Naked 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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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.
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We’re in the historic Asian Resource Center building, in the heart of beautiful Oakland Chinatown.

Leg 2 (5:30pm - 6:30pm) Venue: ​Tamarack

Leg 2 (5:30-6:30) Venue: ​First Edition 1915 (Balcony)

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.

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.

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!