Swing Mezzo Workshop performance
Swing Mezzo: Ancestral Reclamation through Jazz, Poetry, and Projection
Swing Mezzo is a community-rooted, artist-led performance reclaiming the legacy of Doris Rheubottom, a Swing-era vocalist erased by racism and sexism who lived in Philadelphia for over 30 years. Though featured in Black newspapers and the film Smash Your Baggage, she and her peers remain absent from jazz histories. This project transforms archival fragments into visual-poetic performance, weaving projections of press clippings, playbills, and photographs with live poetry, jazz, and ritual. The result is both art and communal intervention. For over 40 years, her grave went unmarked, but Doris Rheubottom still wants to sing. Her grave is now marked; now it’s time to celebrate her and her voice.
Project supported by The Velocity Fund, the Puffin Foundation, and the Leeway Transformation Award
Featuring contributions from Kendrah Butler-Waters, Stephanie Cole, Hiwot Adilow, Karen Smith, and blew kind
Poet Laureate Open Hours
Poet Laureate Open Hours
Want to know what a poet likes to read or what they are working on these days? Need some feedback on a poem? Want to talk about what it means to be a poet or how to become one? Come to Poet Laureate Raina León's open hours at the Parkway Central's Literature Department on the Second Floor. There's a typewriter that is calling your name!
Wild Indigo Poetry Reading Series, featuring Sarah Browning, Dan Vera, and Sue Scheid
Wild Indigo Poetry Reading Series, featuring Sarah Browning, Dan Vera, and Sue Scheid
Poet Laureate Open Hours
Poet Laureate Open Hours
Want to know what a poet likes to read or what they are working on these days? Need some feedback on a poem? Want to talk about what it means to be a poet or how to become one? Come to Poet Laureate Raina León's open hours at the Parkway Central's Literature Department on the Second Floor. There's a typewriter that is calling your name!
Open Hours at Blanche A Nixon (Cobbs Creek) Library in Philadelphia
Open (Office) Hours with the Philadelphia Poet Laureate at Blanche A. Nixon Library. Want to know what a poet likes to read or what they are working on these days? Need some feedback on a poem? Want to talk about what it means to be a poet or how to become one? In this series, poet laureate, Raina León will be going to library locations across the city. Check the calendar for details.
Workshop: The Watering Hole
Mercury may be in retrograde, but the archive always has something to say
In this workshop, we consider the stars and the archives as parallel technologies: the star map and migration maps, photographs of the true colors of the moon and photographs of the body’s joys and survival, the names of returning comets with the repeated names on a family tree … and more. We will read poems of the stars and archival transformations. We are star dust; act like you know.
Poet Laureate Open Hours
Poet Laureate Open Hours
Want to know what a poet likes to read or what they are working on these days? Need some feedback on a poem? Want to talk about what it means to be a poet or how to become one? Come to Poet Laureate Raina León's open hours at the Parkway Central's Literature Department on the Second Floor. There's a typewriter that is calling your name!
Poet Laureate Open Hours
Poet Laureate Open Hours
Want to know what a poet likes to read or what they are working on these days? Need some feedback on a poem? Want to talk about what it means to be a poet or how to become one? Come to Poet Laureate Raina León's open hours at the Parkway Central's Literature Department on the Second Floor. There's a typewriter that is calling your name!
Poet Laureate Open Hours
Poet Laureate Open Hours
Want to know what a poet likes to read or what they are working on these days? Need some feedback on a poem? Want to talk about what it means to be a poet or how to become one? Come to Poet Laureate Raina León's open hours at the Parkway Central's Literature Department on the Second Floor. There's a typewriter that is calling your name!
Poet Laureate Open Hours
Poet Laureate Open Hours
Want to know what a poet likes to read or what they are working on these days? Need some feedback on a poem? Want to talk about what it means to be a poet or how to become one? Come to Poet Laureate Raina León's open hours at the Parkway Central's Literature Department on the Second Floor. There's a typewriter that is calling your name!
Poet Laureate Open Hours
Poet Laureate Open Hours
Want to know what a poet likes to read or what they are working on these days? Need some feedback on a poem? Want to talk about what it means to be a poet or how to become one? Come to Poet Laureate Raina León's open hours at the Parkway Central's Literature Department on the Second Floor. There's a typewriter that is calling your name!
Poet Laureate Open Hours
Poet Laureate Open Hours
Want to know what a poet likes to read or what they are working on these days? Need some feedback on a poem? Want to talk about what it means to be a poet or how to become one? Come to Poet Laureate Raina León's open hours at the Parkway Central's Literature Department on the Second Floor. There's a typewriter that is calling your name!
Poet Laureate Open Hours
Poet Laureate Open Hours
Want to know what a poet likes to read or what they are working on these days? Need some feedback on a poem? Want to talk about what it means to be a poet or how to become one? Come to Poet Laureate Raina León's open hours at the Parkway Central's Literature Department on the Second Floor. There's a typewriter that is calling your name!
Poet Laureate Open Hours
Poet Laureate Open Hours
Want to know what a poet likes to read or what they are working on these days? Need some feedback on a poem? Want to talk about what it means to be a poet or how to become one? Come to Poet Laureate Raina León's open hours at the Parkway Central's Literature Department on the Second Floor. There's a typewriter that is calling your name!
Wild Indigo Poetry Reading Series, featuring Patricia Smith and Selina Cvgebird Carrera
Wild Indigo Poetry Reading Series, featuring Patricia Smith and Selina Cvgebird Carrera
Attending Dodge Poetry Festival
I’ll be attending Dodge Poetry Festival this year. Going to all the panels, celebrating the poetry, enjoying the family fun day with my children and husband, and generally delighting in all things Newark. I’m hoping to also do some research on the life of my Aunt Doris Rheubottom while I’m there!
Poet Laureate Open Hours
Poet Laureate Open Hours
Want to know what a poet likes to read or what they are working on these days? Need some feedback on a poem? Want to talk about what it means to be a poet or how to become one? Come to Poet Laureate Raina León's open hours at the Parkway Central's Literature Department on the Second Floor. There's a typewriter that is calling your name!
Reading and discussion with ire’ne lara silva at Kelly Writers House
More information coming!
Monday Poets, hosting Denice Frohman and Selina Cvgebird Carrera
Monday Poets, hosting Denice Frohman and Selina Cvgebird Carrera
Wild Indigo Poetry Reading Series, featuring Peggy Robles Alvarado and Airea Dee Matthews
Wild Indigo Poetry Reading Series, featuring Peggy Robles Alvarado and Airea Dee Matthews
Cohosting Breedlove
Pecola Breedlove & The Freedom Party is a popular West Philadelphia-based open mic poetry event and community platform, founded by KP ULTRA.
Breedlove returns to Philadelphia this summer for TEN events. Join us on Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday between June 30th and September 29th, 2026.
We will have booked feature and spotlight performances at each event.
The open mic list is first come, first served.
For more information, email hellobreedlove@gmail.com
*All events will be held at eThe Bayou - 5025 Baltimore Ave, Philadelphia.
* Sunday Events will start at 6PM, not 7PM. (July 12, Aug 9, Sept 13)
Poet Laureate Open Hours
Poet Laureate Open Hours
Want to know what a poet likes to read or what they are working on these days? Need some feedback on a poem? Want to talk about what it means to be a poet or how to become one? Come to Poet Laureate Raina León's open hours at the Parkway Central's Literature Department on the Second Floor. There's a typewriter that is calling your name!
Eastwick Southwest Mini-Poetry Series: Raina J. León
Reading from Raina J. León
The project emerged from collaboration with Eastwick Library, Khyra Lammers (Library Supervisor) and 2026-2027 Poet Laureate of Philadelphia, Raina J. León
Reading at Harlem Book Festival
The Harlem Book Fair is the nation's most recognized African American book festival. It is presented annually on the third weekend of July.
