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.

!Join us tonight to celebrate the release of “Orange” Noel Quinones new book of poetry!

Noel will be joined by Bay Area poets who supported Noel throughout their poetry journey! Leticia Hernández-Linares, Josiah Luis Alderete, Reggie Edmonds-Vazquez, and Esperanza Cabrales. Hosted by Tino VH Jr. with an opening piece by San Francisco Youth Poet Laureate Karan Gupta, Noel's former student!

A bold and tender portrait of family, identity, and truth in the North Bronx.

Through narrative poems and innovative forms inspired by color theory and elementary school, Orange explores the ripple effects of queerness, lies, and finding yourself in a family. In this visceral new collection, however, the scope of "family" expands well beyond the nuclear unit; Noel Quiñones's poems center relationships between friends, cousins, partners, and many other family members. Painting a vivid and fraught portrait of the North Bronx, Quiñones unflinchingly confronts the contradictions at the heart of love, divorce, gender, religion, and community, unpacking the complexities of coming out, divorced parents, and generational trauma. Orange ultimately argues that truth resembles color: something real, yet elusive, and impossible to prove. Preorder Orange here or get a copy at the event.

Noel Quiñones is an Emmy award-winning writer of all genres. Noel is the author of the interactive poetry collection Orange (CavanKerry Press, May 2026) and has been published in Poetry, Boston Review, Poem-a-day, and The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNEXT anthology, as well as the Michigan Quarterly Review, for which they won the 2025 Jesmyn Ward Fiction Prize. Noel’s short story "This Time and the Next" will be included in The Best Short Stories 2026: The O. Henry Prize Winners. Noel has also written for, narrated, and acted in several films, including the Emmy nominated documentary Takeover, recounting the Young Lords’ 1970 takeover of Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx to fight for better healthcare. A graduate of the University of Mississippi's MFA program and founder of Project X, a Bronx-based spoken word poetry organization, Noel is currently a Justice for My Sister BIPOC Sci-Fi Screenwriting Lab Fellow working on their first TV show, The Telescope. Follow Noel at www.noelpquinones.com.

Tino V. H. Jr. is a Mexican-American teaching artist and spoken word poet born and raised in Oakland, CA. He attended UC Santa Cruz, pursuing a degree in Literature with a concentration in Latin American Literature. He has represented poetry teams for cities like Santa Cruz and Berkeley, CA, on national stages. Most recently, he traveled to the Bigfoot Poetry Festival with the 2023 Berkeley Slam team, where they took 3rd place. His work explores im/migration, indigeneity, the hood, queerness, feminism, and decolonial frameworks. He currently organizes with RichOak Events in the Bay Area co-curating 4 shows: Alchemy Open Mic, Day Dreamer’s Poetry, the Oakland Poetry Slam and the Berkeley Poetry Slam. He is also Editor in Chief of the Poet’s Bookshelf, on Substack, and at Nomadic Bookshop as a monthly literary series In his spare time he constantly updates his “Best Tacos in East Oakland” list, plays too many video games, reads to feel alive and writes pre-colonial high fantasy.

Leticia Hernández-Linares is an award-winning bilingual, interdisciplinary writer, artist, and racial justice educator. Widely published, she is the author of Mucha Muchacha, Too Much Girl, Alejandria Fights Back! ¡La lucha de Alejandria! and co-editor of The Wandering Song: Central American Writing in the United States. She has lived, created, taught, & protested in the Mission (unceded Ramaytush Ohlone land) for thirty years, and she teaches in the Department of Latina/Latino Studies at San Francisco State University.

Josiah Luis Alderete is a full blooded Spanglish speaking Pocho y left handed callejero de Aztlán who has been a part of the Bay Area's spoken word/literary scene for over twenty years. He is the curator and host of the long running monthly Latine reading series Speaking Axolotl and is the author of the poetry book “Baby Axolotls & Old Pochos(Black Freighter Press 2021) and the chapbooks “Fuchi Faces de los Estados Jodidos”(For The Pueblo Press,2023) and 'cuernitos de humo y other fragmentos"(Workers Quarter Printshop 2026). In 2023 he was the Poetry Center’s Mazza Writer in Residence at San Francisco State. In 2024 his work was translated in Spanish by the Universidad Autónoma De Nuevo León, as part of Hablando en Lenguas ,a literay project that paired Mexican and Xicanx poets. Along with his bookstore sister Tân Khanh Cao, Josiah tends the portal known as Medicina Para Pesadillas Bookstore y Galeria on 24th Street in San Pancho, Califas.

Reggie Edmonds-Vasquez (They/Them) is a poet, educator, and cultural curator from Richmond, CA. Their work, which examines the intersection of Black, Queer, and Gender diverse identities, has been selected for fellowships and awards from Nomadic Press, the Afro Urban Society, The Museum of the African Diaspora and others. Their poem, Aerodynamics of the American Negro, was a finalist for the 2022 Red Wheel Barrow Poetry Prize. A two time Berkeley Grand Champion and a nationally ranked poet, Reggie can currently be found as the Program Director of Rich Oak Events. Reggie’s debut chapbook, Ecology of the Hood (Foglifter Press) will be available in Summer 2026.

Esperanza Cabrales (they/them) is a queer, trans nonbinary Xicanx spoken word artist currently based in unceded Muwekma Ohlone lands, concurrently referred to as Oakland, CA. They're an organizer for the Berkeley Poetry Slam, workshop facilitator, certified Gemini summer baby, events organizer, polyglot, jewelry designer, and multi-media artist. Esperanza had the honor of being in the Queer Cultural Center's Creating Queer Communities 2024 L1 cohort, with a 15-minute poetry feature at the 2024 Fall National Queer Arts Festival. Their poem, ‘A Non-Controversial Poem’, was published in the 2025 edition of La Raiz Magazine. They've curated the following zines: “Lessons From My Cousin’s Garden” and “A Ghazal for Gaza/Where Does It Hurt?”, the latter of which was created in collaboration with Artists Against Apartheid and features collaged art from the Palestinian youth art exhibit "A Child's View from Gaza". They can be found on Instagram as @nepantlainoakland and on substack as @dreamingeyeswideopen.

Karan Gupta is a San Francisco-born poet and currently serves as the inaugural Youth Poet Laureate of San Francisco. He's been writing poetry since he was a kid and finds that it's the most potent form of writing. He explores the themes of racism, grief, and gentrification in his poetry.

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 is a heavy duty dose of sonic sustenance as we celebrate the spoken word album release of PC Munoz’s “Little Ransoms” and also a very special performance by Red Fast Triple Luck(PC Munoz-percusssion,boom stick, and cosmic hook rug, David Boyce-reeds/efxs, Chris Trinidad-bass, Francis Wong-reeds)

Kitchen Table is a reading series centered around poetry and literature, food and drink, and culture and politics. The core of the events are the questions: What feeds your body? What feeds your mind? Writers share their work as we all share a local pop-up's food or drink. KT shows, classes, and pop-ups focus on dialogue between established writers and food makers with those interested in writing and cooking, community work and craft. Stay tapped in with Kitchen Table on our Instagram and by signing up for our newsletter.

Gabriel Cortez is a poet, educator, and organizer based in the Bay Area, California. Gabriel’s debut one person show, "Between Two Rising Seas," premieres at Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA) in Fall 2027. He is beginning his MFA in Creative Writing at St. Mary’s College of California starting this September.

Lauren Ito is an American Gosei (fifth generation person of Japanese ancestry) UX research leader, poet, and community organizer committed to advancing equity through art and design.

Eddie Kim is a writer, editor and multimedia journalist living in San Francisco, California. He covers a spectrum of issues, from poverty and race to art and food culture. He is currently the City Reporter and a founding member of Gazetteer San Francisco.

Stay Sweet SF is a fresh take on chocolate and confections crafted in small batches by San Francisco-born-and-raised pastry Chef Mark Lieuw.

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 Other Dimensions In Sound & Eye-Full Films present – a night of rare 16mm films from the archives of David Michalak, including The Spoken Word, Once a Face, Start Talking, Not Quite Right and others. Original 16mm film prints will be projected.
The night opens with a set by Cindy Webster - singing saw, hurdy gurdy and Nancy Beckman – shakuhachi

photo - Helmut Wautischer in Not Quite Right

Calling all Arab Youth ages 18-35! The PYM is hosting a shadeh w dardasheh event - come learn to play tarneeb, meet other Arab youth, and learn about the work PYM is doing to enact an arms embargo. The event will be generously hosted by Medecine for Nightmares in the Mission. !انضمولنا

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

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.

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.

This month’s feature is TraumaCheez

TraumaCheez is a San Francisco-based indie singer-songwriter. Her musical artistry combines explosive vocals with a fluid sense of groove. Featuring catchy melodies paired with witty, humorous lyrics - and a high-energy stage presence focused on live interaction - she delivers a truly captivating performance.

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.

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, and Bryan Dean-electric bass)

Sutro Music Institute is hosting their Spring Recital at Medicine For Nightmares! Sutro is a local music school where the teachers travel to their student's homes for private lessons. Check out their website for lesson availability: www.SutroMusicInstitute.com

Student musicians in the performance are;

-Kyla John

-Emma Larazzabel

-Leo Larazzabel 

-Allesandro Larazzabel

-Maddie Allen

-Chloe Allen

-Zachary Goldyne

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.

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. 

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.

KINAM es una práctica de entrenamiento psicofísico basada en la filosofía Tolteca/Anawaka (Mesoamerica antes de la colonización) y en sus antiguas posturas de equilibrio y de poder, creada a partir de diversas técnicas de movimiento funcional, meditación, y "posturas de poder toltecas". En esta clase buscamos recuperar las raíces culturales de América Prehispánica a través de la exploración de nuestra atención y consciencia y el balance de nuestros centros perceptuales: cuerpo físico, mente, emociones y energía vital.

Materiales a traer: Un mat de yoga o un tapete, ropa cómoda

*Apto para todas las edades 

KINAM is a psychophysical training practice based on Toltec/Anawak (Mesoamerica before colonization) philosophy and its ancient postures of balance and power, created from various techniques of functional movement, meditation, and “Toltec power postures.” In this class, we seek to recover the cultural roots of Pre-Hispanic America through the exploration of our awareness and consciousness while balancing our perceptual centers: physical body, mind, emotions, and vital energy.

Materials needed: Yoga mat and comfortable clothes
*All ages are welcomed

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.

Participating poets include;;

Yenia Jimenez is a Mother, Poet and Educator. She is born & rased in occupied Ohlone Ramayatush Land. She is a mother, community advocate, and a self published author with two collections of poetry and prose. “Visualize what you read” and “An Ode to Resilience” Yenia believes that BIPOC stories are highly underrepresented in literature and need to be elevated. She hopes to continue to inspire people and most importantly as an educator to continue to inspire youth through teaching poetry, song writing workshops with an emphasis on the history of Jazz, Blues and its connection to the African Diaspora.

Gaia.te, also known as "Gaia the Empress," is a 27-year-old bisexual priestess and artist, born in Brooklyn and raised in Frisco. Her vibrance surges from NYC to San Francisco and beyond. Grounded by her Afro-Latina roots, she champions the earth's energies channeling them through a unique blend of poetry, hip-hop, techno, and Neo-Soul. Over the past decade, her community involvement through workshops, performances, and art exemplifies her unwavering commitment to bettering the world. As an MC who channels the universal spirit for all to see, she is unconditionally... Gaia.te

Téo Arias is a non-binary Chicane poet born and raised in Watsonville, California. Their writing unfolds at the intersections of their identity—it lies in the way their gender queerness and decolonial ideology braid together with lived trauma.Téo believes that poetry is an act of resistance and applies that not only in their writing but also in their work with students in poetry workshops.

Esperanza Cabrales (they/them) is a queer, trans nonbinary Xicanx spoken word artist currently based in unceded Muwekma Ohlone land. They're an organizer for the Berkeley Poetry Slam, workshop facilitator, certified Gemini summer baby, events organizer, polyglot, jewelry designer, and multi-media artist. Their poetry is deeply entwined with their queerness, sense of community, curiosity, and intersectionality.

Gabriel Cortez is a poet, educator, and organizer based in the Bay Area, California. His work has appeared in Poem-A-Day by The Academy of American Poets, The New York Times, The Rumpus, The Breakbeat Poets Anthology Volume 4, and elsewhere. A VONA, Poetry Incubator, and #BARS workshop alum, he has received awards from the Gerbode Foundation, the Rainin Foundation, the National Performance Network, the University of California, Palette Poetry, and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. He is pursuing his MFA in Creative Writing at St. Mary’s College of California 

J.Yuru Zhou / 周玉茹 (they, she) is a poet, writer, researcher, and artist rooting in San Francisco. She enjoys theorizing at the club, ambling in-and-out of the panopticon, and reveling in summery autumns in California. Her poems and essays have been exhibited in shows at Gray Area and Southern Exposure; looped at Asian Art Museum; performed at Litquake (Yerba Buena Gardens, Noisebridge), Berkeley Poetry Festival (Berkeley Ballet Theatre), the Pride Poets Hotline (ONE Gallery, Los Angeles Public Library); published by Inverse Magazine and the Los Angeles Times.

René Espejo is a queer, first-generation, Afro-Indo Caribbean visual artist, poet, performer, curator, and aspiring fantasy novelist… A longtime San Francisco resident, they are a self-taught Art-Witch whose various creative mediums inform one another. René work blends witchcraft, queer identity, and Caribbean culture to share hidden stories that exist within their inner world.

Bryan Chávez Castro is a Salvadoran poet now local to Northern California. He was 2026 Rooted and Written Fellow at The Writers Grotto and the Theresa Hak Kyung Cha Fellow at UC Berkeley where he studied comparative literature. His poems have appeared in Huizache, Acentos Review, and Tierra Narrative's "Title Card #1."

Pápí Grande (He/Him/Prince) is an Oakland-raised spoken word artist, educator, and published author known for his dynamic stage presence and emotionally resonant storytelling. His work explores identity, community, and personal evolution, creating powerful connections with audiences and students alike.He is the author of Theme of Identity.

Darius Simpson is a New Afrikan writer, educator, farmer, and skilled living room dancer from Akron, Ohio. Much like the means of production, he believes poetry must be used for the positive social, political, and economic development of the majority of society. He is the recipient of fellowships from Poetry Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and others. His book, Never Catch Me, is out now and available at buttonpoetry.com. Darius believes in the dissolution of empire and the total liberation of Africans and all oppressed people by any means available. Free The People! Free The Land!

Marvin Flores

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.

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

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.

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 a writer and artist born and raised in the Bay. Her writing has been featured in the Institute for Palestine Studies, Teen Vogue, The Nation, KQED, and Bandcamp. When she is not writing, you can find her scheming on the end of empire, swimming laps, or on IG @atayqueen and Substack @sarahadbiboneal. Alan would definitely lose to her in a soccer game, and admires her barista skills, among other talents. 

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

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)

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.

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

!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.

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

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 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.