we thought we should mention it. We have an ATM on site.
www.makewesting.com
What's with the name?
The name "Make Westing" comes from a short story by Oakland native Jack London. While a bit grim and violent, the tale centers on the overwhelming need to make the westing wind back home to Oakland - to a place of warmth and family (and bocce courts?).
Who are we?
Make Westing is located in the thriving Uptown district of Oakland. Wood, iron, and slate make up the décor that resonates with the industrial heritage of our city. We are equipped with a full bar, a variety of gourmet bites, an outdoor patio, and two indoor bocce courts. The Fox theater is less than one block away, and the 19th st. BART stop is across the street.
Why Bocce?
While we are not bocce aficionados per se, we did play at some of our favorite bars in Brooklyn and the lanes fit the space perfectly, while serving as an entertaining companion to a cocktail. The courts are first come, first serve and are free. When there are others waiting, each group may play one game to seven and then give up the court to the next group in line. If you would like to rent the bocce courts, we do so at $50 per hour, per court.
What else?
Make Westing is more a bar than restaurant and as such (according to the alcohol beverage control rules) no one under 21 is allowed, infants included. For credit cards, we request a $10 minimum. As relates to credit cards - some banks will place a temporary double charge on certain cards only as a hold and will release the charge within 7-10 business days. We have no idea why they do this, but it happens often enough that we thought we should mention it. We have an ATM on site.
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