Upcoming Events
No Kings, No Queens Chess Club
No Kings, No Queens Chess Club is the super-chill community chess club that gathers the 1st Sunday of every month in the galeria. Hosted by Danny Cao, all ages and skill levels are encouraged to come. Never played chess? We'll teach you! Come hang out, talk chess and play a few games.
Other Dimensions in Sound presents Dymaxion Trio and Huegel/James/Jordan
Other Dimensions in Sound is our Friday music series curated and hosted by Boohaabian multi reed player extraordinare David Boyce. Each week David will be inviting different musical guests to join him in our galeria for a night of musical medicina.
Tonight we have a double dose of sonic sustenance;
Set 1; Dymaxion Trio(Bruce Ackley-soprano sax, Pete Schmitt-bass, Dave Brandt-drums/gongs)
Set 2; Huegel/James/Jordan(two drum kits and a guitar)
Closing Reception for Ja weya ob’aj wij · ex weya nchemajMI HISTORIA · MI TELARMy Story · My Weaving Art Opening
Una exhibición de telares creados por el Grupo Artista Telar Maya Mam
Acompáñanos a una exposición de tejidos en telar de cintura creados por mujeres Maya Mam de los municipios de Xjan Xwan Atitan, Chimb’al y Torasant, Huehuetenango, Guatemala.
El poder de la mujer indígena se teje en cada hilo.
Cada hilo guarda memoria.
Cada color es territorio.
Cada telar es una historia viva.
Ja weya ob’aj wij · ex weya nchemaj reúne tejidos realizados por mujeres Maya Mam, donde el acto de tejer es también un acto de narrar, resistir y preservar conocimiento ancestral. En cada pieza habita la continuidad de la lengua, la tierra y la comunidad. Aunque estamos lejos de nuestra tierra ancestral, seguimos honrando nuestras tradiciones de tejido y creando nuevas prácticas en la diáspora.
El telar es fuerza, es raíz, es resistencia viva.
Producida por NAKA Dance Theater
En colaboración con Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore
An exhibition of textiles created by the Grupo Artista Telar Maya Mam.
Join us for an exhibition of Maya Mam backstrap weaving textiles created by women weavers from Xjan Xwan Atitan, Chimb'al and Torasant, Huehuetenango, Guatemala.
The power of Indigenous women is woven in each thread.
Each thread holds a memory.
Each color is a territory.
Each textile is a living history.
Ja weya ob’aj wij · ex weya nchemaj brings together textiles made by Maya Mam women, where the act of weaving is also an act of storytelling, resisting erasure, and preserving ancestral knowledge. In each piece resides the continuity of language, land, and community. Although we are far from our ancestral land, we continue to honor our weaving traditions and create new practices in the Diaspora.
Our weaving is our strength; it is our roots; it is our living resistance.
Produced by NAKA Dance Theater
Alan Chazaro; These Spaceships Weren't Built For Us.
For his latest book launch, Alan Chazaro will be reading from These Spaceships Weren't Built For Us, a collection of speculative poems that reconsider the possibilities of space travel as the son of Mexican immigrants. Fresno Poet Laureate Joseph Rios writes that these poems "unlock portals of memory like the vinyl ridges on a record. His poems create temporal shifts and catalog neighborhood histories from Oakland to Jackson Heights. The poems are laced with references just for the homies. They're shoutouts. With These Spaceships Weren't Built for Us, Chazaro transforms the ranfla, the hooptie, and the G-ride into a spaceship, a time machine." Chazaro will be joined by his friends and poets, Sarah O'Neal, Kevin Madrigal, and Sara Borjas for a night of Bay Area literary celebration and astro gazing.
ALAN CHAZARO is the author of This Is Not a Frank Ocean Cover Album, Piñata Theory and Notes from the Eastern Span of the Bay Bridge. He is a graduate of June Jordan’s Poetry for the People program at UC Berkeley and a former Lawrence Ferlinghetti Poetry Fellow at the University of San Francisco. His work can be found in GQ, NPR, The Guardian, L.A. Times and more.
KEVIN MADRIGAL is a queer Chicano poet. He is a first generation hijo de su chingada madre from South San Francisco by way of Zapopan, Jalisco. When Kevin isn't writing, he teaches nutrition and cooking classes in la Misión. Kevin also helps organize When The Smokes Comes, a free creative writing workshop in Oakland that seeks to end oppression. Alan first met Kevin at a pulqueria in Guadalajara, while Kevin was wearing a hella fire Andre Iguodala jersey, and Kevin later visited Alan in Xalapa, Veracruz, to drink mezcal and too much coffee.
SARA BORJAS is a Xicanx pocha, a Fresno poet and a poetry editor at Noemi Press. Her debut collection of poetry, Heart Like a Window, Mouth Like a Cliff was published by Noemi Press in 2019 and won a 2020 American Book Award.Alanhas been Sara'sfanboysince her debut collection, and he washellaexcited and honored when she blurbed his first book.
SARAH O'NEAL is an artist and writer born and raised in the Bay Area. Her writing has been featured in the Institute for Palestine Studies, Lux Magazine, The Nation, and Bandcamp. When she's not writing you can find her scheming on the end of empire and leading community poetry workshops in Oakland with When The Smoke Comes. Alan would definitely lose to her in a soccer game, and admires her barista skills, among other talents.
Drop In Block Printing Workshop with Fernando Marti
Block printing workshop for community activists. We'll have tools, paper, tinta, and small blocks, and start off with a conversation about printmaking as cultural and political expression. Second Wednesdays in March, April, and May. Suggested donation $20 for artist and book store.
Clase de grabado para activistas de la comunidad / Tendremos herramientas, papel, tinta, y pequeños bloques, y empezamos con una conversación sobre el grabado como expresión cultural y política. Segundo Miercoles en marzo, abril, y mayo. Donación sugerida $20 para artista y librería.
Fernando Martí (he/him) is an artist, poet, community architect and housing activist, originally from Ecuador, based in San Francisco, Ramaytush Ohlone land.
Fernando Martí (el) es un artista, poeta, arquitecto comunitario y activista de vivienda, originario del Ecuador, y basado en San Francisco, tierra Ramaytush Ohlone.
Forum Magazine Launch Party
Come celebrate the publication of this year's edition of Forum, a student-run literary journal providing a platform for the contemporary, urban voices of City College since 1937. Our launch party will feature readings by this year's Forum authors, copies of the 2026 edition for sale, food, drink, and a raffle of archival editions of Forum. All are welcome!
Featured readers:
Aaron Lee is a 22 year old, Chinese writer living in San Francisco. He used to live at Music City Hostel where this happened.
Jason Flaig is a writer and artist from the Bay Area who has lived in San Francisco for five years. An experienced technical and strategy guide writer in the video game industry, he writes flash fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction.
Adrienne Gilliam is a San Francisco based multimedia artist and writer. She explores themes of myth, nostalgia, and trauma. Adrienne can often be found writing on long walks through Golden Gate park. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and eating above all else.
Holly Juliet Zimbert now resides in San Francisco, CA. She is deeply inspired by the profound experiences of writing thousands of custom poems for strangers through her public facing typewriter poetry practice, Holly Juliet Zimbert Pop Up Poetry.
Alaina Kafkes Alaina started taking classes at CCSF a year ago. She had a lot of fun writing her story that appears in Forum.
Claribel Caamal Amodei is a San Francis co native that enjoys all forms of creative writing. Although fiction is her first love she has recently started writing poetry and hopes to convey the difficult emotions she feels to others through artistic expression.
Efrain Gutierrez lives in San Francisco. Originally from the Central Valley, Efrain takes film courses at the City College.
Ayo Khensu-Ra writes at the intersection of poetry and fiction. A definite lover of poetry aloud he has featured at several Bay Area-based series including Voz Sin Tinta, Moondrop Productions, and La Prabla Musical. He has studied English and photography at CCSF. He is more ellipsis than period.
Carla Schick is a queer activist for Palestine,an educator and a person who believes in the transformative power of art. They won an honorable mention in the 2025 Tom Howard Poetry Prize. Their work can be found in Qu, Queens Review, The Closed Eye Open and anthologies
Other Dimensions in Sound presents Larry Ochs Group
Other Dimensions in Sound is our Friday music series curated and hosted by Boohaabian multi reed player extraordinare David Boyce. Each week David will be inviting different musical guests to join him in our galeria for a night of musical medicina.
Tonight’s sonic sustenance is coming to you courtesy of the Larry Ochs Group.
Molcajete Poets Open Mic
The Molcajete Poets are opening a new poetry space rooted in community, creativity, and care. Our vision is to cultivate poets through intentional workshops and open mic gatherings where every voice is valued.We invite poets of all backgrounds and identities to share space with us. Whether you’re just beginning or have been writing for years. This is a space to grow, to be heard, and to build together. Join us for our first open mic as we set the tone for a safe, welcoming, and intentional environment through our words. Come listen, come share, come be part of something we’re creating together.
Creative Writing Department Senior Thesis Reading/ Ruth Asawa School of the Arts
Join the Seniors from the Creative Writing department at the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts as they read from their capstone writing projects, the Senior Thesis. Each writer will read a selection from their poetry chapbooks, novels, and short story collections they have been writing all year. These works are daring and urgent--and written by some of the strongest young writers in San Francisco.
Itzel Alarcon is a senior in the Creative Writing Department at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts. She is the most proud of her poetry, having been published in multiple 826 Valencia anthologies. She was a member of the 2025 Youth Poet Laureate Cohort. Some of her favorite themes to work with in poetry include nature, family, and forgiveness.
Marley Manalo is a Senior at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts. She loves all things citrus, gold, and the sun. She is an aspiring fashion journalist who wants to work in NYC or Paris.
Kendall Snipper is a Senior in Creative Writing at the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts. She has been featured in Umlaüt, Synchronized Chaos, San Francisco Youth Anthology, and the 2024 & 2025 editions of American Highschool poets, among other literary spaces. She enjoys the craft of writing and bridging (or obscuring) the gap between the literal and the figurative. As a graduating senior, she is focused on giving others the opportunity to have their voices heard through various long-form projects.
Zeke Cooksey-Voytenko is a senior at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts. They are passionate about jewelry, media, and connections. His thesis is a culmination of highschool, his thoughts, and what he hopes life could be.
Filip Zubatov is a senior in the Creative Writing Department at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts. He enjoys writing plays and fiction, mostly about people making questionable decisions. When he's not writing, he's on a golf course.
Ari Nystrom-Rice is an artist and writer in the Creative Writing Department at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts in San Francisco. They love performing and sharing their plays, poetry, and fiction in the Creative Writing shows. They find their writing while walking, swimming, listening to music, and staring out the passenger seat window. They hope that regardless of what they do in life, creative writing will be a constant daily source of passion.
Zadie McGrath is a student writer from San Francisco. An avid reader and writer of fantasy and science fiction, Zadie uses speculative elements to explore themes of connection and discovery. Their work has been published in literary magazines such as Apprentice Writer, Backwards Trajectory, and Temple in a City, and they are currently working on a fantasy novel. Since 2024, they have also been an editor and designer for Umläut, Ruth Asawa SOTA’s student-run arts magazine.
Chloe Schoenfeld is a teen author, poet, and aerialist. She was born and raised in San Francisco, where she currently attends Ruth Asawa School of the Arts for Creative Writing. Schoenfeld's writing is often whimsical and thoughtful, exploring dystopias and hope. She has been published in multiple literary journals such as elementia magazine and InsideVoice. She is also a co-runner of Umläut literary magazine.
Tasha Leung is a writer, designer, animator, and a neverending lover of fruits. They are currently a senior in the Creative Writing department at Ruth Asawa SOTA, where they co-edit Umläut magazine, whose 25-26 issue can be found at theumlaut.org! Besides their thesis, they are working on collection dedicated to the sheep that help people fall asleep at night, and other underappreciated animals.
Rooted as Resistance presented by the Writer’s Grotto
Join us for the 2026 Rooted and Written Faculty and staff reading, exploring what we root in as resistance. Featuring new work from Grace Loh Prasad, Tara Dorabji, Sabina Khan-Ibarra, Rowena Leong Singer, MK Chavez, Swetha Amit and Danny Theimann; moderated by Dominic Lim.
Produced by The Writers Grotto, Rooted and Written is a free, multi-genre writing workshop for Bay Area writers of color.
Speaking Axolotl presents Dora Prieto
TONIGHT come hear decolonized verses, spanglish poesia, Latine spokenword, Pocho poemas and neighborhood chisme at Speaking Axolotl, the Bay Area’s long running monthly Latine Reading series. 10 slot open mic goes up a las 6:50PM. Open mic poets have 5 minutes to read.
!This month we welcome our very special feature Dora Prieto!
Mexican-Canadian poet and translator Dora Prieto writes from Ohlone land (Oakland, CA), where she is a 2025–27 Wallace Stegner Fellow in
Poetry at Stanford. Her co-translation of JAWS [tiburón] will be released by Cardboard House Press on May 21! Her debut poetry collection Blood Tejido is forthcoming with House of Anansi (April 2027), and she is a member of El Mashup Collective, where she collaborates on interdisciplinary artistic experiments. She is an auntie, a dreamer, a thinker, and a cold ocean swimmer—despite a close encounter with a shark as a kid. ♡☆ @primadora_
NOTE; Speaking Axolotl is a BIPOC readoing series which means black and brown poets only on the mic. White folks are more than welcome to listen and atend but their presence is not required.
Other Dimensions in Sound presents Rodvien/Boyce/Dean
Other Dimensions in Sound is our Friday music series curated and hosted by Boohaabian multi reed player extraordinare David Boyce. Each week David will be inviting different musical guests to join him in our galeria for a night of musical medicina.
Tonight we have an extra heavy dose of sonic sustenance with Rodvien/Boyce/Dean(Brian Rodvien-drums, David Boyce-reeds and efx, andBryan Dean-electri bass)
SF Bay Area Tatreez Circle
Join us for an afternoon of tatreez, Palestinian embroidery, as we come together in community to stitch. A tatreez circle is a gathering of tatreez artists who stitch together while sharing stories and learning from each other. All levels of experience are welcome but this is not meant to be a workshop. We will not be teaching tatreez but are happy to help guide you on what you need to get started before the event. Bring your own projects and your own supplies.
What is Tatreez? Tatreez is the art of Palestinian embroidery that has been practiced in Palestine for centuries. A practice passed down generationally from mother to daughter. Taking inspiration from the land and everyday life, Palestinian women hand stitched motifs and patterns directly onto their thobe that represented their social status, the villages/regions from which they hailed and their individuality.
Can I join if I'm not Palestinian? YES! This is a space for Palestinians and non-Palestinians who share a love of tatreez. Regardless of who practices tatreez, it is important to always remember the history of this beautiful art and the role it plays today in the Palestinian resistance movement, both in Palestine and within the diaspora. These circles are a safe space for Palestinians and our allies.
Bay Area Queer Open Mic
A welcoming space for queer musicians and songwriters to share their work, connect, and build community. Performers can sign up online in advance, join as walk-ins, or be featured as a monthly Featured Artist.
From The City to the Town; State Violence Through the Lens of Youth
Mycelium Youth Network presents an analysis of state violence, displacement, and environment across three cohorts of youth 15-23 years old from San Francisco and Oakland. Join us for an interactive art show that honors youth and attendees as knowledge holders and invites community to co-create understandings of environmental justice and resistance beyond individual action by engaging youth artwork and Photovoice projects. Also, come learn from our youth’s year-long work around mutual aid distributions, ICE safety planning, and community healing!
Mycelium Youth Network (MYN) is a Bay Area youth-centered organization founded in 2017, dedicated to bridging the gap between increasing climate-related disasters and the abilities of young people to proactively respond. We prepare predominantly low-income Black and Brown youth in the Bay Area -- who are most vulnerable to and already feeling the effects of environmental racism -- for climate change by drawing from ancestral traditions and practices. MYN focuses on climate resilience and climate mitigation to create and strengthen existing holistic relationships and build out regenerative economies. We empower youth to grow as visionary leaders and budding environmentalists, connect with ancestral teachings, and trust in the wisdom of the natural world.
The Youth Leadership Council is a place-based, environmental justice internship that equips young people from Mission High and Metwest High with political education, decision-making power, and research tools to critically assess their conditions, organize, and co-create their visions of a liberated future.
Data Warriors is an anti-racist and anti-colonial participatory research internship where frontline youth from Oakland (ages 15-23) study issues they care about, relate them to State violence and environmental justice, then design and practice interventions that support their community. A core objective of Data Warriors is to develop evaluation values, tools, and capacity to explore lived realities and socioemotional experiences of oppression and liberation.
Indian Classical Sessions
The SF Indian Classical Session at Medicine for Nightmares is back May 27th! 7pm show starts, $10! The Indian Classical Sessions are an informal gathering dedicated to sharing the meditative beauty, ecstatic energy, and sheer majesty of South Asian music. Hosted by percussionist, drum set and tabla player Sameer Gupta, this gathering focuses on curating 4 short live sets that represent different influences and traditions surrounding South Asian music. Our goal is to connect, build our raga music loving community, and share South Asian classical music in an impromptu, casual and attentive setting.
Featured sets are:
Vivek Thyagarajan
Akshay Naresh
Kamal Ahmad
Sonia Mann Qureshi (kathak) & Ferhan Qureshi
Other Dimensions in Sound presents David Michalak
Other Dimensions in Sound is our Friday music series curated and hosted by Boohaabian multi reed player extraordinare David Boyce. Each week David will be inviting different musical guests to join him in our galeria for a night of musical medicina.
Tonight David welcomes David Michalak.
Laughs 4 Medicine
Join Laughs w/ Benefits for our showcase, Laughs 4 Medicine! Watch the best up and coming comics for a night of laughs and to support social causes. All proceeds are donated to a different cause. This PRIDE month, we are raising funds for homeless queer youth. As this is a fundraiser, we are selling presale tickets. No one will be tunred away for lack of funds but we ask participants to donate to the cause! Donations suggested $20.
Nola Bradley is an LA native, who now calls herself home in Oakland, CA. Her comedy is wickedly insightful about her absurdist journeys through transgender discovery, sexuality, addictions and mental illness. With the acerbicness of Wanda Sykes and the intimacy of Neal Brennan, she’s unsparing yet vulnerable about ridiculous trans stereotypes and our bleak political climate - while roasting her own self-absorbtion too. Nola is a thought provoking, generationally talented comedienne, but never too high brow for a girldick joke.
Rea Kapur is a Bay Area based comedian, almost professional filmmaker, and devout lesbian. A regular at the San Jose Improv, Rea has opened for acclaimed comedians like Dylan Carlino, Jackie Kashian, Tommy Tiernan, and Maria Bamford. She’s performed in SF Sketchfest, Oakland Comedy Festival, Santa Cruz Comedy Festival, and placed third at Rooster T’s 2025 Comedy Competition. Her brutal honesty and quick wit make her a dazzling, dynamic, and sometimes depressingly relatable comedian.
Vikki Baretta has done shows at Comedy Oakland, The Broadwater, The Hollywood Comedy
Other Dimensions in Sound presents Umplifier(Marcus Stephens-tenor sax,efx and Henry Hung-trumpet and efx)
Other Dimensions in Sound is our Friday music series curated and hosted by Boohaabian multi reed player extraordinare David Boyce. Each week David will be inviting different musical guests to join him in our galeria for a night of musical medicina.
Tonight’s sonic sustenance is being provided by Umplifier(Marcus Stephens-tenor sax,efx and Henry Hung-trumpet and efx)
Flor Y Canto Pachanga Fundraiser
!FAMILIA come by tonight for the Flor Y Canto Pachanga Fundraiser!
Siiiiiiiii tonight is the night when we gather to raise money for the San Francisco International Flor Y Canto Literary Festival, San Francisco ONLY homegrown literary festival highlighting BIPOC authors, poets and our connected communities. The San Francisco International Flor Y Canto Literary Festival was started here in the Mission during Alejandro Murguria’s time as SF first Latino Poet Laureate and continues to this day organized and run by volunteers, ganas, y amore. Tonight’s Pachanga will feature a very special musical collaboration with poets Arlene Biala, Paul Flores, Cathy Arellano, and other surprise guest poets. The poets will be in musical/spoken word collaboration with the one and only musical concoction known as The Super P’s(Chris Trinidad-bass Unpil Baek-piano and Jimmy Biala-percussion). There will be yummy comida, drinks of an alcoholic y non alcoholic nature, as well as a chingon raffle with prizes donated by local artists as well as pecularities by some of our beloved literary luminares including the first Latino poets laureate of these DisUnited States Juan Felipe Herrera. 100% of the proceeds from tonight’s pachanga will go to the San Francisco International Flor y Canto Literary Festival. Aqui Estamos.
Classical Indian Sessions
The Indian Classical Sessions are an informal gathering dedicated to sharing the meditative beauty, ecstatic energy, and sheer majesty of South Asian music. Hosted by percussionist, drumset and tabla player Sameer Gupta, this gathering focuses on curating 4 short live sets that represent different influences and traditions surrounding South Asian music. Our goal is to connect, build our raga music loving community, and share South Asian classical music in an impromptu, casual and attentive setting.
Suggested Donation; $10
Bay Area Queer Open Mic
A welcoming space for queer musicians and songwriters to share their work, connect, and build community. Performers can sign up online in advance, join as walk-ins, or be featured as a monthly Featured Artist.
Featured Artist this month is Areli, a Chicana singer-songwriter half-raised in the Bay Area and Central Valley. She writes and covers songs about life and all types of love.
The Anti-Defamation League and the Racial State: A Book Talk with Emmaia Gelman
“The ADL was born of the belief that the best protection from antisemitism was admission into the white racial state and waging a vigorous defense of capitalism, individual rights, and the West against communists and barbarians. And it has never looked back.” –Robin D. G. Kelley
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) once sought to portray itself as a defender of civil rights aligned with racial justice movements in the United States. In a groundbreaking study that Publishers Weekly describes as a "gutsy, razor-sharp demystification of a powerful organization," Emmaia Gelman exposes the ADL’s alliance with American white supremacy and western empire and its historic investment in Cold War anticommunism. Her definitive account shows how the ADL as a Zionist organization has advanced and supported pro-state policing, a hate-crimes framework that obscures racialized structures of power, and a “War on Terror” that has stoked anti-Palestinian racism and Islamophobia.
Emmaia Gelman is the founding Director of the Institute for the Critical Study of Zionism. She has taught social and cultural analysis at NYU and social sciences at Sarah Lawrence College. Her writing appears in Jewish Currents, Boston Review, The Forward, and elsewhere.
Latines in Film & Television at Berkeley presents: A Través de Nuestros Ojos:Displacement & Discovery
Join us for an unforgettable evening as Latines in Film & Television at UC Berkeley closes out the year in celebration! A Través de Nuestros Ojos: Displacement & Discovery is a night dedicated to honoring the stories, resilience, and creative vision that define our community, on screen and beyond. This year's theme reflects the journeys we carry, the places we've left, the identities we've built, and the worlds we continue to discover through the lens of our own experiences. Through film, media, and art, we tell those stories. Tonight, we celebrate our community telling them. Come ready for an evening of local vendors, art making, and community, including a screening of our final cut from last semester's film project, a collective milestone we're so proud to share! The night will close with recognition of all the incredible members who made this year shine. Whether you're a longtime member, a Berkeley student, an alum, or a friend of the community, you are welcome here!
This night is for all of us, come celebrate with us!
Sink or Burn Book Talk: Cristy Road Carrera in conversation with Ariel Gore
Today come celebrate the release Cristy Road Carrera's Sink or Burn with a conversation between the author and legendary Bay Area author, artist, educator, and zine trailblazer, Ariel Gore. Readings, feelings, and Q&A!
Unsung cult hero and eternal rabble rouser, Cristy Road Carrera is a first generation Cuban-American artist, writer, and musician. She’s been publishing illustrated novels, playing in punk bands, and creating art for cultural and social movements for over 25 years. Her last release, the Next World Tarot, is an ode to building another world based on social justice; while her latest illustrated novel, Sink or Burn, is a handbook for survival when that world falls apart. While exploring culture, sexuality, punk rock, and survival— Cristy Road creates a visual and audible soundtrack for a broken world.
Ariel Gore is a Lambda Award Winning editor and author of 13 books of fiction and nonfiction as well as a zillion zines and coloring books. Her latest: Rehearsals for Dying, a memoir about queer love versus the cancer industrial complex from the Feminist Press and Wonder Widow—part graphic-novel, part coloring book, all weirdness. She teaches online at literarykitchen.net
Other Dimensions in Sound presents (Set 1) Guitarist Karl Evangelista plays the entirety of Sonny Sharrock's legendary Guitar album. (Set 2) Ghost Dub
Other Dimensions in Sound is our Friday music series curated and hosted by Boohaabian multi reed player extraordinare David Boyce. Each week David will be inviting different musical guests to join him in our galeria for a night of musical medicina.
Set 1 Karl Evangelista - Guitarist Karl Evangelista plays the entirety of Sonny Sharrock's legendary Guitar album - solo, as intended. This special performance utilizes live looping, knotty improvisation, and dense, powerful tones to recreate the transcendent energy of Sharrock's classic.
Set 2 Ghost Dub - David Michalak (lap steel, skatchbox), Bruce Ackley (winds), Darren Johnston (trumpet, mutes), Tonight's Dub features an improvised set of good medicine.
From the Heights to the Mission: Writing Home
Join us tonight for a reading where Norman Antonia Zelaya, of the Mission District, reads from Gente, Folks and JP Infante, visiting from Washington Heights, New York City reads from On the Tip of Your Mother's Tongue.
JP Infante is the author of On the Tip of Your Mother’s Tongueand Aquí y Allá: un retrato de la comunidad Dominicana en Washington Heights. He is the winner of PEN’s Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize and Thirty West’s Chapbook contest. His writing has appeared in Kweli, The Poetry Project, Rigorous, A Gathering of the Tribes, and elsewhere. He has been awarded scholarships and fellowships from the NY State Writers Institute, PEN America and The Center for Fiction. He holds an MFA from The New School.
Norman Antonio Zelaya is from San Francisco, CA. His writing is inspired by his Nicoya heritage and his lived experience as a SF native and Mission District homeboy. He’s the author of two collections of short fiction, Orlando & Other Stories (Pochino Press, 2017), and most recently, Gente, Folks (Black Freighter Press, 2022). His work has appeared in ZYZZYVA, Apogee Journal, NY Tyrant, 14 Hills, and Cipactli, among other journals. Mr. Zelaya has read and lectured throughout California, and across the country. Also, he’s appeared on stage, in film, and in the squared circle as the masked luchador, Super Pulga. He lives and works in San Francisco, where he’s completing a debut novel.
SF Bay Area Tatreez Circle
Join us for an afternoon of tatreez, Palestinian embroidery, as we come together in community to stitch. A tatreez circle is a gathering of tatreez artists who stitch together while sharing stories and learning from each other. All levels of experience are welcome but this is not meant to be a workshop. We will not be teaching tatreez but are happy to help guide you on what you need to get started before the event. Bring your own projects and your own supplies.
What is Tatreez? Tatreez is the art of Palestinian embroidery that has been practiced in Palestine for centuries. A practice passed down generationally from mother to daughter. Taking inspiration from the land and everyday life, Palestinian women hand stitched motifs and patterns directly onto their thobe that represented their social status, the villages/regions from which they hailed and their individuality.
Can I join if I'm not Palestinian? YES! This is a space for Palestinians and non-Palestinians who share a love of tatreez. Regardless of who practices tatreez, it is important to always remember the history of this beautiful art and the role it plays today in the Palestinian resistance movement, both in Palestine and within the diaspora. These circles are a safe space for Palestinians and our allies.
If you’re new to tatreez and have questions please reach out to sfbaytatreez@gmail.com.
Follow on Instagram @SFBayAreaTatreez
Bob Kaufman Birthdia Reading y (non)Lecture
Tonight we celebrate the 101st birthdia of beloved San Francisco poet Bob Kaufman with a very special reading of his work by Mimi Tempestt, soledad con carne, and Josiah Luis Alderete. Following the reading will be a (non)lecture between the three participating poets discussing Kaufman outside of his pigeonholed perception as a crazy “beat” writer as well as his importance/significance to writers of color.
Gritos; On Finding the Source of Our Voices Writing Workshop led by ire'ne lara silva
2023 Texas State Poet Laureate ire’ne lara silva will be leading a very special afternoon writing workshop today in our galeria. Poets don’t miss this oppurtunity to take a workshop with one of our most gifted poets and chingona educators around.
Gritos; On Finding the Source of Our Voices…
We will be using gritos as a way of finding our own deeper personel voice, to ground the creative mind in our bodies, to root the voice in our hearts, and to both release and control emotions in the body and the voice.. There will be various visualization exercises, a lot of playing with physical stances, a great deal of sound making experimentation, and a few short writing/art prompts to examine how we perceive our voices. No experience or familiarity with gritos is needed.
Registration fee; $100
To register email; irenelarasilva@yahoo.com
ire’ne lara silva, 2023 Texas State Poet Laureate, is the author of five poetry collections, furia, Blood Sugar Canto, CUICACALLI/House of Song, FirstPoems, and the eaters of flowers, which one Gold for the 2025 Juan Felipe Herrera Best Poetry Book/International Latino Book Awards, two chapbooks, Enduring Azucares and Hibiscus Tacos, a comic book, VENDAVAL, and a short story collection, flesh to bone, which won the Premio Aztlán. ire’ne is the recipient of the 2026 Jessie H. Jones, Fellowship, the 2025 Poetry Rising Star Award (ILBA), a 2025 Storyknife Writers Residency, the 2021 Texas Institute of Letters Shrake Award for Best Short Nonfiction, a 2021 Tasajillo Writers Grant, a 2017 NALAC Fund for the Arts Grant, the final Alfredo Cisneros del Moral Award, and was the Fiction Finalist for AROHO’s 2013 Gift of Freedom Award. Her second short story collection, the light of your body, will be published by Arte Publico Press in Spring 2026. http://www.irenelarasilva.wordpress.com
SToRYTeLLeR/TLaQueTZQui with ire’ne lara silva and Maribel Martínez,
Join us tonight for a very special reading with ire’ne lara silva, 2023 Texas State Poet Laureate and author of the new short story collection, the light of your body & Maribel Martínez, poet/writer/playwright, author of the plays, Becoming (MAR), Mar in the Middle, and Mar Abierto.
Speaking Axolotl presents Grace Olguin and Nikolai Garcia
TONIGHT come hear decolonized verses, spanglish poesia, Latine spokenword, Pocho poemas and neighborhood chisme at Speaking Axolotl, the Bay Area’s long running monthly Latine Reading series. 10 slot open mic goes up a las 6:50PM. Open mic poets have 6 minutes to read.
This month we welcome two quierido LA poetas Grace Olguin and Nikolai Garcia
Nikolai Garcia is the son of Mexican immigrants and grew up in South Central Los Angeles. His poems have been published in Huizache, Mobile Data Mag, Razorcake, Latino Book Review and various other journals and anthologies. His second chapbook, All the Sad Music, was published by DSTL Arts (2025). He is cohost, (with Mauricio Moreno), of Trenches Full of Poets, an open mic in Long Beach.
Grace Olguin (she/her) has had the privilege of sharing her poetry and prose at open mics since 2008. She printed her first chapbook collection of poems in 2009 and was awarded the Powell Grant for "Art In the Public Places" by the City of Santa Fe Springs. In 2023 she joined Community Literature Initiative where she continued developing as a writer, and in June 2024 received the first printed copy of her manuscript. Leading up to her book release, Grace was invited to read at the international Flor y Canto literary festival in San Francisco, and LitHop Fresno. Her first book of poetry, A List of Things I Lost, was published December 2025 by World Stage Press. In her daily life, she loves hanging out with her three animal companions - her bird, her dog and her 15-year old tortoise. You can follow her photoblog at potentpeace.tumblr.com
NOTE; Speaking Axolotl is a BIPOC reading series which means BIPOC poets only on the mic. White folks are more than welcome to come and listen but their presence is not required.
Ja weya ob’aj wij · ex weya nchemajMI HISTORIA · MI TELARMy Story · My Weaving Art Opening
Una exhibición de telares creados por el Grupo Artista Telar Maya Mam
Acompáñanos a una exposición de tejidos en telar de cintura creados por mujeres Maya Mam de los municipios de Xjan Xwan Atitan, Chimb’al y Torasant, Huehuetenango, Guatemala.
El poder de la mujer indígena se teje en cada hilo.
Cada hilo guarda memoria.
Cada color es territorio.
Cada telar es una historia viva.
Ja weya ob’aj wij · ex weya nchemaj reúne tejidos realizados por mujeres Maya Mam, donde el acto de tejer es también un acto de narrar, resistir y preservar conocimiento ancestral. En cada pieza habita la continuidad de la lengua, la tierra y la comunidad. Aunque estamos lejos de nuestra tierra ancestral, seguimos honrando nuestras tradiciones de tejido y creando nuevas prácticas en la diáspora.
El telar es fuerza, es raíz, es resistencia viva.
Producida por NAKA Dance Theater
En colaboración con Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore
01 Abril – 10 Mayo, 2026
Recepción de inauguración: Sabado 11 Abril, 2-6pm
Recepción de clausura: Sabado, 9 Mayo, 2-6pm
Foto: Scott Tsuchitani
An exhibition of textiles created by the Grupo Artista Telar Maya Mam.
Join us for an exhibition of Maya Mam backstrap weaving textiles created by women weavers from Xjan Xwan Atitan, Chimb'al and Torasant, Huehuetenango, Guatemala.
The power of Indigenous women is woven in each thread.
Each thread holds a memory.
Each color is a territory.
Each textile is a living history.
Ja weya ob’aj wij · ex weya nchemaj brings together textiles made by Maya Mam women, where the act of weaving is also an act of storytelling, resisting erasure, and preserving ancestral knowledge. In each piece resides the continuity of language, land, and community. Although we are far from our ancestral land, we continue to honor our weaving traditions and create new practices in the Diaspora.
Our weaving is our strength; it is our roots; it is our living resistance.
Produced by NAKA Dance Theater
In collaboration with Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore
3036 24th St, San Francisco, CA
April 1– May 10, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, April 11, 2-6pm
Closing Reception: Saturday, May 9, 2-6pm
Other Dimensions in Sound presents Takai Ginwright films
Other Dimensions in Sound is our Friday music series curated and hosted by Boohaabian multi reed player extraordinare David Boyce. Each week David will be inviting different musical guests to join him in our galeria for a night of musical medicina.
Tonight we have a very special evening of Takai Ginwright films with live musical score.
Daniel S.C. Sutter reads from his new book Debris:Stories
Tonight join us for a co-reading event celebrating the release of Debris: Stories by Daniel S.C. Sutter followed by a brief conversation between Daniel and guest poet Vida James.
Daniel S.C. Sutter:
A 2025-27 Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford, Daniel S.C. Sutter's story collection Debris has won the Press 53 Short Fiction Award and is now available. His work has appeared in The Georgia Review, The Greensboro Review, Mississippi Review, and elsewhere, and has been awarded the Robert Watson Literary Prize in Fiction. He holds a Ph.D. from Florida State University and an M.F.A. from the University of New Orleans Creative Writing Workshop. He is from Tampa, FL.
Vida James is Nuyorican, currently living in San Francisco. She is a Wallace Stegner fellow at Stanford University. She was a 2024 National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellow and a 2024 Center for Fiction Emerging Writer Fellow. She holds an MFA from the University of Massachusetts - Amherst and an MSW from Hunter College. Her writing has been supported by Periplus, Storyknife, Tin House, Bread Loaf, MASS MoCA, the St. Botolph Club Foundation, and VONA. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Kenyon Review, Story, New England Review, and elsewhere.
Drop In Block Printing Workshop with Fernando Marti
Block printing workshop for community activists. We'll have tools, paper, tinta, and small blocks, and start off with a conversation about printmaking as cultural and political expression. Second Wednesdays in March, April, and May. Suggested donation $20 for artist and book store.
Clase de grabado para activistas de la comunidad / Tendremos herramientas, papel, tinta, y pequeños bloques, y empezamos con una conversación sobre el grabado como expresión cultural y política. Segundo Miercoles en marzo, abril, y mayo. Donación sugerida $20 para artista y librería.
Fernando Martí (he/him) is an artist, poet, community architect and housing activist, originally from Ecuador, based in San Francisco, Ramaytush Ohlone land.
Fernando Martí (el) es un artista, poeta, arquitecto comunitario y activista de vivienda, originario del Ecuador, y basado en San Francisco, tierra Ramaytush Ohlone.
Corridors of Contagion: A SF Book Release & Discussion
Join Victoria Law and advocates who were incarcerated in California & New York for a conversation about the horrors of the pandemic behind bars and grassroots freedom organizing. Books will be available for sale & signing.
Victoria Law is a freelance journalist and author who has written about incarceration, particularly women's incarceration, for nearly two decades. Her books include Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women, Prison By Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms (co-authored with Maya Schenwar), and “Prisons Make Us Safer” and 20 Other Myths about Mass Incarceration. Her latest book, Corridors of Contagion: How the Pandemic Exposed the Cruelties of Incarceration, is sadly still relevant.
Kelly Savage-Rodriguez is the DROP LWOP coordinator for the California Coalition For Women Prisoners. Kelly was incarcerated for 23 years. Governor Brown commuted her Life Without Parole sentence in December of 2017, and she was finally released on parole in November 2018. As a domestic violence survivor, Kelly was forced to experience the similarities between domestic violence and the violence of incarceration. She is also the executive chair of the Human Rights Watch National LWOP Leadership Council NLC.
David is a father and grandfather who was imprisoned in New York State for several decades, including the first 18 months of the Covid-19 pandemic.
No Kings No Queens Chess Club
No Kings, No Queens Chess Club is the super-chill community chess club that gathers the 1st Sunday of every month in the galeria. Hosted by Danny Cao, all ages and skill levels are encouraged to come. Never played chess? We'll teach you! Come hang out, talk chess and play a few games.
Other Dimensions in Sound presents Boyce/Free/Wong Tenor Sax Trio
Other Dimensions in Sound is our Friday music series curated and hosted by Boohaabian multi reed player extraordinare David Boyce. Each week David will be inviting different musical guests to join him in our galeria for a night of musical medicina.
Tonight’s we have an extra dose of sonic sustenance for you with the Boyce/Free/Wong Tenor Sax Trio
Book Release Celebration for Fifty Mothers by Preeti Vangani. With poets Lucie Periera, Dāshaun Washington, T.S.Leonard.
Join us at Medicine for Nightmares for a celebratory reading of Fifty Mothers (River River Books, 2026), a new poetry collection from Preeti Vangani.
Preeti’s second collection has been lauded as a 'kaleidoscopic document of love and loss,' one that weaves narrative and elegy around the figure of a late mother, the poems unfolding in the speaker’s Bombay home. Pierced with joy, with music and sweat, traffic and smoke, the collection layers family dynamics, gender roles, and the pain and pleasure of the speaker’s body, while drawing a living, lyric line between the “gone mother” and daughter. These poems are the fiercely loving, grieving, sexual, and always-processing songs for the grown children of mothers living in a world that takes without asking. Preeti will share a selection of poems from the book, with readings by poets T.S.Leonard, Lucie Periera and Dāshaun Washington. Followed by a book signing!
Preeti Vangani is an Indian poet & writer based in San Francisco. She is the author of Mother Tongue Apologize (2019) and Fifty Mothers, forthcoming from River River Books (Feb 2026). Her work has been published in The Georgia Review, Gulf Coast, Prairie Schooner among other places. Her debut short story won the 2021 Pen/Dau Emerging Writers Prize. She has received artist grants from San Francisco Arts Commission and YBCA through which she facilitates poetry workshops rooted in writing grief through joy. She holds an MFA in Writing from University of San Francisco and teaches in the program.
Lucie Pereira (she/her) is a Pushcart and Best of the Net nominated writer and educator. Her work has appeared in Stanchion Zine, The Quarter(ly), and Silly Goose Press, among others. She is the food and beverage editor at Honey Literary, a poetry reader for Split Lip Magazine, and the author of the chapbook, From Here to the Ocean (Finishing Line Press 2025). She lives in San Francisco, where she teaches second grade and co-hosts the reading and food pop-up series Kitchen Table.
Dāshaun Washington is a poet from Pittsfield, Massachusetts. His work has received support from Yaddo, the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Lighthouse Works, Ucross Foundation, Millay Arts, and beyond. His poems have appeared in Poetry, Poem-a-Day, New England Review, The Nation, American Poetry Review, and elsewhere. He currently lives in San Francisco and is a Jones Lecturer at Stanford University, where he was previously a Wallace Stegner Fellow.
T.S. Leonard is a poet, performer, and author of works published in Foglifter, Poetry, and Fourteen Poems. Leonard’s debut poetry collection, Another Anthem of Fabulous Survival, was selected for the 2024-2025 Poetic Justice Institute Prize and will be published in 2026 by Fordham University Press. Originally from Kansas City, Missouri, he lives and teaches in San Francisco.
Clothing & Book Swap+’Zine Making Station
The folks who "Swap in the Park" are coming to 24th St! The collective of friends and fashionistas on a budget will be hosting their clothing and book swap in the Medicine for Nightmares gallery. While the clothing swaps were originally inspired by online "no-buy" clubs, this swap encourages us to clean out our closets and come together for an afternoon of sharing and caring. All are welcome to give and take clean and gently used clothes and books. No undergarments please! Only books in the gallery are free to share, please respect business practices in the book store space. If you have no items to give at this time, you are still welcome to hang out and create a mini zine in celebration of community. Templates and art supplies will be provided.
¡La gente "Swap in the Park" viene a 24th St! El colectivo de amigos y amantes de la moda con un presupuesto limitado organizará su intercambio de ropa y libros en la galería: Medicina Para Pesadillas. Si bien los intercambios de ropa se inspiraron originalmente en clubes en línea que "no compran", este intercambio nos anima a limpiar nuestros armarios y reunirnos para pasar una tarde compartiendo y cuidando. Todos son bienvenidos a dar y recibir ropa y libros limpios y en buen estado. ¡Sin ropa interior por favor! Solo los libros de la galería se pueden compartir de forma gratuita; respete las prácticas comerciales en el espacio de la librería. Si no tiene artículos para regalar en este momento, aún puede pasar el rato y crear una mini revista para celebrar la comunidad. Se proporcionarán plantillas y materiales de arte.
Other Dimensions in Sound presents Funkonya
Other Dimensions in Sound is our Friday music series curated and hosted by Boohaabian multi reed player extraordinare David Boyce. Each week David will be inviting different musical guests to join him in our galeria for a night of musical medicina.
Tonight we have an industrial size dose of old fashioned funk for you with the one and only Funkonya.
Classical Indian Sessions
The Indian Classical Sessions are an informal gathering dedicated to sharing the meditative beauty, ecstatic energy, and sheer majesty of South Asian music. Hosted by percussionist, drumset and tabla player Sameer Gupta, this gathering focuses on curating 4 short live sets that represent different influences and traditions surrounding South Asian music. Our goal is to connect, build our raga music loving community, and share South Asian classical music in an impromptu, casual and attentive setting.
Featured sets are:
Nishit Rawat
Ujjaini Mukhopadhyay
Krishna Parthasarathy
Parag Chordia
$10 suggested donations
Books Not Bans Poetry Jam!
TONIGHT come enjoy some good old fashioned poetry games and an open mic hosted by Boks Not Bans! The one and only Kevin Dublin will be our featured speaker and lead the games of poetry. Open mic starts at 7pm, sign ups are first come first served. Read original poetry or poems you’ve just made at our poetry game station!
Kevin Dublin is an educator, advocate, and writer of poetry, prose, scripts, and code from Smithfield, NC. “To me, literature is a conversation amongst writers where the world gets to hear the best parts. To join the conversation, all a writer needs to do is read, understand the traditions at play, and respond.” You can learn more about Kevin Dublin on his website kevindublin.com
Books Not Bans is a tiny nonprofit dedicated to building literary community by throwing events and sending free banned and LGBT books to communities across America. We’ve sent 7100+ books to over 25 orgs in 16 states. Follow us on instagram @booksnotbans and check out our website, booksnotbans.org
Books Not Bans donates books to queer orgs, and throws literature-themed parties.
Donate a book from our registry and we'll ship it to folks who need it.
Organizations in need of books can request them here.
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2747 books donated since April 2023
As seen in the LA Times, Guardian UK and Asahi Shimbun
For a list of our past events click here.
We are fiscally sponsored by Independent Arts and Media Foundation (EIN 94-3355076) , a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.
Bay Area Queer Open Mic
A welcoming space for queer musicians and songwriters to share their work, connect, and build community. Performers can sign up online in advance, join as walk-ins, or be featured as a monthly Featured Artist.
Featured Artist Bio:
Xoan is an indigenous multidisciplinary artist who resides in Oakland. He blends sequenced drum beats with dreamy synth progressions and vocals.
From The Bay a La Bahia
"From the Bay a La Bahia" is a cultural project that aims to bridge two Pacific coast cities, San Francisco, California and Acapulco, Guerrero. This project seeks to create meaningful artistic exchanges between communities that, while geographically distant, share deep connections through migration, displacement, economic violence, resilience and a coastal identity.
Join us as we host the screening of “Voices from the Abyss / Las Voces del Despeñadero” AAn intimate look at the La Quebrada Cliff Divers in Acapulco, Guerrero, who earn their living diving 100 feet into the sea from a dangerous cliff as part of a thrilling show, featuring an original poem recited by them and testimonies on faith, life, and death. Directed by Irving Serrano and Víctor Rejón.
This event is co-hosted by Demina Laboratorio de Artes, based in Acapulco, Guerro, Mexico.
Libertarian Noir: Tech-bros, Trump, and the Privatization of the State
Recent commentaries have tended to wonder at the alliances forged between self-professed libertarians of Silicon Valley and the Trump regime. A longer historical view and a more skeptical analysis of US libertarianism suggests that such alliances should come as no surprise. They are the logical merger of entities driven by profit, hubris, and a desire to create a world governed solely by contract and patent. Craib will discuss both the historical evidence drawn from his recent book, Adventure Capitalism (PM Press, 2022), and more recent material from new research.
Raymond Craib is the Marie Underhill Noll Professor of History at Cornell University and the author of The Cry of the Renegade: Politics and Poetry in Interwar Chile, Cartographic Mexico: A History of State Fixations and Fugitive Landscapes, and with Barry Maxwell, co-editor of No Gods No Masters No Peripheries: Global Anarchisms. His most recent book is Adventure Capitalism: A History of Libertarian Exit, from the Era of Decolonization to the Digital Age (PM Press).