Reading with Lit Balm Series
Reading with Dorsía Smith Silva, Jennifer Maritza McCauley, Kimberly Reyes, and Ysabel Y. González on November 8th, at 5 pm with the Lit Balm Series.
Teaching at Stonecoast: “I dig poetry but how do you write that form stuff?”
"I dig poetry but how do you write that form stuff" (For Stonecoast MFA students only)
Last time you wrote a haiku was in 3rd grade and 5-7-5 was the last time you talked about poetic form ... or you read a few sonnets in high school and your teacher tried to explain how Shakespeare was doing some things, but your mind had other things going on ... or you love to nerd out about on iambic pentameter, rime royale, and a villanelle and the poets writing in those forms aren't all dead, male, and white but who they be? This is the generative workshop for you. You'll be choosing a book on poetics to read by contemporary authors and editors (list provided); a form that you want to try before workshop; a book that uses that form extensively by contemporary writers; and we will learn together how writers (like you) stick to and break the rules. You will write one poem before workshop in the form you choose. In workshop, we will also generate new work in forms like: haibun, sonnet, ziuhitsu, pantoum, haiku/low coup/sonku, golden shovel and quotilla, bop, abecedarian, and more (ex. ever done written a poem that's also a mad lib? You will try it in this workshop!) We will also take the fear out and put the joy into terms like meter, scansion, stanzas. If you ever looked at a poem and thought, "I'm not going to or I don't get it", followed by, "I can't write it", we are going to flip all that on its head. Choose this workshop and you will be adding another identity to your writer name tag: poet. The goals: - develop confidence reading poetry - learn some of the poets who are writing in form right now - get the poetic terms down so when a literary game show calls, you are ready - write the poems you might feel blocked to write (form has a way of opening up portals!) - have some fun (think trivia, dominoes, watercolor, and more)!
Letras Latinas Panel at AWP Baltimore
Organized by Laura Villareal and Francisco Aragón, with Brenda Cardenas, Raina J. León, Karla Cordero, and Cloud Delfina Cardona
Divine Feminine Retreat in Perú
“Reconnect with the Rhythms of Mother Earth
Feel deeply grounded and connected to Pachamama, Mother Earth. You'll have the opportunity to forge a profound connection with the trees, rivers, mountains, and the sacred elements that sustain us all.
Learn from the Wisdom of Indigenous Healers
Guided by the knowledge and experience of indigenous healers, you will participate in life-changing rituals and ceremonies that support spiritual and emotional healing
Cultivate Lasting Interdependent Community
Through shared experiences, deep conversations, and intentional community building, you'll experience deep connection and vulnerability with a community that will nourish you before, during, and beyond this retreat.”
Retreat in Medellín, Colombia (DIY)
For several months, I’ve been building a mountain-sized list of creative and professional tasks that I have looked upon from the winding river of life, incremently taking on one or another … and mostly not completed. But there is a time for cultivating and a time for seeding. The summer months for me were times of seeding.
I was supposed to be heading to New Orleans again as I did last year about this time, but some of my collaborative partners had things come up in their lives, so I had a week blocked out and nowhere to go.
But then I thought of my comay, and how I’d been wanting to visit her in Colombia. I looked at tickets on a whim … and at the time they were just $250 roundtrip! I didn’t get them when they were that low, but pretty close, and here I am, in Medellín, knocking out the easiest tasks and preparing to devote some significant time to the others. I’m electrified and moving and that’s a delight.
Prisoners Brunch
Text from Philly Peace Park:
Join us on Sunday afternoon for this year's Annual Prisoners' Families Brunch! Each year, @russellshoatz3rd coordinates this event in the spirit of his father, freedom-fighter and former political prisoner, Russell Maroon Shoatz (Rest in Power!).
*Fellowship with community members, families impacted by imprisonment, organizers, and activists!
**Enjoy a FREE delicious meal, catered by @southjazzkitchen @atiya_olas_spirit_first_foods @Chef Terry and more!
***Tap in with the African drummers and see some of Philly's finest artists perform, including @rainaleon @kxng_solje and @cvgebird !
****Hear from speakers providing insight on a variety of movements and campaigns, including efforts to decarcerate PA prisons and the struggle for Mumia Abu Jamal's retinal treatment!
*****Mama Assata Shakur making transition (Rest in Power!) makes this year's Brunch even more resonant! We will be sure to honor her life and legacy!
🌏: @oneartcommunitycenter (52nd/Media)
📆: Sunday, September 28th, 2025
🕛: 12-4pm
Spread the word! See you there!
Reading with the NJEA (New Jersey Education Association
From the event (text below provided by Dr. DaQuan Bashir)
Feeding Our Minds
To feed our minds means to nourish our understanding of culture, history, and identity. It’s about engaging with stories, literature, and lived experiences that deepen our awareness and appreciation of the diverse voices within the Hispanic community. Through reflection and learning, we honor our past and empower our future.
Feeding Our Bodies
Feeding our bodies means honoring the traditions, flavors, and nourishment passed down through generations. It’s about celebrating the diversity of Hispanic cuisine—not just as sustenance, but as a reflection of identity, wellness, and community. Through food, we connect with our roots, share stories, and preserve culture.
Feeding Our Souls
Feeding our souls means embracing the stories, traditions, and spiritual connections that shape who we are. It’s about honoring our ancestors, celebrating our resilience, and finding joy in shared customs. Through music, storytelling, and cultural expression, we nourish the spirit and strengthen the bonds that unite our communities.
Algarabía: An Epic Poem (celebrating Roque Raquel Salas Rivera)
Celebration at the Reopening of the Coleman Branch of the Free Library of Roque Raquel Salas Rivera’s new book, Algarabía: The Song of Cenex, Natural Son of the Isle Alarabíyya with Tongo Eisen-Martin, Kirwyn Sutherland, and me
Wild Indigo with Tongo Eisen-Martin and Roque Raquel Salas Rivera
It’s our birthday …
at ALLENS LANE ART CENTER!
It’s getting close. Nearly one year ago, we gathered for the first time at Young American Cider and Tasting Room in partnership with Reclaim Philadelphia NALAC with our first poets, Denice Frohman and Gabriel Ramirez. Since then, so many poets have activated our hearts, minds, and hands in action … engaging us in local and national issues.
FIRST ANNIVERSARY AT ALLENS LANE ART CENTER, SEPTEMBER 21, 5pm
Our first anniversary will be no different with Tongo Eisen-Martin and Roque Raquel Salas Rivera. Their bios are below. Get ready y’all! These are some of THE most powerful poets of a generation! We had thought that this would be a triple feature month, but our beloved Tim Seibles has committed to gather in community in celebration of the life of a beloved who has transitioned. We extend our thoughts to him and the community … and we will see him in January 2025 with Anaiis Salles. We will have a slightly bigger open mic at the anniversary at our venue for just September: Allens Lane Art Center.
TICKETS
We will be offering donated cider from Young American Cider and Tasting Room, baked goods and other refreshments, and non-alcoholic beverages as well. There are ONLY 45 tickets available, so get your tickets early! http://bit.ly/25wildindigo26.
BOOKS?
We also STRONGLY suggest getting your books in advance. Tongo’s book is only available through our Bookshop Partner, Harriett’s online (link here), and Roque only has 12 copies that we will have in person.
NEWS IN COMMUNITY: Reclaim Philadelphia Garden Party
Wild Indigo's partner in social change, Reclaim Philadelphia, invites you to a Garden Party/Fundraiser/Mobilization Event! Come out to meet neighbors, learn more about Reclaim, hear from activists about our fall campaigns for justice and from Rep. Chris Rabb about what's going down in Harrisburg this fall, enjoy snacks and drinks - all on an early fall early evening at beautiful Hansberry Garden, 5150 Wayne Avenue, Germantown.
Friday, September 19, 5:30-7 pm. Rain date: September 26.
Free and open to the public - though we will be inviting you to become a member of the essential progressive organization Reclaim Philadelphia, if you're not already. We'll have membership info available and several of us to chat with about Reclaim's vital work. Invite your friends and neighbors and come on down to the garden, September 19, 5:30-7 pm. (Come in the first hour to hear Rep Rabb, as he has another event to get to... popular guy that he is!) Meantime, let Sarah know if you have any questions or want more details. You can write to her directly at sarahbrowningwriter@yahoo.com.
NEWS IN COMMUNITY: Obsidian Foundation
We thank you for always showing up in your truth, with your fire and your love. We will see you on that third Sunday of September, September 21, 5-7pm at Allens Lane for our 1st anniversary gathering!
BIOS
Born, raised, and currently living in San Francisco, Tongo Eisen-Martin was the city’s eighth Poet Laureate (2021-2024). He is the author of three collections of poetry: Blood on the Fog (2021), selected by the New York Times as among the Best Poetry of 2021; Heaven is All Goodbyes (2017); and Someone’s Dead Already (2015). Eisen-Martin fuses political interventions with an idiosyncratic pattern of logic to elucidate how one can find pockets of freedom even within a wider system of oppression. Describing Eisen-Martin’s poetry, famed writer Claudia Rankine says, “This is resistance as sound.” Yet Eisen-Martin’s poems are as personal as they are political. In Heaven is All Goodbyes, for example, Eisen-Martin takes aim at incarceration-in-plain-sight with the following lines: “My dear, if it is not a city, it is a prison. If it has a prison, it is a prison. Not a city.” In addition to writing revolutionary poetry, Eisen-Martin is committed to raising political awareness through education. He has taught creative writing in prisons and is the author of We Charge Genocide Again, a series of lesson plans to support students and teachers in grappling with the state-sanctioned killing of Black people. A recipient of several awards including the American Book Award (2018), a California Book Award (2018), and the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award (2018), Eisen-Martin earned both his BA and MA from Columbia University.
Roque Raquel Salas Rivera (Mayagüez, 1985) is a Puerto Rican poet, educator, and translator of trans experience. The 2018-19 Poet Laureate of Philadelphia, he has received the Premio Nuevas Voces and the inaugural Ambroggio Prize, among other awards and recognitions. His eight poetry books include lo terciario/ the tertiary (Noemi, 2019), longlisted for the National Book Award and winner of the Lambda Literary Award, and while they sleep (under the bed is another country) (Birds LLC, 2019), which inspired the title of the exhibition no existe un mundo poshuracán: Puerto Rican Art in the Wake of Hurricane Maria. His poetry has been musicalized by Angélica Negrón, Jonathan Woody, Anaïs Mejías.
His most recent book, Algarabía (Graywolf, 2025) is an epic poem that follows the journey of Cenex, a trans being who retrospectively narrates his life while navigating the stories told on his behalf. Salas Rivera is an assistant professor in the Comparative Literature Program at the Mayagüez Campus of the University of Puerto Rico. His cat, Pietri, is the ungrateful muse who inspires a great many of his poems. He is currently the Creative Editor for sx salon: a small axe literary platform.
Wild Indigo: Philly August
Wild Indigo Returns with Philly August
It’s been a long time or so it seems … but Wild Indigo is back! with 5 POETS: Allison Whittenberg, Lorraine Rice, Mary Mance, Pheralyn Dove, and Victoria Huggins Peurifoy. We hope you come through to support them on Sunday August 17 at our regular 5pm time at at Young American Cider! Bios of our incredible features below!
We have a new link to get your tickets (suggested donation of only $5) here at https://bit.ly/25wildindigo26
If you read your last newsletter, you know we have also recently received good news! We received grants from the Environment Committee of Weaver’s Way Co-Op and the Tommy Raskin Memorial Fund to extend our program. We are so grateful for their support! One project will allow us to gift to our community bookmarks with embedded wildflower/pollinator seeds that also have lines of poetry. But what should we get put on them? If you have an idea, fill out this form by August 18!
And who is coming up for the fall? So far some of our fall poets include Tongo Eisen Martin, Roque Raquel Salas Rivera, Tim Seibles, Iain Pollock, and Trapeta Mayson … and we have more already committed. Full announcement coming out at Philly August with Wild Indigo on August 17!
As always, we hope you continue to connect with the work of Reclaim Philadelphia and patronize Young American Cider!
This month’s features, reading for shorter sets (and there will also be a small open mic):
Allison Whittenberg's poetry collection is titled THEY WERE HORRIBLE COOKS.Her work has appeared in Columbia Review, Feminist Studies,J Journal,Obsidian, and New Orleans Review. Whittenberg is anine-time Pushcart Prize nominee and is a Philly native.
Lorraine Rice is a writer, mother, and professional support person doing the best she can in this broken and beautiful world. She is the recipient of fellowships from Cave Canem and Kimbilio. Her work has appeared in the anthology Permanent Record: Poetics Towards the Archive (Nightboat Books), American Poetry Review, swamp pink, Philadelphia Stories, and elsewhere. She is currently working on her first full-length collection, a docupoetics project that centers genealogical and historical research tied to her southern roots. Originally from South Carolina, Lorraine lives and learns with her family in Philadelphia.
Mary Mance is a Philadelphia-based spoken word poet whose work blends vulnerability, rhythm, and truth. Originally from Gaithersburg, Maryland, she began writing as a child, inspired by her mother’s poetic voice and a desire to give life to her experiences. Her poetry explores identity, survival, joy, and justice with authenticity and emotional depth.She has performed at Busboys and Poets in Washington, D.C., Voices in Power in Philadelphia, and Poetry Me, Please in New York City, as well as civic events like the Philly Justice Ball and Access to Justice Awards.Beyond the stage, Mary uses poetry for healing, storytelling, and community-building, creating space for voices often overlooked. Her performances—whether before a packed crowd or in an intimate setting—are marked by emotional honesty and lyrical strength, reflecting her mission to turn lived experience into living language.
Pheralyn Dove is an award-winning poet. She is also a visual artist, author, essayist, and gratitude coach. She has presented her work on four continents: Africa, Europe, South America, and North America. Pheralyn lives her life in a state of perpetual gratitude. She is guided by her passion to create art that promotes cultural preservation, emotional healing, and African liberation throughout the Diaspora. She envisions and works toward freedom for all oppressed peoples.~. ~. ~. ~. ~. www.pheralyndove.compheralyn@gmail.com@pheralyn/Instagram@pheralyndove/Tiktok@Pheralyn Dove/Facebook
Victoria Huggins Peurifoy is a Community Engagement Liaison for Drexel University’s Writers Room, for their Second Story collective Program. She is working to bring together senior citizen homeowners in West Philly and Drexel Students to promote intergenerational living. She is also an AmeriCorps Senior conducting research and working with photography and writing. She is a writer in residence with Drexel’s Writers Room and a member of their Tripod team. She is an author, poet, spoken-word artist, storyteller, narrator, facilitator, workshop leader and voice-over talent. In 2023, she graduated as a senior citizen student from Peirce College and received a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership. A grant from Stockton Bartol was awarded tp Victoria for the Micro-Teaching Artist award for Spring 2025. Victoria released her latest book, The Triumph Continues – A Covid Story & Poetry, found on Amazon and Barnes and Noble websites. Her work can also be found in the anthologies of writers room Drexelfor Anthology 11, which was just released in June 2025.
Wild Indigo featuring Candice Iloh, Saida Agostini, and Frederick Joseph
Get your tickets here! https://bit.ly/wildindigoseries
Poetry blooms in all shades.
Wild Indigo Poetry Series celebrates the cultural riches of Philadelphia and our deep rooted commitment to social change and transformation. 3rd Sundays at 5pm we feature 2 poets, local and visiting, and host an open mic in partnership with Reclaim Philadelphia and based at Young American Cider and Tasting Room.
STARTING IN 2025
January 2025: Warren Longmire and more open mic slots!
Warren is a writer, technologist and educator from the bad part of North Philadelphia. He is the host of House Poet: A Spoken Word Dance Party and founder of _mixlit productions. Warren's work have been published in journals including Action, Spectacle, The Cleveland Review of Books, R&R and The American Poetry Review. He was featured in the Best American Poetry 2021, edited by Tracey K. Smith, and is featured in the anthology A Black Philadelphia Reader: African American Writings About the City of Brotherly Love (PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS). His latest book, Bird/Diz [an erased history of bebop] (BUNNY Presse) was released in Nov. 2022. Warren is currently a student at the Iowa Writer's Workshop.
February 2025: Grisel Acosta and Vincent Toro
March 2025: Kathy Engel and Kai Davis
April 2025: Candice Iloh and Saida Agostini
May 2025: Kirwyn Sutherland and Yesenia Montilla
June 2025: Regie Cabico and Dilruba Ahmed
And July is our summer break
August 2025 will be micro-features focused on Philly-poets before we start the Fall season
Library of America poetry panel at Woodland Pattern Book Center (Milwaukee.)
Library of America poetry panel at Woodland Pattern Book Center (Milwaukee.)
More details TBA
Wild Indigo featuring Kirwyn Sutherland and Yesenia Montilla
Get your tickets here! https://bit.ly/wildindigoseries
Poetry blooms in all shades.
Wild Indigo Poetry Series celebrates the cultural riches of Philadelphia and our deep rooted commitment to social change and transformation. 3rd Sundays at 5pm we feature 2 poets, local and visiting, and host an open mic in partnership with Reclaim Philadelphia and based at Young American Cider and Tasting Room.
STARTING IN 2025
January 2025: Warren Longmire and more open mic slots!
Warren is a writer, technologist and educator from the bad part of North Philadelphia. He is the host of House Poet: A Spoken Word Dance Party and founder of _mixlit productions. Warren's work have been published in journals including Action, Spectacle, The Cleveland Review of Books, R&R and The American Poetry Review. He was featured in the Best American Poetry 2021, edited by Tracey K. Smith, and is featured in the anthology A Black Philadelphia Reader: African American Writings About the City of Brotherly Love (PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS). His latest book, Bird/Diz [an erased history of bebop] (BUNNY Presse) was released in Nov. 2022. Warren is currently a student at the Iowa Writer's Workshop.
February 2025: Grisel Acosta and Vincent Toro
March 2025: Kathy Engel and Kai Davis
April 2025: Candice Iloh and Saida Agostini
May 2025: Kirwyn Sutherland and Yesenia Montilla
June 2025: Regie Cabico and Dilruba Ahmed
And July is our summer break
August 2025 will be micro-features focused on Philly-poets before we start the Fall season
Wild Indigo featuring Kathy Engel and Kai Davis
Get your tickets here! https://bit.ly/wildindigoseries
Poetry blooms in all shades.
Wild Indigo Poetry Series celebrates the cultural riches of Philadelphia and our deep rooted commitment to social change and transformation. 3rd Sundays at 5pm we feature 2 poets, local and visiting, and host an open mic in partnership with Reclaim Philadelphia and based at Young American Cider and Tasting Room.
STARTING IN 2025
January 2025: Warren Longmire and more open mic slots!
Warren is a writer, technologist and educator from the bad part of North Philadelphia. He is the host of House Poet: A Spoken Word Dance Party and founder of _mixlit productions. Warren's work have been published in journals including Action, Spectacle, The Cleveland Review of Books, R&R and The American Poetry Review. He was featured in the Best American Poetry 2021, edited by Tracey K. Smith, and is featured in the anthology A Black Philadelphia Reader: African American Writings About the City of Brotherly Love (PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS). His latest book, Bird/Diz [an erased history of bebop] (BUNNY Presse) was released in Nov. 2022. Warren is currently a student at the Iowa Writer's Workshop.
February 2025: Grisel Acosta and Vincent Toro
March 2025: Kathy Engel and Kai Davis
April 2025: Candice Iloh and Saida Agostini
May 2025: Kirwyn Sutherland and Yesenia Montilla
June 2025: Regie Cabico and Dilruba Ahmed
And July is our summer break
August 2025 will be micro-features focused on Philly-poets before we start the Fall season
Retreat with Rami e Radici Collective (Lucca, Italy)
I’m so excited to write that I will be in residency in Lucca with 3 incredible creatives working across forms, all Italian peoples of the Global Majority. I’ll be working on my own work. a children’s book, a novel, and a collection of poetry.
VIRTUAL Rowan University Guest speaker with Prof. Cherita Harrell
Guest speaker for undergraduate course at Rowan University that focuses on the lived experiences of women of color.
Reading at the 5-3-5 Salon
I’ll be reading with Huda Fakhreddine and Elizabeth Scanlon and I’m SUPER EXCITED. I’ve been hoping to be in community for a year now.
Wild Indigo featuring Grisel Acosta and Vincent Toro
Get your tickets here! https://bit.ly/wildindigoseries
Poetry blooms in all shades.
Wild Indigo Poetry Series celebrates the cultural riches of Philadelphia and our deep rooted commitment to social change and transformation. 3rd Sundays at 5pm we feature 2 poets, local and visiting, and host an open mic in partnership with Reclaim Philadelphia and based at Young American Cider and Tasting Room.
STARTING IN 2025
January 2025: Warren Longmire and more open mic slots!
Warren is a writer, technologist and educator from the bad part of North Philadelphia. He is the host of House Poet: A Spoken Word Dance Party and founder of _mixlit productions. Warren's work have been published in journals including Action, Spectacle, The Cleveland Review of Books, R&R and The American Poetry Review. He was featured in the Best American Poetry 2021, edited by Tracey K. Smith, and is featured in the anthology A Black Philadelphia Reader: African American Writings About the City of Brotherly Love (PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS). His latest book, Bird/Diz [an erased history of bebop] (BUNNY Presse) was released in Nov. 2022. Warren is currently a student at the Iowa Writer's Workshop.
February 2025: Grisel Acosta and Vincent Toro
March 2025: Kathy Engel and Kai Davis
April 2025: Candice Iloh and Saida Agostini
May 2025: Kirwyn Sutherland and Yesenia Montilla
June 2025: Regie Cabico and Dilruba Ahmed
And July is our summer break
August 2025 will be micro-features focused on Philly-poets before we start the Fall season
Writing workshop at small works gallery, Philadelphia
DESCRIPTION
Creating from mother myths, Mothering our truths
Who are your peoples? What myths entangle themselves in your genetic code and cultural rooting? In this workshop, we consider ancestral mythologies and what they have to teach us about mothering as opposed to contemporary texts about revolutionary mothering. Through discussion and play (there will be coloring books!), we will ultimately return to the page to write the truth of mothering that defies the myth.
Wild Indigo at Allens Lane Art Center
Wild Indigo will be partnering with Allens Lane Art Center. Sarah Browning and Raina J. León will be the feature poets with spotlight poets Taylor Lewis and SASKIA and an open mic. More information to come!
Wild Indigo Featuring Warren C. Longmire
Get your tickets here! https://bit.ly/wildindigoseries
Poetry blooms in all shades.
Wild Indigo Poetry Series celebrates the cultural riches of Philadelphia and our deep rooted commitment to social change and transformation. 3rd Sundays at 5pm we feature 2 poets, local and visiting, and host an open mic in partnership with Reclaim Philadelphia and based at Young American Cider and Tasting Room.
STARTING IN 2025
January 2025: Warren Longmire and more open mic slots!
Warren is a writer, technologist and educator from the bad part of North Philadelphia. He is the host of House Poet: A Spoken Word Dance Party and founder of _mixlit productions. Warren's work have been published in journals including Action, Spectacle, The Cleveland Review of Books, R&R and The American Poetry Review. He was featured in the Best American Poetry 2021, edited by Tracey K. Smith, and is featured in the anthology A Black Philadelphia Reader: African American Writings About the City of Brotherly Love (PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS). His latest book, Bird/Diz [an erased history of bebop] (BUNNY Presse) was released in Nov. 2022. Warren is currently a student at the Iowa Writer's Workshop.
February 2025: Grisel Acosta and Vincent Toro
March 2025: Kathy Engel and Kai Davis
April 2025: Candice Iloh and Saida Agostini
May 2025: Kirwyn Sutherland and Yesenia Montilla
June 2025: Regie Cabico and Dilruba Ahmed
And July is our summer break
August 2025 will be micro-features focused on Philly-poets before we start the Fall season
Wild Indigo Poetry Reading Series: Ursula Rucker and Miller Oberman
Founded, curated, and hosted by Sarah Browning and Raina J. León at Young American Cider in Philadelphia
Wild Indigo Poetry Reading Series: Nzadi Keita and Niki Herd
Founded, curated, and hosted by Sarah Browning and Raina J. León at Young American Cider in Philadelphia
Book release for Gabriel Ramirez
This Book Release Party celebrates the release of Gabriel Ramirez’s inaugural chapbook “If Pit Bulls had a God It’d Be a Pit Bull,” published by local women-owned bookstore and small press, The Head & The Hand as part of the Riverwards Chapbook Series, which was supported by Penn Treaty Special Services District and PECO Powering the Arts! The program includes a poetry showcase of the author’s closest friends and colleagues as well as a reading of the chapbook by Gabriel Ramirez. The author will also have a book signing before and after the readings. All artists, including the DJ who is also performing a song, have volunteered their time and artistry.
Event Schedule
7:00-7:30 PM:
DJ Set
Book Purchasing
7:30-8:30PM: Featured Performances
CVGEBIRD
Malaya Ulan (Philadelphia Youth Poet Laureate)
Shame-e-Ali Nayeem
Kirwyn Sutherland
Raina Leon
Sanam Sheriff
Hiwot Adilow
Tafisha Edwards
Kingsley Ibeneche (DJ + vocal artist)
Saskia (Host)
8:30-9:00PM: Author Reading: Gabriel Ramirez
9:00-9:30PM: Book Signing and Fellowship
The Philly Pigeon
The Late(ish) Poetry Show is back. It's the day after halloween so in addition to our amazing feature, expect some spooky poetry games, prizes for best costume and some other surprises. Where else can you experience genre bending, incredible poetry and Halloween fun in one night?
A limited amount of VIP (Very into poetry) tickets are available here.
With a VIP ticket you get:
Seat in the first rows reserved until 8:25
Limited edition poetry print
Skip the line
Nothing makes Friday feel sooner than good plans. VIP tickets are selling fast. Get yours now.
Join us this Friday for a special Halloween edition of The Late(ish) Poetry Show.
PCA Conference: Share the Legacy Now: A Conversation with Clients/Consumers, Family Members and Ourselves
Your legacy does not start in death; your legacy starts now! Consider how often you have learned about a remarkable facet of a beloved’s life after transitioning. Wouldn’t you have wanted to be able to ask them some questions? This session is designed to start a conversation with our clients/consumers, family members, and ourselves about the legacy that they/we want to leave behind when they can ask questions and make plans about it. Specifically, what lessons, words of wisdom, and family stories do you want to share with those within your beloved communities? What legacies do you want to leave those who live on after you? What do you want to happen to your possessions after your death, and how will others know why they are treasured in the first place? This session is not so much about the monetary value of things but about discussing what is important and meaning making while the opportunity still exists. The audience for this session is social workers, geriatric care managers, therapists, family caregivers, and those who are beginning to explore their own legacy, essentially everyone.
Learning Objectives Participants in this workshop will:
• Understand that beginning the process of legacy building involves self-exploration.
• Utilize tools and specific resources like the genogram as part of storytelling, to understand the past, and present, and plan for the future.
• Plan to share one story about a treasured item that reveals part of your own legacy to your beloved family.
• Add to a list of questions to guide conversations around planning for where one’s most precious possessions should be placed when a major life transition occurs.
• Identify some community-based resources that can receive items that may interest community-held archives.
Dr. Norma Thomas received her bachelor’s degree in social work from Penn. State University. She then went on to obtain her master’s degree in social work from Temple University’s School of Social Administration and her doctorate degree in social work from UPENN. Dr. Thomas began as the MSW Program Director at California University of Pennsylvania in the fall of 2007 and retired in January 2017. She was promoted to full professor in 2014. From 1994-2004 she worked for the Widener University Center for Social Work Education where she achieved tenure as an Associate Professor, also holding positions as Assistant Director and Baccalaureate Program Director. She worked from 1975-1984 for the Delaware County Office on Services for the Aging and from 1984-1992 for the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging. In addition, she was the co-founder and President of the Center on Ethnic & Minority Aging, Inc., Philadelphia, PA from 1995-2008. She is currently an online instructor for the Center For Social Work Education, Widener University.
Dr. Raina J. Leon, Cave Canem graduate fellow (2006) and member of the Carolina African American Writers Collective, Canto Mundo and Macondo, has been published in over 100 publications in poetry, fiction, nonfiction and academic scholarship. She is currently a full professor of education in the Kalmanovitz School of Education at St. Mary’s College of California. She came to St. Mary’s from the Department of Defense Education Activity, where for three years she taught military dependents in Bamberg, Germany. Leon received her BA in Journalism from Pennsylvania State University with minors in African American Studies, English, International Studies and Spanish, graduating with honors in English with a poetry manuscript supervised by Dr. William J Harris and Dr. Aldon Nielsen; MA in Teaching of English from Teachers College Columbia University; MA in Educational Leadership from Framingham State University; and PhD in Education under the Culture, Curriculum and Change strand at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. She recently completed her MFA in Poetry at St. Mary’s College of California.
Wild Indigo Poetry Reading Series: Sonia Sanchez, Carmen Calatayud, and Roberto Carlos Garcia
Founded, curated, and hosted by Sarah Browning and Raina J. León at Young American Cider in Philadelphia
This month we feature Sonia Sanchez, Carmen Calatayud, and Roberto Carlos Garcis
Dodge Poetry Festival
Poetry is for everyone at The 20th Dodge Poetry Festival, October 17 – 19. Downtown Newark will be buzzing with music and spoken word performances in this joyful, community-driven celebration. Hear headliners Mahogany L. Browne, Tyehimba Jess, Claudia Rankine, Sonia Sanchez, Afaa Michael Weaver, Aracelis Girmay and more — along with dozens of activities, workshops, poetry slams and jams. And don’t miss Saturday’s free Family Fun Day in Military Park, with a DJ, community poets, drag storytelling, face painting and fun.
Friday October 18
11:00AM-12:10PM – trinity st.-philips – Jessica Jacobs, Myles Taylor , Raina Leon
Saturday October19
3:30-4:40PM – express newark – What We Don’t Talk About (Raina Leon, Kai Coggin, Diana Goetsch, Janine Joseph)
Tattooed Mom: A Night with Black Lawrence Press Authors and Live Performances
Join Black Lawrence Press authors and Owen Lyman-Schmidt for live music & multi-genre readings!
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13TH
6-9PM
NO COVER // FREE FUN
Reading Lineup:
Max McDonough
Alexandra Naughton
Raina J. León
+Live music with Owen Lyman-Schmidt from Driftwood Soldier
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What’s Up at TMoms:
• Sundays, All Day Long | Craft Sundays at TMoms? BACK. Googly eyes? BACK. Coloring pages? BACK? Your creative spirit? BACK. Come thru every Sunday for FREE arts & crafts upstairs and downstairs at Tattooed Mom!
• Daily Happy Hour | All drafts are just $4 every day from 4-6pm!
• Daily Menu | Tattooed Mom will also be serving tasty eats and ice cold drinks all evening.
• Upstairs dining, bar access, and event entry is 21+ w/ valid ID.
• Accessibility at TMoms | Due to the construction of our historical building, Tattooed Mom is only partially accessible. Our event space is on the second floor, which is only accessible via a flight of stairs (20 steps, 3 feet wide, railing on the left side only). For more information, please visit our Accessibility page.
American Poetry Museum: All my ancestors Latinx
Raina J. León, Sami Miranda, Darrel Alejandro Holnes, and Malcolm Friend read at the American Poetry Museum, drawing from work in The Acentos Review in anticipation of the Acentos Quince Anthology.
Furious Flower: All My Ancestors, Afro-Latinx: Creating from the Archive of Memory, Story, and Document
Who cut the path that we follow and when must we cut our own? Who was it who preserved the sweetness of the waters that we drink and what do we do with the poison we inherit? How do we discover our stories and bring them into an embodied and present truth? In this panel, the poets, Raina J. León, Darrel Alejandro Holnes, Roberto Carlos García, and Malcolm Friend reflect on their literary and familial ancestors, how the past infuses their work, and what they are doing in this moment to extend and create new legacies worthy of remembrance and stewardship through writing in response to the archive of memory and document. The poets assembled are founders of publications, podcasts, and institutes, innovators across artistic media, mentors and educators, contributors to the literary field in ways that have not existed before them. The future of Afro-Latinx creatives will be exponentially different and more powerfully known and that comes from a distinct consciousness of one’s place within a larger story, one that knows that our ancestors survived for our thriving, their seeded and ceded a way for our furious flowering.
Raina J. León, PhD is Black, Afro-Boricua, and from Philadelphia (Lenni Lenape ancestral lands). The author of black god mother this body, Canticle of Idols, Boogeyman Dawn, sombra : (dis)locate, and the chapbooks, profeta without refuge and Areyto to Atabey: Essays on the Mother(ing) Self, she publishes across forms in visual art, poetry, nonfiction, fiction, and scholarly work. She has received fellowships with the Obsidian Foundation, Macdowell, Anaphora, VONA, Cave Canem, Macondo, CantoMundo among others. She is a founding editor of The Acentos Review, an online quarterly, international journal devoted to the promotion and publication of Latinx arts.
Darrel Alejandro Holnes is the author of Stepmotherland (Notre Dame Press, 2022) & Migrant Psalms (Northwestern Press, 2021). Holnes is an Afro-Panamanian American writer, performer, and educator. His writing has been published in English, Spanish, and French in literary journals, anthologies, and other books worldwide and online. He also writes for the stage. Most of his writing centers on love, family, race, immigration, and joy. He works as a college professor in New York City, NY.
Roberto Carlos Garcia was born in Harlem, New York, and he writes about the Afro-Latinx and Afro-Diasporic experience. His work has been published widely in places like Poetry Magazine, NACLA, Poets & Writers, The Root, and others. Roberto is a 2023 New Jersey State Council of the Arts Poetry Fellow.
He is the author of five books. Four poetry collections: Melancolía (Cervena Barva Press, 2016), black / Maybe: An Afro Lyric (Willow Books, 2018), [Elegies] (FlowerSong Press, 2020), What Can I Tell You: Selected Poems (Flowersong Press, 2022), and one essay collection, Traveling Freely, forthcoming in 2024 from Curbstone Books / Northwestern University Press.
Roberto is the founder of Get Fresh Books Publishing, a literary nonprofit.
Malcolm Friend is a poet originally from the Rainier Beach neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. He received his BA from Vanderbilt University and his MFA from University of Pittsburgh. He is the author of the chapbook mxd kd mixtape (Glass Poetry, 2017) and the full-length collection Our Bruises Kept Singing Purple (Inlandia Books, 2018), winner of the 2017 Hillary Gravendyk Prize, and co-edited the anthology Até Mais: Latinx Futurisms (Deep Vellum, 2024). Together with JR Mahung he is a member of Black Plantains, an Afrocaribbean poetry collective. He currently lives and teaches in Austin, TX.
James Madison University College of Education presents Teaching the Worlds of Black Poetry to High School Students
10am-12pm, Memorial Hall Auditorium, James Madison University
James Madison University College of Education presents Teaching the Worlds of Black Poetry to High School Students
Panel for Educators: Teri Ellen Cross Davis, Hayes Davis, Brian Hanon, TJ Hendrix, Dave Wooley, Mary Beth Cancienne (Moderator)
Workshop Leaders for Students: Glenis Redmond, Darrel Alejandro Holnes, Raina J. Léon, DaMaris Hill, Derrick Weston Brown
Monday Poets 30th Anniversary Season: Michele Belluomini and Raina J. León
Monday Poets 30th Anniversary Season: Michele Belluomini and Raina J. León
Mon, September 16, 2024 6:00 p.m.Add to your calendar
Literature Department at Parkway Central Library
Join the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Literature Department in celebrating the 30th Anniversary season of Monday Poets. This year’s theme is Sankofa (SAHN-koh-fah), a Twi word from the Akan Tribe of Ghana which loosely implies that to move forward, one must “go back and get it”. In that spirit we will be celebrating at each event a past Monday Poet and introduce a new one. Each month from September 2024 to April 2025 a new Sankofa pair will read at a new library. Monday Poets exists to inspire and connect poets and community members across the city of Philadelphia.
This program will take place in the Skyline Room on the 4th Floor of Parkway Central and is free and open to the public. The event will be led by Philadelphia's current Poet Laureate, Kai Davis.
Previous Monday Poet: Michele Belluomini
Michele Belluomini’s poetry has been published in many print and online journals, and in various anthologies. Her chapbook, Crazy Mary & Others was a winner in the first Plan B Press competition. Her most recent volume of poetry is Signposts for Sleep Walkers. She was one of the winners of the 12th Annual John and Rose Petracca & Family Award for her poem, "La Befana." She works as Adjunct Library Faculty at Community College of Philadelphia.
New Monday Poet: Raina J. León
Raina J. León, PhD is Black, Afro-Boricua, and from Philadelphia (Lenni Lenape ancestral lands). She is the author of black god mother this body, Canticle of Idols, Boogeyman Dawn,sombra : (dis)locate, and the chapbooks, profeta without refuge and Areyto to Atabey: Essays on the Mother(ing) Self. She is a founding editor of The Acentos Review, an online quarterly, international journal devoted to the promotion and publication of Latinx arts. She currently supports poets and writers as faculty at the Stonecoast MFA at the University of Southern Maine.
Wild Indigo with Denice Frohman and Gabriel Ramirez
With Sarah Browning, Raina León founded, curates, and hosts, Wild Indigo Poetry Reading Series at Young American Cider.
DENICE FROHMAN is a poet and performer from New York City. She has received support from The Pew Center for the Arts, Baldwin for the Arts, CantoMundo, Headlands Center for the Arts, the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Poem-A-Day (The Academy of American Poets), The BreakBeat Poets: LatiNext, Nepantla: An Anthology for Queer Poets of Color, The Rumpus and elsewhere. A former Women of the World Poetry Slam Champion, she’s featured on hundreds of stages from The Apollo to The White House. Currently, she is developing her one-woman show, Esto No Tiene Nombre, which centers the oral histories of Latina lesbian elders.
GABRIEL RAMIREZ is a Queer Afro-Latinx poet, activist, and teaching artist. Gabriel has received fellowships from The Conversation Literary Arts Festival, Palm Beach Poetry Festival, The Watering Hole, CantoMundo and Callaloo. Gabriel’s electrifying writing and performance are catalysts towards healing and brings awareness to mental health, Afro-Latinidad, the African Diaspora, self love, masculinity, and social change. Gabriel has performed on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre, United Nations, Lincoln Center, Apollo Theatre and other venues & universities around the nation. Gabriel was featured in Huffington Post, VIBE Magazine, Blavity, Upworthy, The Flama, and Remezcla. Gabriel’s work has also appeared in anthologies like Bettering American Poetry Anthology (Bettering Books 2017), What Saves Us: Poems of Empathy and Outrage in the Age of Trump (Northwestern University Press 2019) and The Breakbeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNEXT (Haymarket Press 2020) Follow Gabriel @RamirezPoet and RamirezPoet.com.